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Have you ever wondered what you might look like with a full sleeve of tattoos, but can’t quite bring yourself to make that kind of commitment? For those who can’t commit, henna!
Perfect for pain-phobes and the indecisive alike, henna is experiencing a surge in popularity that exceeds beyond its traditional spiritual and cultural connotations. Henna designs will last about 2-3 weeks with proper care, unlike traditional ink which lasts forever. Forevah-evah? ForEVAH-evah. Another bonus is that you don’t have to worry about Tattoo Tectonics, the phenomenon that occurs with the sliding skin of age, the stretching skin of pregnancy, and the expanding skin of weight gain (think: the tramp stamp that slides down with age; the cute lil’ butterfly on the once-taut tummy that transforms into Mothra after a couple of kids). There are no needles involved, and natural henna is completely safe – “no pain, no gain,” is all well and good for biker gangs and masochists, but there’s no rule saying you can’t have your tribal design and keep your unscarred skin, too. Besides, you can always make it permanent later if you so desire, but you wouldn’t buy a car without first test-driving it, now would you?
First you need to know what henna actually is: “Henna is a paste made from the leaves of the henna plant,” explains henna artist Sumeyya Rehman. “The leaves are plucked, crushed into fine powder, and the powder [is] sifted until it reaches an even finer, almost silk-like consistency. This powder is then mixed with lemon juice (or tea), sugar, and essential oils to make the paste…The paste is often put into a hand-rolled cellophane paper cone…which serves as a tool for applying henna and allows the artist to draw thin, precise lines.”
Being Pakistani Muslim, henna art is a large part of Sumeyya’s culture, specifically for weddings and holidays. Sumeyya got into practicing henna as an adolescent, in response to her older sisters being too tired after volunteering for day-long henna applications at mosque: “Being the youngest sister I was, this became increasingly annoying and at some point I eventually became defiant, telling them, ‘FINE! I’ll do it myself!’ When I first picked up a cone and started doodling, I realized it wasn’t that easy – it required a lot of patience and hard work to eek out anything that looked half-decent…I initially gave up.”
But as other holidays came along she began to practice more, and “found that it was oddly satisfying to spend hours coming up with (or following) a difficult henna design. ”It wasn’t long before people began taking notice of her work, and finally some friends and relatives asked her to do their bridal henna. Sumeyya now runs her own business called “Henna Craze” and performs henna on a diverse clientele, from traditional bridal parties to curiously-minded individuals.
The possibilities with henna designs are limitless, from the fluid, intricate Indian styles comprised of thin, even lines, paisley shapes, and even figures from Hindu mythology; to the thick, bold lines of Arabic henna with floral shapes, flowing vines and much less fine detail. Indo-Arabic henna is a combination of both styles; Moroccan henna is drastically different – comprised of thin, straight, even lines forming very precise geometric shapes; then there is the “tattoo-style” henna, for lack of better phrasing, which imitates American-style tattoos but done with henna paste instead of needles and ink.
While there is evidence that many different cultures and religions have celebrated marriages, holy days, and days of celebration with henna, it is most commonly associated with Middle Eastern and South Asian cultures, particularly in the Islamic and Hindu faiths (though the practice of henna art itself is not necessarily an act of religious observation). But in recent years henna has taken root in Western culture, as a purely secular appreciation of ethnographic art. “Within the past two years, I’ve been getting more and more requests for henna designs by people who are deciding whether or not to get a real tattoo. Henna, in such cases, is perfect – it allows the wearer to see if they can actually accept having something on their body for a prolonged period of time.”
And now for the science part: henna works by staining the skin. Natural henna is a natural dye already present in the leaves of the henna plant. “As the skin naturally exfoliates, the henna stain slowly wears away, so that in about two weeks, your skin is back to normal,” Sumeyya explains. Natural henna is completely safe to use, even on toddlers, and does not have any adverse reactions on even the most sensitive skim. But be careful where you’re getting your henna from, Sumeyya warns: there are many companies which sell pre-made henna cones that use chemicals such as petroleum (gasoline) to make the active stain last longer, and stain darker and faster. Also beware “black henna,” which simply uses black hair dye to create the desired stain.
Sumeyya’s advice is to know the reputability of your artist: if she makes her own henna paste, as Sumeyya does, she can name off all the natural ingredients she uses. You can also smell the essential oils in the paste, such as tea tree, lavender, and eucalyptus. (Henna paste should never smell like chemicals.) Also, natural henna takes about 12-24 hours AFTER the paste is removed to fully darken (and it is recommended to keep the paste on for anywhere from 6-10 hours, depending on the area of the body where the henna was applied). Any artist that promises the desired darkened effect in less time than that (like 1-2 hours) is not using natural henna.
As long as you are aware of certain safety precautions to take (as you would presumably be when you’re about to inject ANYTHING into your skin), henna is a safe, fun way to explore different forms of body art. The opportunities for playful, intricate designs are endless, and because of its semi-permanence you can play with different design ideas on different parts of your body whenever the mood so strikes you. Also, henna art has a deep cultural history and spiritual significance, so for those who seek body art with some “meaning,” this is perfect (probably better than that Looney Tunes character hitting a bong, anyway).
For more information on Sumeyya Rehman, visit Henna Craze.
