When entering professional salons such as The Gilded Pear, you might notice that there are no traditional henna hair products on the shelves or available in the menu as a form of treatment. Many cultures around the world use the natural dyes from the henna plant to colour hair or create a paste that is then used to draw intricate designs on hands and feet as a temporary stain. In natural health stores or health food outlets, you might find companies touting henna as all-natural for your hair. And while it is true that most henna products are all-natural (with the exception of black henna which contains cancer-causing chemical additives) it is not true that these products are good for your hair.

This is a classic case of “just because something is natural does not mean it is good for you.” Every hairstylist in the industry knows that henna dyes cause the buildup of metallic salts that bind to the hair and make it impossible for future colour and perm treatments to work on the hair. In fact, once you use a henna product on your hair, even just once, you have to wait until that product can be cut out.

Allergic reactions between henna and traditional hair chemicals are also a major concern. If you don’t like the way the henna looks (which is often the case), you can’t simply fix the colour with a chemical correction. Not only is it unlikely to take, as mentioned, but it can also cause your hair to become extremely brittle and can even turn green. For this reason, you always have to let your stylist know if you have used henna products in your hair to avoid such results.

Henna body art (of the natural brown variety) is totally fine and can be a beautiful way to celebrate special occasions, as it is used in many different cultures around the world. Keep henna on your hands and feet, and away from that beautiful hair!