Henna is one of the most convenient ways to get a temporary tattoo. It is a painless and harmless method of getting a tattoo so it is a great option for kids to get a tattoo. Back in the day, only women would get henna tattoos but in modern times anybody regardless of gender and age can get a henna tattoo.
You can get yourself a henna tattoo stencil or just use your own creative mind to come up with a design to make using henna. Henna is such a versatile substance that you can create any tattoo design and apply it pretty much anywhere in your body as you want. Apart from using henna for tattoos, you can use the henna paste for many other reasons. I will explain everything you need to know about henna tattoos in-depth today.
Key Takeaways
- A henna tattoo is a painless and harmless way of getting temporary tattoos.
- Lawsonia the dye molecule of the henna stains your skin and that’s how you get a henna tattoo.
- You should leave the henna on your skin for about 6-8 hours to get optimal results.
- Henna tattoos take 2-3 days to oxidize and get to their peak color which is burgundy or red.
- You may use henna to dye hair, nail, and clothing, and treat some illnesses like scabies, bed sores, etc.
- Henna may have originated 5000 years ago in India, Egypt, the Middle East, or Africa.
- You can prepare and apply the henna paste all by yourself.
Henna Tattoo: All You Need to Know
Henna comes from the henna tree or also known as Lawsonia Inermis. It is a small flowering plant. This tree is mostly found in tropical regions. The flower of this tree can be used to make perfume and the leaves can be used to make henna paste. You can make the henna paste using the henna leaves at home and get yourself a henna tattoo. A henna tattoo is a temporary form of body art that goes away on its own. After that, the tattoo or stain will fade and go away on its own. This method of getting a tattoo does not require a needle-poking process into the skin. You simply apply the henna paste on your skin and it will color or stain the surface of your skin just like a blueberry stain.
How henna works?
Henna has dye molecules that can easily penetrate the first layer of the skin hence staying on the skin for more than a week. But other natural stain like blueberry stain does not penetrate stain hence it can barely last a day on your skin.
The Lawson molecules work as a carrier for the dye compound of henna. It carries the dye compound into your skin and stains it. When the henna paste dries you simply scrap it off your skin. The tattoo would appear to be light orange color. After a day the color would get a bit deeper because of oxidation. You will see the optimal result after 2-3 days as it oxidizes more. After oxidizing for a few days the color will get mature and the tattoo would appear deep burgundy or red color. The stain is similar to paint as it stays on the surface of your skin and not deep into the dermis layer of your skin like a normal permanent tattoo.
How Long to leave henna on skin?
It takes 6-8 hours for natural henna to stain your skin properly. But black henna or instant henna can stain your skin within 15-30 minutes. This black henna or instant henna uses many harmful chemicals to give you faster results and a deeper color tattoo. One of the chemicals is PPD which can cause severe reactions to your skin and may cause permanent scarring. So even though black henna can provide you with faster results and deeper color tattoos, it is strongly advised not to use it because of the adverse reaction it may cause. Natural henna may take longer to stain skin but it is completely safe to use. And the longer you keep the henna on the skin the better result you will get.
The reason henna tattoo is not permanent
Unlike a normal permanent tattoo which inserts ink/pigment deeper layer of your skin, the henna tattoo dye component stays on the surface of your skin. You can compare it to painting your skin with color, but the henna dye component gets absorbed by your skin cell, and thanks to its small molecules it can penetrate the surface of your skin. That is, it stays on your skin for weeks and doesn’t wash away very easily. But it does wash away or get faded if you wash the tattoo. Even if you do not wash the area at all it will fade on its own in a few weeks. Because your skin sheds dead cells on a daily basis. So with each passing day, the stained cells of your skin get reduced. Approximately after 3 weeks you won’t see much of a visible henna stain on the skin thanks to cell shedding.
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How to Prepare & Apply Henna Paste for Tattoo?
Making henna paste for tattoos is very easy, you can make it at home by yourself and also apply it. To do so you will need a few things, which are:
- Natural and quality henna powder
- Bowl (avoid using bowls made of rubber, and plastic as they can get stained)
- Plastic wrap or lid to cover the bowl
- Cake decorating or piping bag
- Digital thermometer
- Essential oil
- Chiffon cloth
- Henna cones (you can make these at home or buy them from the store)
Just follow the steps below to make your own henna paste at home:
- Get henna powder into the bowl
Put the chiffon cloth over the bowl and pour a few cups of henna powder over it. Lift up the cloth and run your finger over the henna gently to get fine and debris-free henna in your bowl. You can repeat the process a few times to remove any sort of debris from the henna. - Make the paste
Keep ¼ cup of henna powder in the bowl and remove the remaining henna powder to a box to store it. Now choose any essential oil like olive oil or coconut oil and put around 0.25 ounces of it into the bowl. This essential oil will give a nice fragrance and block the stink of henna. Now put 1.5 tablespoons of sugar into the ball. The sugar is not essential; it only helps the henna paste to stay longer on your skin. Now to make the mixture liquid add some water or lemon juice, approximately ¼ cup of water or lemon juice should be fine. Steer the mixture thoroughly to make an even paste. The paste should not be very thin; it should be a bit thick. But if you feel it is way too thick to use then apply a bit more water to get your preferred texture. - Let it sit for a few hours
Cover the bowl with a plastic lid or plastic wrap. Now let it sit for about 3-4 hours before applying. The time period may vary depending on the quality and brand of henna powder you are using. Read the instruction on the henna packet to be sure of how many hours to let it sit. Use the digital thermometer to ensure the temperature stays within 75° to 80°Fahrenheit of the paste. You can also store it in a room temperature for 2-3 days. - Patch test
Apply a small amount of henna on your skin and whip it after a minute. It should stain the skin with light orange color. But if there is no visible color then let the paste sit for more time.
