Temporary henna tattoos have been used for centuries. As a natural and safe product, it's a great hands on activity for creative kids and young adults. You can purchase henna tattoo paste that's already made, but with the proper ingredients and steps, you can create your own temporary henna tattoos at home.
Henna Tattoo Paste Ingredients
Many of the ingredients to create your own temporary henna tattoo can be found in your local grocery store. You will need a sour acidic liquid such as lime or lemon juice, red wine, or tea. To make the paste thicker, you will need honey, sugar, syrup, fructose, or any other sticky and sweet substance.
You can look at your local specialty stores to see if they carry any of these ingredients or you can purchase them online. You'll need are 100% pure, pre-sifted body art powder. Look for dark brownish-green colors. It does lose potency over time, so when the powder has lightened and turned brown, the stain won't look as good. You may need to sift the cheaper powder for body art. Store any leftover henna powder in the freezer and it will stay potent for at least a year.
You also need an essential oil that contains terpinols, such as tea tree oil, lavender, clove bud, or any oil that's safe for the skin.
To mix the ingredients for the tattoo paste you'll need a non-metal mixing bowl and chopsticks or a spoon for stirring. You'll also need plastic wrap or a lid for the bowl and plastic bags or carrot bags.
How to Make Henna Tattoo Paste
The first step is to measure out the powder into mixing bowl. For body art, only use a teaspoon for a few small designs. For ten to fifty designs, you want to use several tablespoons. You can use freeze any leftover henna tattoo paste for a few months, so don't worry if you make too much.
The second step is to add your sour liquid while stirring. It should be a consistency between toothpaste and pudding. You want the paste to hold on the spoon and barely drips. Add the liquid slowly and only a small amount at a time so the paste doesn't get too runny. Make sure you break up any lumps that form.
After adding the liquid, add your sugar or other sticky substance. Add it slowly, like the liquid, until you get a nice, stringy texture. It'll be perfect if you can draw it out into long lines without it breaking apart. If you want to add the sugar before you add the liquid, or both at the same time, you can experiment and see what works best for you.
Once you've added the liquid and the sugar, add your essential oils. If you have sensitive skin, use lavender oil or skip this step. Only add 1-3 drops per tablespoon of the henna tattoo paste. You can use any oil that's safe for your skin, but only ones with terpinols will darken the henna. At this step, your henna tattoo paste should be thick and smooth.
When you finish mixing, cover the bowl with foil, plastic wrap, or a lid. It needs anywhere from 4 to 24 hours to release it's dyes, so set it in a warm place and wait. Make sure to check the henna tattoo paste every few hours. When you start to see a brown crust on the top, it's almost finished. If you start to see puddles or drops of dye, it's at or passing the peak of use. If your henna tattoo paste becomes dark brown throughout, it's probably degraded and won't stain well. Timing takes practice, heat and low pH speed up the process. Try leaving it on a warm coffee pot if you need it faster. Put it outside on a cold night to slow it down.
You can use or store your tattoo paste once it's ready. Store it in a seal-able bag and freeze it, or you can use it immediately. If it seems too thick, thin it before freezing it. For body art, you may want to strain it to make sure there are no lumps.
To use it, just put it into a carrot bag with the tip cut off and squeeze slowly while you draw on your design.
Popular Henna Tattoo Designs:
There are many traditional temporary tattoo designs, such as flowers, suns, and other intricate designs. The beauty of them is there are no stencils. You can create any design you like. They can be as small or as large as you'd like.
It isn't recommended to do temporary henna tattoos on children under the age of 6 because the process is quite long and they don't sit well through the process. The tattoo paste takes at least 6-8 hours to set. Many just wear it to bed and take off the dried paste in the morning. The temporary tattoo will last anywhere from one to three weeks.
No matter if you choose to buy the already made henna tattoo paste or choose to make it yourself, it's a beautiful way to express your creativity on yourself or on your friends and family. Whatever design you choose, everyone will love your temporary henna tattoo.
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