Crescent Moon Designs Henna Howto

Mehndi: The Art of Henna
text and drawing by Natasha Monahan Papousek

Mehndi Recipes
Recipes do not have exact measurements -- more alchemy than applied chemistry. All henna recipes should be prepared in plastic, ceramic or glass bowls, using plastic or stainless steel utensils. Henna reacts with certain metals, such as copper or silver, causing weird greenish colors (actually, I think it's probably the acidity of the mix which leaches metals and causes the reactions). Leftover paste will keep in the fridge for about a week; longer than that and it starts to lose staining power. You can also freeze pre-made henna paste for up to 6months. Quite truthfully, I have tried just about every trick around and the only TRUE secrets to a good stain are: fresh henna powder, heat applied to the design, and essential oils containing terpineols (which includes tea tree oil, ravensara, cajeput, geranium and lavender). If you have really FRESH henna powder, it will make a dark stain even if it's mixed with cold water. Unfortunately, most of us can't go shopping in India or the Middle East and will have to experiment to find a reliable recipe for the henna we have.

Very Simple Recipe
henna powder, sifted
fresh or reconstituted lemon or lime juice

Put sifted henna powder in a bowl (maybe 1 tbl). Add enough lemon or lime juice to create the consistency of toothpaste (sort of). Let sit for at least an hour at room temperature. If it dries out a bit, add a little lemon juice until you have the texture you want.

Popular Indian Recipe
henna powder, sifted
lemon or lime juice
eucalyptus, clove or lavender essential oil
(a special mixture of essential oils for henna is called Mahlabiyah oil)
hot water

Put sifted henna powder in a bowl (1 tbl). Mix one part hot water and one part lemon or lime juice. Mix henna and lemon water with 5 drops essential oil. When it reaches the right consistency, let it rest for at least an hour.

Recipe from United Arab Emirates
henna powder, sifted
dried limes
strong dark tea

Either buy dried limes from an ethnic grocery, or make your own by slicing limes and letting dry naturally or in a warm oven (~200F). Put dried limes in a non-aluminium saucepan, cover with water and simmer until water color changes to reddish-brownish. Add lots of strong dark tea leaves. Boil until tea leaves settle. Strain out the liquid. Mix henna with lime-tea liquid until the paste is a smooth consistency. Rest for at least an hour. Leftover liquid will refrigerate nicely for a long time.

Natasha's very complicated recipe
(inspired by many ideas gleaned from The Henna Page Forum, esp. Diva's Magic Elixir and Pook LaRoux's Dream)
henna powder, sifted
dried limes
whole cloves
fenugreek seeds (also called Methys in Indian stores)
small chunk of tamarind (found in Indian shops)
dried pomegranate seeds (found in Indian shops)
rose petals
cutch extract (found at a natural dye supplier)
black walnut powder (found at the health food store)
black tea
expresso powder
dry red wine (merlot, shiraz, etc.)
Real lime or lemon juice (either fresh and strained, or the bottled variety)
honey

Boil limes, cloves, fenugreek seeds, rose petals, cutch extract, black walnut powder, tea, expresso in water* for a long time until volume is reduced by half. Let cool and strain. The fenugreek makes the texture very thick (almost like cornstarch), so it may take a long time to strain...This makes a lot of liquid. Add some red wine and lemon juice-- maybe 1/4 cup each if you have 2 cups liquid...store leftover liquid in fridge. Mix henna powder and lemon juice until mealy and let sit overnight at room temperature. The next morning add a small amount of honey and warmed (but not boiling) fragrant liquid until you reach a smooth texture. Let sit for a couple hours for full dye release.

*WATER: If you live in a region with soft, acidic water, count your blessings! If you have hard, alkaline water (pH 7.3 and above -- the water in San Diego is around pH 8), then you will need to use either distilled water or substitute lemon juice for the water in this recipe. Hard alkaline water will cancel out the effects of the acids in the mix and will create bland color.

