The Story of Henna

Henna (Lawsonia inermis) begins as a flowering shrub in the arid east. It's leaves are harvested, dried, and ground. When formed into a paste, it produces a strong, temporary dye which stains the outer layers of skin, or epidermis. The dye remains visible for

approximately 2 weeks. As the epidermis renews itself the henna gradually fades away completely. In the United States, henna is frequently referred to as a tattoo but is very different from this type of permanent body adornment. Unlike a real tattoo, it is completely painless and quite relaxing! It's a delight for the senses. Artful Designs uses essential oils to provide a beautiful floral fragrance and the paste feels light and cool on the skin.

Henna Aftercare
Once applied, henna should remain on skin for a minimum of 1 hour. The longer the paste stays on the skin, the darker the stain! It will not hurt your skin to leave the paste on for an extended period of time. The henna paste will flake off gradually and can be encouraged by rubbing with the palm of your hand. Do not use water to remove the dried henna!

For the darkest stain, wrap the area with tissue and then saran wrap (secure with tape) to promote heat and perspiration and leave on overnight as you sleep. Remove the wrap and paste in the morning and within 48 hours your henna designs will darken to a rich brown shade.

To increase the life span of your henna, avoid lotions and creams with mineral oil. Water, steam and chlorine also fade the stain. To protect your design, apply a thin coating of olive oil before showering and avoid doing dishes!

Color
Natural henna stains the skin a reddish brown color. Areas with the thickest skin (palms and feet) provide the darkest color. You will receive the best results in these two areas. Alternately, arms, ankles, necks, backs, and bellies are not ideal spots for a dark, lasting henna tattoo. As each individual has unique results with henna, we cannot guarantee your design will show up at all in these areas once the henna paste has been removed. Artful Designs does not offer refunds to anyone receiving henna in areas outside of the hands and feet. Please keep this in mind when choosing where you would like your henna applied!

Beware of black henna. This "henna" usually contains Para-phenylendiamine (PPD)- an chemical from black hair dye which can cause blistering, scarring, hair loss, and is a potential carcinogen. Repeated use of PPD can sensitize skin to this toxin- the more you use it, the more likely you are to develop a serious reaction. PPD is approved in the United States for the purpose of dying hair but applying it to skin, whether on the scalp or elsewhere, is illegal and dangerous.

A darker colored stain may be produced with repeated application of a pattern. Exposing your skin to ammonia is the only way for natural henna to stain your skin black. This is not a technique which we offer but more can be learned about it from Catherine Cartwright Jones. There are regions in the world which do produce natural black colored body art (without ammonia) but this should not be confused with henna- it is not.

Ingredients:

For those with sensitive skin or skin allergies, the essential oils may irritate the skin. Please let us know ahead of time and we can use henna with no additives. If you are sensitive you may feel a slight stinging sensation of the skin. If after several minutes this sensation persists, the henna can be easily removed and neutralized with olive oil.

Age Range:
Henna is appropriate for adults and children 7 years of age or older. We do not recommend henna as an activity for kids under this age for several reasons. It takes approximately 20 minutes for a design to dry and the majority of children under 7 won't sit still or this long! A wet design smears easily and althoughhenna is a natural dye it will permanently stain clothing and furniture.

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Dark Moon Arts • Washington, DC • USA