Psalm 139:13-14 says: “For you created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”
There is beauty within all of us because God created us in His image. Yet, we still spend a fortune in attempts to keep ourselves looking as beautiful and fit as possible. We also spend a considerable amount of time admiring ourselves and feeling proud about our beauty. Thanking our Creator for the beauty He blessed us with is something that we fail to do. If it has been a while since you did that, you know what you ought to do!
There is a lot of power in maintaining our faith and inner beauty. Apart from retaining a beauty that will never fade and which shines brighter than any foundation or cream can make you, you also maintain a healthy body, mind, and spirit. One of the ways in which we feel better is when we try natural, simple tricks to beautify ourselves. Products such as plant oils, natural exfoliates, and hair colors are inexpensive yet wonderfully effective ways to make ourselves feel more beautiful.
The Gulliver family recently went through a very painful situation when their little girl had fell ill after getting a henna tattoo. The Gullivers were on vacation in Hurghada, Egypt. The family consisted Papa and Momma Gulliver, their 7 year old daughter Madison Gulliver, and 9 year old son Sebastian Gulliver. Unfortunately, Mrs. Gulliver contracted a gallbladder infection which led to hospitalization in Hurghada. The siblings uncomplainingly agreed to stay beside their mother until she felt better and was discharged from the hospital.
The family decided to treat their children since their vacation had been ruined by their mother’s infection. Mr. Gulliver treated his kids by agreeing to let them get their hands temporarily tattooed with black henna. And so they went ahead and got them done, Sebastian however shortly thereafter complained of some itching, so he washed the tattoo off quickly.
Madison, however, let the intricate and pretty designs of henna remain on her hand for a while. She happily uploaded photos of the same on social media sites, clearing showing how happy she was. But things took a turn for the worse when they returned to England. She complained of itchiness where the henna was and her parents noted that there were red rashes around that region. This prompted them to do some of research of their own while their worried for her hand continued to build.
The hennaed portions soon started to blister and they rushed Madison to a doctor. The steroid creams weren’t seeming to help as Madison showed no signs of relief. She was rushed to the Salisbury District Hospital emergency room and burn specialists were called in to check her hand. It was found that the black henna that was used in Egypt contained dangerously high levels of a complex chemical – para-phenylenediamine, commonly known as PPD.
The Gulliver family was informed that PPD was used to make the tattoo appear darker. Because of the large amounts of PPD used, Madison suffered from extremely thick blisters. They were so thick that the doctors had to cut them off before they could tend to her burnt skin. The young girl however was very brave and did not look away although she was asked to. She watched as the doctors tended to her hand, and even let them know when they had missed a spot or two.
A similar case was reported by Sophie Akis who suffered from PPD burns because of a black henna tattoo she’d got done in Morocco in April. She also suffered from very painful blisters and burns. To make things worse, there wasn’t a good hospital that she could get it treated at, so it was simply bandaged by pharmacists. It was only when she was back in her country that she could the burns looked at.
The FDA has cautioned people all over to stay clear of black henna, which isn’t actually henna at all. And they’ve been warning us about this for a few years now. Traditional reddish-brown henna used in Asia and Africa are completely natural, chemical-free, and very beneficial cosmetic products that can be used without hesitation.
Madison’s parents decided to make the ordeal their daughter had suffered public. They hoped that no one else had to face the troubles the brave girl had, because not everyone is as strong as their young daughter!
PPD is in fact a banned chemical which is not used in other dyeing agents, such as hair color. Yet, in order to improve their business prospects, shady people are still able to convince unaware people such as Madison and Sophie to use their products! So beware of black and blue henna, and instead opt for the naturally beautiful original henna!
Please share this story to warn others about this henna and encourage them to be cautious about their health.
