Henna Dye Only Stains Dead Tissue
Henna is a reddish dye from a shrub's leaves. It colours hair, skin and nails because it binds to keratin.
Henna is a reddish-brown dye made from the crushed leaves of a flowering shrub. Its active compound, lawsone, binds to keratin, which is why it colours only hair, nails and the outer dead layer of skin. That is also why a henna design fades in a week or two: the stained cells are constantly shed and replaced. So-called *black henna* often contains a chemical dye that can cause severe skin reactions and is not henna at all.
- A plant dye. *Henna dye.*
- A body design. *A henna pattern.*
- Mehndi — the South Asian art. *Bridal mehndi.*
- Lawsone — the active compound. *Lawsone binds keratin.*
- Arabic — *hinna*. *The source word.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | henna | Pure henna. |
| Verb | henna | Henna the hair. |
| Adjective | hennaed | Hennaed hands. |
| Related | mehndi | Mehndi. |
| Arabic | hinna | Henna. |
- She dyed her hair with henna.Hair.
- Bridal mehndi covers hands and feet.Tradition.
- Black henna is not henna.Safety.
How henna works
- Lawsone is released when leaves are crushed and made into paste
- It binds to keratin in hair, nails and dead skin cells
- Colour deepens over a day or two after application
- Designs fade as skin cells shed, usually in one to three weeks
- Black henna usually contains PPD, a dye that can cause serious burns
Arabic *hinna*, the name of the plant, through French. English recorded it in the 1600s.
Why does henna fade?
It stains only the outermost dead skin cells, which are shed and replaced over one to three weeks.
Is black henna safe?
Often not. It usually contains PPD, a chemical hair dye that can cause severe skin reactions and scarring.