Henna Tattoo & The Rainy Season in Jacksonville

Spirit Vision Henna will not be offering henna tattoo this Saturday, June 17, 2017 due to the long week of rainy weather. 

It has been raining every day for the last four or perhaps five days in Jacksonville, Florida. 

Although the forecast for Saturday promises 90 degrees and no rain, I am skeptical. 

I prefer to make henna paste when it is at least 80 degrees Farenheit and the weather is sunny. 

If it is 90 degrees, the henna powder will release good color in a day. 

At 80 degrees, I prefer to allow two days for the paste to develop. (I have always made my own henna paste with fresh, first quality ingredients.) 

As a henna artist who has been offering mehandi for 20 years, most often on Saturday, I can tell you that it seems that the weather is conspiring against me. Four or five years ago, henna season began in late February or early March.

As the weather stays cool longer, henna season starts later & later. This year I could not get a really offer first quality henna until early May. 

Many people do not know that henna is a heat activated body art and that the preparation of a good henna paste is required heat and dry weather. 

I cure my henna outside on my porch. I leave it on the ledge the first day. I will bring it in to rest, and essential oils and put it out to release the dye again the next day.

have not been able to make a fresh paste this week. The weather has been humid and overcast. Making henna paste in humid weater really doesn’t work well. The powder seems to absorb water from the air regardless of the protection I take to keep the paste dry. This results in a poor quality stain. 

If you come in for a henna tattoo, spend time and money to buy a lovley desing, I want you get the best color possible. 

If you take your henna tattoo out in to the sunshine and allow it to cure for several hours this really helps you get good color.  The hotter you get, the more you perspire, the more your pores will open. This allows the paste to penetrate deeper into your skin. 

The henna will take 48 hours to develop. Again, after you scrape the paste off your skin, if you will stay warm you will get a better stain. In short - the hotter you get, the better your finished color. 

72 degrees is too “cold” to get the best color.  80 or 90 degrees is just fine for a good stain. I realize that many people keep their homes in the low 70s in Summer. To get a good stain there are steps you can take to keep your henna hot while you stay cool:

• After you scrape the paste from your skin, you may choose to wear a glove to keep your henna warm.
• Please keep oil on your henna tattoo to keep the heat in and water out. 
• You may choose to use a blow dryer to heat your henna up from time to time.
• If you got henna on your wrist or inner arm, you may also use a plastic film to trap heat and help the color devleop. 

I am hoping next week we will have good weather! 

Fresh henna paste is ready - an introduction to the process of making a good paste.

Henna paste that gives the deepest, longest lasting color, takes me 48 hours to prepare. It is possible to get a good paste in 24 hours, but the best paste, in my humble opinion, is given time and temperature for the henna leaves to release their dye.

On Wednesday morning I began the process by melting two "cubes" of prepared henna tea (I learned to mix a tea over 10 years ago, and have been adjusting it ever since,) adding some lemon juice, and after letting that cool, I added three henna powders to the liquid.

It is important for me to select a good texture for the paste on the first day. I find it better to make a bit thicker paste on the first day, that way I can adjust it with essential oils and other liquids to make it the consistency that I prefer to work with on day two.

After mixing the tea, lemon, powder and a touch of cajeput oil on day one, I put this in a stainless steel bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, but that wrap in a plastic bag, and put that on the porch to cure in the sun.

The warm summer sun on the porch helps the henna to release the dye. On the morning of the second day, I check to see if the dye has been released. This can be determined by just looking at the paste in the bowl. The past will be darker and you may see a reddish liquid at the bottom of the bowl.

On the second day I add a combination of essential oils ( called "terping") to help the paste continue to release the darkest dye, as well, to make the paste into a workable texture. I have learned over the years that a more liquid paste is easier to apply, stays wet on the skin longer, and gives a darker color.

I now use about 8 oils in the blend, although not all the oils each time. Sometimes I mix the batch with fewer. Oils that I have use are:

• clove
• cajeput
• basil
• neroli
• naioli
• cardamom
• tea tree
• geranium
• lavender

You can visit other sites to see lists of other oils. I am satisfied with the nice reds I am able to get on the back of the hand using this method. 

If you have a look at the video below, you will see a nice, fluid paste that goes on well. I like to use this viscosity myself. I hope you find this post helpful. 

You may see colors of the results of this recipe on my FaceBook page.

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.