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Original poster

Black Henna Nightmare

33 replies

Mumosa · 14/04/2022 08:12

I’m currently away with the family now and my little girl age 7 had a henna done last night. We’ve done this before but with real henna. Not long after the tattoo was finished on her hand i realised it was very different to the other henna we’ve had in the past.
I did some googling and it looks like it’s Black henna which is illegal and extremely dangerous. I’m beside myself with worry. I can’t even tell my dh. I’m horrified at the stupid mistake on my poor daughter.
Does anyone have any advice or experience with black henna??

OP posts:
Toponeniceone · 14/04/2022 08:16

I know it can cause hair dye allergic reactions as I remember googling it. I had what I suppose was a black henna dye in the states in 2004. Nothing happened but I believe it can make you more prone to allergic reactions with things that contain the same chemical. I may be remembering wrong. Nothing ever happened to me and I dyed my hair for 20 years with no reaction.

Original poster
Mumosa · 14/04/2022 08:22

Toponeniceone thank you that’s put my mind at rest. I’m literally beside myself with worry. It seems like a ticking time bomb. She’s had no reaction so far but apparently it can happen up to 1- 2 weeks afterwards.

OP posts:
Toponeniceone · 14/04/2022 08:25

I would try not to worry too much. I'd be trying to get details of who did it though if at all possible.

Howmanydaysuntilfriday · 14/04/2022 08:28

If your DD starts it hung, burning or having any kind of allergic reaction straight to the hospital. They will give her antihistamine, steroid scream and steroid tablets. If this does happen the sooner you get treatment the less likely it is to scar. Stop beating yourself up. It was not intentional. She may not have any reaction at all

Original poster
Mumosa · 14/04/2022 08:38

Howmanydaysuntilfriday Thank you for the advice, i’ll be taking her straight to hospital if any symptoms arise.
Not sure i’ll be able to shake the guilt though, just can’t believe i’ve been so stupid.

OP posts:
Toponeniceone · 14/04/2022 08:41

Can you find out if it definitely was black henna? Where abouts are you?

Original poster
Mumosa · 14/04/2022 10:08

i think it definitely is, it stained her hands so quickly. we washed it off within the hour and it was very dark and bold unlike real henna.

OP posts:
Original poster
Mumosa · 14/04/2022 10:10

we’re in egypt , it was a little beach hut we had it done in.sounds so bloody naive now

OP posts:
Original poster
Mumosa · 14/04/2022 10:11

Here’s a picture of it

Black Henna Nightmare
OP posts:
FirewomanSam · 14/04/2022 10:16

Don’t panic. She will almost certainly be fine and if she isn’t, you will know it very quickly. If she’s not showing any signs of a reaction then just keep an eye on it over the next week or so. But I really think she will be fine.

My understanding is that black henna contains PPD and having a lot of it on your skin at once might cause you to become sensitive to it in future, which could cause issues with things like hair dye. But she isn’t going to be dying her hair for a long time yet and any reaction would get picked up by a patch test if and when she does one, so it’s really not worth getting yourself worked up about now!

ZealAndArdour · 14/04/2022 10:18

My sibling had a full sleeve of black henna done on holiday when he was about 13. His entire arm erupted in huge blusters. It was very bad and it was such a large area of blistered/burnt skin that the crew on the plane home sought telephone medical advice on the flight home, the plane diverted to a different airport and he was let by an ambulance on the ground to take him to Birmingham burns unit. He was followed up by burns and plastics for months for dressings and reviews, there was talk of grafting at one point but wasn’t necessary in the end. He’s 25 now and you wouldn’t even be able to tell from looking at his arm, no scars or marks.

BUT, his skin began to blister within a few hours of the henna being done. So I think if that hasn’t happened then it’s probably gonna be okay.

FirewomanSam · 14/04/2022 10:19

Yes that definitely looks like black dye, not henna. It’s ok though, stay calm. You know what to look out for and she will almost definitely be fine.

Original poster
Mumosa · 14/04/2022 10:28

I haven’t slept a wink checking her hand while she slept. It’s absolutely fine, no itch, redness nothing so i’m really hoping it’s all ok. Thank you FirewomanSam i’m definitely feeling calmer.

ZealAndArdour so sorry that happened to your brother, it literally is a nightmare. I’m praying this doesn’t happy to my dd she’s just a baby. Thank you for sharing, this is what came up when i googled it. apparently 7/10 people have a reaction to it and varies in condition. from a slight irritation, redness to full on burn and blister.

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ZealAndArdour · 14/04/2022 10:33

I wouldn’t worry too much, your DD’s design looks tiny in comparison. My brothers was literally a whole sleeve of big thick tribal design on his entire arm.

