Join Me at the Grand Opening of Fluent? Walk-In Henna this Saturday • Noon to 400pm

I am very pleased to be part of a small troupe of local vendors to help kick off the Grand Opening of Fluent. Located on the corner of Post & Normandy in Jacksonville, Florida, the address is 971 Cassatt. This colorful yellow building seems hard to miss, but I had to drive back by to enter correctly.    

There will be some other local vendors, a food truck and.... a doctor to answer your questions. I am sure there will be cool beverages and some shade! 

I will have a tent and plenty of organic henna paste to get the party started. 

If this is your first henna experience, please, please read about henna tattoo from this page. Or have a look at this: Instagram Reel of Hennas

I will offer traditional, tribal and whimsical henna designs using an organic herbal paste mixed with spices and essential oils. 

Twenty years ago I brought along all kinds of pattern books and photo albums. I don't need to do that now. Pinterest has some nice designs as does this blog, and my website. 

Of course you are welcome to call with questions, but this blog should cover most any question you have. 

It is important to have cleans skin, to be able to stay out of water for about six hours, and to be ale to provide good aftercare to get the deepest color. 

I am new to Fluent. I have not yet met anyone there, but we have talked by phone. This is a trust appearance for me.

I am hopeful all goes well. Namaste. Ann   

#hennatattoo, #spiritvisionhenna #organichennapaste #bodyart #temporaryhenna           

Henna Tattoo in 2020! Come to my new location!

Greetings! It has been a long road to some henna tattoo this year! I did not want to work until the Governor gave all Tattoo Artists the OK to go back to work. Although my art does not penetrate the skin, we are going to be very close to one another... there is no way around it.  

I am happy to say I found a new henna powder that is fresh and fragrant and gives a deep red color when well cared for. Caring for your henna is your part of the process. Putting a good design with quality henna paste is my part.

Preparation is critical this year as we have hand sanitizers to watch out for.  I have no idea what a hand sanitizer will do to henna if you have it on your skin before we decorate, but it is best if you come with clean skin. As well, you will not be able to use a sanitizer while you have henna on.

To preserve your henna, please keep a light coat of a natural oil over your design. The best oils are olive, coconut, and avocado. Please do not use grape seed oil, for some reason it takes the color from the design.

If you put oil over your henna before you put your hands in water, your design will last as long as is possible. I do not use any dyes or chemicals in my paste. This is not black henna, nor is it from a tube made anywhere else. I have been making paste for 20 years now and promise you there are only fresh  food quality ingredient.s

My opening day should be Saturday, June 6th at The Studios located at 1506 King Street. I don't know if we will have social distancing markers on the floor..... but I am sure we can manage. This year I will not have a phone gallery of photos to share with everyone.. (you know.. Covid).. but I did put all the images in that gallery on line at my Facebook Page. You can find Spirit Vision Henna on Facebook. If you follow my page you will have all the updates.

Please bring cash this year. It will keep me from having to stop everything to swipe a card.. and with lemon sugar & henna paste on hand.. cash is easy. Designs start at $15, the bigger ones are $20. Have a great week and come see me Saturday.

How to Get the Best Henna Tattoo

In Jacksonville, Florida, you have the opportunity to be decorated in the “color of love” by an artist with 20 years experience in the art of henna tattoo. 

Henna tattoo is a body art that stains the skin leaving a red to reddish brown design that can last 7 to 10 days if you take good care of your canvas.       

Fresh and fragrant henna paste is made using food grade tea & spices. First quality essential oils and fresh henna powder are combined to make a calming paste that flows easily onto your skin.     

Traditionally applied to the hands and feet, the purpose of henna is to compliment the natural beauty of the client. Every one has different hands!  Some are more square, some long and thing, some are oval and some are rugged. 

Every design will not look good on you. In fact, if you are a tiny person, some of the designs you see online may not fit as pictured on your hand.  

It is good to tell your artist the style of henna you like, or to have a few images in your phone of designs you prefer. Please note that a $15 design will give you a simple, yet lovelyhenna design.

If you would like a full backhand henna design with cuff, then that pattern choice will cost more. Henna pricing is determined by the amount of time it takes to accomplish your pattern. 

