Henna is best known as an ingredient in many hair care products and as a natural hair dye; it is used in certain types of shampoos and rinses to give hair reddish highlights.
The henna plant itself is native to the world's tropical zones as are so many wildcrafted herbs, particularly those of Africa and Australia.
Henna belongs to a botanical family of organic bulk herbs called lythraceae, which includes other herbs like myrtles and interestingly enough, the pomegranate tree.
Henna granules are used in some cultures for body-art and tatoos; dried henna leaf is ground into a powder and made into a paste and applied to the skin directly. Once it dries, the henna paste falls away from the skin surface, leaving a stain on the skin. Archaeological evidence shows that such use of henna was common to virtually all Mediterranean cultures from the Levant to Iberia for several thousand years. Among all three Abrahamic faiths, holidays including Eid, Diwali, Purin and even Pesach are celebrated with the application of henna. Most North African countries still have a thriving organic henna industry.
While there are no known harmful effects that arise from the use of natural herbs such as powder henna, purchase of imported, pre-mixed henna paste is inadvisable; such pre-mixed henna pastes are known to contain adulterants not derived from natural herbs that can cause severe allergic reactions. Buy organic bulk herbs from Starwest Botanicals for your assurance that you are receiving the purest organic herbs for use in hair or on skin – and exercise proper cautions when using any medicinal herbs.
