Henna Happy: 33 Weeks & Growing!

Em'belly'sments

After O and I went to my 33 week appointment at the midwife's, we came home for a little Henna-for-three party.

We bought the plant-based tube of dye at an Indian store here in Shanghai. You can purchase the powder and mix your own paste, but the pre-made versions are very inexpensive and come with a thin tip (mendhi cone) for application. Should you purchase your own powder, choose herbal (not black) and tattoo (not hair) henna.

I reminisced a bit about the summers a highschool art friend invited me to share a Henna booth with her at local festivals. The two of us always had a packed booth and some fabulous weekends working in the sun.

O was my guinea pig. 

She happily laid on the floor while I painted around her navel!

This particular brand did not dry and flake off, as I was used to.

Instead, it was more like a gel. 

We attempted setting it with a hair dryer (heat helps strengthen henna's natural hue, therefore the best spots on the body are the warmest, such as the palm of the hand).

It never did dry and flake, so when wiped off, the smearing caused a little skin-tinting around the design.

Dyed Skin

O did not seem to care.

She was very proud to prance around the house with her belly poking out. 

She made multiple requests for more designs.

Managing my own belly, was a bit of a challenge, but we now have matching Tummy Tattoo's!

Henna is traditionally done in the third trimester and some moms have started incorporating it into their baby showers; a nice way to bless and pamper expecting mommies.

Check out these pregnant moms who anticipate safe births & healthy babies with henna bellies http://www.hennacaravan.com/pregnancy.html

The best Henna Tips I learned from my friend Sadia:

~use a safety pin to 'seal' the tip of opened henna (you often need to poke the tip to encourage any grainy bits of henna to push through)

~rub a little henna oil on skin prior to creating the design (not only smells great, but helps to set the colour)

~to encourage a strong hue, choose the warmest spot on your body (palms are popular), allow to set in the sunshine and avoid swimming pools or scrubbing the area under water the same day as the design

Please Note: Use natural Red-Brown Henna as opposed to Black Henna, which contains PPD's (para-phenylendiamine's) 

 

EXPAND ON MEHNDI TRADITIONS

PDF Books. Check out this website that offers a load of information and designs, regarding Henna and it's traditions in Indian Culture. http://www.hennapage.com/