Some hennas that take up a lot of room on the hand may cost $15 as the art is open and bold.   Other henna tattoos that cover the backhand with a cuff may cost $30. (Pricing is per hand - or foot. )

If you do choose to have henna applied to your feet here are few tips:

• Wear shoes that do not cover the area where you want the design. 

• Please come when it is not raining! 

• Please exfoliate and do not apply any lotion to your feet at all! 

So, to get the best henna tattoo, tell your artist the styles you like and how much you want to spend. Then, relax and enjoy the experience. 

Spirit Vision Henna has a large portfolio of images to look at when you come to the shop. As well there are many photos on this blog. Like us on Facebook to see even more patterns. 

You can walk in most Saturdays between 12:30 & 5:00 pm to get a henna tattoo at Midnight Sun in Five Points, Jacksonville. We are pleased to work in one of the loveliest shops in town.

If you have a bit of a wait, there is so much to see! 

Henna Art • Relax & Be Decorated!

Many first time henna clients in Jacksonville, Florida are new to the idea of henna, or mehandi which is a temporary “tattoo”. 

There are no needles used. A fragrant paste is created by your artist to stain your skin. The finished color depends on you! 

The goal of a true henna artist is to make you look beautiful! Every woman has a different hand shape and therefore I design a custom tattoo to make your hand, wrist, arm, foot or ankle as lovely as possible. 

Henna is a freehand art form, and as I have been practicing this art for 20 years, I just need a little bit of direction from you. I need to know if you like “Tribal”, “Floral” or “Traditional” henna patterns. 

While it is fine to bring along a photo from the Internet to give me an idea of the style you like, on a “Walk In” henna day the goal is for everyone who wants some art to enjoy the process and receive a lovely design. 

Complex designs that look great on Pinterest usually take a good while to apply, cost much more than $15 or $20, and may or may not make your hand look lovely. 

Many designs from the web that I am seeing these days are very symmetric! Henna hands don’t match. The beauty of the art lies between the chaos and the negative space. 

I have a portfolio of over 300 designs for you to review. I have pattern books as well, and you are welcome to browse through them to give me an idea of what you like. 

What works best is for you to tell me how much you want to spend and the style you like. Then, please allow me to give you the best henna tattoo for your hand shape and budget!

Please come with oil free, product free skin. (Henna cannot penetrate body oils & lotions.) Please put the henna some where you can allow the paste to be exposed to the Sun. Henna is a heat activated body art. 

This Saturday we should have a nice warm day, and no rain. Although a sunny day is best, partly cloudy will do just fine. Cash preferred. Debit & Credit accepted. Please visit my blog for more information. 

Henna day begins at 12:30 this Saturday, June 24, 2017 at Midnight Sun. This is one of the loveliest import stores I have ever seen. There are wonderful clothes, jewels, stones, soaps, incense.... I am sure you will enjoy the shop if there is a wait for your henna. 

For more information you may visit my Facebook page or call 904-993-7466.

Henna Tattoo Patterns • Simple, Elegant Body Art in Jacksonville, Florida.

Here are a few photos from the Spirit Vision Henna event at Midnight Sun, 1055 Park Street, Jacksonville, Florida. Walk in for henna most every Saturday 12:30 - 5:00 pm. 

Henna Tattoo - Paste On & Paste Off - This is Henna Tattoo

Here is a photo of a lovely peacock henna tattoo. Notice that the henna picture on the right looks like black henna - of course it is not.  

The photo page left is henna paste on the skin. The photo on page right is a photo of the henna paste on the skin.

As you will see from further posts, henna takes a different color for each person. Natural henna tattoo, which is drawn on the skin, will always be a reddish brown.

All colors of skin accept henna tattoo.  Your aftercare determines whether you get dark color or not.

This is a photo of paste on the skin (again page left) and a good finished color on page right.

Those who will keep oil on the skin after the paste has come off will get far better color than those who do not.

As well, those who let their design get good and hot - who spend time in the sun, or use the plastic glove provided will also get a darker stain.

It will always take 48 hours for the finished color to show up. Good aftercare information is available on my site - as well as on this blog.


