Henna for Body Art
Henna is a beautiful way to make temporary tattoos that are completely safe and non-toxic. Henna paste is made from powdered leaves that have been derived from the henna plant. It’s been used for centuries as a natural dye for hair and nails and is very popular for body art. The temporary dye is often used to adorn women and men as part of their marriage celebrations.
How To Make Henna Paste:
Mix up the henna dye the day before you want to use it so that it has time to release the dye.
- 1/4 cup Henna Powder
- 1/4 cup Lemon Juice
- 2 tsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Essential Oil (Lavender is the safest if using it with your kids).
- Add your henna powder to a small bowl (non-metallic) and add in the lemon juice. Stir until smooth.
- Then stir in the sugar and essential oil. Stir until it is smooth and silky.
- Cover your bowl with a lid, plastic wrap, or whatever you have on hand for 24 hours.
- The next day when it is ready, add more lemon juice as needed to thin it out.
- Add the henna paste to your prepared henna cones.
To learn how to make henna cones please go here! They show to fill the henna cones with a spoon, but I find it much easier to add all the henna to a piping bag and then fill the cones.
How To Store Your Henna Paste Cones:
Henna paste cones will last for 2-3 days at room temperature, 3-5 days in the fridge, and 6 months in the freezer. It is best to store unused henna in the freezer, but it’s best to only freeze it once as repeated freezing can diminish the dye quality of the paste.
After applying your henna design, let it dry for at least 30 minutes before moving around too much. Then allow it to dry for a few hours or overnight. You can wrap some toilet paper or gauze around it and secure it with some medical tape. When you are ready to take it off, apply a little oil to it and simply rub it off or use the back of a butter knife to scrape it off. Avoid using water on it for at least a day (12-24 hours) to maximize the darkness and longevity of the henna art.