The Art of Brow Henna - 13 Aug 2018

Elleebana Henna has launched and its shooting for the stars and flying off the shelves.

We wanted to share some of the background behind the range as it’s not just a product that was produced quickly, not by a long shot! Otto was developing a henna range back in 2014 with his development team when he forged a relationship with the producers of another henna brand.  Ex-Import made the decision to hold the developments of the range and instead import the other brand into Australian market the other brand (not Elleebana).  Unfortunately, the supply of this other range was not enough to satisfy the Australian and New Zealand markets, so Otto was encouraged to return to the production team and continue working on the Elleebana range.  After having the experience of stocking and using other brands, we at Elleebana, understood a good clear benchmark for how we wanted the product to perform.  We also knew what people liked and disliked about Henna.  We were able to clearly choose some factors that might make the brand unique and thus Elleebana Brow Henna was created.

Elleebana Brow Henna, aside from being a naturally derived product, does not require an oxidizing agent to penetrate the cortex and deposit colour – no requirements for hydrogen peroxide and contains no ammonia.  The range is not tested on animals and is classed as vegan – these benefits mean that salons that have a holistic or natural appeal can now offer brow tinting to their clients.

Some of the unique factors about Elleebana henna is the inclusion of its booster ingredients.  Amla extract (Indian Gooseberry) found in the henna powder contains essential fatty acids, which strengths the hair follicle and gives the hair a smooth lustre and appearance.  It also contains Vitamin C which can halt premature greying.  The Amla extract is a great hair conditioner and can reduce flaky skin conditions and helps to counteract the natural drying effect that henna can have on skin types.  Shikakai (Acacia Concinna) provides the brow hairs with an added shine and softness and aids in the coating of the hair follicle process.

As the henna powder requires a liquid in order to make it into a workable paste Elleebana had the option to recommend distilled water for this step (which is still absolutely an option) but instead the opportunity to offer added benefit to the treatment of our clients’ brows by way of the Aqua PH Activator arose.  Using distilled water combined with the henna may alter the PH levels of the henna paste and since Henna enjoys a slightly different PH to that of water the decision was made to produce an aqua that contained not only the optimal PH for the henna but also hydrolysed wheat protein which is known for its hydrating, moisture balancing and film forming abilities.  Also found in the Aqua PH Activator is D Panthenol a moisture booster and encourages hydration deeper into the hair, Vitamin E to support healthy skin and Aloe Vera for nourishment. The aqua also helps to give longer lasting colour results on the hair and reduce chances of sensitivity.

Another key factor during the development was the colour production.  We wanted a wider colour spectrum. Elleebana Brow Henna has lighter colours in the range that are designed to offer a light tint to the hair if in the event a client doesn’t want any skin stain but still wants the brow hairs tinted without using traditional tints.  These lighter colours often only offer a minimal skin alteration but offers the hair a tint that can last for many weeks.  For clients who want a deeper skin stain than the lighter colours in the range might offer, the option to mix colours together means a skin stain or more ashy tone on the hair can be achieved by adding in the darker colours to the mix.

Speaking of mixing – you will notice the unique measuring scoop in each package of henna, another nifty little design developed in accordance from feedback we had.  The larger scoop is the perfect scoop size for one brow mix.  Using a flat scoop of this large size combined with 8 drops of the PH Activator or equal quantity of that of distilled water is the mixing ratio that you wish to aim for.  The smaller scoop (or half scoop) is designed to give mixing options.  You can use 1 small scoop of one colour and 1 small scoop of another colour to obtain a custom 50:50 ratio blend before adding in the aqua PH activator.  Getting your ratios of Aqua to Henna right are going to help give longer lasting results also, so accuracy here is very important.

Skin staining is an anomaly, just like with a spray tan our face loses the colour of any topical pigment sooner than other areas of our body.  This might be the sebum production level on the face being higher or it might also be due the condition or the age of the skin. Many brow tattooing technicians or microblading specialists can tell you that even colour placed into the skin can be rejected and the variable of colour longevity can vary from client to client.  Henna, with all brands in the market is designed to offer a skin staining effect under the brow hairs but the longevity of this stain or even the rejection of the stain will also vary from client to client.  Some might see a good clear marking through their brows for a week fading each day and perhaps the stain may still be visible up to 14 days later or alternatively the stain may not be for as long on other clients only lasting a day or two at most.  This is the nature of skin staining products which is why the hair tinting factor is so important for henna applications. Generally using darker colours in the Elleebana range helps to give a more prominent skin stain effect for clients that are wanting this kind of result. The tint effect on the hair lasts up to a maximum six weeks and on each application continues to coat the brow hair and deposits more colour each time thickening the appearance of the brow hair with each coat, as well as nourishing and strengthening ingredients to help maintain healthy and gorgeous brows.

The size of the bottles is just as impressive.  Each bottle contains up to approx. 100 applications of brow henna!  10grams of glorious, high grade henna powder in each bottle making this a great salon additive and helps boost your bottom line profit.

The brow henna movement is one that has been around for years now and many clients love the results you can achieve using brow henna compared to traditional tints.

FAQ’s on Henna are also available on our website – follow these links for more information:

 

https://www.elleebana.com/elleebana-brow-henna-faqs/

 

This article has been written by Zoe Mitter and produced for Ex-Import Niche Products.  Modification, misuse, copying or reproduction of this content in any manner without written permission from Ex-Import Niche Products is prohibited and Copyright laws will apply.  Sharing the link and giving credit to Ex-Import Niche Products for the content is allowed”.