What is henna?
Privet is a plant. The leaves of the plant are dried and then ground into a powder. The powder then turns into a paste which, when applied to the skin, produces a beautiful reddish-brown stain. Henna is also used as a natural dye for reddish hair.

henna tattoos
In many cultures, henna tattoos are used to celebrate special occasions and rites of passage through life. All over the world, people use henna to celebrate pregnancy, manhood, marriage, holidays, and even death. In India, henna tattoo art is called Mehndi. Bridal tattoos done for Indian weddings are some of the most beautiful and intricate tattoos out there.

Get a henna tattoo
After choosing a tattoo design that you like, the tattoo artist applies the paste to your skin. The paste must remain on the skin for 4 to 8 hours to produce a dark spot.

The dangers of “black henna”
Never get a “black henna” tattoo. These are made from a paste that contains black hair dye. The black hair dye used to make this paste can cause severe allergic reactions and permanent scarring.

Before getting a henna tattoo, ask the artist what color the tattoo will be, how long you should leave the paste in, and what ingredients they use in their paste. If the artist says the tattoo will be black, that he will remove the paste right away, or refuse to tell you the ingredients, these are all red flags that he is using dangerous “black henna.” Don’t get a tattoo of that person.

There is no “safe” black henna. Henna leaves have a reddish-brown stain only after the paste has been left on the skin for 4-8 hours. All legitimate artists have an aftercare card or instructions that list all the ingredients they use in their paste.

Henna Tattoo Aftercare
Once the paste is applied to the skin, it should be left to act for 4 to 8 hours. Keeping the paste slightly moist and warm will help the paste create a darker stain.

After 4 to 8 hours, the paste can be gently scraped off. It’s a good idea to apply a thin layer of cocoa butter or olive oil to help the stain darken and last longer. When the paste is first removed, the henna tattoo will be a light orange color. As the skin is exposed to air over the next 24 hours, the blemish will darken to a beautiful reddish-brown color.

Henna tattoos generally last from 3 to 40 days, depending on skin type and the location of the tattoo on the body. Tattoos on the hands and feet last longer and are dyed darker. Henna stains gradually fade over the course of 3 to 14 days as the top layers of skin exfoliate and slough off.

Henna tattoos are a fun, natural and safe type of temporary tattoo. One of the most fun aspects of henna tattoos is that you can change your tattoo designs frequently. These tattoos are also a great way to try out a tattoo design to see how you like it before permanently tattooing it on your body.