I am endlessly fascinated with henna tattoos for the simple reason that they are the perfect bridge between permanent and temporary tatoos. People have bugged me for a while: "Jael (or Jett, depending on the situation), why don't you just get a real tattoo?".
A few reasons why henna can be a better choice, especially for dancers:
1) They aren't permanent! This is by far the best part. They last long enough to act like a real tattoo but as soon as they fade off, you can either just reapply the same design (up to 3 times I believe is the safety rule) or you can try something new! As we get older, things sag, things drop, things loosen... and your happy butterfly slowly melts into a protoplasmic ameoba from Blothgarg. With henna, no such problem.
2) The creative possibilities are endless. I've had a total of four henna tattoos, all of which were different. The first was a line of aramaic writing that went from my shoulder to my hand, wrapping loosely around my arm. The second was a pointy cross surrounded by the Japanese symbols for "Christ" and "Superman" surrounded by a thorn-type band. The third was really simple because it was my first attempt at doing henna: it was just the word "Gethsemane" written from my wrist to my hand. My most recent one is pictured next to the blog. My point? You can change it, add to it, come up with something new every few weeks!
3) They don't hurt. You can put a henna tattoo just about anywhere you want (except um... womany places... cause that's weird) and it doesn't hurt!
4) Easier to get away with when it comes to a boss or public functions. If anyone asks, I usually just say I participated in an arts event and got it then (which is true in my case).
5) You can do it yourself. With a little practice, you can save alot of money and do henna yourself. You can even mix henna designs with temporary tattoo ink to make colored designs.
So first, a few tips: if you have a fairy complicated design you want to do, or if you want to do a design in a hard to reach place like the shoulder or lower back, it would probably be worth investing in the services of a henna artist (I know Ginger is a fairly well known artist who works out of Aurora; wouldn't be surprised if there were a few in Boulder as well). Usually the cost depends on the size and complexity of the design. Mine ranged between $20 and $60 bucks (cause I just can't settle for a happy little butterfly lol). There are also usually skilled henna artists at county fairs, theme/amusement parts, renessaince faires, and some arts and culture festivals.
If you want to do henna yourself, there's two ways to go: 1) Buy a paste/developer kit that provides you with all you need, along with a good quality paste, or 2) Buy henna powder from an Indian grocery store and make it yourself (there's one that used to be called "Bombay Bazaar" right off of Parker and the 225 where I got mine).
If you want to go with option A, you'll need to order online and its totally hit or miss. Some tube kits (like the crappy one sold at Borders and Barnes and Noble) have really mediocre henna that doesn't stain well. Some are excellent and used by professionals. Just remember, anything you order online is hit or miss.
If you go with B (the way I've been doing it), you'll need a little patience, a little persistence, and a taste for experimentation and online research. In any case, when you go to an Indian grocery store, try to buy the best henna powder you can. I bought two sets last time: a cheap one in a little foil bag and a slightly more expensive one in a yellow box. The cheap one didn't stain hardly at all, I had to apply it twice. The other one stained better, possibly because I had to use a more complex recipe to make it work. Whatever you do, don't buy black henna (more on that below) and don't buy the type of henna used for hair dyeing, its a different type of stain that won't work on skin the way you need it to.
After some experimentation, here's what you'll need beyond the powder to make your paste:
-A fine metal sifter (this is the one item I still haven't gotten; bad me)
-Lemon juice
-An essential oil; I use eucalyptus because it smells good and works fine, but some artists recommend clove oil or lavender oil since eucaplyptus oil isnt' regulated well enough; Tea tree oil is also very highly recommended if you can get it; no olive oil, you'll just make a nasty mess
-Instant coffee (preferably in bag form, but crystals are fine)
-Tea bags (preferably a black tea like Earl Grey or English Breakfast)
-Ground cloves (this is optional but I've heard it darkens the stain)
-Honey (another optional item; I didn't use it last time and it worked out fine, but some artists use it)
For me, this is the most frustrating thing in the world, but truth is, most of this stuff you have to eyeball (aka "Rachel Ray" it). Here's a brief explanation of how to make a decent paste:
1) Take a small stovetop pan and boil about 1/2 cup water. Once the water is boiling add two of your black tea bags.
2) Let that boil for about five minutes than add either one instant coffee bag or 2 tbls. of instant coffee crystals. (If you're using cloves, this is when I added those; there's not really any set rule, just mentally eyeball it).
3) Once that's boiled to a nice dark liquid (or goop), remove the bags.
4) This is where the eyeballing comes in. Sift some henna powder into a crappy bowl or tupperware you're not going to mind staining. You're trying to get the right amount of paste for the design you'll be doing. Add some lemon juice to the powder and mix (preferably with a wooden spoon or handle, I've heard warnings against using metal utensils for some reason) until you've got something about the consistency of toothpaste (or a little runnier).
5) Add your black liquidious stuff to the henna paste. This is where it kind of becomes like making pancakes. Mix it up. What you're aiming for is a paste slightly less dense (or slightly runnier) than toothpaste. If its too runny, sift in more powder (the sifting prevents lumps, which is important if you're going to use a cone, syringe, or one of those fancy little tube tools) and mix. If its too thick, add a little lemon juice. This is also where some people add honey and mix it in (again, I didn't last time and it came out fine).
