For more than 8,000 years, henna has been known to the world. Still Cleopatra used this unusual plant for treatment and for cosmetic purposes, but even today this product does not lose its popularity. Henna is used to color hair, both in pure form, and in a mixture with other dyes. She perfectly paints the gray hair, strengthens the hair and makes them shiny, giving a beautiful, saturated red color. Also popular were and are drawings of henna. In the East, the tradition of painting on the body exists for about 5 thousand years. Women of Ancient Egypt made tattoos on a certain part of the face and chin, and men applied the image of the hoopoe to the temples. And the inhabitants of the countries of Central Asia have used henna for a long time to apply drawings to the whole body. Such drawings are called Mendi, and they are often of religious motives and have been associated with rituals, traditions and rituals. At the wedding bride painted with intricate patterns with henna, and the powder, which remained after application, buried in the ground. Thus, I believe marriage defended against the infidelity of the spouse and the soon break. And the women of Morocco during the pregnancy, put drawings of henna on the ankles, so that the future child is not jinxed. Each of the peoples tried to change the color of such a "tattoo" in their own way. For example, Indian women added a tea solution to the henna powder, and African women pre-fumigated the place of drawing the picture with smoke from logs. In the East, even now, there are special beauty salons, which until late at night are working painters, draftsmen, creating unsurpassed masterpieces on the bodies of their clients, although recently it is just a trend of fashion. However, it is possible to find similar masters in Russia, now it does not present difficulties. The cost of such a tattoo is quite different. Everything depends on the skill level of the artist, the size of the drawing, the complexity of the pattern and even the paint and color. The most simple drawing on a palm size the size of a "glove" usually costs 400-600 rubles, more complex drawings can cost from 1500 to 5000 rubles. An important role in the cost of work is the quality of paint and additives (if you decide to change the color of the picture), as well as the way of applying henna. Choose your picture for the application is not difficult. Almost any good master can offer you his sketches or make a preliminary sketch. In addition, there are many different pictures and photos of henna on the Internet, so it will not be difficult to find something to your liking. 
How is henna made at home?
First of all, you need to prepare everything for a picture of henna on the body. You will need:
- Capacity for stirring henna;
- Spoon or wand;
- Syringe;
- Scissors;
- Film;
- Henna;
- Lemon juice;
- Eucalyptus oil;
Pour warm (not boiling water) henna powder andadd a few drops of lemon juice. Bring the mass to a uniform consistency and allow to stand for a while. While the mixture is infused, treat the area on which the pattern will be applied with eucalyptus oil. It would be nice to pilling this area of the skin with soft means that will not scratch the skin too much, but it will well exfoliate the upper stratum corneum. This will enhance the intensity of the color of the future tattoo and reveal the pores of the skin. The fact that eucalyptus oil helps to slow the drying of henna, which means that the paint lasts longer on the skin and penetrates deeper. But do not use more than 3 drops of oil to avoid irritation. With sensitive skin, it is better to pre-test for an allergic reaction to the elbow bend. To do this, just apply a few drops on the skin and leave it overnight. If there is redness, then use oil is not worth it. On the film with a felt-tip pen, draw the desired pattern and attach it to the skin so that the pattern is imprinted. Draw the dye into the syringe and gently circle the resulting sketch with the henna. Optimal repeat this procedure 2 times with a difference of 1 hour, so that the color of the tattoo was deeper. After the pattern is ready, it must be allowed to dry. Ideally, the drying should take at least 1 hour. If you dry such a tattoo less time, then the pattern will be very pale and quickly come down. Dry the pattern in the heat, to give additional brightness Mendi, you can periodically moisten the paint with lemon juice with the addition of sugar (1: 2). Just do not overdo it, otherwise you risk lubricating the pattern. If you decide to make yourself drawings of henna at home on a fairly large area of the body, additional measures will be needed. Boil half a liter of water, add 2 tsp to it. black tea or natural coffee (ground) and cook the mixture on low heat for an hour. Strain the infusion obtained. While brewing is brewed, you can prepare for the henna procedure. Note that for drawings it is necessary henna, which is intended for coloring the body. It is made from the upper leaves of the bush, which have high coloring properties. 40-50 g of powder wipe through a sieve. In the resulting dust gradually pour in a hot broth, seeking consistency of sugar glaze. The main thing is that the mixture is not too liquid, otherwise the pattern will not work. Ready paint should cool down and stand for 2-3 hours. To get a brighter pattern, try adding a couple drops of lemon or lime juice to the paste. Drawing is best done with a bright pen and tracing paper. To translate the picture on the skin you will need a solid deodorant (better male). Apply it to the entire surface of the skin, attach a tracing paper with a pattern and carefully print the sketch so that it is transferred to the body. Then on the planned lines, draw a picture of henna with a syringe-package.
- How to make a syringe package for drawings?
To make it is not at all difficult. It will take an ordinary sachet, strong enough and dense. Cut a rectangle 16x20 cm, make a bag from it and glue all the seams with adhesive tape (sharp corner too). In the resulting syringe, put a paste of henna, filling 23 volumes. Wrap the edges of the bag so that the paint does not leak out, and secure with adhesive tape. In a sharp corner of the needle, make a small hole so that the paint is easily squeezed out. 
Choosing a place for henna tattoos
Quite often a seemingly strange question arises,but where is the best place to draw a picture of henna? The easiest way to do Mendy on the palm of your hand. This is convenient, the color is more saturated, and the paint lasts longer. Beautifully looks the pattern on the back of the palm and upper arm. And also perfectly fit a simple pattern on the wrists and ankles. But do not like tattoos on the chest or neck. This pattern keeps depending on the quality of the paint from 1 to 3 weeks and needs to be adjusted. It all depends on the location of the pattern, for example, the hands often come into contact with water and the paint is washed out. Dare, maybe you will not get it right the first time as well as you would like, but a little training and skill, and your drawings will attract the eye and charm with the beauty of the pattern!
