WHAT IS HENNA?
This beautifully grown plant has been used throughout Africa, Middle-East, and South-Asia as plant-based medicine to heal dermatitis on young children and infants. As it spread throughout India, Pakistan, Afghanistan it grew in abundance in small tree; shrub like forms where its leaves were harvested and turned into a powder for it's natural dye.
🌿 Lawsonia-inermis is its scientific name and has the following herbal actions as an oil (for the body):
• Astringent
• Anti-inflammatory
• Antipyretic
• Analgesic
• Anti-oxidant
• Immune-modulator
What I admire most about this plant is its ability to soothe and relieve the mind of stress and anxiety in its natural form. It has cooling properties which is why it is mentioned that travellers applied it to the soles of their feet while finding their way through the desert. Henna is not gender biased and many cultures use it today as an art form to speak about a life transition they've experienced (marriage, birth,
To serve the west and extend its lifetime, henna has been mass marketed with preservatives, Parfums which had devalued its healing agents. Please avoid buying henna from local grocers and marketplaces unless its ingredients are written on the label.
Luckily, we have had a year of adversity to question nearly anything that we apply on our skin and hair. We as Practitioners, Artists carry a responsibility to share our research with the world to make it a safer and more inclusive space to live in - collectively, consciously.
HOW CAN I prepare my skin
for a Dark Henna Stain?
I hear your prayer.
You're reading this because you've either experienced henna but may not have had the best stain results.
I've composed a 'Self-love, Henna ritual' to help with the evolution of your henna stain.
Here is how I prepare my skin for the best stain possible, are you ready? PROCEED.
Now that you've reflected on the process of recreating your ritual of self-love, let's begin your skin prep.
If you're in the midst of transitioning into the next phase of your life, you may be feeling burnt-out, insomnia, skin health issues (acne, brittle hair, and digestive issues) if not more. The first part of any pre-henna routine is to begin by taking care of your gut. I have witnessed countless individuals who go on extreme diets, which have only increased their self-limiting beliefs and constructed false promises. STOP.
Your skin is your largest organ, hydrate, replenish and restore !
READ MORE...
When is the best day to apply
Henna before my event?
Many clients come to us with their main events planned and nothing planned for their at home, self-care, relaxation functions.
My first question to you before answering this question, is how do you want to feel on your main event (wedding, birthday, celebration, sacred ritual event..)? Are you getting ready to impress others or to feel your very best in your healthy mind, body and soul? Let's begin by addressing that Henna is a natural, organic plant-based art form that has been researched to share medicinal and energetic remedies. Here at Breath of Henna, we use it as a vessel to help others unfold their emotions and restore their health and well-being during event planning.
The best day to have your henna session is between 2-4 days so that your body can rebuild it's inner system; you are not a robot who is charged and put to work. You are a breathing, very much alive and emotion bound individual who needs to restore their muscular, blood, respiratory systems so that all other systems can work accordingly.
Henna is scheduled when you are ready to slow down and step into a place of rest.
When would you ideally think that time is? Does this time ever come?
You NEED TO TAKE OUT TIME FOR YOUR BODY, MIND and SOUL to rest.
Be gentle and enjoy your Henna.
My first question to you before answering this question, is how do you want to feel on your main event (wedding, birthday, celebration, sacred ritual event..)? Are you getting ready to impress others or to feel your very best in your healthy mind, body and soul? Let's begin by addressing that Henna is a natural, organic plant-based art form that has been researched to share medicinal and energetic remedies. Here at Breath of Henna, we use it as a vessel to help others unfold their emotions and restore their health and well-being during event planning.
The best day to have your henna session is between 2-4 days so that your body can rebuild it's inner system; you are not a robot who is charged and put to work. You are a breathing, very much alive and emotion bound individual who needs to restore their muscular, blood, respiratory systems so that all other systems can work accordingly.
Henna is scheduled when you are ready to slow down and step into a place of rest.
When would you ideally think that time is? Does this time ever come?
You NEED TO TAKE OUT TIME FOR YOUR BODY, MIND and SOUL to rest.
Be gentle and enjoy your Henna.
What is the colour
of Henna?
of Henna?
Henna has been commercialized and used for spiritual reassessment during retreats, yoga festivals and musical and carnival events. For us to understand the use of Henna, one must begin to observe how Henna is grown and what it looks like before it is applied.
Henna is grown in warmer climate areas such as Rajasthan, India but not limited to this country.
The Henna plant is visibly seen in small shrub-like trees. The leaves are what store its natural dye and what are then dried, grinded, sifted multiple times in creating a gorgeous Henna powder.
We love creating our blend of organic ritual Henna with the powder, our favourite essential oils of eucalyptus, lavender O, bergamot (heart chakra balance) and sugar, distilled water. The creamy or stringy blend comes from adding more or less sugar along with fresh lemon juice drops for an elastic finish.
Most of Saira's designs are created using a creamier paste as we have some clients who are photosensitive, but we can also make you a Henna blend that is nut-free, gluten-free and vegan. Henna is vegan.
Black Henna is NOT REAL HENNA.
