Henna Blessings

After Care

How long your henna tattoo lasts depends largely on your after care. Henna tattoos are for you to enjoy, not to fret about, however here is what I recommend and follow to ensure a dark and long-lasting stain.

  • Allow your henna design to fully dry, typically a minimum of 30-45 minutes. The longer you leave dried paste on your skin, the darker and longer lasting the stain. Personally, I love to aim for 90+ minutes when possible. If you want to sleep overnight with your dried paste on, be sure to wrap your tattoo in plastic wrap so you don’t permanently stain your bed sheets ;)
  • Once drying is complete peel/scrape off the dried paste into a trash can. 
  • KEEP IN MIND — Henna is a PERMENANT STAIN and when dry henna paste gets wet it WILL STAIN so be mindful to dispose of dried paste properly.
  • DO NOT WASH the dried henna off, ONLY peel and scrape off. Some people will use the dull side of a butter knife to help scrape paste.
  • When you first remove the dried paste, your design will be a LIGHT ORANGE COLOR, so DO NOT PANIC! Your design will darken over the following 1-2 days until ful color is revealed. I find that the heat of the hands tend to darken faster than other areas.
  • WATER ONLY for the first 12 hours after you remove your dried paste.
  • From my personal experience, hot water and scrubbing will speed up the fading process. Remember, as your skin naturally flakes away, so will your tattoo.
  • Typically your henna tattoo should last 7-14 days.

What is henna, anyway?

Henna is a plant. When the leaves are ground and mixed with oil and an activator like sugar (kinda like how an apple browns when it’s sugars are exposed to air), a beautiful dark brown paste is created that leaves a permanent reddish-brown stain. This stain is indeed permanent, however since you naturally shed your skin, the tattoo will slowly fade away until completely gone. 

What type of henna do I use?

I follow traditional henna preparation methods from mixing my own paste to ensure quality and consistency, to hand-rolling the cones I use to apply the henna designs. I use an all-natural rajasthani pure henna powder, mixed with water, a little eucalyptus essential oil, a pinch of sugar in the raw.

 

 

Is henna safe?*

Pure henna (like the powder I use) is safe and has been used for thousands of years. It’s one of the safest things you can put on your skin, and reactions are very unusual. If you have concerns around having a reaction, I encourage you to do your own further research on henna, and we can always arrange for a small test spot before applying a full design.

 

Is all henna the same?

Not really. While henna itself is an all-natural plant, there are some individuals and companies that add harmful chemicals to their paste to get a darker stain. I encourage you to always ask what type of henna paste an artist is using before allowing them to apply it to your skin. Also look to see if they are using the paste on their own skin, as that’s always a good way to tell if they are confident in their own product.

 

Do you use a design template?

Nope, each piece is hand-drawn live on the spot. This means each piece is an original unique design created specifically for you! You can see more of my work on my Facebook page at >>> <<< and Follow me on Instagram @keys2ease

 

Do the symbols in the design particular meaning?

Traditional henna {or mehndi} is used for celebration to symbolize joy, beauty, spiritual awakening and offering, as well as to bring prosperity and chase away evil.  For my art, each design element represents a certain aspect, quality or energy. This brings powerful symbolism behind your design and allows you to use this gorgeous art design to anchor in intentions, help you focus, and serve as a visual reminder of your intention. So powerful!!!

Are tattoos the only henna art options you offer?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Along with henna tattoos on skin, I love to create various art with henna paste and acrylic paints. If you are interested in a canvas, digital print, or other hand-crafted item with henna-style art designs, email me the details to AskCrissy@gmail.com to learn more!