Henna Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description

Henna
: Plantae : Magnoliophyta : Magnoliopsida : Myrtales : Lythraceae : Lawsonia
Species
Lawsonia inermis

Henna is a dye made from the dried leaf and petiole of Lawsonia alba Lam. (Lawsonia inermis L.). It may be identified by its characteristic odor (which smells slightly like soapy cow dung) and by characteristic plant histology. Henna in its common form is a greenish-brown powder, which is mixed with water to form a mud-like paste prior to application. Lemon juice and essential oils are often added to extract the dye from the leaves.

Henna is traditionally used as a hair dye and temporary skin dye in India, Pakistan and North Africa, and in expatriate Indian and Pakistani communities. As well as adding a deep red tint to the hair, henna improves the condition and shine of the hair. As a skin dye, it produces a dark brown stain which lasts for about a week. Henna is predominantly used by women in these cultures to create traditional hand and foot decorations known as mehndi.

Henna is only approved for sale as a hair dye in the United States, and is not approved for any other use in the United States. Some unapproved henna products (sometimes sold under the name "black henna") have been adulterated with unsafe chemical dyes such as paraphenylenediamine ("PPD"), and should not be used for any purpose.

Henna decorations became fashionable in the West in the late 1990s, as a form of body decoration that did not involve permanent marks, unlike tattoo. [Note: the term "henna tattoo", American marketing slang, is actually an oxymoron -- a contradition in terms. Henna (mehndi) is a temporary surfacing dying of the skin. Tattoo is the permanent surgical insertion of a pigment underneath the skin.]

External references

• The Henna Page - a guide to henna body decoration
• Henna for Hair - instructions, pictures, and discussion
• Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21, Volume 1
• Christian Science Monitor story about use of henna in the West

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