FAQ   Henna - What it is and how it works back to top Henna is a desert plant, Lawsonia Inermis, historically grown across North Africa, through the Middle East and into India and Southeast Asia. The plant itself thrives on heat and drought to produce an orange-red dye molecule called lawsone. When the leaves are harvested, milled into powder, and mixed with an acidic solution, the lawsone dye penetrates dead skin cells and dyes them the characteristic orange to coffee-brown shades of henna. This process can take up to 12 hours, and does not always produce idential color or longevity of stain. The color after paste removal often starts out as a pumpkin-orange stain, and over 2-3 days oxidizes to its final, darker color, anywhere from red to darkest brown. As the skin renews itself, the dyed layers are shed, so the stain can last from a few days to weeks, depending on the location on your body, your skin chemistry, and your care of the final pattern. Some deep callus can stain odd green tones that appear after most of the pattern has faded, this is natural and not worrisome.   Henna - What it ISN'T back to top Henna does NOT come in a range of colors, except the orange to brown spectrum. Anything claiming to be green, blue, purple, or black is likely to contain little if any henna. Henna is not a paint - the lawsone actually dyes your dead skin layers, which is why it lasts longer than a paint that is applied only to the outermost surface layer of skin. We do use skin-safe temporary tattoo paints to acheive the colored patterns in the gallery, but those paints are not henna, and will not last as long as the henna. Henna generally will not appear as a paint - it's a green or brown plant paste that smells rather earthy and is usually applied with a plastic cone or jacquard bottle, creating raised lines and areas where the paste sits on the skin. Some artists do use brushes with henna, but anything that is black straight out of the bottle, smells of chemicals, gasoline, or alcohol, or is advertised as colored henna is likely NOT natural henna!   PPD - "Black" henna isn't henna! back to top PPD - Para-phenylenediamine - is marketed as "black henna" by many vendors in vacation spots, at festivals, and in other body art fora. PPD isn't henna, has nothing at all to do with henna, and is actually an amine compound used in hair dyes that the CDC recognizes as causing contact sensitivity when applied to the skin. DuPont, one of the biggest chemical companies around, will not supply PPD for suspected uses on skin! Neither is PPD extracted from black rocks in the Nile - it's a chemical like any other, and neither exotic nor safe for use on skin. PPD reactions can range from minor itching at the site of use to blistering, scarring, and long-term (think LIFELONG) systemic allergy and damage to many organ systems. Vendors offering black henna may dissemble, claiming it's safe or "mostly henna." They may simply not know. NEVER LET ANYONE APPLY SUSPECTED PPD TO YOUR SKIN! Ask your artist what's in their mix, and what color the pattern will be. If you can't get a straight answer as to their ingredients, find a different artist. If the artist tells you a pattern will turn out orange and darken to brown, it's probably henna. If they tell you it'll be black immediately, leave! Henna smells like plant paste - some enjoy the green, rich smell, some do not. PPD smells of chemicals. Please check these links for further information on PPD and its dangers on skin. BENT TREE DESIGN AND ITS AFFILIATED ARTISTS WILL NEVER USE ANY PPD FOR BODY ART! EVER!!!   You say you don't use "black henna" - so why are your pictures all black? back to top We DON'T ever use "black henna." The black you see in our pictures is actually what the pattern looks like with the paste still on. Sometimes it's hard to catch and hold people to get a shot of the pattern after they've gotten their final stain. Here's what happened to a pattern on my hand: the first shot is paste on, the second is after paste removal and 2 hours for oxidation. So although it may look black with the paste on, it's definitely NOT PPD. Further wait times will allow the orange stain to darken more.   G6PD - Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency back to top Although henna itself is very rarely the cause of allergy or other disease, there is a group of people who should avoid long-term or excessive use of henna, those with G6PD. This is a genetic condition linked with (but not identical to) intolerance of fava beans (favism), whose sufferers can experience hemolytic anemia with henna use. People of Middle Eastern descent are most often those with G6PD, but in our "global villiage" this is harder then ever to determine. Most adults with G6PD have been diagnosed, but concerns remain for younger children. Because of the potential for severe injury, Bent Tree Design will not apply henna to anyone under the age of 6, since they may be an undiagnosed G6PD sufferer. Glitter, gilding, and body paints are always available for our younger clients. Although we don't want to be killjoys, we'd really rather not hurt anyone!   