Henna Brows is a treatment I offer through my beauty business as an alternative to regular peroxide tint. Most people are hesitant or unsure of Henna tinting so I'm here to clear things up for you!
Origin Story
The Henna we use for skin art and hair dyeing comes from the plant Lawsonia Inermis and has been used as far back as 1600BC in Ancient Egypt (the plant i native to North Africa and South East Asia). The leaves of the plant are dried, turned into powder, then activated with water and turned into a paste, which is then applied to skin or hair.
Benefits for the Body
Many studies have been conducted on how Henna effects our bodies. One study stated the traditional uses or holistic medicinal purposes of Henna and tested them out in the laboratory. They found that the leaves in particular had a significant anti-inflammatory effect, being both anti-fungal and anti-microbial (Ponugoti, 2018). In a separate more recent study, researchers found that dependent on the dosage of Henna on an open wound, it shortened the inflammatory phase, accelerated cellular proliferation (the reproducing of cells), and enhanced wound contraction ratio (Daemi, Farahpour, Oryan, Karimzadeh & Tajer, 2019).
I have to state that I don't believe the aforementioned effects are widely apparent when Henna is used on the brows, nor am I sure they exist in such a small dose. What I DO know, is that Henna is a better alternative to regular tint for the health of your skin, your hair and (according to those studies) your body.
Henna on the Brow: Is it for you?
You can expect a stain on the skin for the first 1-2 weeks or application, depending on how you treat the brow area. The colour in the hair itself should last 4 weeks, again depending on how you treat the brow area.
The application of Henna takes 20 minutes in itself. This is because the stain of the Henna is so strong that it must be applied carefully and with precision. Add this on to correct mapping of the brows, as well as keeping the Henna damp in order to activate the colour to tint your skin for the whole 20 minutes as well as removal and waxing afterwards, this treatment can take 45 minutes or more.
The colour that is produced can differ slightly dependent on each person, if I was to use the same colour on every person. If you have a naturally warm undertone in your hair, the Henna tint is most likely to come out warmer too. This is due to Henna responding to the natural pigment of each individual's natural hair or if there is previous tint/dye still in the brow hair (this is one reason you can't mix up your tinting methods too frequently) BUT DON'T FRET! What I can do and actually do most times is mix a ratio of two or three hues of Henna in order to achieve a certain colour. If I mix 1/2 light brown, 1/4 medium brown and 1/4 black, it will achieve a medium brown Henna colour in a cooler hue (cooler in temperature of the hue, not just the awesome factor).
So if you're willing to trust me find the right colour for you over time, want a more natural alternative to tint and an initial skin tint for the first week or two that looks like your brows are filled in--this is the treatment for you!
How to Prolong the Colour
To prolong the colour on the skin and hair, exfoliate the brow area the day before your appointment. It's the same principle as doing a fake tan--you exfoliate the day before to make sure you get an even colour result and so the colour stains the newest freshest skin cells.
Once your brows have been hennaed, you want to avoid too much contact with water, soaps and chemicals (particularly altogether). If you sweat profusely, go swimming, bathe, use make-up remover on your brows daily, cleanse or scrub the brow area, the colour will fade faster. If you avoid these things around your brow area, you will get the most out of your Henna.
If you have any further questions, let me know and I'll try my best to answer them! Til then, I suggest you give Henna a go!
References
1. Ponugoti, M. (2018). A PHARMACOLOGICAL AND TOXICOLOGICAL REVIEW OF LAWSONIA INERMI. International Journal Of Pharmaceutical Sciences And Research, 9(3). doi: 10.13040/ijpsr.0975-8232.9(3).902-15
2. Daemi, A., Farahpour, M., Oryan, A., Karimzadeh, S., & Tajer, E. (2019). Topical administration of hydroethanolic extract of Lawsonia inermis (henna) accelerates excisional wound healing process by reducing tissue inflammation and amplifying glucose uptake. The Kaohsiung Journal Of Medical Sciences, 35(1), 24-32. doi: 10.1002/kjm2.12005
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