I don't see my henna tattoo! There is nothing there!! Don't panic.

It is important to note that henna is a heat activated body art. This means that the longer you leave the henna paste on your skin, and the hotter You get..... the deeper color stain will develop.

Sometimes people get a henna, go to an environment that is 72 degrees, leave the paste on their skin, scrape it off, sleep in an room that is 72 degrees..... and wonder why they don't have dark henna color.

If you have received a henna from me, then the answer is that you did not sweat your henna. Wait... give it some time.. and the color will develop. It may take all of 48 hours for the final finished color to appear. ** Please see updated at page end.

If you have not taken good care of your henna, put it on the upper arm, back, or in some cases, the back of the hand, it may take longer for your color to become rich.

Also note, in a design such as this one, the darkest color will be on the fingers, and then the design will become lighter as it moves up the arm. The lightest color stain will be the cuff portion.

This is because the texture of the skin changes, and this affects the color of the henna tattoo.

Those photos you see of deep red henna stains are usually done on the palm of the hand.This will always be the best place to put your henna tattoo. I understand that most people don't want to do that... but that is where you get your ruby red outcomes.

It is possible to go an extra step, wrap your henna in tissue, and send you home with a plastic glove taped in place to help sweat - or heat up - your design. Just ask.. I am happy to help you have the best possible out come.

However, please remember, that henna is a heat activated herbal paste. If you are sweaty, then that paste stays damp, and thus interacts with your skin for the longest possible time, giving you the deepest darkest color.

I use fresh, home made henna paste. I have new essential oils for the season, fresh 2010 henna from Rajhistan, and a nice lemon sugar glaze. I can't bring must more to the table than that. The rest is up to you.

** However, if you received a henna from me between June 18th and June 26th of this year, and did not get a good out come, please contact me by phone or email. Apparently, the new powder/paste I was using did not give good results. I am happy to redo your henna at no charge if you are one of the few clients that had this experience during this time.

** I had two different tubes of fresh, home made paste - one worked very well, one did not. So if you had henna and got great color this is why. Poor color... my deepest apologies .. I have new paste. **

So you want a henna tattoo??

Henna season has started again in Jacksonville, Florida. Why? Because it is now warm enough to easily make a good henna paste, and warm enough for you to get good color from the application of a henna design. Henna is a heat activated body stain.

See the photo at the left? This is a picture of henna paste ON the skin. Your finished design will not look like this, it will be a shade of red, reddish brown, brown, or perhaps even light orange depending on how well you prepare for your appointment, and how well you care for your tattoo.

Henna gives the best color on the feet and hands. You may also get good color on the lower arms and lower legs. These are the traditional places for henna.

If you want to have a "joke" tattoo, henna will not fool anyone. It does not come in colors, it will not look like an ink tattoo. Henna, or mehandi, is it's own very lovely, very real body art form.

Please think twice before getting henna on the upper back or lower back. While it seems like a good idea, the results are often disappointing. I have published articles on the blog about lower back tattoo.. so please visit those for more information.

Henna is available by appointment between Noon and 5 PM  Monday through Saturday. Please call ahead to schedule. I do not offer henna tattoo on rainy days. It is too easy for the henna to be washed off when you leave the shop. Henna needs to stay on your skin at least three hours to get a good result.

So... the young lady who had the henna in this picture went barefoot for the rest of the day. If you want henna on your feet, please wear the smallest shoes possible. Thong sandals are often the best choice.

Well...... thanks so much for reading my blog. If you click the link you will get to the FAQ page on my site full of tips for good color. 

Henna Tattoo for the Back

Here is a photo of a henna tattoo on the back. This is a photo of the henna paste on the skin. The impact of the black paste on the white skin is quite striking. However, it is not advised to put henna on the back.

There are several reasons for this, and the primary reason is that the finished color will not be as dark as henna on the hands, arms, feet or legs. In fact, I do not recommend that you put henna on your back unless you are willing to go to extra effort to ensure good color.

Every ones skin type is different, and some people may get a good result for a henna tattoo on the back with aftercare. It is much more likely that I will get a complaint from a client that henna tattoo on the upper back is not very dark. There is very little I can to to correct this.

For most people, the pores of the back are small, the upper back may be oily in nature and these factors inhibit the henna from deeply penetrating the skin. It is also quite easy to smudge the henna when driving home!

Here is a photo of the Phoenix Tattoo 48 hours later. As you can see, my client went the extra mile to get a good finished color.

As henna is a heat activated dye, applications of olive oil and sunshine ( or perhaps a tanning bed ) gave the henna the extra push necessary to get dark color on the back in this air-conditioned Western world.

If you click to enlarge the photo, you will see that the darkest color is in the lower back. Sometimes it is possible to get a good finished color on the lower back... especially for women.

This pattern was a special order for a special occasion, and extra time was spent to keep the henna wet on the skin as long as possible ( lemon sugar glaze with essential oils was applied regularly over a two hour period to help the henna penetrate the skin.)

I do not offer this kind of henna at the Midnight Sun. The fee for this size and quality of work is $85 an hour. There may be some artists who are able to get a better color than I for the back. If you are out there.. please leave a comment on the blog so others can find you.

Or... feel welcome to post a tip to help us all get darker results on the back.  With all best wishes,

Ann George - Henna Artist - Spirit Vision Henna in Jacksonville, Florida

Contemporary Henna Pattern - for the active woman

Here is a photo of a henna tattoo (paste is on the skin - not black henna) for the active woman.

You will see that there is a lacy henna pattern on the palm, rather whimsical, yet incorporating traditional components.

However, the fingers and thumbs are free of henna paste, so work can continue for the three to six hours necessary to get the darkest henna color.

The palm will always show the true beauty of henna.. yielding colors ranging from rose, to red.. and in some cases, with good aftercare, black cherry red.

To ensure the darkest color, leave the paste on the skin as long as possible. It is also good to enjoy the outdoors! Heat is good for henna, water is not.

If you want your henna color to last as long as possible, no matter where you put it... the once you remove the paste, cover the design with olive oil to seal in the color & some body heat.

If you must wash anything.. please remember .. a bit of olive oil over the henna tattoo keeps water out and color in. For more information on the henna tattoo process, visit the FAQ page on my site.