It's wedding season and the air is festive. Besides the partying, food and fun, women and young girls are most excited about the mehendi ceremony. But before you jump into the revelry, you might want to make sure you have the right henna on your skin and not something that poses to be henna.
A bit of history
Henna or mehendi that we use to decorate our hands and feet is a paste formed from grinding the leaves of the mehendi shrub. Henna has been used by the ancient people of Africa, the Middle East and India for thousands of years. Women used it as a way to make themselves look beautiful. They also used it as a hair dye to give their hair that beautiful rich glow. If you had to look back at your grandmother's wedding pictures (if she has any), you are bound to see very different designs, a far cry from today's intricate patterns that adorn hands and feet. Henna has come a long way and so have some other substances masquerading like the original.
You must be wondering what could pose as henna. Henna look-alikes go by the name of 'Black Henna'. All of us want bigger, better, richer and longer lasting designs. With this craving, some manufacturers have come up with mixtures that promise to give you all this and more. And black henna is the answer to this.
The dangers of Black Henna
Black henna is not henna and it is not a safe thing to use on your skin. While they might promise to make your designs look darker and prettier, they could cause irreversible damage by forming blisters. It either entirely contains a chemical called paraphenylenediamine (PPD) or is mixed into henna in varying proportions. This extremely unsafe substance is used in hair dyes and even in such uses, you are instructed to rinse off the application after 20 minutes making sure that it doesn't come in contact with your scalp. Why then would anyone use PPD in henna?
How to spot the imposter
Henna has a pleasing fragrance and does not smell of chemicals.
Henna imparts an orange to dark maroon color and never black.
If you sense skin irritation, rinse off the product immediately. Black henna with PPD can form blisters on your skin.
Consider yourself lucky if you have a beautiful henna plant in your garden or in a pot in your balcony. Nothing beats freshly picked and ground henna leaves! I can't promise you the best designs though. You are on your own there! While there are many out there posing to do a better job, make sure you choose the right henna. Be safe and have fun at your mehendi party.
