FitSugar

The Pros and Cons of Henna Hair Dye

Miriam Lacey — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 04:05:49 PDT

Henna is one of the oldest and most popular ways to change your hair color, but for such a commonly used dyeing agent, there's comparatively little information around on why, how, and when henna is a good choice and when it isn't. If you're contemplating coloring your hair with henna instead of a peroxide or ammonia-based dye but don't know whether you're making the right decision, here's a quick, easy guide to the pros and cons.

Henna Tattoos: All in Good Fun or a Health Risk?

FitSugar — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 11:00:34 PDT

A couple weeks ago, I went to my local farmers market and celebrated my growing baby bump by getting a henna tattoo. I've had henna done many times before on my hands and feet, so having my pregnant belly done was something I'd always wanted to do. You have to keep the area exposed for a few hours so the henna paste can dry, so while walking around the market, I got many smiles and sweet comments. But one person said to me, "Oh how beautiful, but isn't that bad for your baby?" I felt like being snippy and saying, "Yes, of course it's bad for my baby. I like to do harmful things to my unborn child." But instead of being snarky, I explained that henna tattoos are completely safe for your skin, your body, and a growing baby.

Also known as Mehndi, these tattoos are not actually permanent and only last between one and two weeks, depending on your skin, the quality of the henna, and how often you wash the area. The tattoo is applied in the form of a paste that looks like chocolate frosting. It's made by grinding up dried leaves from the henna plant and is mixed with water, lemon, and essential oils. After the paste dries, it's peeled or picked off after about 24 hours, and you're left with an orangey-brown tattoo that stains the first few layers of your skin.

This henna is completely safe, but there is a type of henna that is bad for your skin. To hear about it,

There is a trend among some henna artists to apply something called black henna, which will stain your skin black instead of brown. This type of henna is dangerous because it contains paraphenylenediamine (PPD), a hair dye. When applied to your skin, it may look like a real tattoo, but allergic reactions to PPD can cause blisters, open sores, and scarring.

It's easy to tell traditional natural henna apart from black henna. Traditional henna paste will look dark green, khaki, or greenish brown, not black, so if a henna artist is applying a slick black paste, do not get a tattoo from her. You can also ask the artist how long you're supposed to leave the paste on. If they say less than one hour, they're using PPD. Traditional henna doesn't stain your skin that quickly. Also ask the artist what color the stain will be once the paste comes off. Henna will leave an orange stain that will darken to red brown or dark brown, but it's never black. If you're just not sure, it's best to skip out on the henna tattoo or apply it yourself with a home henna kit.

Guess Who?

BellaSugar — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 11:00:10 PDT

Which brunette wore a gorgeous henna design on her hands at the premiere of Charlie St. Cloud last night?

Are Henna Tattoos a Health Risk?

FitSugar — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 06:00:00 PDT

Summer festivals are in full swing, and one thing I see at many of them is women applying Henna tattoos. Also known as Mehndi, these tattoos are not actually permanent and only last between one and three weeks, depending on your skin and the quality of the henna. The tattoo is applied in the form of a paste that looks like chocolate frosting made by grinding up dried leaves from the henna plant and is mixed with water, lemon, and essential oils. After the paste dries, it's peeled or picked off after about 24 hours and you're left with an orangey-brown stain tattoo on your skin.

Since it's made from a plant, it has to be safe, right? To find out

Henna is perfectly safe, when mixed with lemon, water, and other natural ingredients such as eucalyptus oil. The problem is, some henna artists apply something called black henna. This type of henna is dangerous because it contains para-phenylenediamine (PPD) hair dye. When applied to your skin it leaves a black stain, but can cause blisters, open sores, and scarring.

How can you tell if a henna tattoo is safe or not? Traditional henna paste will look dark green, khaki, or greenish brown, not black, so if a henna artist is applying a slick black paste, do not get a tattoo from them. You can also ask the artist how long you're supposed to leave the paste on. If they say less than one hour, they're using PPD. Traditional henna doesn't stain your skin that quickly. Also ask the artist what color the stain will be once the paste comes off. If the answer is black, walk away. Henna will leave an orange stain that will darken to red brown or dark brown, but it's never black. If you're just not sure, it's best to skip out on the henna tattoo. If you're set on getting one, buy a henna kit ($24) and do it yourself.

