Does it hurt?
No! At most it will tickle while being drawn. Henna is non-invasive and applied to the surface of your skin, where it will stain only the uppermost layers of your skin cells. Unlike tattoos using needles, the skin barrier is never broken when applying henna.
Is henna permanent?
No! The skin cells that are stained by henna will naturally exfoliate, and your skin returns to normal within a few days to as long as six weeks. There are no permanent side effects from using safe natural red Henna. But, “black” henna CAN hurt you. There’s no such thing as naturally occurring black henna, it has had para-phenylenediamine added to create fast black stains.
How long does it last?
Several factors influence the lifespan of a henna design. The first is placement on the body. Thick, calloused skin, like the palms of hands or soles of feet, are the best locations for henna. With proper care, designs on these areas can last 4-6 weeks, and be very dark. One reason for this is that calloused skin grows out more slowly than the skin on your face. Facial henna lasts one week if you are lucky, and does not usually get very dark. A henna design placed anywhere on your torso is not likely to last more than a week.
How dark will it get?
Just like the lifespan of your design, several things can influence the color as well. Moisture, acidity, time and heat are all ways to force the henna to release as much stain as possible into your skin. After the henna paste has been removed, the pattern will probably be bright orange, and darken over the next couple of days. Then, as your skin grows out, it will start to lighten. Again, proper care can help keep it darker longer.
What about colors? Can I get purple henna?
Any color like black, blue, green or purple is accomplished by adding dye to henna paste. We will not use colored henna, as the dye may cause skin reactions in some people. For some extra color (after the henna design has fully dried) we can add some safe, non-toxic glitter powder, gilding or glitter glue over the finished design. These will come off when the henna paste is removed and will not stain your skin at all.
What is henna made of?
Henna is a plant (lawsonia inermis) that grows throughout the Middle East and India, and various other places. The leaves of the henna plant are harvested and ground to a fine green powder. This powder is mixed with lemon juice, honey and essential oils to form a thin paste which is then applied to the skin.
