Henna-Inai-Mehndi.

Salam,

henna (plural hennas)

1. A shrub, Lawsonia inernis, having fragrant reddish flowers
2. A reddish plant substance, prepared from the dried leaves of this plant, used for temporary tattoos and hair coloring. Hair colorings range from bright red to earth brown to near black.
3. a rich reddish-brown colour.
   

   henna colour:

 I know Henna is not a new thing anymore around the world. In Malay wedding, it's part of our culture (from the influence of Hindu's culture) to apply henna on the the fingernails both hands and feet. It's not just for the bride but also for the groom. However, my hubby didn't apply any when we got married.

Today, my daughters have asked me to apply some henna on their fingernails. We received the instant henna paste from my hubby's cousin months ago. She bought the ready made paste from Mecca, Saudi Arabia after she performed hajj. I thought that the application would be a hassle but after 30 minutes, the final product is amazing! I'm not so patient when it comes to applying henna as I could remember on wedding day, my fingernails looked ugly with smeared henna. huhu. Let's see the final product and also the small tube and the box of the henna paste that we used:

Fathini's hand and feet 

&

The instant henna paste

I was only excited to apply henna on my daughters' fingernails. After I saw the final product, I felt the urge to also apply henna on my fingernails as well. It's been about few years since the last time I applied henna on. So, here are the not-so-nice-but-it's-okay product. 

I also found some webpages and links about the WARNING OF USING BLACK HENNA. It's very popular now as people are using the black henna as a temporary tattoo. Why is it not safe? I reckon it's good of you go and read HERE, and HERE. 

Some of the content on BLACK HENNA:

Natural Henna is NEVER black.

So what is the “black henna” that you may have seen at a festival or on the street?  Well, the truth is, it likely has some henna in it but that isn’t what makes it black. A substance also found in black hair dye is the key ingredient for black henna, known as PPD (para-phenylenediamine ).

So why is PPD so dangerous? Because skin exposed to PPD for an extended period of time (as is needed in henna application) can irritate the skin, possibly even scar it (as seen in the photo above and the two lower down on this page).  Individual sensitivity varies but severe scars and even kidney and respiratory damage have been attributed to PPD in black henna mixes. Some individuals “skate by” with minor allergic reactions or mild dermatitis, the first time. Some even avoid a reaction all together, initially, but typically that doesn’t last.  If you don’t have a reaction or you have a mild one the first time, it doesn’t mean you won’t have a worse reaction with the next application.  Once you have a reaction to a PPD exposure, you are forever sensitized to it.   The reactions can worsen with subsequent exposures and can eventually render a person incapable of contact with a number of everyday items (PPD/black dye is used in a number fabric dyes and other products).  Some people will try to rationalize the PPD in their henna by claiming it is “cosmetic grade” PPD.  The problem with this claim is that PPD is NOT APPROVED for contact with the skin, but only for the hair.  This is why the hair colorist wears gloves when they apply black hair dye to a person’s hair and why they do their best to not allow the product to make contact with your scalp.

 (here's the LINK)

 

P/S: I tried the black henna once and it lasted about 2 weeks. Thankfully, I didn't experience any of the bad effects mentioned in those articles. Thus, I hope all of us are aware about this now.