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