[HennaEngineer]

Hello All,

I'm Khadijah, and I am a happily out of work Chem Engineer and I am running a little henna business on the side until I can get a job.

As part of my research i am attempting to identify the mechanism by which a solvent containing monoterpene alcohols affects the colour of henna applied to skin OR hair.

The binding of henna to the skin or hair itself is a michaels addition but WHY does adding essential oil or synthetic monoterpenes like gasoline or turpentine ( PLEASE DONT do that) affect the colour so profoundly?

Can anyone point me in the direction of any peer review literature on the topic?