A little History about Henna
Henna, or Lawsonia inermis, is a bush that produces red dye from its leaves. The leaves are ground and mixed into a paste which is applied to the skin in intricate patterns. The resulting red stain is known as mehndi.
Over 9,000 years old, Henna use dates back to the Neolithic and Bronze Ages. Henna is the oldest documented cosmetic and is soothing and cooling on the skin. It alleviates heat exhaustion and is a natural sunblock.
Henna has been used by the Egyptians from the days of Pharaohs and pyramids, Nefertiti and Cleopatra were known to have used henna. Traces have been found on mummies.
Mehndi has been used in cultural and religious practices by Christians, Jews, Hindus, an Muslims. Henna is currently used in over 60 countries including regions of India, Morocco, the Middle East and Mediterranean, Africa, and Southeast Asia.
Thought to ward off evil, mehndi is applied for celebrations and holidays. It is applied to the hands and feet of brides for marriage. It is a show of wealth, beauty an brings good luck, fertility and love. Don't forget, no housework is to be done while the bridal henna is visible.
Please remember only natural red-brown henna is safe for your skin. Black henna has chemicals added that can blister and scar the skin and may cause long term damage to your body.
Copyright 2011 Henna Caravan, Allrights Reserved
Upcoming Henna Events
January 2012
TBA
Contact Sonya at sonya@spiralinglotus.org or 209-418-8233 for questions on having Henna as part of your celebration or event!
Past Henna Events
The Arts Extravaganza
2011
Teen Birthday Parties
2011
AftercareInstructions
Today
*Be gentle with the henna paste, it's fragile and flakes off easily.
Keep warm to help the henna dyedarken.
*For the darkest stain leave the paste on as long as possible, 4-8 hours for best color.
*If your henna was sprayed with lemon sealant, let the paste flake off naturally over over several hours.
*If your henna was wrapped keep it on for 4-8 hours for best color.
Removeafter 4-8 hours
*Peel off the wrap or flake off the paste. If the paste is sticking or hard to remove, use a paper towel and lemon juice or vegetable oil (corn, olive, canola) to gently rub off henna paste.
Do not use water to remove the paste, it can ruin the stain.
*To remove any sticky bits of tape adhesive use a little finger nail polish remover.
Aftercare
To keep your mehndi looking best:
*Avoid contact with water for thefirst 12-24 hours.
Water prevents the fresh hennastain from darkening.
*Protect the design when bathing or swimming. Coat the area with a layer of vegetable oil before getting wet.
*Soaking in water, shaving , and the rubbing of clothing and shoes causes the design to fade more quickly.
*Your new design will be a light orange color when the paste is first removed. Over the next 2 days the dye will oxidize and the stain will become darker and richer in color.
*The duration of the stain and depth of color depend on the area of body and length of time the paste remained on your skin.
Henna will produce the best stains on hands and feet.
Mehndigenerally lasts 7-10 days.
Henna/Mehndi Must Reads
*Mehndi-the art of henna body painting by Carine Fabius
*Mehndi-the timeless art of henna painting by Loretta Roome
*The Art of Henna by Pamela Nichols
