We love Henna designs – they’re lovely, intricate and provide a surprising solution to categorical your character and individuality. The traditional physique artwork has been well-liked in elements of India, Pakistan, Africa, Egypt and the Center East for over 5,000 years, and the non permanent brown dye is well-known for adorning arms, ft, legs and arms forward of essential celebrations. In South Asia, it kinds an integral a part of the mehndi occasion for brides forward of their marriage ceremony day, the place it symbolises good well being and prosperity, plus a deep bond the darker it goes. It is also used to symbolise pleasure, kindness, well being, wealth and peace throughout many cultures. However apart from wanting fairly, how a lot are you aware about Henna?
What’s henna?
When you’d be forgiven for considering henna was the title of the paintings, “henna is definitely a plant,” explains Pavan Dhanjal, CEO of Pavan Henna. Historically, “the leaves could be crushed up right into a powder and combined with water,” she says. The mix creates a dye that is been used for generations to create non permanent designs on the pores and skin.
“Henna is a type of adornment for girls nearly like jewelry on particular events,” provides Nissa Hussain, director at Fusion Henna. Typically, these designs symbolise “prosperity, wealth, new beginnings, and celebration,” confirms Pavan.
As for the way henna designs have advanced, “henna designs are sometimes a mixture of repetitive motifs equivalent to flowers, vines, mandalas and so forth. Nevertheless, in more moderen years, henna has been tailored to extra modern kinds and utilized extra merely equivalent to henna rings on the fingers or utilized in a bracelet type as a short lived tattoo,” says Nissa.
The historical past of henna
Henna has a protracted, wealthy historical past, however earlier than it was used for adornment, it served a extra sensible function. “Henna was used centuries in the past in hotter climates to chill down the pores and skin. It might be unfold on the palms of the arms and ft,” explains Pavan. “This is able to cool the pores and skin down and on the similar time give a vibrant color and perfume. Over time this grew to become ornamental, and designs would usually replicate on the area individuals lived in and the style type on the time. At present, sometimes large daring designs are Arab type, intricate designs are from India, thick floral designs from the Punjab and tribal designs with symmetry are from the African area,” she provides.
Is henna secure to make use of?
As with all dye or plant extract, it is essential to do a patch check to see how your pores and skin responds. However pure henna is taken into account usually secure to make use of for non permanent tattoos.
Nevertheless, be careful for black henna ink (also referred to as PPD), a chemical model that is banned within the UK to be used on pores and skin. It creates darker designs however could cause hurt and burns to the pores and skin. Pure henna needs to be brown or olive in color (by no means black) and scent of crops.
Be sure to go to a good artist with good evaluations. Or, if you happen to’re excited by having a go your self, select a dependable stockist. “Now we have our Henna Bar in Selfridges and we additionally promote our henna there. We have launched on-line with them, too,” says Pavan. It is the primary time Selfridges has stocked henna. “Earlier than, you’d solely be capable to get it at your native Indian grocery retailer, so it is a large deal for us,” says Pavan.