- Make the paste silkier
Now to make the paste easy to apply, you should add more water or lemon juice and keep stirring it. From the previous thick texture, you have to get it to a bit runny or silky texture. - Pour the paste into a piping bag
Now that your paste is ready, pour it carefully into a piping bag. You can put the piping bag into a cup and then put the paste into it. After pouring the henna fold the top edge and tie it shut. You will use it to transfer henna into a henna cone so keeping the shape in mind you may use a bigger piping bag for convenience. - Pipe or transfer the henna into a henna cone
Use a scissor to cut the bottom corner of the piping bag to create a small hole. Now use this hole to pipe or transfer henna into a henna cone until it’s ⅔ full. Now fold the edge and use tape to seal it off. You may fill up more henna cones if you have henna left on the piping bag. - Select design
You can select a design from various online platforms or use a henna tattoo stencil. You cannot use normal tattoo stencils for this, there are henna tattoo stencils that are specially made for henna tattoos. Purchase one of those henna tattoo stencils and you are good to go. - Start tattooing
Put the stencil on your skin or get a good look at the design you want to make and start applying the henna on your skin. Squeeze the henna cone gently and draw the design on your skin just like you would draw a picture on paper. If you make any mistake or see water dripping from lines use a paper towel to whip that area instead of touching it with your hand.
History of Henna Tattoo
It is difficult to pinpoint exactly where the henna tattoo originated from. The earliest record of this tattoo being spotted is 5000 years. Around 5000 years ago people from India, Africa, Egypt, and the middle east have been seen to wear henna tattoos.
At first henna paste was being used as a cooling agent. People from hot climates would apply henna paste on their feet and palm to make themselves cool. When people realized that after keeping the paste for a while it stains the skin, they began using the henna paste to deliberately stain their skin, nails, clothing, and hair. And soon people started to make designs using henna paste hence creating henna tattoos.
Because it is a completely safe and painless method of getting a tattoo it grew in popularity rapidly. Soon it became a traditionally compulsory art form for wedding ceremonies. Even in modern times, you can hardly find wedding functions in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, and Middle Eastern countries that occur without the bride wearing a henna tattoo.
Use of Henna
Henna paste works great for providing temporary tattoos, but there is more use for this amazing paste than you may know.
- Dye hair
If you have white hair, then you can apply the henna paste on your hair to dye it red or bright orange. It may improve hair health but it lacks proper research to back it up. - Dye cloth
You can use henna to die cloth especially polyester at different temperatures to get desired dye. - Dye nails
You can dye your nails the same way you get a tattoo on your skin. Simply apply the henna paste over your nail and remove them when dried. - To cool the skin
Henna paste works great to give a soothing and cold feeling to your skin. If you experience too much heat, you may apply henna paste on your feet and palm to feel instant relief from the heat. - Health wise use
Henna has been used for more than 5000 years to cure various health issues. I am mentioning some of the health issues that can be improved by using henna.- Dandruff
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Headache
- Bed sores
- Stomach ulcers
- Scabies
FAQs
Can a henna tattoo be permanent?
Technically no, a henna tattoo cannot be permanent but you can apply henna every few weeks to keep it in vibrant condition for as long as you like.
Can I eat henna paste?
No henna paste is not edible and can be harmful to your health if you swallow henna.
What is the purpose of a henna tattoo?
Henna tattoo is considered to be a part of wedding ceremony in many countries and it is a temporary form of body art that can be worn by anyone.
Can I do my own henna tattoo?
Of course, you can do your own henna tattoo at home.
How much does it cost to get a henna tattoo?
Getting a henna tattoo from a professional artist can cost around 80-90$ but if you do your own tattoo then the only cost you will have to bear is the cost of the kit which can be around 30$.
Final Thoughts
The henna tattoo has been around for about 5000 years and it may have originated in India, Egypt, Africa, or Middle Eastern countries. First people used to apply the henna paste as a cooling agent and to fix some health issues. Later it became a form of natural dye and temporary tattoo and a part of the cultural aspect of wedding functions. It is painless and harmless so getting these temporary tattoos can never cause regret. Sometimes henna may cause adverse reactions to your skin but it is mostly because of the added chemicals to the product such as PPD. That is why it is advised to use only natural henna and not chemically added black henna. Preparing & applying the henna paste for a tattoo is so easy that you can do it yourself at your home by following the step-by-step guide I provided above.
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