Getting a Henna Tattoo...

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Before Applying the Henna …

This is just some advice on getting ready to have a Henna tattoo – things that will help you and me to have a better experience and successful results. Remember, 1st of all that the henna paste is made of all natural products – the henna plant leaf crushed up in powder form, lemon juice, black walnut powder, sugar, honey, and essential oil (clove, tea tree, lavender).  

The process is simple. First you need to clean the skin free of all oils, then apply the henna paste in a design and then let it dry.. After it dries, it gets activated it with lemon juice then covered, heated and allowed to sit on the skin to “stain” for a period of time.  

The best way to get a rich stain is to leave it on overnight.  Afterwards the henna can be left on (which allows the black to show) or rubbed/scrapped off and oil put on. One thing to remember is that if you have the henna applied to you hands or feet that you won’t be able to use them for several hours so planning when you have the henna applied could be helpful.

1. Wash the skin free of oil, dirt, makeup and lotions.

2. Wear old clothes especially if getting a henna tattoo on your back, legs or feet.

3. Have a design idea in mind…. I also have books with designs in them for you to look at.

4. Think about where the henna tattoo will be placed. Palms of the hands and soles of the feet will take the henna the darkest. Arms and Legs will be lighter. If you wear a watch consider putting the tattoo on the other arm/hand.  

5. Henna tattoo works best on moister skin. Dry skin will cause the henna to be lighter so several days before the tattoo consider lathering your skin with lotion to soften the dryness so the Henna will stain better.

6. Bring water to drink – its always a good idea to drink more water!

After Applying the Henna…

Now that you have your beautiful design, maintaining it is easier than you think. Henna Tattoos are temporary and should last from 1-3 weeks. Certain areas will fad faster than others; top of the hands especially since you wash them a lot. Remember to keep moisturizing the area with essential oils or lotions that don’t have sunscreen, paba, or alpha-hydroxy (exfoliants). For several days after the Henna tattoo is removed, the design will darken on the skin from an orange to a reddish brown (that’s normal).

Removing the Henna:

1. Henna can be left on until it “falls off” if you like – it looks darker that way and also allows for the maximum stain.  

2. Once it gets wet though, you should immediately wash the design off in warm water. Otherwise it may continue to stain the skin in areas you don’t want.  

3. Wash in warm water with no soap. Pat dry and put essential oil of cloves or tea tree oil on the design. This helps to bring out the design. You can also use lemon juice.

4. Sometimes you need to scrape the design off as it has hardened on the skin. A stiff edge of a barette or a credit card is helpful for scraping the design. Be careful not to use a knife or a sharp object as you could cut yourself and damage the design much less your skin.

Maintaining of the Henna design:

1. Keeping the area moisturized and oiled will prolong the Henna designs.  

2. Washing causes the Henna stain to “fade” quicker.

3. Do not use suntan lotion or lotions containing sunscreen as they tend to “bleach” the design off your skin. Also, creams that exfoliate the skin, like alpha-hydroxy lotions, will tend to “erase” the stain faster.

4. Harsh chemicals will also fade the Henna tattoo. Cleaning products with chlorine are bad for long lasting tattoos. So is swimming in a pool with Chlorine.

5. I have found that Desert Essence makes a Shea Butter Body Cream with Honey and Royal Jelly that works great and helps to darken the Henna slightly. Seems it has some good essential oils in it that help.

6. Keeping the area warm after first removing the Henna paste will help to darken the design left on the skin.

NOTE:

If at any stage, you find you have an allergic reaction – your skin starts to itch or burn intensely – immediately remove the henna and wash with mild soap and water. You can then brush some rubbing alcohol over the area. Then put tea tree oil on it and afterwards moisturize with cream.