My first
exposure to “henna” was at a traditional Indian wedding – minus the
elephants. I did not know at the time
what the beautiful design sketched on the bride was called, how it was applied,
or why it was there. The only thing that I knew was that the bride
was beautiful!
Today, almost 5 years later, while chatting with a lady going through chemo, she mentioned that she was having a “Henna Crown” sketched on her head. I politely asked, “What is a henna crown?”. She proceeded to tell me that it was a dye made from the henna plant that temporarily stains the skin. The more she talked, the more I thought…this would make an interesting blog.
Little history: For thousands of years, women in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East have used the leaves from the henna plant to dye their hair and ornate their bodies. In India, the darker the henna is on her hands the more intensely will her husband’s love be for her. In Saudi Arabia, only a relative who has been happily married can paint the bride’s hands or else she will bring bad luck to the bride. Jewish women sometimes have a henna party about a week before the wedding. The henna art has always been an outward sign of inner peace and beauty.
Today this
art is sometimes referred to as a “henna tattoo”, but it is not a tattoo. No needles are involved. The henna leaf is ground into a powder,
mixed with liquids, and painted onto the skin. It takes approximately 60 to 90 minutes depending
on the extent of the design. The paste
dries ASAP, but needs to remain on the skin for at least 4-6 hours. The paste will then flake off leaving a
terracotta stain that will last for approximately 2 weeks.
“Henna
Heals www.hennaheals.ca/ is a Canadian based nonprofit organization
whose mission is to empower people experiencing complete hair loss by offering
safe, temporary and customary henna crowns both in Canada and abroad.” I would suggest anyone interested in finding
out more to definitely check out their website.
The above photo was sent to me by my new friend that is under going chemo. She wanted to try it first on her hands to make sure her skin didn't have a reaction to the dye. I was so impressed that I asked if I could include the photo in my post!
