Re: Other things like henna?
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Posted by Catherine Cartwright Jones on March 13, 2000 at 07:39:23:
In Reply to: Other things like henna? posted by James on March 12, 2000 at 23:08:33:
The short answer is no. There are very, very few molecules small enough to penetrate skin, and fewer still that do so without hurting the body that is inhabiting the skin. About the only molecule that will safely penetrate down 20 or so cells into the outer layer of your skin (the dead part) and bind with the collagen safely is henna's hennotannic acid. The gallotannins will stain a little ... clove and oak gall. But they're just not as good. A few other tannins have some effect ... Betel, and walnut .... but again none of those have anywhere near the penetrating and staining quality of henna does on skin at body temperature without a mordant. Blue, green, purple etc. dye molecules are too big. Even the indigo and woad molecules only go the top couple of cells, so that just lasts a day or three. When you tie dye shirts .... all that hot dye bath, and your hands still clean up in two days tops. The food coloring sort of dyes used in colored henna again only penetrate one or two of the top most dessicated and porous of your skin cells so that's gone fast too. Mostly harmless, but not longlasting like henna. Paint and Temptu just sit right on top of your skin. One molecule that will penetrate is PPD .... a very small molecule that will go through your skin and stain it black all the way down BUT PPD IS TOXIC and it will penetrate to the blood bearing layer!!!! There it causes chemical burns and more havoc if it gets into your blood stream. If you could take off your skin, you could boil it, mordant it, strip it, and turn it all sorts of wonderful colors with leather, fur, hair and wool dyes...... but those things would not be suitable for your skin while you're the living, sentient inhabitant therein. You can oxidize or percipitate your henna stain to black .... email me if you want the instructions. It's comparable to the henna stone thing that's used in North Africa and all. (Pardon me while I get off on a rant here .... I was talking to some hairdressers recently, and they are truely experts on just how awful the effects of ppd and other dyes can be on skin, because they regularly see people who have nuked their hair with ppd black hair dye, and forever after need wigs.)
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