| Product: |
Henna Tattoos |
| Date: |
15/02/01 (1485 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: see opinion
Disadvantages: see opinion
[Update appears at end of op]
Henna, or Mehndi, has become a popular alternative to the more common form of tattooing, thanks to big names such as Madonna having designs applied for videos and public appearances, but not many people know just where to buy it or how to use it.
I was introduced to henna a few years ago by a friend, and I've been doing my own designs ever since, and decorating people when I've had the chance. I'm not claiming to be an expert by any means, but the following, I suppose, is a guide to what I believe is everything the beginner needs to know before starting to apply their own designs.
What is henna?
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Well, henna is the powder that's made from grinding down the young leaves and twigs of the plant Lawsonia Inermis, usually found in Iran, India, Pakistan, Egypt and North Africa.
Traditionally (and most well known) it's used in India to decorate the soles of the feet and palms of the hands for weddings, though it's been used for centuries in Egypt, Greece, Spain, and Turkey (to name just the ones I know about).
In what forms is it available?
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The most popular way to buy henna seems to be in paste form. It comes in tubes with a nozzle supplied for application, though with some brands a few different sized (and occassionally, shaped) nozzles are included in the box. The information leaflets are usually difficult to read and understand as they're originally translated from Indian, and not very well translated in my experience. The cost can vary depending on the type of store you buy them in. For example, I can buy a tube in an 'alternative' store in my area for £2, but by going about a mile further down the road I can buy the same product for about 50p in an indian shop. It's worth shopping around if you're in an area that allows you to do this, and thankfully, I am.
Ano
ther form to buy it in is powder. The companies don't usually supply the necassary extras in order to mix your paste, but these can be found in most peoples kitchens, and if not can be easily obtained from most stores. As with the paste, the instructions can be difficult to comprehend. The same thing seems to apply with price as with the tubes of paste, though the powder doesn't seem to be availble in as many 'alternative' stores as the paste is.
It's also possible to buy henna transfers, but from all accounts they don't give a great variety of designs. They are easy to apply, but I don't feel the cost of them is especially good value for money, in some places costing as much as £5 for a variety of styles and sizes.
Kits are available in some stores, supplying a tube of henna paste, stencils and instructions. The instructions in these kits tend to be much easier to understand as they're produced for the market at which they're aimed. I'm not a big fan of the kits simply because they're so expensive. I've seen them advertised in a few stores for around £7. If you consider you can buy stencils separately for anywhere between 25p and £1, once you've paid for your henna separately too you can save a few quid. Another disadvantage is that you may not like the stencils supplied in the kit. It's a good starting point though, if you've never used it before.
How do you use it?
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The tubes are very simple to use. Simply remove the cap, attatch the supplied nozzle, and away you go. A few tips though before you start :
- Practice on a piece of paper first. That way you can get the feel of the consistency of the paste, how smoothly it flows, how much pressure you need to apply.
- Always have some tissue or kitchen paper close to hand ready for 'accidents'. If you manage to get any on furniture or clothes, it wil
l stain and can be difficult to remove.
- I always have a pin at my side too. The reason for this is that the nozzle can become blocked with remains of twigs that weren't sifted from the powder before the paste was made. This is when the accidents can happen, as once you've removed the blockage the paste can suddenly start 'spurting' from the nozzle at an alarming rate (the first time this happened to me, it went half way across the room, hitting the carpet, sofa, and so on, on its travels.) The same thing can happen if you encounter a small air bubble in the tube. I tend to securely wrap some kitchen paper around the nozzle and squeeze very very gently until I feel it 'give', which means any mess (which is inevitable at this stage) is safely contained.
- I keep a good supply of cocktail sticks at hand. The reason being, if I make a mistake on a design it can easily (and safely) be lifted off using the cocktail stick.
What about mixing my own paste?
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If you decide to try using the powder and mixing your own paste instead of using the ready-made tubes, you'll need some pointers. This is the easiest (and most effective) method I've used :
- Place about a tablespoon of the powder into a small bowl and slowly add some fresh lemon juice until you get a thick paste. Bear in mind it's a good idea to sift the powder before you use it to get rid of any twigs, and seiving the lemon juice should remove the pith... both of these can block your cone (which I'll mention in a moment).
- Mix in some very hot, and very strong tea or coffee until the texture of the paste resembles toothpaste. I use tea or coffee at this stage because it adds to the strength of the end colour.
- Cover the bowl with cling film and leave it overnight (yes, overnight. It seems a long time to wait, but the end result will be worth it).
- W
hen you come to use your paste, add a couple more drops of lemon juice and mix it thoroughly. The acid in the lemon juice assists in extracting the colour from the henna.
How do I apply it?
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Well, there's a few options here. Some people swear by using a cocktail stick, some people use brushes (much like painting it on), but my favoured method is using a cone. They're easy and cheap to make, and simple to use (and faster than using a cocktail stick or brush).
Simply cut a square from a freezer bag (or similar thick plastic bag) about 5"x5" in size. Cut diagonally. Taking hold of the two corners at either end of the longest edge, bring them together and past each other so that a point forms in the centre of the longest edge. Secure the exposed edge with tape (I find electricians tape works best, but cellotape works too), then secure all other edges where paste could seap through onto your hands. I usually wrap a little tape around the point of the cone too to strengthen it, but it's not always necessary. Use your own judgement.
