What is Henna?
Henna Body Art is a thousands year old tradition. Evidence of its use as a cosmetic has been discovered on mummies of ancient Egypt!
Henna (Lawsonia Inermis) is a woody shrub that thrives in hot and arid climates. The henna plant produces extremely fragrant, and delicate flowers, which have been used in perfumes since ancient times. The leaves are harvested, dried, and ground into a fine powder. It is this lovely silken green powder that, when made into a paste and applied to the skin, produces the familiar red/burgundy stains that have adorned the hands and feet of women for thousands of years and in more than 60 countries. India seems to be the country we most commonly associate with the use of henna. However, the people of North Africa (Tunisia, Libya, Egypt to name a few) as well as Iraq, Iran, Pakistan and other Middle-Eastern cultures have traditions infused with the act of applying henna during auspicious, and celebratory times. Henna has since spread in modern times, to nearly every continent, creating a diverse world of henna designs and artists.
What is in henna?
Heartfire Henna uses only the freshest and purest henna procured from India and Pakistan. Our paste recipe is made by hand, using such common ingredients as black tea, sugar, and essential oils of cajuput and lavender.
Henna and the art of patience
Natural henna moves at its own pace, refusing to be hurried. To begin, the paste requires a full 24 hours of sitting and stirring before it is ready to apply. Once the henna paste has been applied, the plant will once again asks us to wait...for about 4-6 hours, before the paste is removed. This glorious plant will ask for our patience one last time: when the paste is first removed, we must wait up to 48 hours for the initial light orange stain to mature and darken. Patience, and the absence of water during this time, will allow the stain to mature to a beautiful dark brown/burgundy, resulting in deep satisfaction!
Natural henna is never black!
There is a trend amongst some henna 'artists' to add a dangerous chemical called PPD (Para-phenylenediamine, also known as black hair dye) to their henna paste. The intention is to accelerate and intensify the stain color, but the result is often a severe allergic reaction, which can lead to scarring, and even a lifelong issue with chemical sensitivities. For more information, click here. Please, always ask your henna artist what is in their henna paste! Natural henna is safe and has been used by a plethora of cultures and religions for thousands of years.