Henna
Also called: Mehndi and Henna tattoo
A paste made from the ground leaves of the henna plant that stains the skin a reddish brown, used to draw temporary designs on the hands and feet.
Henna is the dried, powdered leaf of the henna shrub, mixed with lemon juice or tea and left to release its dye, then filled into a cone and piped onto the skin in fine lines. The paste sits for a few hours, or overnight for a deeper colour, then flakes or is scraped off. The skin is orange at first and darkens over a day or two to a red brown.
A pair of hands takes around forty five minutes to draw, depending on the design. The stain lasts around one to three weeks, longest on the palms and soles, and fades as the skin renews. Water, soap and scrubbing shorten it; keeping the area dry for the first day and oiling it lightly afterwards helps.
Natural henna is never black. A paste that stains black usually contains PPD, a hair-dye chemical that is a known cause of serious skin reactions, and should be avoided. Ask your artist what is in her paste. This is general information, not medical advice: in pregnancy, ask your doctor.