Once you've made your cone, spoon the paste into it until it's filled about half way. Push the paste down towards the point and make sure there are no air bubbles if you can. Once you're happy with it, bring the top edges of the cone together and secure them with tape. I also fold the top down once and tape it again, just to make doubly sure it won't seap out the top.
Now all you need to do is snip a tiny amount from the point of the cone to form your nozzle. I always test it on paper first to make sure I've got the right sized nozzle for my needs, and if I haven't, I just snip off a little more until I do.
It sounds complicated, I know, but it really isn't. When you've done it once, you'll wonder what all the fuss was about the next time you try it (well, I did anyway).
What about
designs?
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I started off doing patterns on myself freehand, based on some of the Indian designs I'd found. Doing a simple search on the internet will supply you with many types of designs, from the more traditional Indian, to the more geometric Greek styles. Some sites will also supply simple black designs for you to use as well as the more elaborate dragons, flowers, and so on.
It's also possible to buy magazines of flash (designs on paper which tattoo artists use) in some of the bigger stores, though they've been few and far between in my experience.
Obviously, if you're even just the slightest bit artistic, you can do your own designs. Actually, let's face it, how many of you can draw a simple pattern without really thinking about it? Most of us can, without being great artists. Doing it will at least give you something original to show off.
When I've decided on the design I'm going to use, I draw it onto my skin (or a friends, or anyone who happens to want one doing, depending whether I have a stall at an event or not) using an aqua coloured eye pencil, but you could use any colour, or a pen if you prefer. Either way, it's always useful to have guidelines on the skin before you apply the paste.
How long should I leave the paste on?
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Once you're happy your design in finished, ideally it should be left for at least a few hours. Some people recommend 6 hours, some people recommend overnight. You can protect the design by applying a mixture of lemon juice and sugar once it's dried a little. The mixture forms a thin skin, therefore allowing little or no air to reach it and dry it prematurely.
Some people also carefully and gently wrap kitchen or toilet roll around the design, then cling film, finally securing it with tape. This allows the paste to stay damp as long as possible, and the lo
nger it takes to dry the stronger the end colour will be.
Bear in mind that the colour of your design will darken over 24 hours. It should be orange when you first remove the dried paste, but will slowly darken to brown. The colour tends to be strongest on the soles of the feet and palms of the hands.
How long does it last?
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The finished designs can last anywhere from a week to three or four weeks, depending on your skin type, how often you wash the design, how well you look after it. I keep it well moisturised, as the design only fades as your layers of skin gradually (and naturally) flake away.
Can I get any colours other than brown?
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Yes, it's possible to buy other colours of henna, but one thing to remember... henna is naturally brown, so when it's a different colour there have been chemicals added to it. I've heard and read a lot of horror stories concerning 'black henna', where the person in question has ended up with extremely bad burns because of the chemicals used in the paste to make it black. I've also seen the photos on the internet, and trust me, it's not pretty. People have been scarred for life by using it. I would never recommend anyone trying black henna. If I refuse to use it myself, I'm not likely to tell others they should try it.
I have sensitive skin, should I have henna applied?
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Bear in mind that there is always a possibility of skin irritation whether you have sensitive skin or not. I've always skin-tested the paste on myself and at least one other willing friend or family member before using it at events. Just as well, as a batch I'd bought the weekend before an event caused extreme itching where the design had been applied. While the paste was still wet, the skin underneath started to burn
and itch. When it was washed off (immediately I might add) as well as a light orange design being on my (and my freinds) skin, the design was also red and raised. This has only happened once in the years I've been using it, but it can happen, so doing a small skin test before you do a large design on yourself or anyone else is always a good idea.
So, that's henna.
I love henna body art, simply because you can do the designs yourself and change them when you want to. They're also useful for deciding if you want a permanent tattoo or not. If you're like me, you'll simply keep having a different design every few weeks or month because you get bored too easily.
This ended up being a much longer opinion than I intended, I guess I got a little carried away. Thankyou for sticking with it if you lasted this long ;)
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Update (22/04/01)
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Since writing this I've found a few brands of the henna paste in tubes have differed in design. Where originally the tubes were always thin metal, making it relatively easy to roll down the excess, some brands have started supplying their product in a soft plastic tube. Now this, on first inspection, seemed like an excellent idea - less pressure on the hands (especially thumb) because of the more pliable material. However, this wasn't the case.
Because of the soft plastic used for the tube it springs back when folded down, meaning the paste is that little bit more difficult to control (due to constantly adjusting the tube excess). Since the tube itself has changed in design, so has the nozzle. It's now longer than it was, and the base of it is wider to fit the tube. Yet more fiddling trying to get a good (and comfortable) hand position, and one which would also allow me to keep control of it long enough to finish what I was doing. After around twenty minutes of applying a design to a fr
iend's arm, my hand was sore, sore, sore.
There's a point to this, really there is. I'd advise that before you buy any tubes of henna, open the box and check what type of tube it is. It's a good idea to open it anyway and check to make sure you have the nozzle(s). They've never been wrapped in cellophane in my experience, so it's usually not a problem. You may find the plastic ones are easier to use, but I didn't.
Okay, that's it for now. You can go. Run along ;)
Summary:
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