Things to Know
Here is a small list of things that you can do before and after your appointment to make sure your henna is the best it can be :)
Things to do before the appointment:
Exfoliation of any kind (manicures, pedicures, etc.) should be done before getting henna on your hands and legs.
Keep the area where you would like to have your henna design free of any moisturizers or lotions.
Things to do after the appointment:
The color/stain of henna lasts for up to 2 weeks and reaches its peak after the first 24 hours of application.
Normally the artist takes anywhere from 20 minutes to 5-6 hours depending on the design and the level of detail in work.
As henna starts drying, we apply a mixture of lemon juice and sugar with cotton (mix juice from one large lemon with 1/4 teaspoon sugar). The application of this mixture is limited to a maximum of 3 times. This mixture acts as a sealant and does not let the henna flake off everywhere.
A person who has a tendency to perspire a lot should apply only once.
You can cover the henna pattern with toilet tissue paper if required, but it should be aired well.
Keep henna in contact with the skin for a minimum of 2 hours and a maximum of 6-8 hours. The longer you leave on the design the better the color. However, if the henna starts flaking in 2-3 hours do not worry. Try and keep hands dry for the first 24 hours of henna application as henna oxidizes the most in that duration
The warmer the hands are, the better the color; so it’s a good idea to subject your hands to heat for a few minutes every hour.
Since the henna paste is kept on for a long duration of time it may so happen that you may find it a little bit difficult to remove it from your skin, in this case, 10 minutes before removing the henna apply any (edible will also work) oil. The oil helps to soften the henna and makes it easy to remove it from your hands.
Remove the dried henna with the blunt side of a butter knife. Remove the excess oil with a tissue.
For the best results with the color, we recommend avoiding contact with water for 24 hours. This helps the henna to reach its deepest color before it starts to fade away.
Chlorine and saltwater are bad for henna color, so avoid that.
Henna color stays on for around 2 weeks (depending on how often it comes in contact with water) and then fades away gradually.
Enjoy your henna while it lasts and then come back for more :)