As you scroll down the page you will see that each client chose her own stye, and that some had a darker finished color than others.

Some clients will give have a more red stain, other more brown and still others may get a black cherry read.

I have fresh henna powder and use a very find mix of organic lemon juice, "henna tea" and essential oils to give you a fine dark color.

I always welcome "after" photos from my clients. It really helps people understand what henna tattoo really is.



The final tattoo is a traditional pattern. I enjoy doing traditional henna style very much.

All the henna on the page is  freehand tattoos, however sometimes clients bring in a design from the web.

Often these designs are done in a body paint, but sometimes they are henna tattoo.

Please enjoy the designs here, or go window shopping for others.

I offer walk in henna tattoo at Midnight Sun, 1055 Park Street, Jacksonville, Florida each Saturday. Just walk in between 12:30 & 5:00.

Designs start at $15. I am not open any other day of the week. Private parties and corporate events may be scheduled.

Henna Tattoo Tips & Aftercare.

I am very pleased with the results of my 5 minute test of my henna paste. Henna powder harvested 2015 stains very quickly, giving a deep reddish brown on my finger tip with no special care taken at all.

After care.
If you want to get the best henna tattoo possible here are very helpful pointers!

1. Be sure your hands are clean!
   
2.  Do not wear body lotion.
3. Do not have hand sanitizer on your skin.
4. Leave your henna paste on at least 3 hours.
5. Remove your henna design by gently scraping the paste from your skin.
6. Use olive or coconut oil to remove any excess paste.
7. Keep a natural oil (not grape seed) on your henna for the first 3 days.
8. Put oil over your design before taking a shower.
9. Keep your henna out of water (chlorine in tap water can bleach the color.)
10. Remember -  heat is good for henna. Walk in the sun, sweat a bit. 

Henna works by penetrating the layers of the skin. The longer the paste stays on the skin the darker the finished color will be.

• How long will my henna tattoo last? 

If you follow the instructions above, you should get very good color because you are taking care to keep the stain in the skin. The complete design should show for at least one week. Henna will then begin to fade as skin cells regenerate. 

• How long will it take to do a henna tattoo?

In general a $15 design can be done in 10 minutes or so. The time it takes to apply depends on where you want the henna tattoo, how complex a design you choose, how large a design you choose. 

If you are on a budget - just tell me how much you want to spend and what style of henna you prefer. I am sure to create something you will enjoy and can easily afford. 

• What else should I know?

Henna is for the hands and feet. You will always get your best finished color there. The henna will provide a lighter stain on the arms and legs. I prefer not to do the back nor the upper arm. I will - however you will not get the same deep stain as you would on your hands. 

I look forward to decorating you this year!! Henna is offered most every Sunday from 12:30 - 5:00 in the lovely ambiance of Midnight Sun, 10055 Park Street, Jacksonville, FL. 32204.

Rainy Day Henna? and it's 75 degrees? Call to see if there is henna today.

I realize that many people think that the photo on the left is "henna tattoo." 

It is - the first part of the process. This is a photo of henna paste on the skin. 

Henna is not black! A henna tattoo begins with with application of paste on the skin. The photo page left is the beginning of a process and not the finished henna tattoo. 

Henna is a Heat Activated Body Art. 

This means that is needs to be warm outside for the dye that is in that henna paste to stain your skin. Henna is most often applied in Africa, India and cultures of the Middle East. It is hot there. Few places have air conditioning. 

A good henna tattoo happens when it is at least 85 degrees, and you are prepared to sweat a little bit. When it is hot, your pores open and the stain can penetrate your skin more deeply. If you are glistening - the paste will not dry up as fast, rather it will stay damp and active. 

If it is raining hard, that is heavy thunderstorms,  I do not come out to offer henna. Bright, hot, sunny days are best for a sucessful henna tattoo. Hot cloudy days will do, but 90 degrees is a good hot. 75 degrees is not hot. I now have a very good crop of henna that makes a paste that leave a good stain if left on only 5 minutes (on the palm) on a 75 degree day. 

