Crafts | Picture frame

Article | The Joy of Henna

Hafsah shares her tips for achieving that beautiful henna pattern, and how a henna party is a sure way to make 'Eid extra special

As far back as I can remember, henna has I have always been associated henna with ‘Eid in my mind, even more so than weddings. I don’t remember a single night before ‘Eid where the ladies of our house didn’t stay up until the late hours painting our hands.

The beauty of henna aside, its blessings lie in its ability to bring women together and magnify the joy that floods special occasions like ‘Eid. Sitting together, we admire our handiwork; tease one another about weed-like patterns that may have resulted; massage one another’s hands when they cramp; chase kids who might smudge henna on the furniture; scratch one another’s backs when an itch occurs; then compare hands the next morning – whose hands stained the darkest? Henna gatherings are  incredible in the way they increase love amongst women.

Seeing women with bare hands on ‘Eid makes me feel quite sad; in my opinion, everyone should have a friend or family member with some henna skills! It’s not a difficult art to master, it just requires practise and a little creativity. You don’t need to be a pro to gather people together – henna is beautiful even its simplicity. So here’s a quick henna guide to prepare you for an awesome henna gathering this ‘Eid.

Henna paste mix

Fresh henna cones are available from henna suppliers but you can mix your own if you’re feeling ambitious.

Things you will need:
30g pre-sifted henna powder
Lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
Eucalyptus oil/any essential oil

In a glass/ceramic bowl mix the henna powder with a little bit of lemon juice a little at a time, until it becomes a paste – neither too thick nor too runny (a little runnier than toothpaste)

Mix well with a few drops of eucalyptus oil.

Cover with cling film and leave in a warm place for 12 hours/overnight.

Fill empty henna cones available from henna suppliers, or you can DIY by rolling a square of florist cellophane and securing with sellotape. The mixture should make 2-3 small henna cones.

You can store henna cones in the fridge for a few days, or pop them into the freezer, but allow 24 hours thawing time.

Design tips

Henna designs may seem complex, but they are just a number of motifs repeated in different sizes with good placement

In order to avoid doodling be sure of the design before you start. There’s a lot of inspiration online, so head over to Google and print off henna designs before you start.

The best place to start a henna design is from the middle, where the main feature of the design is usually located. On the hands, begin in the middle of the palm, work up the arm and then back towards the fingers. On the legs, begin in the middle of the foot, work up the leg and then back towards the toes. This will help with placement and also prevent accidental smudging.

Henna is most beautiful when the lines are crisp and clear, and yet look effortless and curve naturally. Hold the henna cone a few millimetres above the skin with a gentle, even pressure, keeping your hand steady but not stiff. If the henna is of good quality, the paste should glide out in the direction you move it.

When drawing motifs, such as leaves or paisleys, sketch the outline of the shape before filling it in. Begin flowers from the middle and work outwards.

Never underestimate the creative power of dots when used in moderation! Triangles or tiny flowers made up of small dots can make all the difference to a pattern and are excellent fillers. Other finishing touches like lines and shading add depth to the design.

If you aren’t confident with intricate designs, then bold henna designs also look beautiful, especially large flowers, leaves or paisleys on the back of the hand.

Decorating dried henna patterns with glitter and rhinestones can really turn the henna party up a notch. Glitter cones are available from henna suppliers, and rhinestones can be glued with body/eyelash glue.

Enhancing/maintaining henna stains

Wash and exfoliate the skin before you begin – lotions and dead skin can prevent henna from penetrating the skin properly.

Once the henna is dry, mix 3 parts lemon juice and 1 part sugar in a bowl and gently pat this onto the design using a cotton ball: this will enhance the colour and prevent the henna from crumbling.

The best conditions for a good henna stain are heat and moisture: keep your body warm and keep the henna design wet for as long as possible by reapplying the lemon and sugar mixture each time it dries.

Once fully dried, wrap the area with toilet paper/bandage gauze and secure with medical tape to prevent crumbling during the night. For best results, keep the henna on for 8-12 hours.

In the morning, remove the henna by rubbing with a cotton ball dipped in olive oil.

To preserve the stain, try not to wash your hands excessively, and use rubber gloves when washing dishes. Henna can dry out the skin, so keep the area well-moisturised with oil.

Other henna uses

Henna has been used for thousands of years for medicinal purposes due to its inherent cooling qualities; applying henna to the hair and feet is not only beautifying but is also a great treatment for anyone suffering from burning sensations.

