Henna Tatoo

Henna tattoos look attractive and seem much safer than the real thing. And since they are only temporary, you don’t have to worry about being stuck with a tattoo you don’t like. But there is a serious problem with henna tattoos, at least the black henna tattoos.

Henna by itself is generally safe. Natural henna is a green color that dries to a dark brown or orange color. The problem is that people want the bold look of black henna and the only way to get that is to mix henna with a chemical called Para-phenylenediamine (PPD). The problem is that many people are allergic to PPD and the results can be very bad. It starts with permanent scarring and just gets worse. Since the amount of PPD in black henna tattoos is so high, it can cause a permanent sensitivity to anything containing PPD (certain antibiotics and anesthetics), anything containing henna (some hair dyes), or anything containing the other chemicals related to either PPD or henna (PABA sun screen and some cosmetics).

This is specific to the black henna tattoos. It should be noted that the FDA has not approved PPD for use on the skin. It is a coal-tar based product that has been approved only for use on the hair. So think twice before getting a henna tattoo. Wildwood, New Jersey has banned all henna tattooing because there is no way to determine which contain PPD and which do not. Perhaps you should ban henna tattoos in your home, also.