henna designs on skin...

has anyone gotten henna designs on their skin(or done it themselves?) did you get a certain kit? where did you put the design and what was it of? how long did it last? thanks:)

That's what I'd like to know! I've seen plenty of hair henna products in stores but nothing for skin design. So we both need help.:)

oh my gosh lily- your avatar is amazing looking!!

i'm not that big of an expert on henna but i have gotten it done and depending on how long you leave it on it can last up to 2 weeks-3 months.
I think there are stencils you can buy at certain stores but i'm not sure on exactly where. Henna can be applied anywhere but the most common places would be anywhere on your hands and feet.
hope i helped a little
- baby*

I have henna applied to my hands every time there is a wedding in my family. Another wedding coming up in June (hooray).
All the girls and women get together the day before the wedding in the brides house.
We eat a lot of delicious food, brush our teeth, change into loose clothing that we don't mind getting stained - and that we are going to sleep in that night. Then the henna artists (usually two or three of them work on about 20 women) get to work.
They use cones of pre-mixed green henna. Some folks use black henna but this is allegedly acidic and toxic if left on for a long period, so I would suggest you avoid this if you are at all concerned. I only allow the pure henna powder to be used on my skin.
The henna artists sometimes bring a book of designs from which you can make a choice, but I have always gravitated towards letting those ladies who have the traditional Arabic designs in their heads, paint freely on my hands. The results are stunning.

Here are some ideas: http://www.hennaweb.com/designs.htm

I have also applied designs to others. It's easy, and if you make a mistake, take it off immediately.

After all the girls/women have their hands, arms, feet, waist (and other parts..) henna'd, we apply a sugar+lemon juice solution to the henna design with cotton-wool, very carefully. this will intensify the colour and make the design last longer.
We all then sit, chat, gossip, sing, laugh and discuss our outfits for the big day. We also tease the bride about her intended, her in-laws and the wedding night (hehehehe).
Then, very, very late that night, we all put plastic-wrap on our henna'd bits and go to sleep. Next day (it's usually afternoon by the time we get up) the henna is washed off and we all admire the effect on each other.
Everyone bathes, is massaged and hair is dressed and ornamented. The glorious clothes go on.
Suddenly, we are all princesses....with the bride being the most beautiful of us all. No one has henna designs as beautiful or as intricate as her.
What a vision it all is (sigh).

Errr. You didn't want to hear all this, but I got carried away. Sorry. Love this stuff.

baby*flower: thanks, i'll have to look for some stencils when i first try it out and am trying to get a hang of the application.

uzma: thanks for the website and your personal story(of course i am happy to hear about it!) it sounds like so much fun to have a wedding party like that. where i live it is kind of expected that i wear a big white dress and have everything be all fancy. too bad i will be refusing tradition:) (not there is anything wrong with that kind of a wedding- its just not right for ME) i'm lucky because my boyfriend doesn't want a wedding like that either. i envision this big party where everyone comes to have fun and be comfortable(no one will be forced to dress up). i'll wear a loose flowy spring dress, bare feet(possibly adorned with henna) and my long hair: down, loose, and naturally wavy. i guess i'm a little bit of a hippie. i can't help it. anyways, thanks again for your help!:)

Thank Turquoise!:) I love my avatar too.:) It comes from a nice site a women made. She does faery dolls and sales them, and this one's my favorite, you can go there to see the rest, they make great avatars, they're so pretty.:)
http://www.borg.com/~kjdzyns/

WOW!! thats an awsome site and such magnificent pictures thanx for sharing lily.

hi... i used to have a neighbor who was pakistani and she did henna on my hand once. first of all, it takes a long time. she mixed the dry henna (available at indian grocers, etc.) and mixed it with water and a little lemon juice. it was a slightly wet paste, maybe the consistency of mashed potatoes, but the longer this mixture sits in the air, the more potent it becomes. so you could even it mix it the day before, and use it the next day, maybe adding a little more water for the right consistency for applying. it isn't supposed to be too dry. with a toothpick (many toothpicks) she spun designs into my hand. i've also seen something similar to stencils to help people do this on their own (also available at indian grocers). anyhow, it is nice to do something with the fingertips so when you wear bright polish it really stands out.

the paisley design is very popular and very easy to do. you can do stripes or bands around the fingers. there is no limit to what you can do. with swirls, dots, etc. now the hard part. once the henna is applied, it is still kind of moist and you have to wait until it dries. your hand will get tingly--my friend said this was the henna, but i think it is the lack of circulation. you can't move your hand around because the henna might smear (if henna is applied somewhere where you don't want, wipe it off immediately) or flake off. of course if it comes off, the dyed effect will not last as long. after the henna dries (again a matter of preference--you can rinse it off right away for a pale design or you can keep on your skin for an hour or so--obviously the longer it stays on, the stronger the design) you can rinse off your hand, and also rub a cut lemon into the design to set it. this should last about 4-6 weeks if you mixed the henna beforehand and if you let it set on the skin until it was totally dry. again, it looks really nice with polished nails. altho my boss, whenever i handed her a paper or something with my hennaed hand, thought it was blood. so if you work in an uptight kind of office, i wouldn't recommend it. but you can use the same technique to apply henna to other, less seen parts of your body (i.e., stomach, ankles, feet, biceps, etc.). obviously, i would refrain from applying henna to the more intimate areas of the body.

also, tubes of prepared henna are available at indian grocers, and can be applied with the same princple as icing for cakes. although, the disadvantage of this is that you are stuck with the henna mixture and can not prepare it to your desire.

if you really would like to try out henna, i would suggest doing it with a friend and take turns and have a nice afternoon together.

They opened a great little Indian spa and salon by my house and they have bridal and henna services. You might want to look for a similar store in your area.

The only problem I experienced with henna is that it takes a long time to dissolve away after application - make sure you like the designs for they will stay with you even weeks at a time.

I use henna quite often (it