Thursday, November 4, 2010

Henna Body Design

Henna is a tropical or shrub called Lawsonia in inermis which has natural dyeing and conditioning properties. The paste made from the dried and powdered leaves of the Henna plant is used in creating intricate ethnic or contemporary designs on various parts of the body.
Though traditionally, applied to the hands and feet of women, where it long played a significant part in the wedding rituals across cultures, Henna is now becoming a fashion statement in the western culture, as a contemporary tattoo.
Henna is originated from Arabs who normally use it to beautify themselves anytime they are getting married, when in their husband's house and may be used for conditioning the hair or giving the hair color.
Before starting the Henna design, the skin is cleaned thoroughly with warm water and soap to remove lotion, perfume, powder, or oil, since it takes between 24 to 48 hours for the dye to get to its peak color. Anyone designing it should ensure that the spot with the design is not washed for as long as it takes the colors to settle.
Permanent tattoos are not easily removed and in some cases it may cause permanent discoloration.
Henna body design will last anywhere from few days to weeks. It fades off naturally in 2 to 3 weeks, depending on the original color of the henna, where it is placed on the skin, how long it is left on the skin, your skin type, the number of soap water washings and any exfoliation in the area.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Body Painting With Henna

Painting body with henna is an increasing trend in many countries. Mostly women living in Middle East and Far East paint their bodies with henna. Some do it as a ritual and other do it for fun. The exquisite and delicate designs are what make painting the body with henna so much interesting. The custom of painting the body with henna dates back 5000 years. The interesting thing about this kind of painting is that it is temporary and one can create new designs every four weeks. So people looking for temporary tattoo and painting can opt for henna body painting as it is safe, reliable, cheap and easy to use. Also it provides the exquisite and imaginative look which people really love.
Painting your body with henna can be time consuming if you opt for difficult and delicate designs. There are certain things that one must be aware off before painting their body with henna. One can buy henna online from many websites but the important thing to be considered is that the quality should be exemplary in order to get the best reddish-brown color. If henna paste is applied for a small period of time and then washed it will leave a pale color. Similarly if it is applied for a longer period of time like several hours then it will leave a dark reddish-brown color which will take about 4 to 6 weeks to wear off. Also the process of painting body with henna is painless. It is only applied on the surface of the skin and not injected into the skin like other body art.
An important thing to remember here is that one must be aware of their allergies. Sometimes the oils in henna paste cause rashes and other allergic reactions, to avoid such situations these people can use purified henna. Traditionally henna was applied to the hair, foot and hands and mostly during special events like weeding and other ritualistic events. These days the trend is increasing solely because of the quality and advantages of painting the body with henna over other forms of body art. Painting the body with henna portrays creativity and delicacy.