Going Organic - The Benefits of Healthy Henna
by Julia Britz Henna artists are continuously asked what ingredients are used in their henna paste. Each henna artist carries his/her own special blend of henna and ingredients to make his/her own paste that best suits both needs and style. Henna is shipped from all over the world, with each country yielding its signature crop. Many artists spend quite some time finding the best quality powder that works for them and this is crucial. Using high quality henna is imperative as it gives the artist and client comfort in knowing there are no harmful chemicals or dyes in the powder that could hurt the artist's reputation, or worse a customer. Besides using first rate powder, it is the responsibility of the artist to also use high quality organic ingredients in the paste.
Using first choice henna powder is the first step in creating a great paste that will yield great color, but that is just the first step.
The most common ingredients used in henna paste are: lemon, sugar (honey, molasses), essential oils, black tea. These other ingredients must also be of high quality; it is recommended that you use all organic ingredients. Using organic ingredients not only ensures the artist of exactly what is in the paste, but it allows the artist to insure the client as well.
Even when using all organic ingredients, allergies can still pose an issue. Allergies are more common today than ever. The main reason for this is pesticide in ingredients such as lemon, sugar and tea. Pesticides have been linked to a myriad health problems. Since henna artists do not have any sort of health licensing nor are they required to at this point, that means extra safety measures must be taken to protect the livelihood and health of yourself and your customers.
"Organic" means the product is in its pure form and contains no pesticides, herbicides, chemicals, harmful waxes, hormones, bleach or antibiotics. It is very easy to switch to using organic products. They can be found at many natural food markets nation-wide. Though organic products are generally slightly more expensive than commercial products, the cost is more than worth it. Usually organic products are also local, meaning buying organic not only supports your local farming community, but it's another guarantee. When buying products from out of the country, you are buying their laws. It is still legal to use DDT in much of South America. Unless it says "organic" keep in mind you are not just buying a lemon, but everything that comes with it.
You may be asking "what about organic henna powder?" and good of you to ask! Certified organic henna is nearly impossible to find right now, but that does not mean it's not out there. Many products on the market today are organic, but not by USDA standards. This means that the product cannot legally advertise itself as organic even if it is, if it does not comply with the rules. To be certifies organic, the product must be grown organic for a certain number of years to guarantee that it is free of impurities. Some sellers claim to sell organic henna, but not certified organic, so it may or may not be. Luckily, one of the most harmful chemicals of all, PPD is easy to spot. Some sources insist that henna grows very easily without pesticides and therefore it would be unlikely that it has any, but it is at the sole discretion of the farmers
whether or not to use it or other artificial additives.
We as henna artists can do the best we can do, which means buying good quality henna from reputable sources is the best option until certified organic henna is on the market, and until then, use organic products that are available to you.
Using all natural organic ingredients with your high quality henna will help you to be a more responsible henna artist and offer the best quality henna services possible.
For more information on organics and
pesticides, please check out the links below:
Wikipedia article on organic foods:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_food
A news article on the dangers of pesticides:
WebMD article on allergies:
http://www.webmd.com/allergies/news/20081022/food-allergy-in-kids-up-18-percent
Article on allergies and pesticides:
http://allergy-book.blogspot.com/2007/11/pesticide-free-diet.html
Article on pesticides and human health:
http://www.texasep.org/html/pes/pes_3hum.html
HennaTribe's article on "black henna" dangers: