Henna Art – Beautiful Dye Arts for Your Hands and Body

An ancient tradition which first originated in Asia, henna art is popular in Asia, the Middle East and parts of Africa. Traditionally, henna was applied on the hand and feet of brides and married women, but in the recent times it is used to make temporary tattoos and body art.

PHOTO BY FLICKR.COM/HENNA BY HEATHER - MEHNDI IN BOSTON / PROVIDENCE M

Henna Art - Decorating Your Body Naturally

While tattoos are permanent and may often get infected, henna art is completely natural - made from fresh henna leaves, and is only temporary. Fresh henna leaves are soaked and ground into a fine paste. This paste is then filled into cones, which are then used to squirt small amounts of the paste onto the body. Using the cones, a lot of different designs can be made on your skin. You will feel cool as the henna is applied on your body. Once the henna art is applied, you have to leave it on for a few hours so it can dry. During that time, avoid smearing the designs or they would be spoilt.

Henna Tattoo - Temporary Tattoos for Everyone

Henna tattoos can be made anywhere on the body. Since henna is completely organic, it is perfectly safe to use it anywhere on your body as long as it does not have added chemicals and preservatives. A henna tattoo is completely painless and has almost no chances of getting infected, unlike the permanent tattoo which is painful and requires a lot of after care and attention. A henna tattoo can be topical, since it is temporary and will fade away in 3 to 4 days any way. There are as many designs in henna tattoos as there are in permanent ones. However, tattoos made with organic henna are only in a single color.

Henna Body Art - Tips for Designers

Designers can always correct their mistakes by simply wiping of the design as soon as the mistake is made. Simply wipe it off with a cotton swab or correct it using a toothpick. There are a lot of henna designs available online and in books. You can copy the designs and make beautiful henna art. Henna body art can be improvised, but the designer should practice caution while doing this because if the design is too complex, greater expertise may be required it handle it. For beginners, it is best to use only simple designs which are sparse. As you gain more expertise, you can make more intricate designs.