The art of mehndi, what we in the west call henna tattoos, is achieved by drawing on the skin with a green paste made from crushed henna leaves.
The pastes is allowed to dry and remain on the skin for an hour or two. When it is removed there will be a light orange stain on the skin. That light orange will oxidize and become darker over the next 24 to 48 hours until it is a rich red-brown shade. That is your henna tattoo and it will last for about 7 to 10 days and fade away gradually.
Jodi's all natural & nice smelling henna recipe has just four ingredients: henna, lemon juice, cadjuput oil and lavender oil. After researching essential oils, she does not use the clove, eucalyptus or orange oils which smell nice but can irritate the skin, or tea tree oil which is safe but has an unpleasant smell.
Warning: never allow anyone to paint you with "black henna" which is made with a chemical called PPD. It is not real henna; PPD is illegal in the USA but is used in some other places such as Mexico. It can leave scars, enters your blood stream and can cause liver damage.
All of the henna designs in the photos are by Jodi Carr.
