Henna After Care
Here are some do's and don'ts to ensure you get the most out of your henna:
- Keep the henna on as long as possible, even overnight. The longer the paste is kept on, the darker and longer lasting the stain will be.
- To help keep the paste in it's place, lemon sugar solution can be applied to the design.
- Your body heat helps darken the stain so you can wrap your henna with toilet tissue and cling film to make the skin warmer. Ensure the skin is warm but not sweaty as this will cause the henna run and smudge.
- When you're ready to take the paste off, don't use any water. Scrape the paste off and try keeping the hennaed skin dry for at least 24 hours. Rub oil into it before showering.
- The design will be bright orange at first and will darken in the next 24/48 hours to a beautiful dark reddish brown. The image below shows how a henna stain progresses on the hand.
- Exfoliation of the skin is what causes henna to fade so keep the hennaed skin moisturised and avoid scrubbing the area.
Depending on the aftercare your design can last between 1 and 3 weeks.
Enjoy your henna body art!
