The Henna tattoo, known as Mehndi in South Asia, is the painless alternative to the standard needle-based tattoo. Henna tattoos are made from the powder of henna plants. Those shrubs are considered exotic in American and European countries but the henna powder is exported worldwide by South Asian countries. You can grab a pack of henna powder in most tattoo shops in the US.
Henna Hues
Henna is available in three basic colors:
black
brown
neutral
Black is the standard color of henna tattoos, since the henna plant contains black sap. Brown henna is taken from the upper portions of the plant, which contain a lighter hue. The powder is then mixed with food coloring to produce the brown color. As for the neutral colors, they are also produced by mixing henna powder with artificial coloring.
Color Balance
Balancing the amounts of the coloring agents is a must if you want to make henna paste. Since henna is originally colored black, you must experiment with color combinations to consistently produced your desired hue. You can view the color wheel and practice the experimentation of colors with water color.
Consistency
The consistency of the paste is also tricky. If you make the paste too sticky, the sheer weight of the base might cause runs when creating a henna tattoo. A thin paste, on the other hand, fades only after a few days. A well-made henna solution should bear the consistency and smoothness of yogurt.
Making the Henna Paste
Measuring the ingredients is the most critical portion in the creation of henna paste. Having a complete set of measuring spoons makes the job much easier, since they can act as your points of reference, especially when mixing colors.
Materials Used:
¼ cup henna powder
1 ½ tsp henna oil
1 ½ tsp sugar
1 cup lemon juice
measuring spoons
plastic wrap
food coloring
heat lamp
tattoo container
Procedure:
Purchase the henna powder and oil from a tattoo parlor. Go to the mall and grab a chap heat lamp.
Place the henna powder in plastic bowl.
Add the lemon juice, then stir the mixture until it completely thickens and bears a dark greenish hue.
Take a tiny portion of the mixture. Combine it with varying measurements of food coloring, until you get the color that you desire.
After deciding on the color of your tattoo, add the appropriate amount of food coloring to the mixture.
Stir the mixture until the color settles.
Cover the mixture with plastic wrap. Press on the layer above the mixture to remove air.
Set the heat lamp to emit 75 – 85 degrees of focused heat.
Place the bowl under the lamp for about half a day.
Add the henna oil and sugar, then stir the solution.
Repeat steps 7 – 9.
Stir the solution until it resembles the consistency of yogurt. You can add some lemon juice to the mixture if it is too thick.
Pour the paste into the tattoo container.
Creating the henna tattoo is pretty challenging at first. Once you master the balance of its color and consistency, you are well on your way to starting your career as a henna tattoo artist.