THE MIX:

1/2 CUP OF HENNA POWDER

1 TSP. MUSTARD SEED OIL

10 DROPS EUCALYPTUS OIL

1/2 TSP. SUGAR

1/4 CUP LEMON JUICE

APPLICATION:   

1.  Wear a rubber glove to protect your hand from the stain as you draw.

2.  Clean the surface of the skin where you will apply the henna.  Scrub well or rub with alcohol and cotton, exfoliating as much as possible.

3.  Transfer henna mix from bowl into cone or whatever you will use.  A pastry bag works well.  Some people use squeeze bottles, toothpicks or ink pens.  Moroccans use a syringe without the needle, while Indians make a cone out of heavy plastic.  Experiment to find what works best for you. 

4.  Squeeze as you draw, making sure that the henna is lying in contact with the skin.  Correct mistakes by wiping immediately with alcohol and swab or by flicking excess with a needle or toothpick.

5.  As the henna dries, it loses its sheen, darkening, hardening, and shrinking.  Have a soupy mixture of lemon juice and sugar ready in a small bowl to the side.  When the design starts to crack, gently dab it with a cotton ball.  Make sure the henna is stiff enough or it will smoosh.  Don’t soak it- the design will blur, and if the mixture is too sticky, it will pull up the design.  The idea is to shellac the design with the mixture, keeping it moist and flexible.  Check for areas that need extra henna, especially in large filed-in areas.

6.  Juice the design several times as it dries.  Be especially careful with bending areas (wrists, fingers, ankles, etc.) as these blur easily.  Now for the hard part:  sit and wait patiently.  Read a book, watch a movie, make a plan to bring about world peace.  After four hours, scrape off the henna (bathtub or sink) and rub mustard seed oil onto it with a washcloth.  Or, another greasy replacement will do (olive oil, Vaseline).  Goal: Clog those pores!!  Do not wet area for 12 hours, as water stops the chemical reaction that promotes the stain.  The design should look bright orange at first and will continue to darken throughout the next day.

TIPS:

Buy henna powder at an Indian store or order it online.  Make sure it is for the skin and not just for hair.  Sift it well into a small porcelain or metal bowl using an old nylon stocking stretched over a bowl.  The tea must be strong, black, and boiling.  It contains tannic acid which helps release the color.  Sugar and mustard seed oil give the paste fluidity and help it adhere to the skin.  Eucalyptus oil opens the pores, allowing good reception.

The paste should look like chocolate frosting, not too thick nor too runny.  Add powder or lemon juice as needed to reach good consistency.  Let it sit overnight.  The mix should be good for a week at room temperature.