 Rainy days make it more likely the henna paste you see above will get wet. Water ruins the process. In fact, putting oil on your skin after the paste comes off help you get a good henna tattoo. 

If you look at the second picture- you will see good henna tattoo. The black paste on the skin and the finished henna 48 hours later (the reddish brown colored stain) on the right. 

This dark color is a quality color. This is what henna is all about. This kind of color takes fresh powder, a good paste, and client who is willing to take care of their process and a bright, bright, sunshiny  day! 

I hope this helps all who are waiting for henna. The reddish color you see is what we are waiting for. 

All too often I hear people say "henna doesn't work on me." If you have poor circulation, then you may not get as dark a stain as a young, healthy person. 

However, if you follow the instruction on your after care sheet, and wait with me for the weather to heat up just a bit more.... we will make some art! 

I look forward to the start of henna season!! 

Henna Paste - Yes, there are secrets to great color!

This is a fine example (un-retouched) of a good henna stain. As is always true, the best color is achieved on the palms of the hands.

The palm is the most porous and fleshy part of the tattooable body. However, the kind of color that you see in this photo occurs when the finest quality paste is used.

Recently, shoppers buying boxes of henna at Midnight Sun have asked about the process.  They wonder what to do with this box of powder.

To be helpful, I have published a basic henna paste recipe on my site. It is not the recipe I am using this year, as I have perfected the basics to get a paste that I like very much. It is easy to apply, takes to the skin very well, and gives a good read color even on the back of the hands.

Important things to know about making a great paste are:

• It takes two days preparation to get the very best paste. The first day you mix the henna with lemon juice. I use lemon juice and a special tea composed of spices, herbs, flowers and other ingredients to help the henna stay to the skin and of course to give the darkest color possible. The second day you add the essential oils. 
• You get the best henna paste in the spring or summer time. Why? Because you can put the henna in the sun. Henna is a heat activated dye. Heat is required to get the powder to release the day. (As well, heat helps the paste cure in the skin.)  I put my paste in a metal bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, put that in a sealed bag, and set it on the porch. The bowl is covered to prevent the paste from drying out. 
• It is important to make the paste thin enough so that it is easy to work with. A more liquid paste handles well, and it penetrates the skin better. 
• I use a plastic cone to apply the henna. The squeeze bottle becomes difficult to work with overtime. You may cut off the tip of the cone to create the smallest opening that is possible for a good henna flow. If a line is too thin, you can go back over it. If a line is too think, there is not much to do about that as a good paste will begin to stain instantly.
• It is wise to invest in a good collection of essential oils. I have at least 6 that I use on any given paste. They include: cajeput, lavender, geranium, basil, cardamom, clove, neroli, tea tree, and... one or two more. You can visit different site to see what kinds of oils other artists use.
• I prefer henna powder from Henna Sooq at this time. I have used others, and there are many fine providers, but I am having excellent results with a combination of three powders from that company. 

In short, I have been working to make the a good henna paste for over 10 years. I have learned a good deal in the process. I encourage you to enjoy the journey. I do not recommend using premixed henna cones from a local store. If you want to buy henna cones already made to use, then visit a site that sells you fresh/frozen henna and ships it via Priority Mail. 

Hoping you found this post helpful. 

Namaste.

Henna Tattoo This Friday - 7/12/13 - at The Midnight Sun.

Spirit Vision Henna Tattoo will offer all styles of henna body art for you this Friday, 7/12/13, at The Midnight Sun located at 1055 Park Street in Riverside. Walk-ins are welcome! Artists should be on site @ 2PM.

Pictured here is a quick, traditional henna tattoo for a Mom on the go! Keeping the paste off the wrist ensures that the design will be easy to wear throughout the day.

There is plenty of space around her wedding ring, so no worries there, and the vine pattern moves easily with the fingers.

A little spritz of lemon/sugar ensures that this paste will stay in place and give a nice finished color.

One of the secrets of a successful henna paste is to add herbs and spices that cause the paste to adhere to the skin. I have found that fenugreek is a great addition to help make henna paste easy to work with. Fenugreek also makes it easy to draw nice long lines that don't break.

Of course I am using a combination of three very fine henna powders from the Henna Sooq to ensure you get the best color possible.

