"So what is this henna stuff, anyway?"

From HennaTribe.com, on the Henna 101 page:

Henna powder, the most important ingredient in henna body art, comes from the fresh, ground-up leaves of the henna plant, Lawsonia inermis. Fresh henna is key -henna from your local import store or natural foods store will stain hair, but may not be fresh enough for staining skin. It's best to buy from someone who is a professional henna artist who uses his/her own product and knows it well.

Although you may find “blonde” “red” “brown” or “black henna” on store shelves, these products are meant for hair, and contain other plants and/or chemical additives besides henna. Henna does not come in "different colors". Real, natural henna always stains reddish-brown and the stain takes a day or two to fully develop. If it stains black or brown quickly, it's not henna, and may be a toxic chemical. Go here for the black henna warning page.

Henna is not a tattoo, nor is it paint or ink -it is a natural dye that stains the upper layers of the skin and does not penetrate beyond the dead skin cells.

Henna has been used by a wide variety of cultures, tribes, and ethnic groups for thousands of years. Buddhists, Christians, earth-based religions, Hindus, Jews, Muslims, and others use henna for celebrations including weddings, holidays, and coming-of-age rituals. Regions where henna is or has been practiced include North Africa, the Middle East, the Indian Subcontinent, Sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia.

"Ok, so how do you make art out of it?"

Henna is applied to the skin as a greenish, cool-feeling paste.

The paste is then allowed to dry; it will turn black and start to look “crackled.” The first picture to the right shows the design with the paste still on the skin.

Once the paste starts to fall off, a bright, orange colored stain will be left on the skin. The second picture shows a henna design just after the paste has been scraped off. A little lemon juice can be used to help the last stubborn bits of henna come off, but it is important not to scrub with soap and water at this point.

It takes somewhere between 36 and 48 hours for a stain to reach its "peak." Avoiding soaking or scrubbing on the design, especially in the first 24 hours, will ensure it will be as dark and long lasting as possible. The third picture to the right shows the design 24 hours after the paste has come off. The peak stain usually occurs after 48 hours.

"Sounds good! So where can I get some of that henna?"

If you would like to try mixing and applying henna yourself, then I would suggest taking a look at the resources page for more information, as well as a list of suppliers of henna and henna-phanalia.

If you would like me to do it on you, then go to the contact page for information on how to either find me around town or make an appointment.

If you're out of town, take a look at the artist list on the links page to find someone near you. Good luck, and happy henna-ing!!

"How do I know how dark my stain will be?"

From Henna 101 on Henna Tribe:

Thicker, rougher skin such as that on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet absorb henna color better, and stain darker.

Certain oils, such as baby oil, Vaseline, other petroleum based products, and sunscreen, as well as Vitamin E and antioxidants will also prevent henna from staining the skin.

Skin chemistry plays a big part in the color of the henna stain, which may be affected by stress, diet, body temperature and hormones, as well as beauty products used.

Henna stains will always be darker on the hands and feet, and lighter on the torso, face, and neck.

What's in your paste?

I use 100% natural henna powder and typically mix it with warm water or tea, molasses, sugar, tea tree essential oil, and geranium bourbon essential oil. Sometimes I will use rose water, cajeput essential oil, cardmom essestial oil, and honey.

The ingredients I use are not known to cause adverse allergic reactions, but if you are not sure if it is safe to use any of these ingredients on your skin, we can do a "patch test" before applying a design.