Best long lasting Henna brand?

[mummysyummy]

Hi there,

Im just trained in Henna Brows (wont say what brand) but the results are not long lasting. I know there may be several reasons but wondered what other people use and there results.

Hope you can help

Thanks

 

[blossom]

F

 

[Bonkers]

Brow xenna has been great for me and my students

 

[TheDuchess]

I use Mina (I'm a trainer).

Brow hairs have a lifecycle of 6-8 weeks. Mina permanently tints the brow hair but the effect fades as tinted brow hairs are shed and replaced with new untinted hair. My clients return at 4-6 week intervals depending on regrowth.

Brow skin staining isn't legal in the EU only tattooing/microblading. Brow henna is marketed as a brow hair tint - any skin staining is incidental, not an integral part of the treatment - that would be illegal and also false advertising as it isn't possible with any legal product. Your clients will be very disappointed if you market a henna brow as a skin stain - I tell mine that the staining lasts like a spray tan, and if they hate it they can scrub it off at home. I train a lot of microbladers who find that henna works very well for clients thinking about semi permanent brows and for keeping in touch between top ups.

Hena bonds to the keratin in skin, hair and nails as it oxidises, Areas of soft, smooth skin have less keratin so don't take a henna tint very well. Areas like the sides of the hands and feet have more keratin so henna will bond quite well. Some keratinised areas are subject to heavy wear (like the palms of your hands) so a henna "tattoo" will wear off quicker. This is lucky if you stain your fingers when applying henna!

Skin under the brows doesn't have much keratin. On some clients you will get very little skin bonding. The condition of the skin and the skin home care regime will all have a bearing on how long a skin tint lasts - not all the factors are under the clients control. Or yours. Some clients will get a great skin tint but the effect will wear off very quickly whilst other clients both take a skin tint and keep it for up to a week.

What you should be looking for in a brow henna is how long it takes to do a treatment, how good the colour range is and how much PPD is in the products.

PPD is in most tints, it's in Hive brow tint for instance and it's in most henna brow tints in higher concentration. PPD is a stabiliser and is a known sensitiser. It's the reason we patch test! It's essential in a long lasting dye - any substitute is so similar chemically that it makes no difference to sensitisation. The skin under the brows is more reactive than the skin on the scalp. A client might not be aware that they are slightly sensitive to hair dye - this type of client can react badly to brow henna, so a good patch test is crucial and training in how to do a good patch test is essential. I see on forums therapists asking, "why has my client reacted, I did a patch test" and it's evident that they don't understand enough about patch testing.

I wouldn't want to use a brow henna without training. Ive had a look at the "training" offered by some brands who don't require you to attend their own face to face course and frankly I wouldn't know how to use their product to get professional results, I'd have to wing it on my clients, which I'm not going to do. For this reason I've not tried any other brands. Ive looked at Facebook and seen the results - but I'm also reading the questions people ask. I want a brand that can support me.

Mina brow henna has 1% PPD in 7 colours and 2% PPD in black. I don't think I've ever used 100% black on a client, I usually mix a custom blend of 2-3 colours. A brow treatment including reshaping the brow takes 25 minutes - occasionally 30 minutes. My trainees usually book 40-45 minutes for a new client and 30 mins for a returning client until they gain confidence.

About half of my client base has now switched over to henna. I charge £32 for a henna brow and clients return monthly. I used to find it difficult to fit in all my treatments especially at peak times (lunch time and straight after work) Switching clients over to henna created more bookable hours for my clients and increased my hourly rate so everyone is happy!

 

[mummysyummy]

I use Mina (I'm a trainer).

Brow hairs have a lifecycle of 6-8 weeks. Mina permanently tints the brow hair but the effect fades as tinted brow hairs are shed and replaced with new untinted hair. My clients return at 4-6 week intervals depending on regrowth.

Brow skin staining isn't legal in the EU only tattooing/microblading. Brow henna is marketed as a brow hair tint - any skin staining is incidental, not an integral part of the treatment - that would be illegal and also false advertising as it isn't possible with any legal product. Your clients will be very disappointed if you market a henna brow as a skin stain - I tell mine that the staining lasts like a spray tan, and if they hate it they can scrub it off at home. I train a lot of microbladers who find that henna works very well for clients thinking about semi permanent brows and for keeping in touch between top ups.

Hena bonds to the keratin in skin, hair and nails as it oxidises, Areas of soft, smooth skin have less keratin so don't take a henna tint very well. Areas like the sides of the hands and feet have more keratin so henna will bond quite well. Some keratinised areas are subject to heavy wear (like the palms of your hands) so a henna "tattoo" will wear off quicker. This is lucky if you stain your fingers when applying henna!

Skin under the brows doesn't have much keratin. On some clients you will get very little skin bonding. The condition of the skin and the skin home care regime will all have a bearing on how long a skin tint lasts - not all the factors are under the clients control. Or yours. Some clients will get a great skin tint but the effect will wear off very quickly whilst other clients both take a skin tint and keep it for up to a week.

What you should be looking for in a brow henna is how long it takes to do a treatment, how good the colour range is and how much PPD is in the products.