Our "secret" recipe - and why it's not a secret back to top Our henna paste will always be pure, 100% lawsonia inermis (henna) powder, sugar, (either sucrose or dextrose) water, a mild acid and essential oils. THAT'S IT! Our acid will be either lemon juice or apple cider/white vinegar. The essential oils we use are cajeput, cardamom, clove bud, tea tree, geranium, and lavender. There is no "secret recipe" for henna, although every artist has their preferred ratios, powder sources, oils and liquids. The chemistry behind henna is fairly simple and has been used for millennia. The acid (lemon juice) helps break down plant fibers in the henna, releasing as much lawsone as possible to dye the skin. The essential oils called "terps" aid in darkening the resulting stain. Sugars help keep the paste on the skin long enough to deposit the dye. There is no great secret to henna - anyone can learn to mix it up in the kitchen and get great stain! In the unlikely event you do suffer an allergic reaction from henna, we want to make sure you have all the information possible to present to your medical provider. Henna is supposed to be fun, not a secretive risk! To acheive the colored (stained-glass) or gilded effects, we use skin-safe paints, gilding gels, adhesives, crystals, and glitters. Gold leafing can be either real gold or an imitation, depending on your preference. These additions generally do not last as long as henna, but can definitely add flair to a design! Please ask us about any coloring effects you're interested in. We're committed to providing SAFE, quality service to all our clients, so anything we use will always be safe for use on skin!   Essential oils back to top All essential oils are not created equal.The idea behind using EOs in henna preparation is "terping." The term is based on the volatile alcohols in the oils, called terpineols, that aid in darkening the stain and making it last longer. Different essential oils contain different amounts of terpineols and related alcohols, and this is rarely regulated. Some compounds in essential oils can cross through the skin and reach the bloodstream, so we are very choosy when selecting our oils. Some oils with very high terp content are extremely irritating to the skin. Some smell wonderful and soothe the whole body, some smell terrible enough to give you a headache. Different preparations of the same oil can have wildly different terp contents. Since the EO industry is so unregulated, we rely on a few select suppliers of essential oils and blends that are effective in maximizing stain and safe for use on skin. We do not use citrus oils, camphor, gasoline, kerosene, (believe it or not, some regions do use gas and kerosine!) or oils whose composition we are unsure of. Some oils (particularly clove bud) are possible irritants to both skin and body, and we use these very selectively. If you know or suspect you will not be able to tolerate a particular oil, please let us know and we will make sure to use a milder terp, or none at all. Since pregnancy is a time when one body supports two, we are even more careful when using something that could potentially reach the bloodstream of both mother and child. For this reason, Bent Tree Design will only use lavender essential oil (if any) when applying henna to our pregnant clients.   Henna and pregnancy back to top "Belly blessings" are a new trend in henna, although some cultures have celebrated impending childbirth with henna for centuries. We would be delighted to help you welcome your new baby, but we also want to be sure you both are as safe as possible during the process. We will use only lavender essential oil in preparing henna for pregnant clients, or no oils at all. The stain may not be quite as dark, but we feel this is less important than making sure nothing could potentially harm either you or your child. Our clients who are having medical difficulties of any sort during their pregnancy are advised to speak with their physician before considering henna. Some high-risk pregnancies are advised to forego henna completely, and instead opt for one of the surface effects (gilding, glitter, or skin paints) Henna is considered very safe, but no one wants to see a problem develop from something meant to be celebratory! Our pregnant clients from regions where the mother is hennaed immediately before and after birth are welcome to contact us as well for more traditional henna. We will work with your physician or midwife to make sure your henna is both medically safe and applied at the appropriate times.   What you should know before getting your henna back to top Please consider what the purpose of the henna is for (a wedding, a pregnancy, or just for fun) the condition of your skin and your overall health, and what you want to see as the final result. We will happily accomodate your needs to insure you get the safest, highest quality henna possible.   When to consult your physician back to top If you experience any sort of allergic reaction after henna or other body art, consult a physician. We strive to insure we always provide safe body art, but rarely, an allergic reaction can occur to just about anything. If you are concerned about your overall health and fear henna may have an impact, please consult your physician. Although we can provide henna to people with a range of medical problems, from diabetes to cancer, we always want to consider your safety and health foremost. After all, your skin is the biggest organ of your body, and influences all the others- we want to make sure that nothing affects it negatively!