Let your henna dry first.. then gild it.

Here is a photo of a gilded henna tattoo. This is also an example of the "Chef's Choice" option, which means you give me your hand, tell me how much you want to spend, and wait to see the result.

I realized again on Saturday that because I am familiar with henna and the process of gilding, that I may not always give a complete explanation to new customers. For that reason, I will now go over some basics. If this is old news to you.. please forgive.

The dark colored lines you see in the picture are of henna paste that has dried, been glazed with lemon sugar, and is "stuck" onto the skin. This dried paste is not the finished tattoo. Under the paste, henna is interacting with your skin to stain it some shade of red to reddish brown. The finished color of your tattoo will develop over the next two days. The initial color you see when the paste is removed will darken.

The other colors you see in the photo (click the photo for a larger image) are very temporary.. they will only last a day. The process of adding these temporary body paints is called gilding. If you want your henna tattoo gilded, there is no extra charge. There is extra drying time. It is very important that the henna paste (the darker lines) dries before the gilding is added. The gilding colors are made with cosmetic powders and glitters in a carrier base that is made of hair setting gel. This gel is a liquid, and can blur the henna tattoo if applied to early.

Now, if you are new to henna, it is important to remember that you must let your henna tattoo dry before becoming active. Failure to do so results is a smudged or running tattoo.. particularly if you spill a beverage on the design!!! Touch ups are sometimes possible, sometimes.. not so possible, but if you do need one during the henna party, you may have to wait until I have finished the tattoo I am working on.

Sometimes, hennas are smudged long after you've left the shop & a repair is not possible. Should this happen, no worries. Just remove all the henna paste from your skin, apply a vegetable oil.. and wait for the color to develop over the next few days. More information as well as FAQ are online at spiritvisionhenna.com