34 Henna Designs And Meanings To Encourage You In 2024

We love Henna designs – they’re stunning, intricate and supply a surprising method to categorical your character and individuality. The traditional physique artwork has been widespread in elements of India, Pakistan, Africa, Egypt and the Center East for over 5,000 years, and the momentary brown dye is well-known for adorning arms, ft, legs and arms forward of necessary celebrations. In South Asia, it varieties an integral a part of the mehndi social gathering for brides forward of their wedding ceremony day, the place it symbolises good well being and prosperity, plus a deep bond the darker it goes. It is also used to symbolise pleasure, kindness, well being, wealth and peace throughout many cultures. However except for wanting fairly, how a lot have you learnt about Henna?

What’s henna?

When you’d be forgiven for considering henna was the identify of the paintings, “henna is definitely a plant,” explains Pavan Dhanjal, CEO of Pavan Henna. Historically, “the leaves can be crushed up right into a powder and combined with water,” she says. The mixture creates a dye that is been used for generations to create momentary designs on the pores and skin.

“Henna is a type of adornment for girls nearly like jewelry on particular events,” provides Nissa Hussain, director at Fusion Henna. Typically, these designs symbolise “prosperity, wealth, new beginnings, and celebration,” confirms Pavan.

As for a way henna designs have developed, “henna designs are sometimes a mix of repetitive motifs equivalent to flowers, vines, mandalas and so forth. Nevertheless, in more moderen years, henna has been tailored to extra up to date kinds and utilized extra merely equivalent to henna rings on the fingers or utilized in a bracelet fashion as a brief tattoo,” says Nissa.

The historical past of henna

Henna has an extended, wealthy historical past, however earlier than it was used for adornment, it served a extra sensible goal. “Henna was used centuries in the past in hotter climates to chill down the pores and skin. It could be unfold on the palms of the arms and ft,” explains Pavan. “This could cool the pores and skin down and on the identical time give a vibrant color and perfume. Through the years this turned ornamental, and designs would usually replicate on the area individuals lived in and the style fashion on the time. At the moment, sometimes huge daring designs are Arab fashion, intricate designs are from India, thick floral designs from the Punjab and tribal designs with symmetry are from the African area,” she provides.

Is henna secure to make use of?

As with every dye or plant extract, it is necessary to do a patch take a look at to see how your pores and skin responds. However pure henna is taken into account typically secure to make use of for momentary tattoos.

Nevertheless, be careful for black henna ink (often known as PPD), a chemical model that is banned within the UK to be used on pores and skin. It creates darker designs however could cause hurt and burns to the pores and skin. Pure henna ought to be brown or olive in color (by no means black) and scent of crops.

Be sure you go to a good artist with good critiques. Or, if you happen to’re all for having a go your self, select a dependable stockist. “We have now our Henna Bar in Selfridges and we additionally promote our henna there. We have launched on-line with them, too,” says Pavan. It is the primary time Selfridges has stocked henna. “Earlier than, you’ll solely be capable of get it at your native Indian grocery retailer, so this can be a huge deal for us,” says Pavan.