Designs start at $15 and go up from there. As always there are plenty of pattern books to choose from, our you can visit my portfolio on line at my website - Spirit Vision Henna. Feel welcome to call to for more information. Th 

Henna Tattoo to Celebrate Preganancies

Here is a lovely hearts and flowers style tattoo that an expectant mother choose to celebrate the birth of a daughter.

It was a pleasure to do this henna, and baby was quite helpful, very still during the process.

I always make a special paste for expecting mothers, and am sure that all essential oils used in the paste are safe for pregnancy.

If you are thinking of celebrating the upcoming birth of your child, please notice that it is important to wear clothing that will allow the paste to remain on your skin in an undisturbed way.

Low rider pants or an elastic waistband in skirt or pant makes it easy to keep the henna safe. A crop top or other blouse that can be pulled out of the way also ensures that the design will be able to rest on the skin as long as possible.

It is also wonderful to have a driver, so that you may recline on the way home, and watch out for the seat belt!! Some bring a towel to place between the henna and the seat belt. It is best to do this kind of henna now.... heat of the summer..... so that the paste can penetrate the skin as deeply as possible. For more information on why henna works, visit my FAQ page.

I want henna tattoo today!! Why can't I get one?

Spirit Vision Henna is hoping for Spring! For warm, dry, sunny weather...... for henna weather to happen.

Thanks to all who are calling to make appointments for henna tattoo. I am so sorry that I have not been able to accommodate you.

Henna is a heat activated body art. The best paste happens when all the ingredients combined are allowed to rest in warm weather for a day or two. The heat releases the dye from the crushed henna leaves and this is how we get a good paste.

The photo on the right is a picture of the henna paste on the skin. This is not how your finished henna will look, but is a photo of the process.

If you notice, the shading technique was used so that this design when finished will have very bold lines as well as shaded areas.

To get deep rich henna tattoo, it is best to apply the paste when the weather is warm.... 75 degrees at the very least, and 80+ is best. It is also easier to get a good outcome when the weather is dry. (This way, you won't get rain on your henna, and the paste won't smudge or be damaged by water droplets.)

I usually pick one day a week to offer henna, and is seems this year, 2013, henna will happen on Saturdays at The Midnight Sun, 1055 Park Street, Jacksonville, Florida 32204 - weather permitting. Please call 904-993-7466 to schedule your henna appointment.

I have not made up any paste for this Saturday, but see that Wednesday of next week looks like a good day to make the paste. For more information on the paste, ingredients and the henna process, please visit my page about henna powder.

If you scroll down the page a bit, you will see some of the ingredients used. It is the combination of these ingredients, plus the application of a lemon sugar glaze, and good after care by the customer that results in a finished henna tattoo like the one you see pictured at left.

You will notice the color is darker at the fingertips and and fades to brown as you get near the wrist. This is completely natural. This is the quality of color I hope to offer you every time.

To be able to offer this kind of color, I prepare the paste two days ahead. This is why I prefer to do henna by appointment, or on the same day each work.

This is photo of "bridal quality" henna. I have plenty of design books to choose from, or you may have a freehand henna design like the one you see here.

Henna Tattoo for the Palm • Available This Saturday in Jacksonville, Florida.

Here is a photo of a quick henna tattoo for the palm.

The palm is another excellent place to put henna tattoo as it is still a bit early in the year, and we don't have the hot temperatures necessary to give the darkest color.

Henna on the palm of the hand always gives the darkest stain, and depending on your skin tone, you may expect any color from a dark red, black cherry red or a deep rich brown.

Henna takes best on the palms as we have more pores there, so more places for henna to penetrate the skin.

The inner arm, or the outer arm as shown in the previous post, will also give good color.

As the weather warms up, it will be easier to put henna in other places and hope for a nice dark stain.

For those new to henna, this is a photo of the henna paste on the skin. Henna is not black when finished.

If it rains this Saturday, some care will be necessary to ensure your henna tattoo stays dry until the paste has stained the skin. Curious? Visit my FAQ page before stopping by The Midnight Sun this Saturday, 3/23/13 for your henna tattoo.