What is Henna?

Henna, Coloring the Skin and Hair

Henna has a long history dating back to the Bronze Age and has been used to dye the hair, skin, and fingernails. Henna has been used tradiotnally also as a dye and preservative for leather and cloth. It is cultivated in India, Pakistan, Morrocco, Yemen, and other countries in this area. Thanks to improvments in cultivation and processing, Henna has had a revival of popularity. The U.S. FDA has approved henna for a hair dye, but it is illegal to use henna for body art. Henna that is shipped into the US as use for body art can be seized. Prosecution for using henna for body art rarely happens.

The body art is achieved by applying paste made from the dried and crushed leaves of the henna plant. A chemical, lawsone, bonds itself into the outer layer of skin, leaving a red-brown stain that becomes darker the longer the henna paste is kept in place. The powdered henna is usually mixed with a slightly acidic liquid such as lemon juice or tea. The paste is applied on the skin along a pattern after the paste has 'rested' for at least six hours. This allows the lawsone to develop properly enough to bond with the skin. Some preparations have tea tree oil, lavender oil, or eucalyptus oil to help improve the stain.

It takes some time for a very dark color to develop. The past can be left on for hours, the longer it is left on, the more intense the color result. The past will dry and flake during the time it is left on, so some artists apply a mix of lemon juice and sugar to the paste by dabbing it on. Others may add the sugar directly to the paste which may increase intensity of color as well. When the paste is removed, the stain will be orangish, but will darken over the next several days to a red-brown color. The soles of the feet and palms of the hands have the thickest layers of skin and will absorb the most henna stain. The stain here will be the darkest and last the longest.