Le Henna

Ingredients

henna

lemon juice
eucalyptus oil
clove oil
clove powder
sugar
non metal bowl and spoon
optional- essential oils

Step 1

Mix henna in non metal bowl and spoon to make sure it is fine and clump free. This is an important step because if there are clumps and stems, it will clog the flow of henna.

Step 2

Add lemon juice to henna and mix. Be sure not to add all of the lemon juice at once. You can't take the juice out of henna. Mix a bit of lemon juice and mix until the consistency is like toothpaste or mashed potatoes. The lemon juice is acidic making henna stain longer.

Step 3

Add eucalyptus oil to thin the henna and lemon juice, more like mashed potatoes. This also adds scent to the henna.

Step 4

Adding a little bit of sugar helps the consistency so it wont be too runny.

Step 5

Clove powder adds a great scent and again, the consistency is more mashed potato like.

Step 6

The clove oil enhances the scent and adds to the quality of henna.

Step 7

Essential oil (of your choice) adds a nice fragrance to your henna and gives it a mood to enjoy.

Step 8

This is the final product, mashed potato consistency. Notice the green color. After 12 hours the color will deepen and settle. The chemical bonds between the henna and lemon juice become strong making the stain last longer.

Step 9

Cover henna and store in warm place for 12 hours. Over a refrigerator will do the trick.

Step 10

To check if the henna is ready for application, move the top layer and check to see if the lower layer is the green color you started with. If it is, you are good to go!

Step 11

Scoop up the henna and place into a plastic bag. It is not necessary to be clean and precise at this stage. You will be transferring this into another bag for a more concentrated flow of the henna.

Step 12

Cut a hole in the corner of the bag with the henna and squeeze into the second plastic bag. Be sure to squeeze the henna into a corner of the bag so it is evenly able to flow.

Step 13

Cut a very small hole in the corner of the bag to release the flow of the henna. Squeeze out a line to feel the flow and see the size of the line.

Step 14

Prep the skin by exfoliating and cleansing to let the henna deeply stain the skin. Dry skin and do not follow with moisturizer. The skin needs to be clean and dry to allow henna to stain.

Step 15

Now is the fun part! Get comfortable and start designing!

It is helpful to have an incense stick to help make the design more appealing by creating very small details.


Step 16

Wrap the area in saran wrap to protect it from movement. This also help the henna settle. Leave wrapped for at least 6 hours. Over night is the best. Wash off with water and...

Step 17

This is the final product. This will darken in the days to come and will fade until it eventually goes away. This will last a good 2 weeks. This is a great way to see if you are a tattoo person, try it out for yourself.