The International Certification for Natural Henna Arts (ICNHA) is a volunteer peer assessment for henna artists to certify they use only natural, chemical-free henna and understand the cultural and traditional uses of henna.
The ICNHA, or International Certificate for Natural Henna Arts, is made up of a board of professional henna artists from different countries and traditions who proposed questions from their experience as professional henna artists. This board currently includes Deborah Brommer, Kim Brennan, Neeta Sharma, Jen Schafer, and Sarah Pritchard. We are now officially incorporated and in the process of applying for nonprofit tax exemption.
The basic principles of skin, hygiene, cultural sensitivity, and safety are applicable to artists around the world.
By providing a certification program for henna artists it enables the public to be sure they are safe and in the company of professional and responsible henna artists.
The Basic Henna Artist Certification neither permits nor forbids anyone to do henna body art. It is a certification that an artist has correctly answered a series of questions about basic henna principles.
The ICNHA certification is not a legal document nor does the ICNHA have any legal enforcement over henna practices.
I strive to be the best henna artist / mehndiwalli that I can be. My passion for mehndi is almost an obsession. I’ve worked and studied hard to educate others and myself and to spread public awareness of the dangers of ‘Black henna’. To reach these goals I became certified by the ICNHA, which is an organization dedicated to ensuring quality standards among henna artists.
A strong proponent of natural henna, and an educator of the dangers of so called “black henna” (which is the chemical PPD or para-phenylenediamine), Deborah is a board member of the ICNHA (International Certification for Natural Henna Artists) which ensures that henna artists are aware of the dangers of “black henna” PPD and that they are using safe, best practices when applying natural henna to their clients.