PPD is in most tints, it's in Hive brow tint for instance and it's in most henna brow tints in higher concentration. PPD is a stabiliser and is a known sensitiser. It's the reason we patch test! It's essential in a long lasting dye - any substitute is so similar chemically that it makes no difference to sensitisation. The skin under the brows is more reactive than the skin on the scalp. A client might not be aware that they are slightly sensitive to hair dye - this type of client can react badly to brow henna, so a good patch test is crucial and training in how to do a good patch test is essential. I see on forums therapists asking, "why has my client reacted, I did a patch test" and it's evident that they don't understand enough about patch testing.

I wouldn't want to use a brow henna without training. Ive had a look at the "training" offered by some brands who don't require you to attend their own face to face course and frankly I wouldn't know how to use their product to get professional results, I'd have to wing it on my clients, which I'm not going to do. For this reason I've not tried any other brands. Ive looked at Facebook and seen the results - but I'm also reading the questions people ask. I want a brand that can support me.

Mina brow henna has 1% PPD in 7 colours and 2% PPD in black. I don't think I've ever used 100% black on a client, I usually mix a custom blend of 2-3 colours. A brow treatment including reshaping the brow takes 25 minutes - occasionally 30 minutes. My trainees usually book 40-45 minutes for a new client and 30 mins for a returning client until they gain confidence.

About half of my client base has now switched over to henna. I charge £32 for a henna brow and clients return monthly. I used to find it difficult to fit in all my treatments especially at peak times (lunch time and straight after work) Switching clients over to henna created more bookable hours for my clients and increased my hourly rate so everyone is happy!

This is all extremely helpful - what would you advise is a good patch test since writing this i have done a lot more research. thank you

 

[TheDuchess]

Well arm skin is not like facial skin so don't patch test on the inner arm or wrist.

It needs to be applied to some hair and surrounding skin so we apply in the hairline rather than behind the ear on naked skin 48 hours in advance. It needs to be a 5p sized amount so that you can really test for a reaction - a little dab might not do it.

You need to ask carefully for any previous sensitisation issues with hair dye - skin irritation, redness etc. Don't patch test if there might be an issue. It really isn't worth trying to offer the client a henna brow treatment if there's the smallest chance that she's sensitive.

However you must follow the guidelines of your brand as you will not have insurance cover otherwise.

 

[mummysyummy]

Well arm skin is not like facial skin so don't patch test on the inner arm or wrist.

It needs to be applied to some hair and surrounding skin so we apply in the hairline rather than behind the ear on naked skin 48 hours in advance. It needs to be a 5p sized amount so that you can really test for a reaction - a little dab might not do it.

You need to ask carefully for any previous sensitisation issues with hair dye - skin irritation, redness etc. Don't patch test if there might be an issue. It really isn't worth trying to offer the client a henna brow treatment if there's the smallest chance that she's sensitive.

However you must follow the guidelines of your brand as you will not have insurance cover otherwise.

Thank you.. I was thinking of either going with MINA or brow henna.

 

[claire_k]

I trained with Brow Xenna. I find that the level of staining depends on the person. For example Brown 2 stains really well on one person while it does nothing for another. You'll get an idea though when you do the patch test. I do 2 dots behind the ear. I remove one after a few minutes to determine the level of staining.

 

[mummysyummy]

I trained with Brow Xenna. I find that the level of staining depends on the person. For example Brown 2 stains really well on one person while it does nothing for another. You'll get an idea though when you do the patch test. I do 2 dots behind the ear. I remove one after a few minutes to determine the level of staining.

How many colour have you bought in the range?

 

[claire_k]

How many colour have you bought in the range?

All except the amber corrector. Blond 3 is plenty red by itself.

 

[mummysyummy]

Well arm skin is not like facial skin so don't patch test on the inner arm or wrist.

It needs to be applied to some hair and surrounding skin so we apply in the hairline rather than behind the ear on naked skin 48 hours in advance. It needs to be a 5p sized amount so that you can really test for a reaction - a little dab might not do it.

You need to ask carefully for any previous sensitisation issues with hair dye - skin irritation, redness etc. Don't patch test if there might be an issue. It really isn't worth trying to offer the client a henna brow treatment if there's the smallest chance that she's sensitive.

However you must follow the guidelines of your brand as you will not have insurance cover otherwise.

Thank you for the guidance - every little helps! What colours do you have in MINA - i know you say you mix a few colours which can be standard with general tint to (well i do)...

 

[TheDuchess]

4 main colours - blonde, light brown, medium brown, dark brown plus black and 3 accent colours - golden brown, copper brown, burgundy. 8 shades altogether.

You can use all the colours singly or in combination. If your client has dyed their hair you may need a custom colour but if the hair is a natural, believable skin tone enhancing colour you can often just use one colour. You also control the development by your timings and some colours are warmer or cooler so if you make light brown by using 50% blonde and 50% medium brown as a substitute for light brown it won't be quite the same as the light brown.

I sell Mina by the single sachet to my students so I can see how long it takes them to get established and what colours they are using. Interestingly altogether Instagram is full of dramatic dark brows pics, the bread and butter work everyone is actually doing is the lighter end of the spectrum.

