What is Henna?

The Origin of Henna

The art of henna has been used for over 5000 years in Pakistan, India, Africa and the Middle East. When it was first used, it was used for its natural cooling properties. People of the desert would make a paste out of the henna plant and soak the palms of their hands and the soles of their feet into it to get an air conditioning effect. They felt it's cooling sensation throughout the body for as long as the henna stain remained on their skin. Initially, as the stain faded away, it left patterns on the skin's surface which led to ideas to make designs for decorative purposes. In the ancient Egyptian times, mummies wore henna designs. It is documented that Cleopatra herself used henna for decorative purposes.

Henna in the West

Today people all over the world have adopted the ancient traditions of adorning their bodies with the beautiful natural artwork created from the henna plant. It became a very popular form of temporary body decoration in the 90's in the US and has become a growing trend ever since. Celebrities like Madonna, Gwen Stefani, Yasmine Bleeth, Liv Tyler, Xena, and many others proudly adorn their bodies with henna and show them off in public, movies, videos, etc. People throughout the west have adopted the eastern tradition in their lives by having their hands and feet painted for weddings, bellies painted while in pregnancy, heads adorned with henna while going through chemotherapy, scars camouflaged to make them unnoticeable, etc.

Cultural and Medicinal Uses

Henna is used for many reasons including: self-expression; celebration of special occasions like weddings, holidays & birthdays; inspiration; reminders; beauty; cosmetic treatments; medicinal uses; blessings & well-being; to be part of an ancient tradition; and an alternative or precursor to a tattoo.

The Henna Plant

Henna is a flowering plant that grows 12-15 feet high and comes from the sole species of the Lawsonia genus. The English name "henna" comes from the Arabic (ḥinnā). The name henna also refers to the dye prepared from the henna plant and the art of temporary tattooing based on those dyes. Henna has been used for centuries to dye skin, hair, and fingernails, as well as fabrics including silk, wool, and leather.

Henna was used for cosmetic purposes in the Roman Empire, Convivencia-period Iberia and Ancient Egypt, as well as other parts of North Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, the Near East and South Asia. It can be found in other hot climates like Pakistan, India and Australia. The plant grows best in heat up to 120F degrees and contains more dye at these temperatures. It wilts in temperatures below 50F degrees. It also grows better in dry soil than damp soil. The leaves are in opposite decussate pairs and vary in sizes from approximately 2-4 cm. long. The flowers are fragrant, produced in conical panicles 1040 cm long, each flower 5 mm diameter, with four white petals. The fruit is a dry capsule 68 mm diameter, containing numerous 12.5 mm seeds. The henna plant contains lawsone which is a reddish-orange dye that binds to the keratin (a protein) in our skin and safely stains the skin. The stain can be from pale orange to nearly black depending on the quality of the henna and how well ones skin takes it. A good henna, fresh from hot & dry climates, will stain the darkest. For body decorations, the leaves of the henna plant are dried, crushed into a fine powder, and made into a creamy paste using a variety of techniques. This paste is then applied to the skin, staining the top layer of skin only. In its natural state it will dye the skin an orange or brown color. Although it looks dark green (or dark brown depending on the henna) when applied, this green paste will flake off revealing an orange stain. The stain becomes a reddish-brown color after 1-3 days of application. The palms and the soles of the feet stain the darkest because the skin is the thickest in these areas & contain the most keratin. The farther away from hands and feet the henna is applied, the lesser the color. The face area usually stains the lightest. The designs generally last from 1-4 weeks on the skin surface depending on the henna, care and skin type. Henna works on all skin types and colors. It looks just as beautiful on dark skin as light skin but because some people skin may take the dye better than others, it can look more prominent on one and not as much on another (even lighter skin). But nevertheless, henna is a symbol of beauty, art, and happiness and is meant for EVERYONE!

Traditions

Henna is generally utilized for extraordinary events like occasions, birthdays and weddings in Africa, Pakistan, India, and the Middle East. The most prominent of the customs is the Mehndi (henna) Night where the bride, her family, relatives and companions get together to commend the wedding to come. The night is loaded with games, music and dance preformances, that may have been practiced months before the occasion, by those closest to the spouse while the bride gets detailed henna designs on her hands and feet, that sometimes even go to her elbows and in some cases, knees. The wedding designs can take hours and are usually done by various henna specialists. The visitors will generally get little outlines (tattoos) on the backs of their hands too. Today, ladies want to have their henna done preceding the mehndi night so they can appreciate the merriments furthermore and have a deeper stain by the wedding day. Custom holds that if the henna stain stays on the bride until after the wedding day, she doesn't need to do any housework! Also, the darker the stain the better the marriage and the better the relatives will be. So you can envision why the lady would need the stain to come out dark and keep going as far as might be feasible.

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