The Ancient Art of Henna Tattoos

Thursday 29th of January 2009 01:36:35 PM [Add To This Article]

Mehndi:
The Ancient Art of Henna Tattoos

Men and women alike are turning out in droves to discover the ephemeral beauty of mehndi, an ancient way of decorating the body with powders derived from the henna plant. Henna creates a reddish-auburn dye that, aside from its uses as a medium for body art, has also been used through the ages to accentuate and increase the color of redheads (and blonds and brunettes hoping to become redheads.)

It's an amazing art, and one that has been perfected throughout the ages. And now, it is being used for all sorts of different mehndi tattoo designs.

Traditionally, the art of mehndi tattoos was most widely used on the hands and feet of women who were preparing themselves for important social or religious ceremonies. It was also used in the wedding ceremonies of India. The art itself has been traced back over 5,000 years. And in India, the Middle East and North Africa, the art of henna tattoo designs has been associated with good luck.

One of the best aspects of mehndi tattoos is that it is derived from an all natural product. Henna is a plant (growing from 3-5 feet). In order to turn a plant into a dye, people have turned to the leaves. The henna leaves are harvested and then completely dried. Then, these dried leaves are then ground down into a fine powder. It is in this powder where that you'll find a special dye known as lawsome. Lawsome is the ingredient that actually creates the temporary tattoo design.

However, if you get the opportunity to handle the henna powder, you may be a little bit surprised. Instead of the rusty orange color you'd expect, henna powder is actually green. Only after the activation and application process are over does the signature reddish color appear.

For amateur tattoo enthusiasts that aren't quite sure if they're truly ready for a permanent design, mehndi tattoo designs offer all of the benefits of tattoo without all of the risks. The process of receiving a mehndi tattoo design is (a) pain free, (b) all natural, (c) temporary and (d) non-intrusive. So, if you're thinking about getting a "real" tattoo, you may want to turn to henna first. Your henna tattoo design can be relied upon to last from between a week and a month certainly long enough for you to decide if this is a match made in Heaven or a narrowly missed disaster!
Another great thing about Mehndi tattoos is that it's one of the few methods of body modification that you can safely do yourself, even if you don't think you have an artistic bone in your body. With convenience at-home Mehndi tattoo kits (which include the henna powder for you to prepare or a ready made henna paste) and a great stencil (there are stencils available for almost any picture you could desire,) the sky is the limit as to what you can create.

If you do decide to opt for the powder over the paste, you'll quickly learn that concocting your own paste is easier than you think. You do this by simply mixing the powder with boiling water and special oils (eucalyptus oil is quite popular). If you can make pancakes, you can make mehndi paste. By taking this route, you'll be better able to control the darkness or lightness of your tattoo design.

From the beginning of the mehndi tattoo process until the end, you'll have invested about three or four hours of your time.

There are other methods for getting a mehndi tattoo design, but they come with warnings. Some people - in a desire to deviate from the traditional rusty color of henna tattoos - have resorted to colored henna powders and pastes. And while the need to distinguish yourself from other mehndi fans may be great, it isn't without risk. Colored hennas have been known to cause serious skin reactions. Of these colored hennas, black henna is probably the most dangerous to use and has encountered the most health risks. Therefore, it would be wise to carefully read all of your packaging instructions, warning and advisories. Also, before getting any mehndi tattoo, it would be worth the time to do a spot skin check before actually applying your henna tattoo design. But, again, it's important to stress that negative reactions are very rare, and in the long run are still less severe than what you'd face with a permanent ink tattoo design.

With all of these benefits, it isn't hard to understand why mehndi tattoo designs have become a serious contender against the permanent tattoo.