Henna Art

Henna Tattoos - The `Mehendi' thing!

We think its all about expression!

Madonna has done it, Liz Tyler has got it, and more and more westerners are embracing it. I always use to think it was only a marriage ritual!.

Mehendi is an ancient Indian Body Art. It is used in creating intricate ethnic or contemporary designs and exotic patterns on various parts of the body, though traditionally applied to the hands and feet of women preparing for special ceremonies. Once thought only for women, men are finding it a nice alternative to permanent tattoos. But now both men and women enjoy the "temporary tattoo". The process of applying henna in this manner is called 'Mehendi', an ancient ritual and art form dating back 5,000 years and is considered good luck in India, Middle East and North Africa. No Indian wedding is ever complete without the mehendi, whichever part of the country the bride may be from, her hands are adorned with the lovely red hue of the mehendi.

The appeal? Painless temporary tattoos. Cutting edge. Cool. Painless. Fun. No needles, just a paste. What was in this month might be out the next, so with Mehendi a lifetime commitment (like real tattoos) is not necessary as the designs fade within a 1-4 weeks.

Ingredients… the coloring "thing" in Henna..

Henna is a natural product, a plant, growing in size from 3 to 5 feet and can vary slightly from region to region. Its leaves are then dried and ground to make the henna powder. The ingredient in henna that makes up the dye properties is called lawsome (lawsonia inermis). Since it is a natural product, there are no known side effects.

Henna's dye component, hennotannic acid, does not pass through into the dermis, it only stains the dead cells in the epidermis. Hennotannic acid naturally makes the brick/red/brown stains; it usually takes many hours to get a good henna stain on the skin, and that stain is quite harmless.

Pure, 100% henna, with the help of heat, moisture and time, leaves a reddish brown stain on skin, first light, then darkening during the next 24 hours. The shade various according to the quality of henna used, the ingredients of the paste and the methods used when applying, and sometimes the colour can darken to almost black, but basically the colour is brown.

Henna Care..

Your design should last at a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 4 weeks depending on the thickness of the epidermis of your skin and on where the design is located.

Leave the paste on as long as up to 8 hours (or more if you can stand it). The longer the paste is kept on, the darker the design will be. After you peel of the paste, dip a Q-tip in some olive or Avocado oil and take off the remainder of the dry paste. Do not expose your new design to water in the first 24 hours after the design has been applied as the colour is still in its darkening process. The less exposed to water, soap or rubbing, the longer the designs will linger.

A bit of History…

A comprehensive and authoritative history of henna use may not yet exist in a single volume, but references, allusions and clues are scattered through books on art, history, sociology, poetry, religion, mythology and other subjects. Henna has been used to decorate the skin and hair for nearly 5,000 years -- and has been found on the hands and feet of Egyptian mummies!.

Henna, also known as Mehendi, is the ancient art of bodypainting. Mehendi originated in the India, Middle East, North Africa. Patterns vary from culture to culture. In India, hands and feet are covered in intricate, lacy designs. In North Africa, more geometric patterns are preferred.

Black Mehendi - Warning!

All products claiming to be "Black Henna" have other ingredients than henna added in them. A chemical dye called Phenylenediamine, referred to as PPD, is often used to create a fast-taking, jetblack result. This is a very dangerous toxin and unfortunately is very harmful on skin, often causing a so-called chemical burn. This is much like a strong allergic reaction, many people get it and many don't, but I advice you not to take the risk. Please stay away from these products and stick to pure henna. Henna simply doesn't penetrate far enough into healthy, adult unbroken skin to cause problems. Allergic reactions to henna are very rare, it is safe to use and the result is beautiful.