Henna on the nails is a great wudhu-friendly alternative to nail polish.

Henna has also become a broader form of art practised on various mediums beyond the body: on canvases for hanging art, on wooden boxes, even on candles to display in the home. The designs are not just limited to henna paste, but can also be translated transferred onto tote bags and t-shirts using fabric paints, or even onto cakes with an icing cone.

The artistic possibilities are endless once you’ve mastered the henna cone; not only will you be able to host henna gatherings, you’ll be able to make ‘Eid gifts and decorate some stunning cakes for an ‘Eid dinner party! Didn’t I say henna is incredible?


Hafsah is a self-trained henna artist who practises her henna skills on friends and family and for charity events. Find her at http://hennacraft.blogspot.co.uk, where she blogs about her latest projects and her journey towards setting up a henna crafts business.

Originally published in SISTERS magazine, August 2012
www.sisters-magazine.com

Crafts | Orange notebook

I've recently been introduced to an interesting new gel-style henna cone which, when used on the body, will dry to the full stain within an hour. I kid you not. The coolest thing is that the henna doesn't crumble but actually peels off the skin. You know, like those peel off face masks? Well, it's not as disturbing as the face mask (!) but it's still pretty cool! Especially as there is no need to apply sticky lemon and sugar mixtures or to keep the henna on all night with your arm hanging out of bed so it doesn't stain your bed/face or crumble on your bed covers. You know you've done it.

The fast-drying and non-crumbling qualities of this gel-style henna make it perfect for crafting; it stains beautifully into the wood without peeling, and also works really well on other materials, like this orange canvas notebook. The henna has stuck to the material like glue so there is very little chance of it budging.

I decided to use less gems on this notebook and more glitter embellishment since a notebook would face more 'manhandling' and the gems wouldn't last very long.

Summer Fayre 2012

I set up a henna stall at the summer fayre of the primary school where I work and it was a huge hit. The queue was so long that I ended up working for an hour and a half after over the fayre's closing time because the girls just wouldn't let me go home until they'd had their hands painted!

Since the recipients of the henna tattoos were young girls, the school committee had reservations about using real henna, so I used washable body paint instead. It was actually the first time I'd done henna with body paint and used brushes to paint the tattoos - it turned out much harder than I expected as the technique is very different to using a henna cone. 

Nevertheless, I was pleased with the outcome and mothers were much more comfortable with their girls receiving washable tattoos rather than a real henna stain. I've learnt recently that body paint can be transferred to henna cones, so I hope to to do this next time I hold a henna stall for children so that I can make 'truer' henna patterns. 

How cute is this little hand?? This gorgeous girl was about three years old and was dying to get a pattern with a pink gem *aww* 

Although I was a little worried about using body paint, in hindsight I can say that it worked out perfectly for the enjoyment of little people (with the addition of some glitter and bling). The organisers of the fayre were also pleased and suggested we make this a regular stall for the annual fayre (yay!) so I'm looking forward to doing it again in the coming years.

Crafts | Henna candle

I'll be honest - I hadn't realised painting henna onto candles would be so difficult. The curved shape and slippery surface means that it requires much more patience than decorating other objects.

But I have to say, when you finally get it right, the end result is really worth it!

Crafts | First henna boxes

One of the first henna boxes I made were these trinket boxes for my sister and sister-in-law on 'Eid. They make beautiful gifts not just for 'Eid, but I can see them as being perfect gift boxes for occasions like weddings. I think I need someone to get married soon so I can get my henna cone out!

They turned out quite well, I was really pleased with them as were their recipients! :)

Welcome | Hafsah's Henna Blog

Welcome to my henna blog and thank you for visiting! My name is Hafsah (you already guessed that, right??) and I'm a self-trained henna artist. I've been practising henna on family and friends since my early teens, but as much I love decorating the body with henna, my interest in creating more permanent henna art has recently peaked to dizzying heights. Henna art can be transferred to almost anything, from trinket boxes, photo frames, framed mirrors, to candles, vases, canvases, and even to tote bags, cushions and jewellery - the possibilities are endless once you've mastered the henna cone!

The purpose of my blog is to record my journey of setting up a henna crafts business, something I've been hoping to do for a few years now. I hope that you will join me on my adventures as I attempt to conquer the beautiful world of henna art, and I hope that you will enjoy it!

Let's do this!!