Choosing your henna is a mess! It is difficult to choose from all the hennas found on the market. Between natural henna, neutral henna, blond henna or black henna, what is the difference? It is a difference in composition, natural henna is pure henna. Neutral henna does not come from the same plant and other hennas are made from different mixtures and are therefore not pure. In addition, there is a lot of controversy about black henna: is it toxic or not? So yes and no depending on its composition and its usefulness. Black henna for hair is not toxic because it is a mixture of non-dangerous plant powders. Black henna for tattoos is dangerous because it contains allergenic chemicals.
What do we call: henna?
Under the name “henna”, we find many things and a bit of everything and anything. There are therefore several forms of henna and we are here to help you tell the difference:
- tHE natural henna : this henna is pure and natural. It is actually the only true henna that comes from the henna plant: Lawsonia inermis.
- a pure and natural henna which is not : called “neutral henna”, this henna is not strictly speaking henna since it does not come from the same plant. It comes from Cassia obovata.
- of the henna mixtures for hair : in stores, it is possible to find hennas for hair which are composed of a small quantity of natural and/or neutral henna, mixed with other natural dye powders, with the aim of providing more varied hair colors .
- of the non-pure hennas : in these hennas, more or less toxic products have been added in order to give a certain texture to the hair, better coloring or different colors. We are talking here about ready-made preparations for hair coloring or tattoos. An example of these hennas, the most common and which we have heard a lot about, is the black henna for tattoos.
Two main pure hennas
Coloring - tattoos - dandruff - eczema
Natural henna
The plant
Natural henna is the only one to deserve the name henna, since it comes exclusively from the henna plant named Lawsonia inermis, making it the only “pure” henna. It is made from dried and then crushed leaves. Its particular composition of lawsone molecules gives it different properties that can be used therapeutically or cosmetically. There are different hennas from different origins such as henna from Yemen, Rajasthan or Egypt. They come from the same plant, the difference is the place of production which, due to climatic conditions and different soil types, influences the concentration of lawsone in the plant. Indeed, the more henna is grown in a warm area, the more it will produce of lawsone and more the final color will be dark. This is the henna that we are talking to you about in this guide.
Therapeutic benefits of natural henna
Healing
Antifungal
Antibacterial, disinfectant, sanitizer
Anti-inflammatory
Bug spray
Cosmetic benefits of natural henna
Anti-odor
Exfoliant
Strengthening the hair sheath
Anti-dandruff
Anti-greasy hair
Some simple uses of natural henna...
Color hair, fight dandruff and oily hair, strengthen your hair
Make a paste and apply it to your hair for at least 2 hours. Rinse thoroughly until the water runs clear.
Scrub and purifier for the body
Mix 1 tbsp of henna, 8 tbsp of black soap and the juice of a lemon then apply the mixture as if for a scrub, using a horsehair glove.
Tattoo
Make a henna paste and apply it using a nozzle to create your tattoos. The longer the henna remains in contact with your skin, the darker the color will be.
Wound or burnMake a poultice by mixing henna powder with water and covered with a compress. To be renewed several times a day.
Sprain, rheumatism and other pain
Make a poultice on the painful area. To be renewed if necessary.
Nail or foot fungus
Make a henna and lemon juice mixture to apply to the fungus for two hours every day until it disappears.
Eczema
Apply henna as a poultice for 30 minutes on the affected area. To be renewed every 3 to 4 hours if necessary.
Oily hair - Dandruff - Lice
Neutral henna
The plant
Neutral henna is not henna strictly speaking. In fact, neutral henna comes from the leaves of another tree: Cassia Obovata, belonging to the Fabaceae family. THE Lawsonia inermis and the Cassia Obovata then have no family ties. However, neutral henna has many similar properties to natural henna. The major difference is that neutral henna does not have lawsone, the coloring molecule.
Cosmetic benefits of neutral henna
Exfoliant
Anti oily hair
Hair growth
Anti-dandruff
Bug spray
Some simple uses of neutral henna...Anti-dandruff, oily hair and hair growth
Body scrub
Make a paste with hot water and apply the mixture to your hair for 30 to 45 minutes.
Mix 1 tbsp of neutral henna, 8 tbsp of black soap and the juice of a lemon then apply the mixture as if for a scrub, using a horsehair glove.
Bug spray
Mix neutral henna with hot water until you have a paste. Then apply the paste to your hair for 30 to 45 minutes.
Henna-based mixtures for hair
Black henna
There is a lot of controversy over black henna because of more or less serious allergic reactions following a tattoo. First of all, what you need to know is that natural henna, in its purest form, will never give a black color. To obtain such a color, other ingredients were added, notably PPD (paraphenylenediamine), THE compound responsible for all these reactions. PPD makes it possible to obtain a black henna color, however it is he who is involved in the allergic reactions sometimes irreversible, eczema and can leave scars. We therefore advise you not to use black henna.
Please note, black henna for hair dye is different from the controversial black henna. Black henna for hair dye can be completely natural! It is the powder ofindigo contained in this henna which produces black color on the hair. Indigo is not used for tattooing for the simple reason that it does not adhere to the skin and therefore does not give color.
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