Lawsonia Inermis
Henna
The plant of the henna or the Latin name Lawsonia Inermis is a very ancient plant with multiple properties.
It appears as a thorny shrub belonging to the lythraceae family with pink fragrant flowers that bloom from May to July and with capsular fruits.
In some areas it can reach a height of one meter.
From its dried leaves and branches we get a yellow-greenish powder used as a natural dye for fabrics, skin and hair.
The shade of red obtained varies from the amount of pigment contained in each leaf, often determined by the cultivation area, the higher the percentage of pigment will be, the more we will have a strong red.
The leaves containing a greater quantity of pigment are destined for body art and are therefore the most valuable henna.
In North Africa and India it is used for temporary tattoos on hands and feet called mehndi or for hair dyeing.
Native to Asia Minor, North Africa, Iran and western India, the species was cultivated throughout the eastern Mediterranean basin.
Today it is widespread in Arab countries.
The Henne lends itself to multiple uses
In the Religious field:
Especially used by women, henna allows them to nurture the belief that they can, through this practice, overcome family and life problems in general. It would be a sign of good luck and protect against misfortune. It is often used on wedding days as a sign of bunafortua for those who wear it and for all women in the family.
In the field of Beauty:
Beautifies, cleans and purifies the skin. It can also be applied to the hair to dye it, the feet and hands; according to laboratory analysis, it would have anti-fungal and astringent properties.
Used on the skin as a mehndi it gives beautiful tattoos of a more or less intense red color.
Applied on the hair it gives all the shades of red and also strengthens the hair.
For therapeutic purposes: for the treatment of diseased nails
This plant has many properties especially in the treatment of hair, as well as giving a delicious color that tastes of red fruit, makes the hair more robust and shiny.
This is not a fake effect like that of traditional hair dyes that only give the illusion of beauty but actually weaken the structure making it gradually dry and dull.
The henna instead is a real beauty treatment that nourishes while it colors.
In fact, use improves the general condition of the hair shaft by eliminating or at the same time greatly reducing the annoying frizz and giving hair a healthy appearance; for those who suffer from dandruff it is an excellent sebum regulator and antifungal.
The best henna is for body art because it consists of a finer powder and is free of chemical dyes, preservatives and perfumes.
Origins:
The coloring properties of henna are very ancient, we find traces of this dye even in Egyptian mummies. It seems that the Egyptians prepared an oil with the flowers of Lawsonia inermis to moisturize the skin and that the pharaohs dyed their hair using henna leaves.
Other ancient peoples who appear to have used henna are the Sumerians, Babylonians, and Semites. Henné was used not only as a dye but also as a therapeutic product, in fact it has soothing, anti-inflammatory and emollient properties.
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Mary
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