Definition: Henna

BellaSugar — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:00:17 PDT

Henna is a natural orange, burnt-reddish nonpermanent dye. The tannin, or staining pigment, comes from the dried leaves and stems of the henna (aka lawsonia inermis) plant found in India, North Africa and various parts of the Middle East.

Henna is commonly used in body art (usually on the hands, face, and feet) and it can also be used as a hair dye. Since it's gentle and doesn't contain chemicals, it is a safe and wonderful hair-coloring alternative for pregnant women, or just anyone who doesn't want to run the risk of potential toxins permeating their scalp and blood stream.

Henna typically lasts about a week on the skin, but it has been known to last as long as six weeks on the hair. Mehndi, a popular henna skin-painting ritual, is used for weddings and special occasions in Hindu and Muslim cultures.

Source

BellaSugar's Gift Guide: The Mommy-To-Be

BellaSugar — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 14:00:25 PST

Welcome to the first post of my 2007 Holiday Gift Guide! Every weekday, I'll share a new set of ideas for gifts for your mom, dad, sib, boss, pals, special guy in your life and just about anyone else gift-worthy this season.

To kick off the guide, and to support our dear friend LilSugar, let's celebrate the mommies-to-be. Here are three great ideas for pregnant women who are carrying around those little ones. Since two of my best friends are about to become mommies, this was a lot of fun to put together!

My favorite item of the group is this Wonder-Full Balm from Mama Mio ($25). It's great for itchy and flaky belly skin, and it works quickly to relieve dryness and discomfort. If that's not something you think she'd like, there's also this Mustela Stretch Marks Double Action Cream ($34.49), which will help strengthen skin's elasticity around the belly, breasts abdomen, hips, and thighs to help reduce stretch marks during pregnancy.

Lastly, I love this Henna Vegetable Hair Dye ($1.99) for ladies who prefer to err on the side of caution and steer clear of chemical substances during their first trimester. While hair dying chemicals aren't highly toxic, vegetable dyes are all-natural, safe alternatives. Put it in a basket with some hair accessories, and you've got a great gift.

Got a few great ideas of your own? If so, I encourage you to please share them in a comment below!

Mustela Double Action Stretch Mark Cream ($34.99)

Lustrous Henna Pure Henna ($1.99)

Mama Mio Wonder-Full Balm ($25)

Home Spa Treatment: Henna Your Hair

FitSugar — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 14:30:00 PDT

Since I have dark hair, lemon juice doesn't do a thing to add natural highlights to my hair. I've even experimented with cranberry juice, but I never really noticed much of a difference. Many years ago a friend turned me on to using henna. It doesn't contain a bunch of synthetic chemicals, instead it is a plant based dye. The green leaves are dried and then crushed into a powder. You just add water to the powder to make a paste that you apply to your hair.

Despite what hairdressers say, henna is good for your hair. Not only is it a natural colorant (much better than chemical dyes), but it strengthens and conditions your hair, and as an added bonus, it gets rid of dandruff.

When I want to add a color to my hair, I use the pure henna powder you order online - it works much better than the Rainbow Henna you see at heath food stores. It's the same henna women use to decorate a bride's hands and feet before an Indian wedding.

Putting henna in your hair can be a bit messy, but the color is absolutely gorgeous. It creates shiny reddish highlights that look completely natural. Want to know how to do it, then

Wash your hair, don't condition it and then towel it dry. Place the entire box of henna powder (about 100 grams or 1 cup) into a glass or metal bowl. Then gradually add 1 cup of warm water. Use a metal spoon to mix it together to make a creamy paste similar to frosting.
Wear rubber or latex gloves (so your hands don't get stained - if you don't wear gloves, it's not a big deal - the stain will go away in a day or two). Using your fingers, scoop up some of the paste and begin to smear it all along your hair. I always do the hair around my face first and then work my way back. After all the henna is in your hair, if you hair is long enough, pull it back and then twist it in a bun.
Now place a plastic bag over your hair and tie it in the back. Then check your face, ears, neck, and shoulders and wash off any henna that didn't make it into your hair. Check the floor too. The first time I did this, I only left the henna in my hair for 45-60 minutes. Then every other time, I increased the amount of time until I realized that I could sleep with it overnight. My hair is really dark though, so the longer the better. I would NOT recommend you do this your first time or if your hair is light. When you are ready to wash it out, get into one of those shower/tubs. Turn the water on for the tub, squat down, and wash as much of the henna out as possible. Then you can turn on the shower part and rinse the rest of your hair and body. Don't wash your hair, just condition it once or twice - it makes your hair silky smooth and helps to get all the extra henna out. The water will be brown, so don't be alarmed. It'll probably be brown the next few times you get it wet too.

