34 Henna Designs And Meanings To Encourage You In 2024

We love Henna designs – they’re stunning, intricate and supply a shocking option to categorical your persona and individuality. The traditional physique artwork has been fashionable in components of India, Pakistan, Africa, Egypt and the Center East for over 5,000 years, and the non permanent brown dye is well-known for adorning fingers, toes, legs and arms forward of vital celebrations. In South Asia, it types an integral a part of the mehndi social gathering for brides forward of their wedding ceremony day, the place it symbolises good well being and prosperity, plus a deep bond the darker it goes. It is also used to symbolise pleasure, kindness, well being, wealth and peace throughout many cultures. However other than wanting fairly, how a lot are you aware about Henna?

What’s henna?

When you’d be forgiven for pondering henna was the title of the paintings, “henna is definitely a plant,” explains Pavan Dhanjal, CEO of Pavan Henna. Historically, “the leaves could be crushed up right into a powder and combined with water,” she says. The mix creates a dye that is been used for generations to create non permanent designs on the pores and skin.

“Henna is a type of adornment for girls nearly like jewelry on particular events,” provides Nissa Hussain, director at Fusion Henna. Typically, these designs symbolise “prosperity, wealth, new beginnings, and celebration,” confirms Pavan.

As for the way henna designs have developed, “henna designs are sometimes a mix of repetitive motifs reminiscent of flowers, vines, mandalas and so forth. Nonetheless, in newer years, henna has been tailored to extra up to date types and utilized extra merely reminiscent of henna rings on the fingers or utilized in a bracelet model as a short lived tattoo,” says Nissa.

The historical past of henna

Henna has a protracted, wealthy historical past, however earlier than it was used for adornment, it served a extra sensible objective. “Henna was used centuries in the past in hotter climates to chill down the pores and skin. It will be unfold on the palms of the fingers and toes,” explains Pavan. “This might cool the pores and skin down and on the identical time give a vibrant color and perfume. Through the years this turned ornamental, and designs would usually replicate on the area individuals lived in and the style model on the time. As we speak, sometimes massive daring designs are Arab model, intricate designs are from India, thick floral designs from the Punjab and tribal designs with symmetry are from the African area,” she provides.

Is henna secure to make use of?

As with every dye or plant extract, it is vital to do a patch take a look at to see how your pores and skin responds. However pure henna is taken into account typically secure to make use of for non permanent tattoos.

Nonetheless, be careful for black henna ink (also referred to as PPD), a chemical model that is banned within the UK to be used on pores and skin. It creates darker designs however could cause hurt and burns to the pores and skin. Pure henna must be brown or olive in color (by no means black) and scent of crops.

Be sure to go to a good artist with good critiques. Or, in case you’re fascinated about having a go your self, select a dependable stockist. “We’ve our Henna Bar in Selfridges and we additionally promote our henna there. We have launched on-line with them, too,” says Pavan. It is the primary time Selfridges has stocked henna. “Earlier than, you’ll solely be capable to get it at your native Indian grocery retailer, so it is a massive deal for us,” says Pavan.