Body Art Quality Hnena
What is it and why is it important to you?

Pure henna with the highest natural dye content and perfect sift is used for body art.

"Body Art Quality" henna describes
  • Henna that has a very high natural dye content
  • Henna that is very finely cleaned, ground and sifted
  • Henna that is pure:  ONLY dried, powdered lawsonia inermis leaves
  • Body Art Quality henna is often referred to as BAQ henna
The best 10% of henna is reserved for body art.  Henna for body art must have a higher dye content and finer sift, so artists can make fine patterns with deep long-lasting stains.  
  • Lawsone (the red-orange dye that naturally occurs in henna leaves) ranges from 1% to 3% or higher at harvest. The henna reserved for body art has the highest natural dye content.  
  • The henna leaves with the highest dye content are carefully sorted: dirt, berries and twigs are removed.  This is labor-intensive, so body art quality henna costs more.
  • These clean, top quality leaves are milled and sifted several times.  Every time rough plant material is milled and sifted away, the higher the dye content is in the remaining powder.  Up to 80% of gross weight in rough material may be removed during this process. This makes body art quality henna far more effective at dyeing, but makes it more expensive than poorly sifted, lower dye content henna. 
  • This high quality henna with very fine sift is not only best for henna artistry, its best for hair!
  • This  body art quality (BAQ) henna is easy to mix and apply to your hair and easy to rinse because of the fine sift.
  • Body art quality henna (BAQ) will permanently dye your hair, especially your gray hair, a robust red to auburn tone.  The color will NOT fade!  It darkens over time.
  • Body art quality henna has absolutely no adulterants: no added chemical dyes, no added metallic salts, no other ingredients that may harm your health or have damaging reactions with synthetic dyes. 
90% of henna is sold for use in hair dye and other industrial products.  
  • This "hair dye" henna has a lower dye content (lawsone content at 1.5% or less), is not as finely sifted, cleaned and sorted as the henna reserved for body art. 
  • The lower quality hennas are usually mixed with other chemical and natural dyes to create a marketable product in a fashionable range of colors.  
  • When these lower quality hennas are mixed with additives for the hair dye market, they are referred to in the hair dye industry as "Compound Henna" because henna is compounded with other ingredients. 
    • Compound Henna describes:
      • A product for dyeing hair that may include metallic salts 
      • A product for dyeing hair that may include synthetic dyes, including para-phenylenediamine
      • A product for dyeing hair that may include plants and dyes other than henna
      • A product for dyeing hair that may include little or no henna, and is composed of other ingredients
      • A product which is NOT pure henna
  • These lesser quality products generally do not dye hair permanently; the henna color often fades or goes brassy, particularly on gray hair.
  • Some of additives in Compound Henna, particularly metallic salts, chemically react with with the activators in chemical hair dye. These additives in compound henna can cause damaging irreversible to your hair.
  • The additives in Compound Henna are frequently NOT LISTED on the hair dye package.
    • This is because the countries where henna is grown do not have the same labeling requirements as the FDA: they frequently have no declaration of ingredients at all.
    • When these products are exported into the USA, the importer is not required to discover the ingredients and relabel the package.
    • Because of this, you can buy a package of "henna hair dye" in the USA and not know what's in the package, nor what problems those unlisted additives may cause. 
Want to learn more?

References:
American College of  Cosmetology, Standard Textbook of Cosmetology, Raritan, New Jersey, 1981

Amro, Bassam Izzidin (1989), Dyeing with Henna and Related Materials,  thesis for PhD at the University of Wales

Chand, K., Jangid, B. L., Roy, P. K., & Singh, Y. V. (2005) “Henna Marketing Processing and Trade in India”. Henna Cultivation, Improvement and Trade. Jodhpur, India:  Central Arid Zone Research Institute

Dalton, J., (1976), The Professional Cosmetologist, West Publishing Company

Kenny, D, (1980) Commercial premixed henna color treatments and conditioners, Cosmetics and Toiletries, 95 (6) 43

Khandelwal, S., Gupta, N., & Sahu, M. (2002). Effect of Plant Growth Regulators on Growth, Yield, and Essential Oil Production of Henna (Lawsonia Inermis). Journal of Horticultural Science and Biotechnology, 77, 1: 67-72

Khem Chand, Jangid, B.L., Roy P. K., & Singh, Y.V. (2005). Henna Marketing, Processing and Trade in India. Henna Cultivation, Improvement and Trade: 51-54.  Pali-Mawar, India: Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Regional Research Station

Kumar S., Singh Y. V., & Singh, M. (2005). Agro-History, Uses, Ecology and Distribution of Henna (Lawsonia inermis L. syn. Alba Lam). Henna Cultivation, Improvement and Trade 11- 12. Jodhpur, India: Central Arid Zone Research Institute

Narain, P., Singh, M., Roy, P.K., Khem Chand, Jangid, B. L., & Singh, Y.V., (2005).
Production, Trade and Future Prospect of Henna.  Jodhpur, India: Central Arid Zone Research Institute

Ninety-Sixth Congress, First Session, (1979). Safety of Hair Dyes and Cosmetic Products, Hearing before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, Houser of Representatives, Serial Number 96 – 105. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office

Pratibha, G. & Korwar, G. R. (2005).  Scope of Henna in Semi-arid Tropics of Southern India. Henna, Cultivation, Improvement and Trade: 8 – 10. Hydrabad, India: Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture

Rao, S. S., Regar, P. L., & Singh, Y. V. (2005) Agrotechniques for Henna (Lawsonia Inermis L.) Cultivation. Henna, Cultivation, Improvement and Trade: 25 – 27.  Pali-Marwar, India: Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Regional Research Station

Roy, P. K., Singh, M., & Tewari, P. (2005). Composition of Henna Powder, Quality Parameters and Changing Trends in its Usage.  Henna, Cultivation, Improvement and Trade: 39 – 40.  Jodhpur, India, Central Arid Zone Research Institute

Singh, M.,  Jindal, S. K.,  Kavia, Z. D.,  Jangid, B. L., & Khem Chand  (2005).
Traditional Methods of Cultivation and Processing of Henna. Henna, Cultivation, Improvement and Trade: 21 – 14.  Jodhpur, India: Central Arid Zone Research Institute

Singh, M., Jindal, S. K., &Singh, D. (2005).  Natural Variability, Propagation, Phenology and Reproductive Biology of Henna. Henna, Cultivation, Improvement and Trade: 13 – 18.  Jodhpur, India: Central Arid Zone Research Institute

Singh, M. P.,  & Lodha, S. (2005). Plant Protection in Henna and Henna for Pest and Disease Management Henna, Cultivation, Improvement and Trade: 35 – 38. Jodhpur, India, Central Arid Zone Research Institute

Singh, Y. V.,  Regar, P. L.,  Rao, S. S.,  Jangid, B. L., & Khem Chand (2005). Potential of Planting Configuration and Water Harvesting in Improving the Production of Henna in Arid Fringes. Henna, Cultivation, Improvement and Trade: 28 – 30. Pali-Mawar, India: Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Regional Research Station

Sosted, H.; Johansen, J. D., Andersen, K., E., Menné, T. (2006).  Severe allergic hair dye reactions in 8 children.   Contact Dermatitis, Blackwell Publishing Limited, Vol. 54 Issue 2: 87-91

Spanoudi,  S. P, (1983) Henna, its morphology, chemistry, and hair dyeing properties,  M.Sc Theses, UWIST,

Wall, F.E. (1972)  Hair colorings, Bleaches, Dye removers, Chapter 23 in Cosmetic Science and Technology, 2nd Edition, Vol. 2, Wiley Interscience

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