 Henna
Henna is traditional Indian and Middle-Eastern body art (similar to a tattoo). It is non-permanent and will stain your skin for 2-4 weeks, leaving beautiful and intricate patterns.
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About Henna (Mehndi)
Henna is a natural plant dye, which stains an orange-brown color. Some people call other temporary body art “henna”, but true henna is from the henna plant (latin name: lawsonia inermis).
Henna dyes the upper layers of your skin using completely natural processes. Henna contains the lawsome molecule, which dyes organic matter like hair, skin, fingernails, and natural fibers. It takes time for the lawsome to bind with cells, so the henna paste must stay moist and in contact with the skin for as long as possible. Heat also makes the dye stain a darker, deeper color.
Henna will last until the skin it dyes exfoliates. This is typically 2-4 weeks. However, henna can last as long as 8 weeks on the thick soles of your feet, or go away as quickly as 3-4 days on very thin parts of your skin (like your face).
Featured Henna
Care
Take Care of Your Henna
Here are a few pointers on how to keep your henna looking as good as possible for as long as possible.
- Let it dry and leave it on.
It will take approximately half an hour before the henna paste is dry enough that you do not have to worry about smudging it. Keep all clothing, hair, etc. away from your henna design for at least half an hour. Leave the henna on as long as possible! The longer you leave the henna on, the darker the color will be and the longer it will last. Leave it on a minimum of 1 hour; overnight is best.
- Take extra (optional) steps for a better stain.
Do either or both of these while the henna paste is still on for best results:
- Use lemon sugar spray sealant. Be sure not to oversaturate the henna...you want it just a tiny bit wet. Oversaturation will lead to the dye dripping in places you don't want it.
- Warm your henna - with steam, a (safe!) fire, or a blowdryer.
- Brush off the paste.
Remember...you want to leave the henna on as long as possible. But you will eventually have to take it it off. When taking off the henna , brush it off with your hand - again, only do this after it has been on as long as possible. Do not wash the henna off!
- Show off your beautiful design!
The color of your design will at first be a shade of orange (ranging from very light orange highlighter color to pumpkin orange). It will get darker over the course of the next 48 hours, turning anywhere from orange-brown to maroon or chocolate brown. Your design will be at its darkest after 1 or 2 days.
Protect your henna from too much water so that it isn't washed off before you want it to be. Avoid chlorine, salt water, dishsoap, bleach, other cleaning materials, and any other harsh chemicals. You can bathe and shower as usual.
To get rid of the henna more quickly on purpose, exfoliate using a loofah, pumic stone, and/or exfoliating scrub.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Is getting henna at the beach a good idea?
Yes! Sunbathing with henna paste on your skin, is a fabulous idea! The warmth from the sun will help the henna paste dye your skin better. Also, the henna on your skin acts as a natural sunblock, and you will have basically a tan line in the shape of your henna tattoo, even after the henna fades.
Just be careful not to let it be washed off if you get in the water.
How long will it last?
Henna will last until the skin it dyes exfoliates. This is typically 2-4 weeks. However, henna can last as long as 8 weeks on the thick soles of your feet, or go away as quickly as 3-4 days on very thin parts of your skin (like your face).
Is it a tattoo? Does it hurt?
In English, there are no useful words to describe a henna stain ornamenting the skin, so henna designs are frequently called "henna tattoos". Hennaed skin is not tattooed. Unlike a tattoo, henna only dyes the outermost layers of the skin.
No needles are used. Henna is painted onto the surface of the skin. Having henna applied feels like having your skin decorated with pudding. The process is relaxing and pleasant. It is a little wet and cold - so it is most enjoyable to have done in the summer!
How does it work?
Henna dyes the upper layers of your skin using completely natural processes. Henna contains the lawsome molecule, which dyes organic matter like hair, skin, fingernails, and natural fibers. It takes time for the lawsome to bind with cells, so the henna paste must stay moist and in contact with the skin for as long as possible. Heat also makes the dye stain a darker, deeper color.
Is it safe?
Yes! As mentioned above, henna is 100% natural. Henna is one of the safest cosmetics ever used, and allergies are so rare as to seem nonexistent.
Can men get henna, too?
Henna is definitely fine for men, too! It is indeed traditional for brides to get more intricate pattern work done, but men often have a parallel henna ceremony when the bride is having her henna done, at least dipping the groom's fingers in henna or putting a small circle of henna in the center of the palm. There is no reason men cannot enjoy henna as a safe and natural form of temporary body art.
How will henna look on dark skin?
Beautiful! As henna is reddish-brown, the red tones come through even more when it is applied to brown skin. Keep in mind that henna is traditionally done in North Africa, the Middle East, and India, and you can see that hennaing dark skin is the norm, not the exception.
What do I do to remove henna faster?
Exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate! Use an exfoliating scrub and/or a pumice stone. Try a loofah. Don't exfoliate so much in one session that your skin becomes red and irritated. You can get the henna to fade more quickly in this way, but you cannot instantly remove it.
What is Henna? Is it the same as Mehndi, Mehandi, Heena, etc?
Henna is a plant; the leaves of this plant have a dye called lawsone. The art of applying the plant leaves to the skin is typically given the same as the plant itself. If you have a henna tree growing in your yard, you can simply pick the leaves off the tree and rub them on your skin. To get the sort of fine lines that are typically seen in modern henna design, the leaves must be dried, powdered, sifted so they are very fine, and then mixed into a paste.
The Latin name for the plant is lawsonia inermis.
The Arabic name is henna ( also heena, الحناء)
The Indian name for the same plant is mehndi, mehendi, or mehandi.
The Hebrew name for the same plant is kopher (כֹּפֶר).
In Turkish it is kına.
What are the different traditional uses of henna?
Henna is most commonly used for brides. Henna is traditionally done the night before the wedding (although we now know that doing henna 2 nights before the wedding yields the best color on the wedding day). The henna is primarily done to beautify the bride and mark her status as a newly married woman. Even today, when you see a woman with very extensive henna on both of her hands, on both sides of the hands, it is quite reasonable to guess that she is probably newly married. (Alternatively she might be a henna artist, or a woman with a lot of free time and money...)
Henna is also used for many other social celebrations. If there is a joyous festival, you can guess that henna is probably a part of it! For Hindus, henna is part of the Diwali festival, particularly Karwa Chauth, a holiday for married couples. Wives fast and pray for their husbands, and also get henna and presents; it's a romantic holiday, not entirely unlike Valentine's Day (but, yes, still very different). For Muslims, henna is part of Eid celebrations, where women and children look forward to getting beautiful henna. Often during Eid there are carnivals and festivals with rides, special festival food, and much merriment....and henna!
Morocco is a bit of a special case, as henna is believed to have a lot of baraka, or life/spiritual energy. Applying henna to the skin thus is thought to bring good fortune and ward off evil. Henna is applied to the hands and feet, places that are frequently in touch with the outside world, to protect the body from anything negative entering it. Pregnant woman, especially, have henna applied (to the hands and feet, not the belly as is becoming popular in the USA), to bring the good and keep out the bad during childbirth, a very dangerous time.
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