How to apply Heena

Different types of Heena:

Indian - Indian henna designs are very complex dense lacy patterns that fill up the space of the entire hands, arms & feet. Sometimes, block colors are used to cover the fingertips or to draw the very popular big dots in the middle of the palm.

Arabic - Arabic designs, on the other hand are simpler & easier to draw as they mostly consist of vine, flower & leaf designs. Also, one of the highlights of Arabic henna designs is that they use more of coloring to create bolder designs.

African These edgy designs, in the form of large bold geometric patterns, are inspired by the various African traditions & rituals.

Egyptian Henna designs have been found on Egyptian mummies. Due to its vast history, Egyptian designs are mostly inspired by mythology & imagery from the past & also consist of creatures like fire dragons & pythons.

Tips for applying Henna Tattoos

* First of all, use a good spot for tattooing. Avoid spots where henna will fade quickly like the hands as you will tend to wash your hands more often than your other parts of the body.
* Make sure the skin area you want to tattoo is free of oils or lotions else it will become difficult for henna to absorb in the skin. Just as a precaution, wash the particular area with soap & water.
* Applying henna can become a really messy business, so make sure to avoid smudging the tattoo. Avoid getting the area wet (this includes sweating). Avoid washing the tattooed spot for atleast the next 24 hours after application.
* Henna will dry within 30 mins max but you should let the henna stay on the skin for atleast 2-4 hours or possibly overnight because the longer you leave the paste on the darker it will stain.
* When the henna dries, use a mixture of lemon juice, sugar & water to avoid the henna from cracking and falling off. Also, it is said to darken the color of henna this way.
* If you want a darker color, keep the tattoo moist (after it dries) with the lemon mixture for approx 1 hour & then wrap the tattooed area with plastic or cloth.

Precaution: Dont use black henna. Black henna contains a chemical called P-phenylenediamine (PPD) which is used as a hair dye & can be extremely dangerous for the skin causing allergic skin reactions. Its always safe to ask for the henna paste to be mixed in front of you in case you are getting it done in a salon or outside.

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