So that's it. I know it sounds a little complicated, but once you get the hang of it, it's just as easy as washing your hair.

Mehndi Party for the Bride to Be

FitSugar — Thu, 17 May 2007 03:00:00 PDT

When my best friend got married, she wasn't into the all-night strip joint and bar-hopping scene. Before she met her now husband, she spent a year abroad in India, so when it was time for her Bachelorette Party, she knew exactly what she wanted to do.

In Indian traditions, the bride gets together with all her female friends and family right before she gets married and they have a Mehndi Party. She gets adorned with henna tattoos all over her hands and feet, so she looks beautiful on her wedding day. Of course, you may want to plan this party a few months before your big day, unless you want to wear henna with your fancy white dress.

Henna tattoos are all natural but not at all permanent. The henna only stains the outer layer of the skin, so it lasts about 2-4 weeks. The dried leaves of the henna plant are ground into a greenish powder, and then mixed with lemon juice and warm water (and anything else in their family's recipe). The chocolate-colored paste is applied with a cone (kind of like baker's use for decorating cakes) or with a thin stick.

The designs are extremely intricate and take hours to apply. The bride has to sit and wait for the paste to dry and set, so if she needs anything, all her gal pals take care of her. After a few hours, the dried paste is then peeled or brushed off the skin, revealing an orange print. Some people even wait until the next morning before peeling off the design to ensure a darker stain - I even slept with plastic bags on my hands, I like being decorated. Never wash the dried henna off with water since that will make the design fade faster. The color darkens over the next few days, but as the dead skin cells begin to slough off, the henna tattoo, too, begins to fade away.

Fit's Tips: If you love this idea, contact your local tattoo parlor, spiritual bookstore, yoga studio, or salon. Someone is bound to know someone who does Mendhi in your area. The artist can come and do just the bride, or do all the guests at your Bachelorette Party. Then for the 2-4 weeks you'll have a visual reminder of this special day spent with the girls.

Want to see what it looks like after the paste is peeled off? Then

Depending on family traditions, some brides have their husband's initials hidden in the designs, and the couple is not considered officially married until the groom finds them. I've also heard that as long as the henna remains on the bride's skin, she doesn't have to perform any wifely duties (like washing the dishes and doing the laundry). Too bad henna only lasts less than a month.

Marvelous Mehndi: 30 Beautiful Bridal Henna Designs

BellaSugar — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 05:58:39 PDT

If you've ever been to an Indian, Moroccan, or Pakistani wedding ceremony, you've probably seen - or worn - mehndi. Many brides, both abroad and in the United States, wear these henna "tattoos" on their hands and feet for wedding celebrations; look closely and you might spot their loved one's name worked into the design. See 30 strikingly beautiful examples of this decorative art form now.

Yigal Azrouël Fall 2012

Marisa Tom — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:52:22 PST

Yigal Azrouël designed his Fall '12 collection for a woman who is "fearless in her outlook and quiet in her confidence." Drawing from the spirit of Françoise Hardy, Yigal sent sophisticated, ladylike looks with an exotic twist down the runway. To put it simply, it was a luxurious mélange of plush raccoon-fur cossacks, long cashmere coats with leather-trimmed pockets, pebble-printed silk jumpsuits, snakeskin gloves, and one jaw-dropping laser-cut crepe leather gown. Add to the mix lambskin pants and structured leather jackets in a covetable palette of autumnal henna, bordeaux, and evergreen hues, and you've got a cold-weather wardrobe worth lusting after. As Yigal put it, this collection is all about "the unintentional beauty in mystery."

Trends: Ultra-luxe outwear, contoured hoods, reinvented wool silhouettes, and exotic textures.
Colors: Henna red, bordeaux purple, muted navy, pale forest green, and slick black-and-brown combos.
Key Piece: We love the juxtaposition of this floor-length black gown - precise laser-cut detail and daring proportions all in one go.
Accessories: Plush add-ons; two-tone fur and leather booties, leather-trimmed pockets, snakeskin gloves, and raccoon-fur hats.
Who Would Wear It: The effortlessly poised woman with a flair for surprise, like Gwyneth Paltrow and Victoria Beckham.