Henna does not come in different colours. Hair products claiming to be ‘blonde’ ‘red’ ‘brown’ or ‘black’ henna are not pure henna. Pure henna only stains the skin a variation of reddish-browns & it takes 48 hours to darken.

            So What is ‘Black Henna’?
Para-phenylendiamine or PPD based black hair dye. This is an illegal chemical to use on the skin in Canada, because of its severe toxicity:

Para-phenylenediamine is a strong sensitizer.
Sensitizer means that every body is naturally allergic to PPD to some degree, and every time the PPD is used, the body will react more violently to it. Some people have PPD tattoos once or twice without reaction. But on the 3rd or 4th time, that same person could end up with permanent scarring or end up in the hospital in a life threatening reaction. There can also be sensitization to other products. So after having a PPD tattoo without reaction, you could a week later react severely to: cosmetics, lotions, sunscreen, medications, black clothing, ink, dark leather, etc..

PPD is carcinogenic & causes many other health problems!
Within seconds the toxins from PPD ‘henna’ enter the blood stream and can cause: Cancer, liver tumors, asthma, angioneurotic edema, renal failure, mutated cells, muscle necrosis causing death, permanent scarring, chronic skin conditions, eye & face irritation, bronchitis, etc…
When PPD breaks down in the body, the metabolic residue is more damaging than the actual PPD molecule.

PPD has a delayed reaction:
Typically, a person won’t react until 3 – 10 days after having a PPD tattoo applied. Usually by this time the negligent artist has moved on, unaccountable to the damage caused & the person fails to make the connection between the PPD and reaction.

How to tell if it’s PPD ‘Black Henna’

1. If you can watch first & see that the paste is black & stains the skin right away, it’s PPD.
2. Ask how long the paste needs to stay on. If they say less than 1 hr, it’s not real henna.
3. Ask them what colour it will stain. If they say black instead of red-brown, it’s not henna.
4. Ask the artist what’s in the paste. If they can’t tell you, don’t trust them.

For your safety & the health of others, please report anyone using illegal PPD “Black Henna”
For Ontario: (416) 973-4705 Tor_Prodsafe@hc-sc.gc.ca
For more information see: www.hennapage.com/henna/ppd/index.html