Henna is a plant based dye that has been in use for thousands of years on hair, wool, leather, cloth and most commonly skin. More than a temporary tattoo, the use of henna as a skin dye has rich cultural and religious root in the Middle East. Before henna can be used on the skin it is often turned into a powder that is mixed with some slightly acidic liquid like lemon juice. Only after the henna is ready does the true art begin.
Henna is often used to dye the hands and feet, especially for special celebrations like weddings. In eastern cultures the bride often has her hands and feet ornately tattooed with amazing designs that are incredibly detailed and complicated. The process of designing the tattoo and applying the henna can last hours or days depending on the design and how dark the tattoo is to be. For brides the henna on the hands and feet represent blessing or luck and is therefore applied with great detail since their wedding day is to be a day of great import and joy. The henna tattoo will generally last for several weeks, ushering the bride into her new life with blessing and joy.
As with regular tattooing, henna tattoos do come with a warning. Natural henna should leave a stain that is a dark red brown and should be fairly safe for your skins as long as there are no strange additives. If you see and add for Black Henna, be warned, it is not henna. This Black Henna actually contains no henna, may be derived from other plants or may be entirely chemical. Black Henna can contain p-phenylenediamine which does stain black but can also cause sever allergic reactions and scaring; the Food and Drug Administration has banned its use for henna temporary tattoos.
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