We love Henna designs – they’re stunning, intricate and provide a surprising solution to specific your character and individuality. The traditional physique artwork has been well-liked 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 palms, ft legs and arms forward of necessary celebrations. In South Asia, it types an integral a part of the mehndi get together 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 are you aware about Henna?
What’s henna?
When you’d be forgiven for pondering henna was the identify 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 mix 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. Typically, these designs symbolise “prosperity, wealth, new beginnings, and celebration,” confirms Pavan.
As for a way henna designs have developed, “henna designs are sometimes a mixture of repetitive motifs similar to flowers, vines, mandalas and so forth. Nonetheless, in more moderen years henna has been tailored to extra modern kinds and utilized extra merely similar to henna rings on the fingers or utilized in a bracelet fashion as a brief 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 could be unfold on the palms of the palms and ft,” explains Pavan. “This could cool the pores and skin down and on the similar time give a vibrant color and perfume. Through the years this turned ornamental, and designs would typically replicate on the area individuals lived in and the style fashion on the time. Right this moment, usually huge daring designs are Arab fashion, 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 necessary to do a patch check 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 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 and odor of vegetation. Pure henna is rarely black.
Be sure you go to a good artist with good critiques. Or, if you happen to’re excited by having a go your self, select a dependable stockist. “We now 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.
