More About Making Your Own Henna

Author: Robert Smith

The art of mehndi has been around for centuries. Ever since the first person decorated their body with the vibrant reddish-brown shades of henna, people have been gathering to share new designs and paint each other.

Henna is a traditional art of painting the body with paste made from the leaves of the henna plant. It has been used for nearly 5,000 years as a significant element of many ceremonies and traditions. Henna is non-toxic and safe for children, making it a wonderful art form to use as a family.

Henna kits are available online and in stores, and most of them are reputable, decent quality henna that will give you a beautiful design that will last for weeks before fading away, but you can also make the henna to apply yourself from simple ingredients available in most stores.

Here we will teach you DIY Henna Tattoos.

What You’ll Need

(All of these items can be found at your local natural foods store.)

  • Black tea (in a tea bag)
  • Eucalyptus essential oil
  • Approximately 1 cup henna powder
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves

What to Do

  1. Boil 2 inches of water in a saucepan. Take the pan off the heat and add the black teabag to infuse for several hours.
  2. Add a few drops of eucalyptus oil and allow to infuse overnight.
  3. Heat the mixture to a warm temperature, then slowly add it to a bowl of henna powder and ground cloves, stirring with a wooden spoon. You may not need to use all of the water. You want a thin paste, almost the consistency of yogurt.
  4. Add lemon juice, then add more of the water mixture until it resembles the consistency of toothpaste.
  5. Transfer the paste to a plastic bag, in which it can be stored for up to two days.

Once you have the henna prepared and in an applicator of some kind, it can be applied to the body as follows:

  1. Wash the surface of the skin to be painted, making sure that all dirt, lotions, and oils are removed. Alcohol will remove the surface oils.
  2. Apply a tiny amount of eucalyptus oil to the area. This will hold the art longer.
  3. Using whatever method of application you’ve chosen, apply the henna to the skin.
  4. The henna will dry partially in a short period of time, but do not touch it much until it is fully dry, which can be up to a half-hour. The henna paste will fall off on its own, leaving the paint behind on your skin.
  5. Once it is completely dry, after about 4 hours, the rest of the paste can be brushed off, and the skin can be washed. Don’t use soap and water to wash, just plain water.
  6. Depending on the strength of your henna, the art can last anywhere from days to weeks. To hold the color longer, use care when washing the area or getting it wet. If you would like to remove the henna sooner, wash it often.

If you are looking for more innovative information, you should visit the following website:Henna Kit.