Want to learn the art of henna?
We offer in-studio courses at our shop in Ypsilanti, Michigan that cover everything from mixing henna to creating your own designs. Learn more about the Henna Class

Henna is a paste that is applied to the top of the skin. As it dries, it stains your skin. simple.

After application, the dried, raised paste FALLS OFF and you are left with a bright orange stain that oxidizes and darkens over the next 24-48 hours to become that nice red / brown henna color. Last 7 days – 14 days. Henna is an all natural dye for the skin. Henna is extracted from the Lawsonia inermis tree by drying and grinding leaves and stems. The greenish powder, when mixed with an lemon juice, makes a temporary red, brown, or orange design on a porous surface. People use henna in ritual skin painting, called Mehndi, for birth and marriage celebrations. Western cultures have adopted henna to make temporary tattoos and organic hair dye. The Lawsonia inermis grows in hot, arid regions like North Africa and India. For centuries, people ground the foliage of the plant into a powder to dye cloth and skin. The strong pigment, lawsone, actually temporarily stains the skin. The dye is a dark pigment, but does not alter the surface permanently.