Henna Info

About Henna, the Art and the Plant

Background

Henna is the Arabic name of an 8-10 foot tall bush named Lawsonia Inermis. It can be found in hot climates, mostly in the Middle East, India and Arab World. The leaves are dried and crushed into a powder which is mixed into a paste. This site has Powder, Premixed Paste, and Henna Penna pens.

You can use all of these to dye the hair, skin and nails. Henna is believed to condition and strengthen the hair and gives it shine and it also has shown to have positive effect on itching and irritated skin. It also gives your hair a reddish highlight. See the before and after pictures on the main page!

Henna naturally stains the skin rust-brown or red-brown and has been used in India, the Middle East and North Africa for 9000 years!

Many countries from the Atlantic coast of Africa to Malaysia use henna, and there are just as there are many other names which include Henne, Mehndi, Al-Khanna, Al-henna, Jamaica Mignonette, Egyptian Privet and Smooth Lawsoniea.

There are cultures where Henna is considered to bring luck and to ward off evil. At wedding ceremonies and other important events in the Eastern World you'll find the bride and other women's hands adorned with Mehandi.

In the US some celebrities have made public appearances wearing Henna and it has become a popular fashion trend here and abroad.

Frequent Questions:

For how long will a Henna Tattoo stay on my skin?

This depends on your skin type, colour and other factors. Generally, using the traditional methods, you can expect it to last 1-4 weeks. Using Mehndi oil will help it stay on longer.

Using Henna Penna, the tattoo will stay for approximately 7 days on your skin. Factors such as exposure to sunlight, to water and soap etc. will affect how long the tattoo will last. You can extend the duration by simply tracing over your existing tattoo!

Can I darken the color of my Henna Penna tattoo?

Yes! The color of the tattoo will range from rust-brown to red-brown depending on your own skin shade. The tattoo can be made darker by reapplying Henna Penna regularly.

Is Henna Penna safe?
HennaPenna is perfectly safe as it only contains natural henna extract. NO PPD, in any Henna Penna product.

Why are Black Henna powders dangereous & why shoould it be avoided?

Many of the older products sold as Black henna can be hazardous to the skin because they contains PPD, or p-Phenylenediamine. This compound is known to cause severe allergic reactions [and worse] in some people. It is the same ingredient that makes hair dyes hazardous. Thats why they wear gloves and if it spills on you it can burn. Sometimes, at tourist attractions they still use the dangerous stuff. They will never see you again, right?

There are newer products like Henna Penna, that contain only Henna and Floral extracts. Please ask to be sure that you are not getting PPD.

Is Henna Penna refillable?

No. Once that you use all of the ink, just like a sharpie, its disposable.

Think of this product just as you would a sharpie type marker. It is very similar except that the ink is made from Henna. The manufacturer claims that 11 lbs of Henna goes into each one! If you use it a lot in one short span of time, you may experience a brief period of dry out. Simply cap the pen and wait up to 1 day (or a little longer) for it to come back to life.

About Henna, the Art and the Plant

Background

Frequent Questions:

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