Henna Hair Dye Misconceptions
Recently, I was reading about what real people thought about henna hair dye and whether or not it would be good to use to color your hair. Here are a few comments that have been summarized to save space (later, I’ll attempt to clear up the misconceptions about henna hair dye):
1. “Henna usually leaves a reddish tint to your hair and it's super messy. It’s hard to remove. It can damage hair.”
2. “There is a reason why Henna is not offered in most salons.”
3. “True legit henna only comes in red or black. There is not a blonde henna. If it contains a bottle of developer, it is not henna. Most brands (commercial grade) of henna have metallic compounds in them that react to chemicals in regular hair dye.”
Number one is partially true. Henna does leave a reddish/orange tint to hair. It can be very messy to apply, but preparing the area before application, cuts down on a messy application. Pure henna does not damage hair but actually conditions it. It’s extremely rare for someone to be allergic to pure henna. Usually, if hair is damaged, henna was not totally natural but was mixed with chemicals such as, para-phenylenediamine (PPD) or metallic salts. It’s extremely important to buy henna from a reputable company.
Number two is a little ambiguous. However, I will try to give the ‘reason’. Traditional henna application is an extremely lengthy process, and most hairdressers don’t have the time to apply the henna, and then wait a few hours before washing out. Another reason could be education. Instead of becoming educated henna hair dye application, some stylist prefer to shy away from discovering if there are faster methods or other totally natural henna mixes that can speed up application. Sadly, henna is sold that is mixed with para-phenylenediamine (PPD) and metallic salts; this can be extremely damaging to hair and the stylist and customer might come to the sad conclusion that ALL henna hair dye is harmful.
Number three is partially true. Pure henna comes from the henna plant and in powder form it is green. Pure henna produces a red-orange color on most hair, never black. To produce natural black color, other natural plant dyes or stains need to be added to the henna powder, such as pure indigo. There is a blonde henna, however it’s made with extract from henna stems, mixed with other plants like cassia obovata to produce blonde to golden shades (from SabaBotanical.com). Unfortunately, many companies sell henna as a botanical hair dye, but contains harmful chemicals, including para-phenylenediamine (PPD) and metallic salts that can cause horrible allergic reaction and damage to hair and skin. This practice has led to much confusion about pure henna and henna hair dye application.
Go to the Knowledge Base and Clear Up Misconceptions
Saba Botanical of USA has an excellent “Knowledge Base” page on their website, containing numerous links to hair dye articles and LustrousHenna.com blog posts that clear away misconceptions about henna; as well as how colors can be
achieved by combining extracts from the henna plants and other ancient plants.
Visit the FAQ’s page for more answers about Lustrous Henna® Hair 100% plant-based hair dye in more than ten shades of beautiful color.
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