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When you're vacationing with the kids this summer, you may come across tents & booths at resorts or tourist areas offering mehndi, or henna temporary "tattoos." Sounds like fun, right? The kids get a harmless temporary tattoo and some cute photos and memories. Yes, if the henna artist is using pure henna. If, however, the henna artist has added a chemical called PPD (para-phenylenediamine) to the paste they're using, your children could bring home much more than memories, including itching, painful blisters, permanent scarring, and permanent chemical sensitivities.
Natural henna is a powder from dried, ground leaves of the plant Lawsonia inermis, and when made into a paste and applied to the skin, leaves a reddish-brown stain. There is no such thing as "black henna." Allergic reactions to the natural henna plant or pure essential oils added to the paste are possible, but very rare.
PPD is found in black hair dye, and some henna artists have taken to adding it to regular henna or using it alone to create dark black temporary tattoos that look more like real ink tattoos than the lighter orange or brown stains left by true henna. PPD-based hair dye contains a warning that it shouldn't touch the scalp. The chemical PPD is a strong sensitizer, carcinogen, and accidental ingestion (which is common in young children who might ingest the paste before it's taken off) can cause death. It is associated with liver failure, asthma, and cancer.
If your children become sensitized to PPD, they run the risk of having future reactions to chemical hair dye, PABA-based sunblock, sulfa antibiotics, many cosmetics, anesthesia ending in -caine, fabric and other dyes...the list goes on and on.
Most so-called "black henna" artists are probably not malicious and don't intend to hurt people. Money may cloud the artist's judgment a bit, though. PPD-containing black hair dye is inexpensive and very easy to obtain. It stains quickly and leaves a black stain that strongly resembles the popular black "tribal" tattoos. So if people out there are interested in getting a realistic-looking temporary tattoo, and the artist can make a ton of money from slapping some hair dye on their skin, the artist may not be all that worried about the consequences. Additionally, the blistering reactions to PPD in the paste can take a few days to two weeks to show up, so the tourist victims have already gone home and probably won't come back to confront the artist.
How can you know if the henna is safe? According to the experts at The Henna Page, there are a number of important questions you can ask:
1. How long should I leave it on?
Good answer: "As long as possible." (The longer you leave natural henna paste on your skin, the darker the finished stain will be.)
Red flag answer: "Less than an hour." (If the paste stains quickly, it likely has PPD in it.)
2. What color will the henna tattoo be when the paste is gone?
Good answer: "Orange, and it will get darker over the next few days. At its darkest, it will appear brown, but never black." (The color also varies based on the body parts that are hennaed. Hands and feet will stain darker brown than upper arms, backs, or abdomens, which will all stain a lighter orangey-brown.)
Red flag answer: "Black."
3. What's in the paste?
Good answer: "Henna, lemon juice, and essential oils." (And/or other natural things, like sugar, tea, honey, coffee, spices, etc.)
Red flag answers: "Henna powder and water." Or, "Umm, I don't know." (Or some similar noncommittal, vague response about "natural" ingredients. Ask for specifics.)
Come right out and ask them if there's dye or PPD in the paste. If they don't know what that is, be wary. If they assure you they don't use it, continue to be wary (people *do* lie) and make sure they have all the right answers to your other questions. Look for yourself. The paste should be green or greenish brown, and has a grassy, green, herbal scent to it. Better yet, ask the artist to put it on their own skin and come back in 20-30 minutes to see what the stain looks like. (Make it seem like you can't decide, so you want to get lunch first while you think about which design to get.)
Natural henna can provide you and your kids with some beautiful temporary body art. Know what to look for and what to ask so that you can keep your family safe. Have fun!
