In the fast-paced industry that beauty is today, things are constantly evolving, trends ever-changing and a path for endless possibilities being paved. As connoisseurs of beauty, the onus is on us to adapt and experiment with new products and groundbreaking styling trends as they unfold, because there’s honestly SO much potential out there.
Much like the beauty industry as a whole, the niche of eyebrow makeup has also been shaped by today’s trend-driven era and it’s never been a better time to succeed as a brow artist. We’re here to talk about one such amazing trend that’s booming in the brow scene right now - Eyebrow Henna!
Essentially, Henna is a natural way to stain the brows with long-lasting results, and provides a great alternative to brow styling treatments like tinting and microblading. The origins of Henna actually trace back thousands of years to ancient Egypt and India, and it is still used widely for body decoration and hair dyeing purposes.
Although Henna is not as widely offered as other traditional brow services yet, it sure is quickly making its way up to the top. You might already know all about the power of Henna Brows, but there may be some hesitation to actually offer it to your clients. Whether you’re worried about its success, required skill, or competitive value, we’re here to give you assurance.
Alright, let’s jump into it. Why you NEED to start offering Eyebrow Henna in the salon and what opportunities it holds for you as a professional eyebrow stylist. (Don’t worry, we’ve got all your client retention, profit-maximising needs in mind)!
Natural Alternative
Henna Dye is derived naturally from the plant Lawsonia Inermis, commonly known as the Henna tree. Applying Henna to the brows requires no additional chemicals, acting as the perfect natural, vegan alternative to brow tinting. What does this mean for your client?
Firstly, it puts anyone with sensitive skin in the clear. (However, you still need to complete a patch test before the treatment as there is still a small amount of chemicals involved in the formulation itself which some people may be allergic to). As a Professional Brow Stylist servicing so many different clients on a daily basis, you would know better than anyone that no one person has the same skin type as another, and skin type is generally one of the biggest deciding factors in any beauty-related decision. Pretty much any makeup product you pickup contains chemicals and 9 out of 10 times sensitive skin holders are sceptical about buying them. The beauty of Henna is that it’s super gentle, calm and soothing on the skin, making it an ideal choice for sensitive skin holders. (In fact, Henna was initially used by people living in hot climates for its naturally cooling properties)!
Secondly, Henna has the upper hand when it comes to the ingredient conscious client type. While there’s some people who don’t really bother too much about what a product is made of beyond a basic suitability assurance, the other half (or bigger than) is all about 100% certainty and knowledge of each ingredient source. Well, good news for you! There’s no anomalies when it comes to the origins of Henna because of its pure and plant derivative ingredients. If you are faced by an adamant client who’s over-concerned about the “authenticity” of your brow products, you can help them put their worries to rest.
Longevity in Results
Undoubtedly the biggest selling point of Eyebrow Henna styling is its longer lasting, deeper pigmented results, which has a more natural stain. We know that most professional brow artists are comfortable and confident with their brow tinting skill set, making it a staple brow treatment offered in every salon and by no means do we want to take away from this, but only add on to it! Offering Henna as a second option for brow staining (or rather, semi-permanent tattooing) in the salon can do wonders for your client retention, loyalty base and profit maximisation.
Brow Henna uses a non-oxidative tint to temporarily stain the brow hairs, but it conveniently stains the actual skin underneath too! This makes the brow appear fuller and defined, replicating a combined effect of a Brow Tint and temporary Brow Tattoo (microblading). You can expect a Henna Brow stain to last up to 10 days on the skin and up to 4 weeks on the hairs, in a soft, powder-like finish.
Fortunately, Henna Brows require little maintenance once stained, so if your client is the type who desires an ‘I woke up like this’ look every morning with their brows already on-fleek, Henna is the way to go. If you want to try out the richly pigmented, durable and high-quality formulation of Henna on your client’s brows, we recommend using the Indus Valley Henna Kit, designed especially for professional brow stylists.
Pro note: Keep in mind that the Henna colour may fade quicker depending on the texture of your client's skin (quicker for oily skin types), and may require more frequent salon servicing.
Painless Procedure
As a beauty therapist or aesthetician, you would probably agree when we say that the extent of pain associated with a treatment is probably one of the biggest consumer fears of all time. (Let’s be honest, anything that says ‘treatment’ probably brings back a not-so-favourite interaction with a doctor).
Luckily in the case of Brow Henna treatments, there is NO degree of pain involved. Since it’s only a dye applied as a paste on top of the skin, there is no pain, burning or discomfort factor to take into consideration. Compared to the more permanent offering of cosmetic tattooing procedures like microblading, Brow Henna is far less invasive and suitable for all levels of client experience. A really great quality of a Henna Brow treatment is that it is an amazing way to ‘test’ out if your client is going to love a more permanent option. As our Henna shades match our semi-permanent Brow Code Li Pigment Range, you can have your clients ‘try before they buy’ and get a real feel for what their tattooing service will look like permanently. It’s a great opportunity to play around with ideal shapes and tones too.