God knows what he or my Mum were thinking but I guess it was his holiday money to spend as he wished. One benefit is that it put him off the idea of proper tattoos for life!

Somethingsnappy · 14/04/2022 10:43

It's awful that black henna is still being used, particularly when people like yourself are just expecting natural henna. Also, many people probably won't realise there is a difference.

If you did it last night, and there's not been a reaction so far, that sounds like a good sign. It may be worth mentioning to your husband though, so that he's also aware to avoid it. Try not to feel guilty. It was a mistake. The people selling black henna designs to unsuspecting people are the ones who ought to feel guilty.

Original poster
Mumosa · 14/04/2022 13:18

Told the dh and he’s into worry melt down too. Feels better to have told him though. It’s reassuring hearing people’s experiences. This next week is going to be hard just waiting to see if she reacts badly or not. If she does react i’m praying it’s mild and not painful

OP posts:
FirewomanSam · 14/04/2022 13:42

This next week is going to be hard just waiting to see if she reacts badly or not.

I’m no expert but I think any really serious reaction would happen quickly. I don’t think you need to be watching her 24/7 for signs of a reaction, just keep an eye out for any redness or itching etc. Easy for me to say though, I’m not a parent and I am sure you won’t be able to help worrying no matter how much you rationally tell yourself it’ll be ok.

Original poster
Mumosa · 14/04/2022 15:30

God i really hope so. Every time i look at her hand my heart sinks.
I won’t rest until the all clear which can take up to 6 weeks as the dye enters the bloodstream. This is some awful stuff and should certainly be banned to children. It’s illegal in the EU but not in Africa.

OP posts:
RufustheFloralmissingreindeer · 14/04/2022 16:17

Try not to worry, as least you can keep an eye out in case something happens

Ds2 had a henna tattoo which he developed a reaction to, it was incredibly itchy and and went very red and scabby

He ended up getting a white scar but that faded dramatically over time, you can’t see it at all now

(Which is almost a shame cos it would have looked awesome and was on his leg so very easily hidden)

HOWEVER….if she gets a reaction she will have to be careful around things like hair dye when she is older as the henna reaction can be a bit of a precursor to a reaction to hair dye

Original poster
Mumosa · 14/04/2022 17:30

RufustheFloralmissingreindeer Thanks for sharing , it literally helps me feel less panicked.
She’s had no reaction at all and it’s coming up to 24hrs now.
It is a shame that she’ll have to be super careful all her life now with dyes all because of a stupid temporary tattoo.

OP posts:
BlankaBanka · 14/04/2022 17:41

Before I was old enough to get real tattoos I used to get black henna ones. I had them in multiple places on my body at once and had large designs. I’ve since been dying my hair since I was 16 and have never had an allergic reaction.

Try not to worry too much, chances are she’ll be fine. Can you get some antihistamines to keep any reaction down.

getawayfromme · 14/04/2022 17:45

@mumosa she'd have to be careful with hair dye anyway - any reputable hair colourist would do a patch test every six months.

I can see why you are doing it, but you're overreacting. If she hasn't had a reaction now, she won't have one. Try to relax and you'll know better for future.

Somethingsnappy · 14/04/2022 18:21

@RufustheFloralmissingreindeer

Try not to worry, as least you can keep an eye out in case something happens

Ds2 had a henna tattoo which he developed a reaction to, it was incredibly itchy and and went very red and scabby

He ended up getting a white scar but that faded dramatically over time, you can’t see it at all now

(Which is almost a shame cos it would have looked awesome and was on his leg so very easily hidden)

HOWEVER….if she gets a reaction she will have to be careful around things like hair dye when she is older as the henna reaction can be a bit of a precursor to a reaction to hair dye

It's not just if she gets a reaction to it now. Even if you don't react the first time, having used black henna tattoos previously actually increases the risk of a reaction from hair dye, due to the amount used in the tattoos. The amount of PPD in hair dye is strictly controlled, but the amounts used in the tattoos are much higher.
LouiseBelchersBunnyEars · 14/04/2022 18:32

I doubt she’ll come up with anything now, as it usually comes up straight away.

But yes, she must be very weary of PPD allergy now which is found in hair dye.

What could happen now is everytime she comes into contact with PPD, the reaction will be slightly worse.

I had a black henna tattoo on holiday in Greece at around 14/15.

I dyed my hair for many years, but after a while I started to notice a little rash around my hairline, and the reactions got progressively worse and worse, the last time I dyed my hair I was around 25 and my whole head was weeping, so any thing with ppd she will have to do a patch test first.

It’s horrendous stuff, they should make it clear!

switswooo · 14/04/2022 19:10

Are you sure it’s black henna? It just looks like fresh red henna to me. What’s the colour when it dried?

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