Natasha's Spiked Mordant Recipe
(a fragrant vinegar to bring out extra depth of color in the henna paste -- which is not as acidic as lemon juice, but works well as a substitute for the Magic Elixir)
Medium sized jar with tight-fitting lid
rose petals
dried limes
whole cloves (lots and lots)
fenugreek seeds
dried pomegranate seeds
black tea
fresh henna leaves (if you have a plant)
apple cider or red wine vinegar

Layer dry ingredients in the jar, alternating until the jar is full. Fill with vinegar so all ingredients are covered. Fasten the lid and let sit for about a month, shaking every few days. Strain and bottle. Keeps indefinitely.

The Terped Wonder Mix (this is the result of many hours of dedicated research by henna artists at the Sirius Henna Conference, July 2001, and has been tested and verified by henna artists across the world, including myself. This is now the recipe that I rely on.

1 tbl fresh, sifted henna powder
enough lemon juice to make a paste the consistency of yogurt
1 tsp fine sugar
1/2 tsp essential oil containing high levels of terpineols (either singly or a mixture of: tea tree oil, ravensara, cajeput, geranium, lavender)

Mix henna powder with lemon juice until a mealy paste. Cover and let rest in fridge overnight. The next morning, add the sugar and more lemon juice until you get the desired consistency. Then add your essential oils. Mix thoroughly and load your applicator. Seal the applicator and let rest in the fridge for at least 2 days. As long as it is kept in the fridge, the paste will remain active for at least a week, and in some cases up to a month.

Cleansers for skin preparation
Traditionally rosewater or orangewater is used to remove any excess oils and dirt from the skin before painting. However, you can use any astringent lotion, or even soap and water. I like to use a mixture of witch hazel and rosewater with whole cloves in it.

Application
There are almost as many methods of application as there are recipes, and people are nearly as passionate about their chosen method as they are jealous about their favorite recipes. Some of the more popular (from traditional to modern) are: stick (e.g. toothpick or bamboo skewer), paintbrush, cone (e.g. something akin to a cake decorating cone), syringe (no needle, of course!), squeeze bottle, and squeeze bottles with special metal tips for very fine lines. Experiment to find what works best for you. I like the control of a paintbrush, but get better concentration of paste and therefore color with a syringe, squeeze bottle, or cone. Each method has its pluses and minues. After much experimenting, I've settled on using cake icing bags with stainless steel tips. Lots of hobby stores carry cake decorating supplies and they are very reasonably priced. The squeeze bottles can also be found at hobby stores in the dye section -- they're used to apply resist for silk painting. You can also roll your own cones from mylar wrapping paper.

Setting agent
Once the henna is applied and dried, you need to apply a setting agent to help keep it on the skin, and to further activate the henna staining compounds. Traditionally, a mixture of lemon juice and sugar has been used -- carefully daubed on and allowed to dry. The sugar creates a protective crust and the lemon juice activates the henna. You can also add a drop or two of clove oil to the lemon and sugar mix to intensify the color. And you can cook the lemon-sugar mix to make a long-lasting syrup. I use a 1:1 ratio of sugar to lemon juice to make a thick syrup. You can also use a quick spritz of a spray-on hair gel.

Bandaging
After the setting agent has dried, cover the design with a layer of toilet paper or unrolled cotton balls. Then wrap or cover with plastic wrap. (The plastic wrap is optional in warm climates like Texas.) Tape it securely. I like to use self-stick gauze for hands, wrists and ankles. You can use bandage tape or even scotch tape. As an extra precaution, you can then wrap an ace bandage around the area.

A liquid bandage called "New Skin" which contains clove oil is a good setting agent(I found it in the band-aid section at Walgreens). To facilitate removal of New Skin, I suggest putting a thin layer of toilet paper on first, and then spraying -- the New Skin will soak through the paper and interact with the henna, but once dried, will stick to the paper for easy removal)

Several henna artists swear by liquid latex to cover those parts that don't have hair -- it's flexible and a lot more comfortable than a big bandage. But if you sweat at all under the latex, you will end up with an orange mess when you remove it.

