Dangers of Black Henna (store bought henna)

It’s not natural. It’s not good for you and I’m going to show you, and explain why.

So, let’s also clear this up – it’s not just black henna that is harmful, there are also other Henna Cones in the market that are unsafe. By unsafe I’m talking about toxic chemicals known as paraphenylenediamine (PPD). 

GRAPHIC IMAGES
This 11-year-old girl and her mom got her henna done ( using a PPD cone) and this are the reactions! You can read the full article here. 

How to identify dangerous henna
(Black Henna and Henna with Chemicals) 

Here are some indicators that the henna you bought or saw is unsafe:

1. It’s black or red
2. It states it’s instant
3. It is stored on a shelf
4. It comes from a very far away county
5. It’s wrapped commercially
6. It says “instant or emergency”
7. Sometimes they are also labelled organic or natural but YOU MUST read the ingredients (I’ll talk about this later) 

Look for Natural Henna 

Natural Henna cones are hand-rolled, (like the image shown) they may be printed cellophane, or plain, & may have the artists information on it! You can purchase these natural henna cones in my store! 

Signs of a Natural Henna Cone

Look at the ingredients, if they are listed. Natural henna contains ONLY 4-5 ingredients. It’s important to read or ask the artist. This is the list of Natural Ingredients: 

1. Natural henna powder
2. Sugar
3. Essential oil
4. Water or lemon juice

These are the most common ones, if you don’t know what is listed it’s likely to be unsafe!

Harmful reactions Black Henna (chemical cones) can cause!

Here is what using a chemical infused cone can do to you:

• May cause burns
• Scaring
• It peels when it starts coming off
• It feels tingly or burning while it’s on
• It smells horrible

NOTE: DO NOT use these cones even to practise, the fumes are also very harmful.

This is a very serious problem, chemical cones are illegal in Canada however they are still used very often.

Questions you can ask the artist

Ask the artist or look at the cone in the store to determine whether it is safe or not:

• is it natural
• Do you make the henna yourself
• What type of oil do you use (clove oil is NOT ok, it may burn the skin as well)
• Is it stored in the freezer ( this is the only way henna won’t perish, think of it like this, it has natural ingredients and just like food it can go bad – henna last 30 days in the fridge and up to 12 months in the freezer) 

It’s also important to be observant if you see the cone does not look natural, it’s always best to stay away.

Sometimes these “unsafe cones” say they are organic/natural, so be careful!