Hennas?

[atmail35]

Good info on the Henna. My daughter let it stay on for 2 hours and then it started to flake off and she picked at the rest, I guess it was itchy. I recommend a smaller design to be honest (less $ too), but this was what she really wanted. Maybe some rolled gauze would work too.

And it was all over the sheets at the GCH and I had to gather it up an get it in the trash. Fun stuff!

 

[disneygal6568]

So after you get one should you wrap gauze around it? Will it get stuck to the henna?

 

[awinangie]

You should wait for it to dry before wrapping it with anything. The goal is to keep it from coming off, both to help it give a better stain and to protect other things.

Lemon from the restaurant is a good idea. Just add some sugar to that and a little water if need be. Then dab it on and it'll flake less. Possibly itch less too, if I remember correctly, though I'm not sure why... Maybe if it's 'glued' on it will pull less on the little arm hairs.

The little seahorse is on a part of the body that takes the stain only so-so. I think the picture of 9 days later is pretty good considering... I do think sunscreen affects it, but I'm not sure. Anything that messes with your skin as you're simply staining the top layers... Which is why pool water is a problem. So dishwashing is OUT>

 

[pixiewings71]

Not every Henna paste needs the lemon mixture, some will stain without it. The last time I did a Henna it was on the back of my hand, after it was done they sprinkled the wet paste with glitter so when it dried it was really pretty, it made me not want to pick at it so it stained darker. Of course it only lasted a couple weeks but that was because I was doing a lot of dishes and cleaning that week. lol

 

[atmail35]

I didn't realize when the henna person told us to put on lemon that it was before the paste flaked off, I thought she meant after! clearly we are novices.

FYI, she also recommended showering with a bag over it (even when flaked off) or saran wrap. So bring a bag and some tape or be prepared to ask the concierge or restaurant for some saran wrap!

I'd let her do it again, she got lots of comments about it and really enjoyed it.

What area of the body is best?

 

[awinangie]

Palms of your hand is the main traditional spot. As far as I've been able to determine, it's the best, but you have to get used to keeping the paste safe on your hand.

Years ago I wouldn't put henna on anyone younger than about 7 or 8, so they could understand how much it can stain other things if you touch them. But, I've applied mehndi on my daughter's hand since she was about three. She's used to it and is naturally careful. People are a lot more familiar with it now, so I don't worry so much about applying it on littler kids.

Another theory is that you shouldn't wash your hands for quite a while after removing the paste. I used to always scrape it off with my nails or the dull side of a knife and then rub the rest off with vegetable oil and a paper towel.

One key trick is to keep the skin moisturized. I always use coconut oil, which is very commonly used in India to moisturize skin and hair. Swimming is, of course, terrible for the stain.

That said, if you want to swim, I say "Swim!" Especially if you don't get a chance to hang out in a pool often. Enjoy your mehndi (henna) as long as it lasts, but enjoy everything else too.

 

[awinangie]

And yes, it's absolutely true that you don't always need lemon juice & water. I usually don't bother with it. But, for people who want to try what they can to get the stain as dark as possible, my first suggestion is to keep the paste on as long as possible, and the second is to use the lemon juice & sugar.

And sometimes it seems to simply depend on the person's skin. Some people just tend to darken better than others.

The henna paste in itself does make some difference. I used to mix my own (seems that everyone has their own secret recipe), but it was a giant pain to properly sift out the teeny pieces that get stuck in the hole of the applicator. For the last several years I've just purchased the premade cones. The quality difference is negligible and isn't worth the trouble. (But then, I rarely charge people, only for fundraisers, and then only $5.)

 

[pixiewings71]

I didn't realize when the henna person told us to put on lemon that it was before the paste flaked off, I thought she meant after! clearly we are novices.

FYI, she also recommended showering with a bag over it (even when flaked off) or saran wrap. So bring a bag and some tape or be prepared to ask the concierge or restaurant for some saran wrap!

I'd let her do it again, she got lots of comments about it and really enjoyed it.

What area of the body is best?

I don't bother covering it with plastic during a shower, I know it would last longer if I did but I figure if I get a good week out of it then I'm happy. lol I love doing it, I do it every chance I get. We have a couple of threading salons in our mall, they do Henna also, I'm going to see if I can get a price list from them.

And yes, it's absolutely true that you don't always need lemon juice & water. I usually don't bother with it. But, for people who want to try what they can to get the stain as dark as possible, my first suggestion is to keep the paste on as long as possible, and the second is to use the lemon juice & sugar.

And sometimes it seems to simply depend on the person's skin. Some people just tend to darken better than others.

The henna paste in itself does make some difference. I used to mix my own (seems that everyone has their own secret recipe), but it was a giant pain to properly sift out the teeny pieces that get stuck in the hole of the applicator. For the last several years I've just purchased the premade cones. The quality difference is negligible and isn't worth the trouble. (But then, I rarely charge people, only for fundraisers, and then only $5.)

Where do you get your paste? I usually buy mine from Earth Henna, they have good prices and the paste lasts for a while, I don't use the lemon/sugar mix when I use their Henna.

 

[awinangie]

I buy my mehndi cones at Indian grocery stores. Can also buy the powder, but the cones are much easier and I've never had the problems with quality that I'd been warned about.

 

[pixiewings71]

I buy my mehndi cones at Indian grocery stores. Can also buy the powder, but the cones are much easier and I've never had the problems with quality that I'd been warned about.

Thanks, I don't remember seeing them when I was at the Indian store last but that doesn't mean they weren't there. lol I'll have to make a trip and check it out.

 

[awinangie]

They may have it behind the counter. It's best if it's refrigerated.