For people living in tourist hotspots such as Cape Cod, it is easy to say that henna artists, or even people trying to make quick money off the trend, can be found almost at any main street or tourist- friendly corner. In other words, if you are interested in gaining a tattoo without commitment, you will have no trouble finding service.

Over the past few years, henna has transitioned from cultural expression to fashionable and interesting mainstream art. Like other trends deriving from culture, there has come to be controversy over whether the trend is cultural appropriation or appreciation. Henna has become popular at music festivals where celebrities are easily spotted with the dye on their hands, ankles or face.

Henna, like many other current trends, is considered edgy, interesting and artsy. Most festival fashions are considered innocent, harmless and even expected, however,  some trends such as bindis, feather caps and henna are seen by some to walk a thin line between being edgy and being disrespectful to a culture. Although in the majority of cases, it does not appear that fashion is mocking the cultural importance of henna, it is understable why people of the various cultures may feel as though it is lessening the importance of the cultural traditions by replicating it in a more mainstream way and destroying the meaning.

So the question is: where is the line between expression through the respect of cultural traditions and disrespecting the trend?

Payal Patel, BHS senior, said, “It seems like henna is just a normal trend, if people are interested and getting henna then it definitely seems to be more than okay to do because they are valuing something that’s part of another culture. But I do get it.  Even though most people don’t believe henna is disrespectful, getting a design without understanding the meaning of it can be. It’s easy to see both sides.”

Current styles are leading many people to dress to impress and express. It seems that the vast majority of people interested in henna are not attempting to disrespect or mock any form of culture; however, they are trying to make a point with their style.

This popular trend has some newly-found setbacks beyond the cultural questions. Due to the high demand for the trend, businesses have been known to buy low-quality material in order to profit from a low selling price. This cheap material can be unsafe and put people at risk leading to hospitalization.

Pure henna is safe and has been used for thousands of years. Henna gives off a brown or deep mahogany orange or red stain and is not black. The result of black henna means that it contains toxic dye which can easily penetrate deep into the skin and eventually into the bloodstream. The black dye, in most cases, is para-phenylenediamine, also known as PPD. PPD is a synthetic dye or coal that can cause severe reactions.

According to the FDA, pure henna is safe and rarely ever causes a problem on unbroken skin.  Simply testing a small amount of henna on the skin, though,  is not enough of a safety check. A reaction may not show for more  than three weeks. To know whether the henna being given is safe, it is important to ask how long the stain lasts and how long it takes to stain. If it take an hour to stain or lasts a week or more the henna being supplied is PPD, therefore unsafe.  Make sure to also ask what color the henna is. If it’s black, it is also PPD.

If in touch with poisonous henna, immediately see a doctor and tell the supplier because they may have no idea that their henna is harmful.