A plastic cone similar to those used to pipe icing onto cakes is used in India. The paste can be applied with many traditional and innovative tools, starting with a basic stick or twig. Other essential oils, such as eucalyptus and clove, are not used because they are too irritating to the skin.

Essential oils with high levels of monoterpene alcohols, such as tea tree, cajuput, or lavender, will improve skin stain characteristics. The timing depends on the crop of henna being used. The henna mix must rest between one and 48 hours before use in order to release the lawsone from the leaf matter. Many artists use sugar or molasses in the paste to improve consistency to keep it stuck to the skin better. The dry powder is mixed with one of a number of liquids, including water, lemon juice, strong tea, and other ingredients, depending on the tradition. Since it is difficult to form intricate patterns from coarsely crushed leaves, henna is commonly traded as a powder made by drying, milling and sifting the leaves. The lawsone will gradually migrate from the henna paste into the outer layer of the skin and bind to the proteins in it, creating a stain. However, dried henna leaves will stain the skin if they are mashed into a paste. Whole, unbroken henna leaves will not stain the skin because the active chemical agent, lawsone, is bound within the plant. Preparation and application Henna powder Body art The acceptance and use of henna for beautification in different parts of the world for centuries created an impact on the countries of the Anglosphere that started using it to design tattoos. Yet, some historians have an opinion that the Mughals 'brought henna culture from their homeland'. According to some historians, there are paintings and crafts in different parts of South Asia, dating back to centuries, which proves the existence of henna culture in the continent for a long time. Once, they gave them henna as their cultural gift, and it led to a full fledged henna trend in South Asia. South Asia was a trade hub for Egyptians the Pharaohs used to travel there for business activities. Pliny the Elder wrote about its use in the Roman Empire as a medicine, a perfume, and a dye. It arrived in North Africa during the Punic civilization through Phoenician Diasporas where it was used as a beautification tool. The origins of the initial human uses of henna are uncertain however, there are records that the plant was marketed in Babylonia, and was used in Ancient Egypt on some mummies to dye their hair, skin, or funeral wrappings. The word henna comes from the Arabic حِنَّاء‎ ( ALA-LC: ḥinnāʾ pronounced ). The name henna is used in other skin and hair dyes, such as black henna and neutral henna, neither of which is derived from the henna plant. Historically, henna was used in West Asia including the Arabian Peninsula and in Carthage, other parts of North Africa, West Africa, Central Africa, the Horn of Africa and the Indian subcontinent. Henna has been used in ancient Egypt, ancient Near East and then the Indian subcontinent to dye skin, hair and fingernails, as well as fabrics including silk, wool, and leather. After henna stains reach their peak colour, they hold for a few days, then gradually wear off by way of exfoliation, typically within one to three weeks. It has been used since at least the ancient Egyptian period as a hair and body dye, notably in the temporary body art of mehndi (or 'henna tattoo') resulting from the staining of the skin using dyes from the henna plant. Henna is a reddish dye prepared from the dried and powdered leaves of the henna tree. For other uses, see Henna (disambiguation).Īn elderly Bengali Muslim man in Dhaka with a beard dyed in henna

This article is about the plant-based dye.

Colorful art of people joining hands