ABOUT HENNA
Henna dyes hair, skin, and fabric organically, similar to a black tea dye. Henna is extracted from a tree by drying and grinding leaves and stems. The greenish powder, when mixed with an acidic liquid, makes a temporary red, brown, or orange design on a porous surface. People use henna in ritual skin painting, called Mehndi, for birth and marriage celebrations. Western cultures have adopted henna to make temporary tattoos and organic hair dye.
Henna body art is made by applying henna paste to the skin: the lawsone in the paste migrates into the outermost layer of the skin and makes a red-brown stain.
Whole, unbroken henna leaves will not stain the skin. Henna will not stain skin until the lawsone molecules are made available (released) from the henna leaf. Fresh henna leaves will stain the skin if they are smashed with a mildly
acidic liquid. This will stain skin within moments, but it is difficult to form intricate patterns from coarse crushed leaves. Dried ground, sifted henna leaves are easily worked into a paste that can be used to make intricate body art. Commercially available henna powder is made by drying the henna leaves and milling them to powder, thenindex.htm the powder is sifted. This powder is mixed with lemon juice, strong tea, or other mildly acidic liquids. Essential oils with high levels of "terps", monoterpene alcohols such as tea tree, eucalyptus, cajeput, or lavender will improve skin stain characteristics. The henna mix must rest for 6 to 12 hours so the leaf cellulose is dissolved, making the lawsone available to stain the skin. This is mixed to a toothpaste consistency and applied with a one of many traditional tools, including resist techniques, shading techniques, and thicker paste techniques, or the modern cellowrap cone.Traditionally in India mehndi is applied to a woman's hands and feet. But on very auspicious occasions men apply henna as well. During an Indian wedding both the bride and bridegroom apply henna. Henna symbolizes fertility. It is also a symbol of love between husband and wife. The bride's intricate mehndi pattern normally has the name of the groom interwoven into it. The groom is expected to find his name in the pattern. If he cannot do so, it is said that, the bride will control the marriage. Its use became popular in India because of its cooling effect in the hot Indian summers.
Why is mehndi so popular? Expression. Fun. Painless, temporary tattoos. Unlike permanent tattoos, a lifetime commitment to your mehndi design is not required as the designs fade over time. Generally in 1 to 4 weeks, but it will depend on where your design is on the body and how long the paste was left to set. The less exposed to soap, water and rubbing, the longer your design will last. Many celebrities have been seen wearing mehndi designs and general awareness of the art form has increased due to articles in national magazines, publications and television broadcasts.
Safety. Henna has been used safely (except in Africa) for 5000+ years. We make no claims of professional health care degrees but would like to pass on to you all we know regarding henna and it's affects on different people. By using our products you assume liability for any damage, intentional or not. As with any cosmetic product, if you are unsure about sensitivity or allergenic reactions to natural henna, mehndi oil (a blend of eucalyptus, clove and essential oils) the adhesive backing on the stencils Body Art jewelry or body paints, do a test spot on skin (most commonly done behind the ear for allergies) and watch for any reaction. These products are not intended for use around eyes, mouth or for internal ingestion. Do not use on broken skin.
It is not recommended for use on children under 6 or if you are known to have G6PD deficient red cells, an inherited defect known in certain parts of the world.
Applying henna for mehndi has many variations. If you have been on the internet you may be overwhelmed by all the choices and recommendations for application. We will give you the most common "tried and true" methods but feel free to experiment with different mixtures. Everyone has their favorite recipe and the funnest part of learing the art is experimentation. You can't screw it up even with the most 'basic' recipe.
Recipe #1- Take 1/8 of a cup of our natural Indian henna or desired amount. This amount should be plenty for 3 or 4 large designs or many small ones. Add a small amount of boiling water to henna powder in small color safe bowl (not copper) as henna may stain wood or plastic. We use and old butter container or Tupperware because it also has a lid. Add 8-10 drops of the mehndi oil to mixture. Mix well until paste is of a consistency of toothpaste. Allow it to sit for several minutes as the powder absorbs the water, more water or oil may be added to obtain desired consistency. Making it to thick will clog your application tip and making it to thin will not allow for good application to the skin and it may run. Just remember smooth toothpaste. If it is to thin, add more powder. It is our recommendation to allow the paste to sit for at least a few hours (covered), allowing the water, oil and henna powder to do it's thing. Better yet, overnight. More moisture may be added to obtain toothpaste consistency. If you are doing clients in your salon or tattoo parlor, mixing it up ahead the night before is a good idea. Just keep it covered and airtight so it won't dry out. More moisture may be needed the next day.