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Henna is completely safe, and has no significant side effects at all - as long as you are using pure, traditional henna. However, many currently available substances that are sold as henna actually contain dangerous additives, or are not henna at all. This is often the case with substances that are used for quick and temporary body art - actual henna takes at least 6 hours to stain the skin, and any temporary body art technique that works in less time uses chemicals other than henna.
Traditional henna is obtained from Henna or Hina plants, and is 100% safe. It is usually available as a dry powder that is made from the leaves, which must then be mixed with black tea or with lemon juice. This releases certain chemicals in the powder, which color the skin or the hair that they come into contact with. In general, the paste needs to be on the hair or skin for 6 to 12 hours in order for its dyeing properties to have full effect. When applied to the hair, henna is often applied at night, and washed off in the morning. It usually gives a reddish brown stain, which may be dark or light depending on how long it was left on and what the powder was mixed with. If this is the method that you have been using and the effect that you have been seeing, then you are most probably using natural, traditional henna, and there is no need for you to worry.
What is called "black henna" is not henna at all. At best it may contain some amount of henna, but the black coloring is obtained by using other chemicals, most of which tend to be harmful. Black henna usually contains para-phenylenediamine (also known as PPD), a chemical that is capable of causing severe skin reactions. Sometimes, other chemicals are also added to henna to provide a range of other colors, and very often these too are unsafe.
These products are usually sold for the skin, so it is unlikely that you will get any of them for your hair, but one can never be too sure. It is therefore a good idea to check and ensure that you are using the right product. The duration of application and the color are good indicators, but if you trust the seller, you should also ask them directly, else check with a friend.
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