english
Henna Tattoos
Henna Tattoos TEXT & IMAGES SHUBHANGI BHADORIA
With so many fashion trends, Tattoos are among the most popular but if you're not ready for anything permanent perhaps henna tattoos are for you. Although many of us have already thought about getting a tattoo, only a few decide to actually take this step. Possible reasons include fear of being judged in professional life, fear of skin infections/ side effects, regretting it at some point as well as a fear of getting judged by strangers. That’s where the temporary tattoos of Henna come into play. Henna powder comes from a herbal plant called Lawsonia inermis, also called Henna tree, found in semi-arid zones and tropical regions. It has been popular in Asian countries like India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, in the Middle East and some others such as parts of Africa and Turkey. Traditionally, Henna stains (color) on hands and feet have been
used for various ceremonies like weddings and engagements in order to absorb heat from the body as these events used to be very hectic and were mainly taking place at high outdoor temperatures. Nowadays, it is commonly done for aesthetic purposes. In recent years, it has become an ‘attempt’ before the permanent tattoo. An alternative to henna tattoos is obtained from the South American jagua fruit whose stains look like those of permanent tattoos in colors from light gray to dark blue. It has gained notoriety in the last years and is functionally similar to henna tattoos in terms of the duration of the coloring and the process of application.
Processing of Henna Manufacturing: The process of making powder is tricky but fairly simple. The leaves are picked and dried in the shade for weeks so that they do not lose the potential of giving dark stains. Afterwards, they are dried until the leaves are crispy and finely ground and sieved through various filters made of cloth. Further processing includes making the paste with essential oils. For this, the powder is converted into paste by using one or more oils (e.g. Eucalyptus oil, tea tree oil or lavender oil). The paste is left for a few hours or overnight to get the stain out of it. It can then be used to make designs/tattoos by putting it inside a cone of polythene or using a stick. After it dries, it can be removed. For best results, contact with water should be avoided for the next 24 hours at least and the henna stains will be at its best in terms of color intensity after about two days. You can contact me for further information on: shubhangibhadoria@gmail.com