Another method is to use a clear peel-off mask (Freeman's Cucumber & Ginseng Peel-Off Mask is a nice one, and very cheap) to seal the design. Once dried, it holds up well during sleep and other light activities, and then peels off easily in one piece to reveal the new henna design. However, if you sweat at all, it will smear underneath the mask and make a really gooey mess...

This step is so important that I woke up one morning at 4am with a song about it: THE HENNA WRAP

Queen Nefertari does the Henna Wrap...

Heat
Once the design is securely wrapped, it is time to apply heat. The temperature should be warmer than body temperature, but not scalding. I find that a heating pad on med-lo for 20 minutes does the trick. You are trying to encourage the pores to open. If you induce sweating, that is good, because the salts in the sweat further activate the henna making a very nice dark stain -- but don't run a marathon or induce so much sweat (and/or friction) that you wash away the design....!

Heat is also important after you remove the paste to develop the color. So, run that marathon, cuddle up under a down comforter or drink lots of hot coffee for a nice dark stain...

Timing
Try to leave the bandage on as long as possible. Two hours is minimum. Six hours is better. Overnight is preferable. Stay warm. Think warm thoughts. Have a cup of something hot. Cuddle with your cat...

Removal
Once you cut away the bandage, there will probably be some henna paste that stubbornly refuses to scrape off with your fingers. Cocoa butter or light massage oil works great to dislodge henna. You can use any oil or lotion, but be careful not to use lotions with AHAs or other exfoliating agents. Or you can rinse with hot water, and then oil to seal in the design.

Aftercare
Mehndi can last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. The darkness and intensity is a result of many factors: quality henna, good mordants, skin chemistry, heat, and setting time. You can help develop the design by staying warm after you remove your wrap -- exercise, or wear warm clothing. And you can help it last longer by moisturising the area and avoiding harsh chemicals and exfoliants. Applying an aftercare balm with emollient ingredients like cocoa butter will help protect your design from chlorine in the water.

Enjoy your new henna design!

Where to find ingredients:
The henna kits I've tried all worked well, but for a true mehndi addiction, it can get very expensive buying kits every time you want a design.

Check out your local ethnic Indian or Arabic stores. They are great places to get ingredients not usually carried in the regular grocery store: tamarind, pomegranate seeds, fenugreek, even henna powder. Henna powder from these shops needs to be sifted at least three times to get rid of all twigs and gunk. Unless you live in an area with a high ethnic population, there is a good chance that the henna on the shelves will be stale. But at less than $5.00 a box, it's not a big loss to try it and see. Indian grocers will also often import pattern books, so it's worth asking about them.

I love to shop in pharmacies for bandages, New Skin, etc.

There are lots of companies that sell very finely sifted henna, stencils, books, etc.

Castle Art Imports (in Wisconsin), Maison Kenzi (in NYC), HennaCaravan (in LA) and EveryDay Mehndi (in PA) are some reliable places for henna and henna supplies.

For More Information:

Mehndi:The Timeless Art of Henna Painting, Loretta Roome
a lovely book with great photos and lots of ideas -- good section on history and also on design

Mehndi: The Art of Henna Bodypainting, Carine Fabius & Michele M. Garcia
excellent presentation and some information about symbolism

Henna from Head to Toe, Norma Weinberg, illustrated by Catherine Cartwright Jones
a light-weight book with some lovely illustrations and good ideas

The Henna Page: http://www.hennapage.com
History, FAQs, recipes, a henna encyclopedia, and a discussion forum -- highly informative -- I've learned most of my tips from here. Owned by Catherine Cartwright Jones, a mehndi artist and scholar in Ohio, who is very generous with advice, enthusiasm, and patterns. Her help has been invaluable.

HennaTribe.Com: http://www.hennatribe.com
An alliance of henna enthusiasts and professional artists. This is a warm, welcoming community where no question is viewed as stupid.

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