Henna; An Ancient Custom With Modern Flair.

Henna or Mehandi body art is created with a silky smooth paste made from the finely ground leaves of the henna plant (Lawsonia Inermis), a small flowering shrub that grows in tropical and arid climates.

Katie and I make our own paste with lemon juice or distilled water, sugar, and essential oils that enhance the stain.

Henna paste will take about 15-30 minutes to dry on your skin depending on the heaviness of the design.

Henna stains are darkest on areas where skin is thickest such as your hands and feet. With good care the stain will last 3 days to 2 weeks depending on the area of body it’s applied to. Thicker dryer areas such as the palms and soles accept more dye, staining darker and lasting the longest. Designs on the thinner, oilier areas of the torso and upper arms will start lighter and fade faster.

For Best Results            

Keep your henna paste on for as long as possible. For best results 4-12 hours is good, overnight is best!  Flake off the dry paste, do not wash it off. Any leftover flakes or residue can be rubbed off with olive or coconut oil. Water will prevent it from darkening fully.

Your design will be pumpkin orange at first and darken to brown tones as it oxidizes, gradually maturing over the next 2-3 days.

Anything that speeds exfoliation will make your design fade more quickly. To help your henna designs to last as long as possible avoid soaking in water, exposure chlorine, and friction such as rubbing or exfoliating scrubs.

Your henna design will be a lovely brown tone influenced by your unique body chemistry.

Natural Henna is NEVER, EVER, BLACK. Many toxic chemicals are used in black or prepackaged henna, like PPD (paraphenylenediamine) which is used in black hair dye and can cause severe chemical burns, blistering and scarring. Repetitive use is toxic and can cause asthma, liver damage and bladder cancer. Reactions are often delayed and make take anywhere from 3-7 days to manifest. Please seek medical attention if you have a reaction to PPD Black “henna”. Subsequent allergic reactions can jeopardize your life!