Body painting with henna or "mehndi", as it is called in India, is experiencing a stir in the European part of the planet. Most have already appreciated the advantages of such a temporary tattoo: the henna pattern does not violate the integrity of the skin and stays on the skin for about 2-3 weeks. It's easy to paint with henna on the skin, try it!
It is necessary
Henna for the body, glass cup, wooden spatula, ground coffee, black tea, lemon, eucalyptus or lavender essential oil, sugar, toothpicks, cotton swabs, syringe bag, olive oil
Instructions
Step 1
The easiest way is to use ready-made henna dye in special tubes. These tubes are sold in specialized stores and on the Internet. But it's better to use freshly made pasta.
Step 2
Henna for painting on the body is different from henna, which is used to dye hair. It is prepared from the upper leaves of the Lavsonia shrub, gives bright colors and is finer. Make sure you use henna for body painting. You will need 40-50 grams of henna. Sift the henna powder through a fine sieve 2-3 times, it should have a powder consistency. Henna cannot be cooked in metal dishes, so keep the powder in a glass or ceramic bowl.
Step 3
Boil 0.5 liters of water, add 2 teaspoons of ground coffee or black tea to it. Cook the broth over low heat or water bath for about an hour. Remember to stir constantly. Then strain the broth through several layers of cheesecloth.
Step 4
Pour the hot broth in small portions into a cup of henna powder. Rub and stir thoroughly with a wooden or glass spatula to avoid lumps. And do not pour in all the broth, you can get a paste that is too runny. Such a paste will not stick to the skin and spoil the pattern with streaks and streaks.
Step 5
Add a teaspoon of lemon or lime juice, a teaspoon of sugar and a few drops of lavender or eucalyptus essential oil to the finished paste. You should have a plastic, homogeneous mass with the consistency of toothpaste.
Step 6
Cover the container with the pasta with cling film and leave in a warm place for 6 hours. During this time, the active coloring matter will be released from the powder.
Step 7
Now prepare the skin for drawing. It is better to do the hair removal in advance in those areas where you are going to make the drawing. The fact is that small hairs are colored more intensely than skin and the paint stays on the hairs much longer. Also, the skin should be thoroughly washed with soap, and areas with coarser skin should be scrubbed. After showering, do not apply moisturizer to your body; your skin should be completely clean.
Step 8
The paste is applied to the skin with brushes, wooden sticks or a syringe package. If you do not have a special paint syringe, make one from a regular thick plastic bag. Roll the package up into a bag, glue it with tape at the seams, fill it two-thirds with the paste. Fold the top edge of the bag and also glue it with tape. You should now have a small cone. At the bottom of the cone, pierce a hole with a needle. Practice dabbing on a white sheet of paper to see how hard it is to squeeze the paste onto your skin.
Step 9
Apply a drawing of the future pattern to the prepared skin. This can be done with a tattoo pencil. There are also special paper stencils with holes. Lightly grease the area of the drawing with olive oil, this will brighten the color of the drawing and prevent the paste from drying out quickly.
Step 10
Apply the paste from the bag along the contour of the drawing or at random. Squeeze the henna evenly, smoothly, if the hole of the bag is clogged with a lump of henna or air, clean it with a needle. If you accidentally ruin the drawing, wipe off the paste with a damp swab, toothpick or cotton swab and repeat again. Moisten the drawing from time to time with a solution of lemon juice and sugar. Gently moisten with a damp cotton swab, but try not to smear the finished drawing.
Step 11
Dry the drawing. Can be supplemented with infrared drying, a Minin lamp with a blue bulb or a hair dryer. The longer you keep the paste on the skin, the brighter the pattern will be. After 5-6 hours, brush the remaining paste from the skin with a brush. Rub the skin with almond or olive oil, this will add depth to the color of the pattern.
