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HENNA STORY TELLING

Discovering a new aspect of Henna

 

It was financial crunch period in the late ‘90s when most of the local enterprises had difficulties. Hoon-Gu Lee, CEO of the company headed for Turkey to participate in the Turkey Cosmetics Exhibition. There were no direct flights available and he had to buy a tourist group air-ticket to save his travel cost. What he saw upon arrival in Turkey was quite different from his imagination. Instead of his expectation that Turkish will have black hair, majority of people there were blonde and he often saw quite a number of people buying blondish colorants from the shop regardless of age.

 

HG Lee was disappointed because he thought he could not enter into blonde hair market. One day he happened to visit a Turkish traditional market, where he found pile of green powders and saw some people mixing it with water to apply onto their hair. This powder is Henna, a tropical shrub originated from India and Pakistan. Realizing Henna is frequently used for hair coloring, HG Lee found another important fact that it is Henna’s hair treatment effect that makes hair healthy and shiny despite frequent hair coloring.

 

Learning intuitively the possibility of creating a new demand in the domestic market where chemical hair-dye was a mainstream, HG Lee started researching upon his hurried return and at last succeeded in developing the method of extracting high concentrate Henna extract, containing 12 times as high LAWSONIA (Henna’s surface ingredient) as other products 

SEWHA P & C started marketing the superiority of Henna related products including ‘RICHENNA Henna Clinic Shampoo’ made by applying the new technology. The company developed the powder type hair colors for the first time in Korea in 2004 and had it registered with FDA. The launch of the products opened up an era of Henna hair colors in the domestic market and the company has positioned itself as the leader in Henna hair colors.

 

 

 

Henna, a plant with special effects

Henna, a plant with special effects and 8,000 years of history

 

Henna, a tropical shrub, was used in India and Pakistan for the first time some 8000 years ago. Then the Islamic culture spread Henna to Mideast area, to be widely used for makeup, dyeing, and treatment. Henna spread more rapidly since BC4000 because it lowers fever and has antimicrobial, antibacterial and antifungal effects.

Henna-related handicrafts were found in ancient ruins. Mummies with Henna-colored fingers and toes were found in Egypt. Cleopatra, the symbol of beauty, enjoyed a bath in Henna leaves and colored her lips and nails with Henna powder, which became the origin of lipstick and manicure.

 

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Once upon a time there lived an old man in a village of India, who was famous for curing diseases. The villagers used to visit him whenever they were ill, because they thought the old man had extraordinary capabilities. One day a couple brought their child with a sun-burn from days of exposure to direct sunlight, which happened frequently in a tropical area like India. After checking the condition of the child, the old man mixed the green powder and plastered on the burnt area, and the effects were seen soon. The child’s parents were curious about the green powder and asked about it to the old man, who answered that it was from the leaves of “Henna” tree that is effective in cooling off the skin.

 

 

Then the news about the green powder spread to the village and the villagers became to have an interest in Henna. They realized the old man’s miracle came from Henna. The villagers since then were told about admirable efficacy of Henna by the old man. At that time there were many people in the village with skin disease, and Henna’s outstanding sterilizing and antimicrobial effect was good enough to solve the problem. They even dyed their fingernails with Henna to cure the mold-infected nails. Whenever they had throat pain they gargled with Henna leaves brewed in hot water. As such, Henna became remembered as a cure-all, not just as an ordinary plant.

 

Besides the medical effects, Henna was very effective on hair. Along with the spreading rumors of Henna that works for hair loss, senior people in the village used to put Henna powder on the head all day long and placed Henna leaves around their head. Observing the Henna mixture coloring the skin, they started using it as a natural dye. Soon the most of the villagers dyed using Henna, because it makes hair shiny without causing damage to hair. Also, LAWSONIA, main ingredient of Henna, has been used for centuries as a material for hair coating and conditioning, because LAWSONIA provides sheen to hair and nourishes damaged hair by its action with keratin ingredient of hair.

 

Henna, a symbol of good fortune and protection

Realizing the special power of Henna, people became to accept it as a part of their life. Some of them tried to protect themselves from disease by drawing various patterns in their body with the ground leaves of Henna (Tatoo is derived from such ancient custom). Believing in Henna that blocks bad energy and brings good fortune, people used to decorate fence, gate, living room and the most of moving space with Henna.

 

Also, Henna was used to pray for the best of luck in the wedding and celebration. In India, Henna was used with a meaning of blessing for a new start in a wedding ceremony.  Henna has been widely loved by the villagers as a miraculous plant with special power that gives health and good fortune, not just as an ordinary plant.

 

 

 

 

Taking the leadership in Henna products; SEHWA P&C Inc.

 

Henna, reborn as a color and an ingredient of cosmetics! And the growth of RICHENNA

When SEWHA P&C made a study on Henna, it paid attention to the fact that Henna extracts available in the market were not so effective because of too low contents despite everyone knew Henna makes hair healthier. After spending a long time on research, it succeeded in developing the method of extracting 12 times as high concentrate Henna extract as other imported ones. The company has been continuing its research on Henna, and its registrations of the patent ‘nano-particle composite’ and ‘nano-particle manufacturing method’ are good examples.

 

RICHHENNA, a representing brand of SEWHA P&C and a composite word of RICH and HENNA, means “bringing healthy and rich life through products of high concentrate Henna extract”.

 

Since the company launched the new concept ammonia-free shampoo type hair color “RICHENNA Easy Speedy Hair Color” through CJ Home Shopping in May, 2008 and  Hyundai Home Shopping in June, 2008, the sales reached 3.5 million units in about two years time, which means it has become the Korea national hair color. The company is also exporting Henna related products to some 40 countries in the world, which is the result of its hard efforts as an enterprise specialized in Henna.