Henna tattoo primary school

[CosyNavyLeader]

My son's primary school are holding an Eid celebration tomorrow.

Part of the day involves the children having Henna Tattoos. Natural Henna.

Are they safe? I was always under the impression you should be wary with Henna tattoos. Not sure if it's black henna only or if natural Henna can be a bit iffy too.

Im just a bit shocked, I didn't think a primary school would risk doing something like this considering all the horror stories I've heard over the years.

Am I worrying for nothing?

I don't want to open a can of worms and ruin it for everyone without getting my facts straight.

It's a fairly common thing to do. I don't think it's ts harmful but I suppose you can ask for your own child not to have one.

Normal henna is fine. Black henna is actually normal henna mixed with black dye and is very dangerous. I doubt the school is going to use black henna, I don’t think it’s even sold legitimately.

Black henna is the one to be concerned over. It's the one made of dodgy stuff

Natural henna should be fine. It's used commonly for Asian weddings and celebrations as well as by schools and similar to mark these dates too

Thankyou for the swift replies. I didn't want to cause a fuss without hearing some advice.

If you don’t trust your kid’s primary school not to put dangerous stuff on your kid’s skin then I think you have bigger problems with the school!

Big no to black henna.

Bit of a dramatic assumption!

Normal henna, the plant-based red/brown stuff you paint intricate designs onto your hands and such with isn't harmful. It's the dodgy "black henna tattoos" you see stories about, that's got different chemicals in it that can burn skin.

https://www.britishskinfoundation.org.uk/the-dangers-of-black-henna-temporary-tattoos

Is this something compulsory within school hours? I don’t think it’s appropriate for the school to be marking children’s skin. Face painting, temporary tattoos or henna paid for by parents at a school fete or similar event is fine, but not as a compulsory in school activity.

It isn't compulsory. However my son wants one and I don't want him to be left out.

I'm just worrying over nothing it seems and wanted some clarification.

I do find it a bit unnecessary though if I'm honest.

Is anybody else noticing some of these usernames that seem to all be very similar at the moment?

CosyNavyLeader on here, AmpleDenimDreamer on another thread, GutsyPeachExpert yesterday.....

There were a few earlier in the week which were the same setup (description, colour, noun)

Something seems a bit off.....

Lots of things are unnecessary. They can still be fun.

It was randomly generated for me. Not my choice. But I couldn't be bothered to think up my own one 😂

Aaaaaah ok that's fine then - I was worried we were being infiltrated 😂

Re the henna, I wouldn't worry. A school wouldn't be allowed to do something like that unless it was safe!

I guessed as much but you never know! Always better to ask.

It’s very unlikely to be black henna.

Lots of the children this year seem to have temporary tattoos instead, so wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what they’re using. Just ask to see the ingredients/ the packet and say your child sometimes reacts to stuff. Then make a decision based on that.

Real henna allergy is very rare. People tend to have reactions to the black one as anything could be added.

I’ve seen this sort of event lots of times over the years. It will probably be a group of mothers doing it. They will know what they are doing.

Those black henna tattoos are side of the road holiday things rather than parents celebrating a religious festival.

Its probably part of the PSHE curriculum that they have put together due to it being close to Eid.

How many horror stories have you heard 'over the years' I can't recall hearing one tbh

If you don’t trust your kid’s primary school not to put dangerous stuff on your kid’s skin then I think you have bigger problems with the school!

Bit of a dramatic assumption!

but you were worried it was dangerous so you did not trust the school ??

I do find it a bit unnecessary though if I'm honest

Primary school would be a miserable place for kids if they only did things that were necessary.

It's useful for children to learn about major world religions and cultures, and doing so has been a part of the primary school curriculum for many, many decades. No, they don't need to have henna tattoos to learn about Islam and Eid, but it's a good way of making it interesting and fun for them.

FWIW, I'm not a Christian but I used to enjoy getting a cross drawn on my forehead on Ash Wednesday when I was a child. I'd have LOVED to get henna.

Slightly off topic - why an Did celebration now, Eid was last weekend....

And yes, black henna is the one to worry about, I believe it's usually mixed with chemicals similar to those found in hair dye, hence the reactions to it. Standard henna should be fine.

Eid was Sunday - Tuesday this week and many kids who celebrate will have been off school, so it makes sense to celebrate at the end of the week.

It's lovely your child is having this experience - and nice that the mums are sharing their henna talents for the others to enjoy. I'm sure the kids will have fun