We love Henna designs – they’re stunning, intricate and supply a surprising method to categorical your persona and individuality. The traditional physique artwork has been standard in components of India, Pakistan, Africa, Egypt and the Center East for over 5,000 years, and the short-term brown dye is well-known for adorning fingers, ft legs and arms forward of essential celebrations. In South Asia, it varieties an integral a part of the mehndi social gathering 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 except for trying fairly, how a lot have you learnt 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 blended with water,” she says. The mixture creates a dye that is been used for generations to create short-term designs on the pores and skin.
“Henna is a type of adornment for ladies nearly like jewelry on particular events,” provides Nissa Hussain, director at Fusion Henna. Usually, these designs symbolise “prosperity, wealth, new beginnings, and celebration,” confirms Pavan.
As for a way henna designs have advanced, “henna designs are sometimes a mixture of repetitive motifs corresponding to flowers, vines, mandalas and so forth. Nonetheless, in newer years henna has been tailored to extra modern types and utilized extra merely corresponding to henna rings on the fingers or utilized in a bracelet model as a short lived tattoo,” says Nissa.
The historical past of henna
Henna has an extended, 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 fingers and ft,” explains Pavan. “This may cool the pores and skin down and on the similar time give a vibrant color and perfume. Over time this turned ornamental, and designs would usually replicate on the area folks lived in and the style model on the time. At present, sometimes huge daring designs are Arab model, 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 every dye or any plant extract, it is essential to do a patch take a look at to see how your pores and skin responds. However pure henna is taken into account typically secure to make use of for short-term tattoos.
Nonetheless, be careful for black henna ink (also called PPD), a chemical model that is banned within the UK to be used on pores and skin. It creates darker designs however may cause hurt and burns to the pores and skin. Pure henna ought to be brown or olive in color and odor of vegetation. Pure henna isn’t black.
Be sure to go to a good artist with good critiques. Or, should you’re concerned with 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’ll solely be capable of get it at your native Indian grocery retailer, so this can be a huge deal for us,” says Pavan.
