Henna is a paste created by the crushed leaves of henna plants, which have a natural staining ability. The use of the paste to create body decoration, or "Mehndi Art," originated in India. Mehndi art has been used in India, Africa, and the Middle East for thousands of years and has long been used as a spiritual art to decorate the skin of brides for their marriage ceremonies. The paste is applied to the skin in a freehand drawing fashion. After drying in 15 to 20 minutes it crackles, flakes and falls off leaving your tattoo on your skin. Let the dried paste fall off on it's own. Henna paste is a dye and the longer it is left on the skin, the more layers of skin become stained by it. The design will darken over the first 24 hours to its natural reddish brown color. Reacting with the pigments in various skin types, it will turn more brown on lighter skin and more red on darker skin. The tattoo will remain until all the stained layers of skin naturally exfoliate, about 1 to 2 weeks. Henna is a great choice for temporary tattoos because it is all natural and very few people have a reaction to it.
Amara from Henna Magick will be at the Metaphysically Fit Fest on July 27th from 12-8 pm creating hand drawn Henna art. She makes her own Henna, and uses all natural ingredients to ensure it's safety and effectiveness.
