Joy Cagil
Henna tattooing has been recently introduced and made famous in
the US by Madonna, Demi Moore and a few other celebrities. The
reverence for the henna, however, has been in existence probably
ever since the first henna tree, or rather the first henna
hedge, set its roots into the soil of the planet earth.
Henna is a shrub in its truest form and it can reach a height of
six yards. The henna plant blossoms in very fragrant white or
rose red flowers and the species is sometimes classified under
the name of Lawsonia alba Lam. or Lawsonia ruba.
This writer first learned of henna a few decades ago, when she
was invited to a henna night in Southwestern Turkey. Henna night
is sort of a female stag party, usually scheduled to take place
the night before the wedding or a couple of days earlier when
the women get together and paint each other's hands and toes
with henna. The henna night is famous for the camaraderie of
women and the constant girlish giggling even among the matronly
set. The party is akin to the girls night out, not just with
henna painting but with the food, drinks, and a lot of fun.
One good thing about henna tattooing: unlike the tattoos the
western culture is used to, the henna tatto is not permanent,
for it fades away in time or it comes out after a few washings.
Some women who are well known local artists can create fancy
designs with a pastry bag, a toothpick, or a rolled piece of
paper dipped into a paste of crushed henna leaves.
First, to make the henna paste, henna leaves are crushed and
mixed well. For the tattooing or rather the henna painting, the
henna paste has to be at room temperature. Chilling the paste
reduces the color. Henna painting craves heat. As a matter of
fact, the ladies put their feet on a heating pad even before the
henna is on their skin.
When one observes the leaves of the henna plant carefully, it is
easy to see the red veins going through the leaves. Most of the
red color comes from those veins. After the henna is on the
skin, it is topped with a little sugar and lemon juice mixture
to set the colors, and also some heat is applied from a heating
pad or a heated Mediterranean tile. The longer the wait, the
stronger is the color.
There are several different species of the henna plant because
it is so widespread in the temperate zones of Middle East, Asia,
Australia and North Africa.
Women have worn henna through the centuries as decoration and in
some tribal regions, different henna decorations helped
distinguish different tribes. Henna is also considered a
medicinal plant, for it has been used from the earliest times as
an astringent and a sedative, finding its way into many folk
remedies. Since henna shows some ultraviolet screening activity,
it is sometimes used as a sun-blocker.
Washing the hair with henna gives it a slight reddish tint and a
wonderful shine. It is believed that henna feeds the hair
follicles and helps stop split ends.
About the author:
Go articles bio Joy Cagil is an author on a site for Writers
(http://www.Writing.Com/ ) Her training is in foreign languages
and linguistics. She has a degree in Turkish philology and she
has lived and traveled some in Turkey. In her background are
psychology, mental health, and visual arts. Her portfolio can be
found at www.Writing.Com/authors/joycag
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