Henna or Hina ( Lawsonia inermis ,) has been used to adorn young women's bodies as part of social and holiday celebrations since the late Bronze Age in many countries and is currently very popular Henna traditions are associated with many religions: Muslim, Hindu, Jewish and Christian.

Some medical journal articles have shown henna may be beneficial for skin, and no test has ever shown that pure henna applied to unbroken normal healthy adult skin causes harm . 

There are very rare allergic reactions to henna, (“napthoquinone sensitivity”) reactions.  If within three hours of henna application, a person becomes very itchy, and wheezes, or has a tight feeling in the chest, they are allergic to natural henna.  A person with sensitivity" should NOT use henna again!

Heat and the addition of essential oils such as Tea Tree oil are the safest and most effective darkeners of henna. These may make nearly black stains on hands, but on the rest of the body, the stains will be brown.  Henna never leaves “black” stains on arms, legs, backs and bellies! 

There are several things marketed as "Black Henna", and some things believed to be "Black Henna".  Some are very dangerous. 

Some are harmless.

National Geographic has shown many pictures of people in Amazonia and Africa adorned with black body art this is a safe form but is not henna. This safe body art is created with carbon and the sap of two species of unripe figs that are rare and grow only in the rainforest. 

In the 1990s, henna artists began experimenting with para-phenylenediamine (PPD) based black hair dye to find something that would quickly make jet black temporary body art. People want something that looks like a tattoo. At first, PPD "black henna" may look like a tattoo.   PPD "Black Henna" looks like a tattoo ... until the blisters and festering sores come up.

PPD can cause severe allergic reactions, with blistering, intense itching, permanent scarring, and permanent chemical sensitivities . Allergic reactions range 3% - 15%.

PPD is illegal for use on skin in Canada. “Black henna” pastes have PPD percentages from 10% to 60%, and are left on the skin for half an hour.

 “Black henna” use is widespread in tourist areas. The blisters appear 3-12 days after application when most tourists have left and do not return to show how much damage the artist has done. Artists to continue injuring others, unaware they are causing severe injuries. The high profit margins of ‘black henna” and the demand for body art that emulates “tribal tattoos” further encourage artists to ignore the dangers. It is not difficult to recognize and avoid para-phenylenediamine “black henna”:

If a paste stains torso skin black in less than ½ hour, it has PPD in it, and little or no henna.

No henna can make a black stain on a torso in ½ hour

Some vendors will put gasoline or turpentine in the paste as well as other toxins in an effort to make it darker

Black Henna reactions include:

1. Delayed hypersensitivity reaction starts 3 to 10 days after PPD is applied. This involves pain, burning and blistering at the site with scarring.

2. People can become sensitized to PPD, an allergy that will cross-sensitized to many related things including: Hair dye, sun block, cosmetics, even black clothing, may cause an outbreak of itching and hives.  People also may develop allergies to medications following PPD sensitivity including PABA -based sunscreens or creams, benzocaine, Sulfonamide and other Sulfa drugs. PPD sensitivity is life-long

3. PPD has also been shown to be carcinogenic and can harm your health in other ways. There have been hospitalisations and even deaths following exposure to PPD well documented in the medical literature.

Distinguishing real henna from PPD with artists.

Henna is a green plant powder that smells like hay.  Henna is NOT black.  If its  mixed with water will turn brown in a few hours Henna does NOT cause blisters and open sores.  Traditional safe henna paste is khaki green, greenish brown, or very dark brownish green.  Traditional henna paste smells like spinach, or you may smell fragrances like Pine, Tea Tree Oil, or Mentholatum from essential oils they're using

PPD "Black Henna" is a blackish brown or black powder.  If it's mixed with water, black dye will drain out. . Some of these mixes don't have much odor; others have an awful chemical smell. 

Ask how long you should leave it on.

If paste is on for less than than 1 hour, they're using PPD.  Henna doesn't work that fast.  People working with real henna will tell you to leave the paste on more than an hour, as long as you can, even overnight. 

Ask what color the stain will be when the paste comes off.

If they tell you the stain will be BLACK when the paste comes off and that it will stay black, they're using PPD.  Henna will leave an orange stain that will darken to red brown or dark brown, but it will NOT be black when the paste flakes off.  Ask the person to put some on their own skin.  Wait 1/2 an hour.  If there's an orange stain there, it's henna.  If there's a black stain there, it's PPD.

Ask how long the stain will last.

PPD "Black Henna" stains typically last more than a week and stay black throughout that time.  Henna stains last 1 - 3 weeks, fading to orange during that period.  There are some safe body art products, such as body paints that come in black but they don't last longer than 3 days.  If it's black and long lasting, it's probably PPD "Black Henna"!

Ask artists what's in the mix.

A reputable henna artist will answer: henna, lemon juice, essential oils. 

Ask to see the ingredient list!

If the artist cannot supply a complete ingredient list, don't let them put it on your skin! 

Sniff it . 

If it smells vile, don't put it on your skin. 

Anyone who has an itching and blistering reaction to a black body stain should go to a doctor, and report that they have had an application of para-phenylenediamine to their skin.

Please the Health Canada Product Safety Office if you suspect that PPD is being used by a local vendor. (204) 983-5490 Mb_Prodsafe@hc-sc.gc.ca

For everything you could ask about Henna check the Hennapage.com .

Special thanks to Kim Brennan winnipeghenna.com , Henna artist for her assistance in writing this article.