6) Cover your bowl/tupperware with plastic wrap (or a ziploc bag if your roommates are like mine and don't believe in saran wrap) and leave it in the sun to develop. Two hours is kind of the minimum time you want to leave it, but from what I understand, longer is preferable. what you're looking for after that time period is some indication that the paste has developed to a point where it will stain. I usually look for brownish stains or liquid forming around the edges of the paste, or if I dip a stick in there).
7) After its developed, add a few drops of your oil (eucalyptus, lavender, or clove preferably) and mix it up. You should be ready.
I have heard one variation which I haven't yet tried: replace the lemon juice with the boiled juice of dried limes. This method is from somewhere in Arabia and is supposed to produce a very dark stain.
Alright, for the actual application, there's more different ways to go than can be explained in a simple blog. The most efficient and precise way that I've seen is the use of a small applicator bottles with a metal tip (aka Jacquard Bottles). Eventually, I plan to invest in a set of these and a set of tips. They're just about the right size, can be adjusted depending on the size/intricacy of the design, and can even be used to tune and erase small mistakes. An all around nice toy...
Unfortunately... some of us are financially challenged and have to do it the old fashioned way.
Here's a few different ways I know of:
1) The cone: this is a fairly popular method. Basically you just take a pastry bag or sandwich bag, cut off the tip to the size you want to be drawing at, fill it with henna paste, tighten the top, and squeeze. If your tip is too big, some artists use tape to make it as small as they need. Personally, I can't even do this with cake icing, let alone a tattooing paste. Alot of artists prefer this method. I'm too darn clumsy for it.
2) Brushes: This speaks for itself. Some henna artist use paint brushes of varying sizes to apply henna. My only concern about this method is making sure you get a thick enough layer of paste for your design to stain properly, which seems difficult with a brush. However, painters and make-up artists will probably do well with this method.
3) The stick: why I chose this method, I have no idea, but it actually worked. Basically, go to your local store with a nail cosmetics section and invest in some orange sticks/cuticle sticks. They're those little wooden sticks with a point at one end and a sort of slant at the other. You basically take your ability to draw back about 100 years, and pretend you have a quill pen. Dip the stick in the paste and draw with it. This method is very time consuming, but you can get some great detail out of it if you have the patience. Many expert henna artists overseas use this method. It takes a little practice (maybe practice with slight watered down toothpaste before trying it) but if you can figure it out, it works well.
4) A syringe (without the needle): I have yet to figure out just where to get the type of syringe necessary to do this method, but basically, a good syringe can make a pretty fine design or a very intricate one. I'm not sure if this is still the case, but from what I've been told, certain pet stores have medicine syringes for cats and dogs that work well. I've actually used an offshoot of this idea, which I did to make the rings and the cross in the design pictured above. My fiance has a cat who had to take medicine after she was spayed. Her medicine droppers look like syringes, they just have a larger hole (about 2mm). I rinsed one out really well and use it for big thick designs (usually kind of 'flattening" and smoothing it out with an orange stick after application). Another item that seems like it would work (in theory) is those big goofy looking syringes that dentists give to patients who need to 'irrigate' their mouths. I was given one after my wisdom teeth were removed. Its basically a big syringe with a curved plastic cone at the end. Would work wonders if I could find the darn thing.
5) Tubes: this goes back to the 'pre-made' henna mentioned at the beginning, but some henna is sold in tubes that can be used as applicators. Again, its hit or miss whether the paste will actually stain.
Once you've chosen your method (or methods; I mixed the stick technique and the pet medicine syringe) you'll need:
- A nice space covered in paper towels (this is easier than newspaper in case you need to wipe off some wayward paste and your hands are tied up)
- Some cotton swabs (preferably cotton squares) and Q-tips
- Rubbing alcohol of some variety
-A mixture of lemon juice and sugar; I usually put some in a spray bottle and some in a small bowl/tray/lid near my workspace.
-Your essential oil (lavender, clove, tea tree, or eucalyptus... btw if you have an aversion to the smell of Vicks, don't use eucalyptus)
-A shaving razor (I usually shave the area I'm applying the design, the hands are usually pretty easy unless you're a dude)
-Orange sticks (either way you'll need them; if you're using the stick method you'll need one for application and a seperate one for erasures and fine tuning)
To prepare the skin, its optional to begin by shaving the area where the design will be applied. I do because its easier. If you're a hairy person, this might be absolutely necessary. Swab the area down with rubbing alcohol to clean it, then swab (or rub) some of your essential oils on. This will help the paste stain better (I've heard it recommend to slightly dilute stronger essential oils; Mine isn't that strong so I don't worry about this).
Have a clean orange stick and q-tips nearby for erasings and mistake corrections. Usually when I need to shape or erase something, I dip the orange stick in the lemon juice/sugar mix, and use that to scrape the wayward paste off before it gets hard or stains. I also keep a couple cotton squares nearby for occasionally wiping my instruments: one sprayed with the lemon juice mix, one clean one, and one with some of the rubbing alcohol on it. As you're working, you can wipe excess paste off onto these squares or the paper towels.