It is a blend of the Henna powder, PPD (paraphenylenediamine) and other parabens which has been shown to cause blisters and swelling of the skin organ. It has been promoted exclusively in the Middle-East regions, Somalia, Ethiopia and Egyptian communities. Why use such a harmful chemical blend which is oxidized and where the essential oils used have gone rancid? This is the question that we ask our clients when they prefer us to use their own 'black henna'. Our answer, NO. We do not use black henna and there is NO SUCH THING AS BLACK HENNA.
As shared above, the Henna plant is natural and is organic.
White Henna Glam.
We honestly LOVE the look of white henna glam. It is NOT Henna, but is a great alternative to those who do not enjoy waiting for their Henna to dry OR want something that isn't a deep maroon colour.
We love the look of both, but it's completely up to you.
It has become a very popular trend since Huda beauty and her sisters were adorned by our friend Sara in the Middle-East in 2018.
As a body artist and visual artist, Saira encourages people to use any art form where emotions can be expressed and choreographed to release stress and elevate one's courage. BUT when it comes to Henna, we encourage clients to do their research on the product itself. White Henna 'glam' is a synthetic blend of body-paint and pros aide glue, which is commonly used by theatre-based makeup artists to avoid colour bleeding on the skin. It is latex-free but if you prefer to use it for a contemporary look (due to its white pigment) than do contact us and we will adorn you in your beautiful white henna (keyword) GLAM design.
It is also water resistant and will come off due to body oils used pre-session or post due to it's synthetic blend.
Also, if you are applying it for a vacation, avoid any bath salts, sanitizers and paraben-based moisturizers after having white henna glam done as you will peel and exfoliate your beautiful design. The body paint blend stays on top of the epidermis (first layer of the skin) and does not go into the deeper layers unless you have an open wound (not recommended). The Artist always performs a patch test and if you feel any sensitivities to the medium, than natural henna (our first option) will be used at your appointment.
White henna glam lasts between 1-3 days and can last even longer if no moisturizer is applied to the upper hand (where it is most commonly used).
Again, we encourage our community to read our FAQS before coming into an appointment so that they are aware of what they are receiving and the time needed for preparation of their skin.
Henna is grown in warmer climate areas such as Rajasthan, India but not limited to this country.
The Henna plant is visibly seen in small shrub-like trees. The leaves are what store its natural dye and what are then dried, grinded, sifted multiple times in creating a gorgeous Henna powder.
We love creating our blend of organic ritual Henna with the powder, our favourite essential oils of eucalyptus, lavender O, bergamot (heart chakra balance) and sugar, distilled water. The creamy or stringy blend comes from adding more or less sugar along with fresh lemon juice drops for an elastic finish.
Most of Saira's designs are created using a creamier paste as we have some clients who are photosensitive, but we can also make you a Henna blend that is nut-free, gluten-free and vegan. Henna is vegan.
Black Henna is NOT REAL HENNA.
It is a blend of the Henna powder, PPD (paraphenylenediamine) and other parabens which has been shown to cause blisters and swelling of the skin organ. It has been promoted exclusively in the Middle-East regions, Somalia, Ethiopia and Egyptian communities. Why use such a harmful chemical blend which is oxidized and where the essential oils used have gone rancid? This is the question that we ask our clients when they prefer us to use their own 'black henna'. Our answer, NO. We do not use black henna and there is NO SUCH THING AS BLACK HENNA.
As shared above, the Henna plant is natural and is organic.
White Henna Glam.
We honestly LOVE the look of white henna glam. It is NOT Henna, but is a great alternative to those who do not enjoy waiting for their Henna to dry OR want something that isn't a deep maroon colour.
We love the look of both, but it's completely up to you.
It has become a very popular trend since Huda beauty and her sisters were adorned by our friend Sara in the Middle-East in 2018.
As a body artist and visual artist, Saira encourages people to use any art form where emotions can be expressed and choreographed to release stress and elevate one's courage. BUT when it comes to Henna, we encourage clients to do their research on the product itself. White Henna 'glam' is a synthetic blend of body-paint and pros aide glue, which is commonly used by theatre-based makeup artists to avoid colour bleeding on the skin. It is latex-free but if you prefer to use it for a contemporary look (due to its white pigment) than do contact us and we will adorn you in your beautiful white henna (keyword) GLAM design.
It is also water resistant and will come off due to body oils used pre-session or post due to it's synthetic blend.
Also, if you are applying it for a vacation, avoid any bath salts, sanitizers and paraben-based moisturizers after having white henna glam done as you will peel and exfoliate your beautiful design. The body paint blend stays on top of the epidermis (first layer of the skin) and does not go into the deeper layers unless you have an open wound (not recommended). The Artist always performs a patch test and if you feel any sensitivities to the medium, than natural henna (our first option) will be used at your appointment.
White henna glam lasts between 1-3 days and can last even longer if no moisturizer is applied to the upper hand (where it is most commonly used).
Again, we encourage our community to read our FAQS before coming into an appointment so that they are aware of what they are receiving and the time needed for preparation of their skin.