When you train you buy a starter pack which has 3 sachets of each colour. You then either buy a box of 12 sachets direct from Mina or some trainers sell by the single sachet.

I'm quite tidy in my application so I usually get 8 sets of brows per sachet but we quote 5 in training. Henna is a natural product and will oxidise once open. A partially oxidised product doesn't bond quite as well, so you have to keep your henna fresh. The more care you take of your open henna the more consistent your results.

 

[Chincap0]

4 main colours - blonde, light brown, medium brown, dark brown plus black and 3 accent colours - golden brown, copper brown, burgundy. 8 shades altogether.

You can use all the colours singly or in combination. If your client has dyed their hair you may need a custom colour but if the hair is a natural, believable skin tone enhancing colour you can often just use one colour. You also control the development by your timings and some colours are warmer or cooler so if you make light brown by using 50% blonde and 50% medium brown as a substitute for light brown it won't be quite the same as the light brown.

I sell Mina by the single sachet to my students so I can see how long it takes them to get established and what colours they are using. Interestingly altogether Instagram is full of dramatic dark brows pics, the bread and butter work everyone is actually doing is the lighter end of the spectrum.

When you train you buy a starter pack which has 3 sachets of each colour. You then either buy a box of 12 sachets direct from Mina or some trainers sell by the single sachet.

I'm quite tidy in my application so I usually get 8 sets of brows per sachet but we quote 5 in training. Henna is a natural product and will oxidise once open. A partially oxidised product doesn't bond quite as well, so you have to keep your henna fresh. The more care you take of your open henna the more consistent your results.

Thank you so much for all this useful information. I see that Amazon is currently selling Mina Henna, but I'm not sure if it is the same quality as the tint sold on the actual Mina Henna website.

 

[nzgrooverider]

4 main colours - blonde, light brown, medium brown, dark brown plus black and 3 accent colours - golden brown, copper brown, burgundy. 8 shades altogether.

You can use all the colours singly or in combination. If your client has dyed their hair you may need a custom colour but if the hair is a natural, believable skin tone enhancing colour you can often just use one colour. You also control the development by your timings and some colours are warmer or cooler so if you make light brown by using 50% blonde and 50% medium brown as a substitute for light brown it won't be quite the same as the light brown.

I sell Mina by the single sachet to my students so I can see how long it takes them to get established and what colours they are using. Interestingly altogether Instagram is full of dramatic dark brows pics, the bread and butter work everyone is actually doing is the lighter end of the spectrum.

When you train you buy a starter pack which has 3 sachets of each colour. You then either buy a box of 12 sachets direct from Mina or some trainers sell by the single sachet.

I'm quite tidy in my application so I usually get 8 sets of brows per sachet but we quote 5 in training. Henna is a natural product and will oxidise once open. A partially oxidised product doesn't bond quite as well, so you have to keep your henna fresh. The more care you take of your open henna the more consistent your results.

Hi Duchess I was hoping you may be able to help with my henna questions please


"hi I learnt henna brows a few months ago and have been loving using it in salon. I use Locks Lash. Now im getting familiar with it I have a few questions for more advanced techs.
1- does the temperature of the henna mix make a difference to the processing
2 - what will happen if my mix is too runny (powdered henna mixed with water)?
3- can i ever henna over keratosis/ dry patches in eyebrows or is that a contraindication?
4- my henna seem to process completely in 2 or 3 minutes (even though it says to leave on for 15 minutes), do I really have to leave it on for 15 minutes?
6- on the same client why would the right brow stain great and the left brow hardly at all?
7- is the henna still processing after its totally dried on the skin? Does applying another wet layer over top of dried henna give a better result?
8- why does the instructions say I have to apply multiple layers in the first few minutes, I find one thick layer works well.

Any advice would be much appreciated

 

[TheDuchess]

Hi nzgrooverider

from your questions it’s clear that you haven’t been trained in the chemical process that occurs when you use henna. You can google for this info, it helps you understand that henna is just one ingredient in a “henna” tint and that every other ingredient affects the process.

I’m afraid that I don’t know enough about your product to be able to give you some of the answers you are looking for. I’d go back to the brand or your trainer. All I can say to your questions is “possibly” and “it depends”.

Don’t forget that henna is a natural product and there are up to 3 harvests a year. Where the henna grows, and when it is harvested and the climate etc, all affect the product. Also your client’s skin and hair will be varying all year round and according to her health and hormones.

There aren’t really any shortcuts to experience. Training helps you avoid dreadful results but only practise and intuition will give you great results.

For the brand that I use, guidelines have been revised and formulations tweaked. These changes were all communicated, but not everyone kept themselves up to date and then we had problems with qualified therapists asking ages later “has anything changed?” And being told truthfully “no” because changes had taken place a year previously - but of course some students had been slowly working their way through the training kit purchased before the changes....With new products you get a bit of settling in and teething issues. It’s part of the joys of being “first”.

 

[nzgrooverider]

Thank you for your reply my training definitely didn't go over the chemical processes of henna so ill get myself up to speed with that