UPDATED - October 14, 2011
Mandala Mehndi - Henna & Body Art by Scarlett
now serving Marietta, Georgia, and the Atlanta Area!
now serving Marietta, Georgia, and the Atlanta Area!
Also offering Harquu & Glitter Tattoos!
Some Information About Henna:
--What Henna IS
--What Henna IS NOT
--Safety Concerns & Precautions
--How Henna Works
--My Henna Mix Ingredient List
--Some information about myself.
What Henna IS:
Henna is a plant (Lawsonia inermis) which grows in many regions of India, the Middle East, North African, & Southern Asia. Henna leaves are harvested, dried, and ground in a fine powder.
Henna contains a natural red-orange pigment, called Lawsone. This pigment dyes the skin in a range of shades from orange to red to brown. IT IS NEVER BLACK.
Pure henna is one of the safest things you can put on your skin - it has been used for thousands of year in many countries. The FDA classifies 100% pure henna as so safe that it is exempt from regulation.
However, in order to play it safe, henna should never be applied to broken skin, to infants, or to children known to have a G6PD deficiency (which is extremely rare in America). (More information on these risks below.)
What Henna IS NOT:
Henna is NOT BLACK. It is never red, blue, green, purple, or any other color, either.
Henna is one kind of plant, which contains one type of pigment - it is ONLY ever red-orange-brown. It is never black.
Some individuals will add a caustic chemical called para-phenylenediamine (or PPD) to their tattoo mix in order to stain skin black. If someone offers you "Black Henna" it is NOT henna - there is no such thing.
PPD can cause irritation, blistering, and scarring and has been linked to brain damage and even cancer. It is not safe for skin application.
If someone says their henna is black, will stain your skin black, or only lasts for a few hours, it is not henna.
Additionally, some people may use true henna powder, but will add toxic ingredients to their mix. Some examples of unhealthy additives are gasoline, kerosene, or lighter fluid, camphor, walnut powder (to which many are allergic), black kattam, or "black rock" or "henna rock."
My rule of thumb is to ALWAYS ASK for a complete ingredient list. Some artists will refuse to share their "secret recipe." If an artist will not divulge the ingredients in their mix, walk away, and do not allow them to vend at your festival. An artist can tell you what is in their mix without giving away their personal preparation methods. They should have nothing to hide.
Safety Concerns & Precautions:
Henna can cause haemolytic crisis in G6PD (glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase) deficient infants. G6PD deficiency is an inherited condition that is rare, but is found in some ethnicities. Most people who are G6PD deficient are already aware of their condition - it is nearly impossible to go through daily life without it having been diagnosed.
G6PD deficiency and henna haemolysis are entirely unlikely, and have nothing to do with PPD.
In order to avoid these and other health risks, I take certain precautions with all my clients:
-I post signs about PPD & about G6PD deficiency in my booth.
-I post my ingredient list in my booth, with a note about allergies.
-I do not apply henna to infants or to children under the age of 6.
-I use a fresh alcohol swab on EVERY client.
-I regularly clean my henna bottle tips throughout the day.
-I keep hand sanitizer available on the table (which I use often).
-I use safe, all-natural ingredients and hand-mix fresh paste for each event.
How Henna Works:
Henna powder is mixed with various ingredients to make a paste, which is applied to the skin. The wet paste dries into a crunchy crust, which should then be kept on the skin for 4-6 hours, or even longer. The natural pigment (Lawsone) molecules in henna will migrate from the paste into the cells of the top layer of the skin (the stratum corneum). They will dye the skin cells an orange-red-brown color (the particular shade depends on the type of henna and your skin type). The longer the paste is left on, the more molecules move into the skin, and the darker your stain will be and the longer it will last.
As your body naturally sheds these skin cells through exfoliation, the pattern slowly fades away, usually over the course of 1-3 weeks.
My Henna Mix Ingredient List:
My henna mix is completely safe, all-natural, and freshly hand-mixed for every event.
It contains:
-100% pure henna powder (imported from cultivators in Rajasthan and Pakistan) -lemon juice -sucrose (sugar) -aromatherapy-grade essential oils (small amounts diluted safely for skin contact)
Some Information about Scarlett & Mandala Mehndi:
My name is Scarlett Gardner. I've been intensely intrigued by body art and world body art traditions since I was in grade school. I have spent years studying various traditions and mediums, with a focus on henna. I believe very strongly that it is every artist's duty to have a strong understanding of their medium, and this includes artists of ephemeral body art (temporary tattoos). I have made it my goal to be extensively informed about the origin, history and tradition, nature, preparation, chemistry, process of application, and health impacts of henna. I constantly seek to be up-to-date on henna-related information.
I have been a professional henna artist since 2007, working freelance and as an assisting artist for Crimson Art Henna. I have provided henna for private, public & corporate events, including parties, wedding receptions, luncheons, galas, festivals, and other events. In 2011, I moved from Savannah, GA, to Marietta, GA, and Mandala Mehndi was born.
|
 |
|
|
|
|||
|
|
||||||
|
|
|
|
|
