Henna is a dye prepared from the plant Lawsonia inermis, also known as the henna tree. The dried and grounded leaves of Lawsonia inermis is a natural dye for hair, nails and skin for body arts like nail polish, hair dye, treatment of dandruff, hair gloss, makeup, mostly used in Islamic and Hindu cultures. This study was carried out with the aim of determining the bacteria and fungi isolates from henna dye sold in Port-Harcourt metropolis. Natural and synthetic henna samples were bought from Mile 3 market and Rivers State University main gate, using three (3) samples. Isolation and Characterization of bacterial and fungal isolates was done using standard microbiological techniques. The results showed that the Total heterotrophic bacteria (THB) count ranged from 3.0×10⁴ Cfu/ml to 6.2×10⁵ Cfu/ml. Total heterotrophic fungi (THF) count ranged from 1.2 ×10² Sfu/ml to 2.2×10² Sfu/ml. The Total Staphylococcal count (TSC) ranged from 2.2×10³ to 4.7 ×10³ Cfu/ml. Seventeen (17) bacterial isolates belonging to eight(8) genera were identified and include; Staphylococcus spp. (17.65%), Escherichia coli (11.76%), Bacillus spp. (17.65%), Pseudomonas sp. (11.76%), Micrococcus sp. (11.76%), Proteus sp. (11.76%), Corynebacterium sp. (11.76%) and Streptococcus sp. (5.90%). A total of six (6) fungal species belonging to six (6) genera were identified and include; Penicillium sp.(22.9%), Mucor sp. (16.3%), Aspergillus sp. (18.9%), Candida sp. (22.9%), Fusarium sp. (12.2%) and Microsporum sp. (6.8%). Antibiotic susceptibility testing was done for the bacteria isolates using the Mueller-Hinton agar. Results showed that Bacillus spp., Staphylococcus spp. and Micrococcus sp. were all susceptible to Ciprofloxacin (100%) and Levofloxacin (100%) respectively, but resistant to Ampicillin (100%) and Gentamycin (100%). Proteus sp. and Pseudomonas sp. were susceptible to Reflacin (100%) and Ciproflox (100%). However, Corynebacterium sp. was resistant to Streptomycin (100%). The study has shown that there is a high rate of bacterial and fungal contamination of henna dye which may result to a risk of breakdown in the integrity of the skin. Therefore, to avoid allergies, complications after use and public health outbreak, it is recommended to consult a dermatologist before use at all.