As a professional, there’s an opportunity to make Henna your top-selling eyebrow service for clients who’ve never had their brows treated before and aren’t ready for the full commitment of other intensive brow styling procedures yet.
There’s really nothing better than being able to achieve a tattooed brow look without the commitment, for those customers who are not looking to go down that path.
Versatile Colour Options
Now most of you might be wondering if Eyebrow Henna is going to be anything like the orangish-brown dye shade prominent in Henna art designs on the body. The answer is no. There are a lot of people who relate Henna to the shade of orange or red, but this does not stand in the case of Brow Henna.
In the process of formulating Henna powder for the eyebrows, pigments are mixed in to create a diverse range of shades. As a brow stylist, you want to be able to cater to as large a client base as possible to make sure your revenue opportunities are maximised. With the flexibility offered by Henna pigmentation, you will be able to do just that.
If you are fairly new to Henna Brows, we would recommend trialling Brow Code's two top-selling shades of Henna using the Brow Henna Powder Tester. We're confident this will completely change your mind about the red dye stereotype and jump on servicing clients with beautifully stained Henna Brows.
Check out our Indus Valley Henna Powder capsules for the complete SIX shade range.
Unpopular Opinion: Longer Procedure Time
Hang on, don’t get thrown off by this one.
While styling treatments that take slightly longer to complete in the salon are often frowned upon or not suitable for the busy client, we want to share more about how you can take advantage of this service and direct it to the right client.
Admittedly, Eyebrow Henna treatments do take longer than traditional brow styling services. This is because Henna requires an extended period of time for the stain to develop on the skin (not forgetting the time needed to correctly cleanse and prep the brows pre-treatment). Having said that, the actual process of applying the paste on the brows is relatively simple and only takes a few minutes. You’re really just waiting for the Henna to do its own thing. A Henna treatment allows you to charge more for your time and for the luxury products used. Our founder Melanie Marris, recommends blocking a time frame of 45 minutes to 1 hour to complete this service with best results compared to Brow Tinting, which can be performed alone in 15-20 minutes or with a complete Waxing or Restyling service, in 30 minutes. For a client who wants to rest her mind and get brow pampered, this is your service!
In our opinion, THE most important part of building a brand, a client base and a reputable name is giving time to your clients and building a rapport. So when attempting to mimic this in your salons with the goal of building strong client relationships, this factor can be of huge advantage to you and your teams as a professional brow artist. Melanie says to utilise the entirety of your client’s booking time to get to know them, break the interaction barrier, talk all things brows and even begin discussing their future ‘Brow Plan’. If you (and of course your client) feel comfortable, you can get more personable and add value to their lives with other recommendations, advice, or just be a shoulder to lean on!
In our opinion, you can really make the most out of this time to nail an all-in-all top quality customer experience. People always make consumer decisions based on past experiences and we can say with certainty that a quality 60 minute session can do far more benefit to the quality of your customer service experience than a rushed 15 minute one.
While on the Topic of Client Retention...
Let's talk about retailing in the salon. Did you know that Brow Code has an entire range of luxury Retail products available for you to recommend to your clients? And believe us when we say, these products are revolutionary. They have been used by the best of the best Brow Artists, Celebrities and Celebrity Makeup Artists all over the world! The luxury Brow Code Henna Professional and Touch Up Kits are Made In India. From the Henna Plantations being the best in the world, to the rest of the organic and nourishing ingredients, Brow Code has designed the best possible products.
Melanie encourages having a mindset where you are confident in sharing your knowledge as a Brow Professional to your clients. If your customer doesn't get their brow cosmetics from you, they will go into a large retailer and get them anyway. Retailing is a huge opportunity for revenue maximisation in the salon, so don’t be afraid to sell your clients exactly what they need to keep their brows looking perfect between their professional appointments.
You may already know that we have created an incredible line of Touch Up Kits for Professionals to recommend to their clients but you will be excited to hear that in Melanie’s Global Salons, this was her BEST SELLING category.. And there’s a reason why.
The intel is that Melanie used the power of education to train each and everyone of her clients on HOW to touch up their brows in between their Pro Services, by explaining how to use the products and kits, and she grew an even more loyal client base from doing this. Simply put, we’re saying, USE the time you have during a Henna treatment to go that extra mile and make your clients feel empowered and in control of their own brows. With the Touch Up Kits, their brows will look as perfect as can be, until their next return to the salon.
Let's Start Creating Gorgeous Henna Brows
Now that we’ve uncovered the potential Eyebrow Henna holds for improving client retention in the salon, broadening the range of services for customers, maximising revenue and offering alternative solutions, it’s time you seriously consider adding it to your list of professional brow styling services.
More and more stylists around the world now offer Henna Brows to their clients, even brow artists who operate entirely from home! Expansion is key to ensure long-term success of your business, so make sure you don’t leave any room for missed opportunities.
Ready to get started? Check out Brow Code’s complete Professional Only Eyebrow Henna Range, including everything from pigments to accessories to aftercare products.