If there isn't a list of ingredients...
Posted by Catherine Cartwright Jones on September 09, 1999 at 20:59:45:
In Reply to: Re: Black Henna Tattoo Damage posted by Amy C on September 09, 1999 at 18:09:24:
There are several formulations of "black henna" on the market. How do
you know if the one in your hand is safe? If there are no
ingredients listed on the label, heaven help you. Don't even go there.
If all the ingredients are listed, and there is no ppd anywhere in
the list....you may be ok. There is black henna among the colored
hennaes that is just food dye....but if the person who's selling it
can't tell you exactly what's in it....don't buy it. Legally, to
sell it in the US, it has to have an ingredient list...though there's
an awful lot of black henna in import stores (and other cosmetics as
well) with no labelling. It's just skated through customs past the
FDA, and anyone who tries it is taking a risk.
The ppd black is obvious in one way...it begins to stain immediately,
and will leave a deep brown-black stain within 2 hours. I don't know
of anything else that behaves that way. The ppd molecules are very
small and will penetrate quickly. The black indigo/henna hardly stains
at all. The food coloring black henna doesn't stain quickly or very
effectively either (in my experience).
Ask questions, and risk being an absolute pain in the ass when
insisting on an answer. That's better than risking your health.