Henna Body Art

Body art has been in vogue, since times immemorial. Right from piercing, tattooing to body painting, there are a number of options for people to enhance their look with the use of art. One such way is through henna body painting. Primarily found in Middle East and India, for thousands of years now, the leaves of the henna plant are used to extract henna, which is further used to create beautiful intricate temporary body art. Henna, when applied on the surface of the skin, leaves the outer skin with an orange-brown shade.

Traditionally, henna was applied on the hair, hands and feet. However, with in the contemporary world, application of henna is limited to only the bending areas of the skin. Artists, these days make henna tattoos on the arms as armlets. Intricate henna art is done around the navel as well. Henna tattoos can be made on a person's back. Henna tattoos or body art is a good option as they are not permanent and you can experiment, especially if you are unsure about how it will look.

Today, henna is increasingly being used for body painting. The color of the henna usually wears off completely over a period of time. The duration for which the color of henna lasts mainly depends on the skin type and the type of care you take. A body painting can last between four to six weeks. However, if you use lotions or soak the designed area frequently, then the color is bound to wear off quickly. Swimming also wearies off henna quickly. Too much use of soap and other chemicals leads to a faster removal of henna.

One of the major benefits of using henna, for body art, is that it is not painful unlike other forms of art. This is because it is applied on the surface on the skin and not injected into the skin. Some people have reactions to henna body art. This is normally because of the oils that are added to the henna paste and not to the henna per se. Some people have contact dermatitis that manifests in the form of an itchy rash. If the paste has been applied for a short while, then it can be washed off and will leave a very pale stain. If the henna paste has been worn for a long time or overnight it will take about 4 weeks for the orange-brown color to wash off.