There's a few ways to do your design. These are the three I know:
1) Freehand: This is the way I do it. It takes some bravery and attention to what-to-erase-quickly. Basically have your design either printed out nearby (as I did with the aramaic writing from the example picture) or firmly embedded in your brain and go to town. You may want to keep a flexible ruler nearby if you're worried about keeping things straight. This is great for the just 'make-it-up-as-you-go' designs (the rings and the thorn band from the example picture were a case of that).
2) Stencils: You can either make them out of thick cardstock or some indian stores sell them. You can also buy some online. These work great, the only risk is when you peel the stencil away, you might mess up your design. Be forewarned.
3) Transfers: to this day I have not gotten this method to work. I know you can buy transfers online that work similar to temporary tattoos but there's supposed to be an easier way to do it. The idea is you apply the transfer to the skin, which leaves a pattern you can follow to do your design. The henna book I have says you can print up a design on an inkjet printer, press the ink side onto your skin, and swab the back of the paper with acetone nail polish remover to leave an impression of the design... In my case, it just kind of made my skin red. Maybe my printer doesn't make enough ink. If you want to do tranfsers, probably order them online.
Once your design is done, I believe the rule of thumb is the longer you can keep the design moist, the darker it will stain. How do you do that? Your spray bottle filled with overly sour lemonade lol. As soon as you're done, spray the design with that lemon juice/sugar mixture. The stuff is vile and sticky and gross, but does its job well. I believe the ideal time to leave a henna design on is 6-8 hours. I never have that much time, and neither do many people. Ideally, for the first 2-4 hours keep the design moist with the lemon juice mix. After that, let it dry and it will flake off naturally. If its flaking off and you see its left a nice stain (usually orange will darken to mocha brown in about 24 hours; the example henna flaked off to reveal a medium orange I could barely see in tungsten lighting, but has now darkened to a nice mocha shade) you can slowly begin peeling and scraping off the rest. Once you've scraped off the paste, your design will darken over the next 24-48 hours (sun exposure I think also darkens it a little, but that's just a theory). During that 24 hour period, do not expose it to water (if you absolutely have to shower, you may have to navy shower or wrap it in saran wrap). After that period is over, your design should be fine, just don't scrub it vigorously unless you're trying to get rid of it. Keep the skin your design is on moisturized and your tattoo should last a good long time... anywhere from a week and a half to a month and a half.
Some random tips, some specifically aimed at dancers:
-Dancers are in a tough dilemma when it comes to henna tattoos because on the day of a performance there is so much else to do that gets in the way. In my most recent experiment, I did my shower and hair in the morning, practiced my routine, then applied my henna design at about 2:30pm. It took me to about 4pm to finish it because it was a complicated design. After that, I had a problem: I had to do my make-up. I had to wait until the paste was dry (shortening the drying time and thus the staining time) then as I was doing my make-up, inevitably some of the paste flaked off early. Fortunately in my case it still worked, though the stain wasn't darkened enough by the time of my performance (which was done in a room lit with orange light lol; you could see it, but not as well as I'd have liked). Thus brings up the question: should a dancer who is getting henna or doing a henna do it the day before? This brings up another problem: you have to shower the day of your performance, so unless you are brave enough to saran wrap your design, this also doesn't work.
Ideally, a dancer who wants a henna for her performance should get it done two days before her show. This gives adequate time for the stain to darken and won't interfere with 'day-of' beauty treatments and showers lol.
-A major warning: NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER use black henna! Forgetting the Madonna video (which was probably done using a special paste or ink), black henna is not your friend. It is very bad for you. Usually its black hair dye being used under the guise of henna (which is not black). I believe it has something to do with chemical or lead content in the paste/powder (something called PPD which causes organ damage), but if you want to be reassured of why not to do this, just check out the picture on this site:
www.hennapage.com/henna/ppd/index.html . That's what it can do to you. If you absolutely want a dark, nearly black stain, either invest in temporary tattoo inks or airbrush tattoos. There is one method I have heard of that I don't believe is as dangerous as black henna called 'smoking' that is done overseas: basically after applying the paste, hold your design over a smoking fire (in the smoke, not the fire lol) and you should get a darker, blacker stain without the bad stuff.. again I haven't found enough research on this to prove if even that is safe, so proceed with caution.
-Usually the best place for henna designs is the hands (they just stain really well), but I have heard of some people getting henna tattoos on their faces. If you're going to be crazy and do this lol, have an artist do it. I'm also not sure what effect henna has on the eyes so I'd recommend avoiding using it on or around the eyes.
-Some great ideas for dancers? You can make henna designs in the form of jewelry or belts; around the belly button or on the lower back; anklets, bracelets, and gauntlets; on the hands in place of gloves; a bindi on the forehead.... the sky's the limit! Henna is also great for tribal dancers.
I hope this has been helpful. I'm not a professinal henna artist by any means, but if any local students or dancers need some help or want a basic henna design, let me know : ) Do online research and you'll find endless tips, recipes, designs, and suggestions for henna use.
