LifeArt Henna Body Art Guide
How to Apply Mud™
Henna body art is a simple process that can be learned with a few hours of practice. The more you apply henna tattoos the more you learn about the tricks and techniques that make a seasoned artist. We will try to give you a few pointers that will help solve problems that you will encounter as you practice mehndi.
1) Henna should come from a natural source, please be careful using products that claim to be henna ink or paint. Henna is a natural red dye that will stain the skin reddish brown to coffee color. With practice you can get a dark stain on any part of the body.
2) Mehndi Mud™ is a good way to start out and a favorite of many professional artists. We suggest starting with Mehndi Mud™ because it will give you the best example of how henna should work and is safe for anybody.
3) Cleaning the skin is very important. Just because you wash the skin with soap doe not make it clean enough for applying henna art. Many soaps will block the skin and cause the henna to be light and unacceptable. Alcohol is also another problem because it mixes with oils and also blocks the pores. The upper middle back and chest have more natural oils and special attention should be given to cleaning these parts of the body. A hot bath is a good start if you plan a large design, but remember no soap. Kids have the best natural clean skin. Avoid mineral oils and remember mineral oils and some suntan lotion will totally block the pores and must be cleaned . Lemon is a good cleaner and if the skin is really bad try Witch Hazel first. We use fresh lemon slices as scrubby pads. Keep some fresh lemons on hand at your booth they are a nice touch. Do not use any oils on the skin before you apply Mud™. Extra oils will block the pores and keep the henna for staining dark.
4) Applying henna is done with applicator bottles or can be done with plastic cones. We like to use applicator bottles and have a large selection of bottles and tip sizes available on our web site. Once in a while the smaller tips will clog. Tapping the applicator bottle on a table will usually work to solve this problem, but sometimes forcing water through with your thumb is the only way to clean the old henna paste out. Let the tips soak after a day of use to keep them clean. Clean tips mean clean lines. It is a good idea to squirt a little bit of paste out just before applying it to the skin to get rid of any surprises.
5) Henna should be left on for as long as possible. Mud™ will stain fast, but it is better to leave it on as long as you can. You can use lemon sugar on Mud™ if you like, but it is not necessary for a dark stain. The longer you leave the henna paste on the longer the design will last. One hour with Mud™ will get you about a ten day stain. After the paste is applied the body should be keep as still as possible and try not to disturb the skin. It is important to be in a nice environment where the customer can relax and not be distracted. This is not always possible at public shows, but let the customer know that they should try to stay still at least until the paste is dry.
6) When the henna paste is dry and you are ready to remove it, use a business card or old plastic credit card to gently scrap it off. It is best not to use water for the first 8 hours and keep out of pools and the ocean until the next day. After 24 hours a hot shower will make the tattoo darken faster and not effect the duration of the tattoo. Natural vegetable oils can be used to slow the exfoliation process and keep the design on longer. Remember it is best not to put it on your skin if you wouldn't put it in your mouth.
Artwork
It is important to have samples of artwork that you can copies and draw on the skin with henna. People like to look through design books to pick their tattoo. Design boards can also be used, but there main function is to attract customers and nothing is better advertising then a long line. I prefer making a bunch of copies of my design book so people can look through the tattoo designs as I work. Design board are ok, but they blow around in the wind and can not be seen by a lot of people at once.
A good place to start building a design book is at the library The art section has a rich section of ancient drawing and symbols that can be photo copied and used to copy to the skin. Transfers can be used for hard to draw designs like Celtic knots or logos. Transfers can be purchased at LifeArt.cc and custom designs can be submitted for no extra cost. To make your own transfers you will need to invest some money in a 3M compatible transparency maker which can be found by searching keyword 'transparency maker' on ebay. There are a few different brands to choose from and they will cost from $300 to $700 dollars. If you are lucky you will find a good machine. You might also try calling the local school district in your area to find when they have their auctions. I don't know of any company that still makes sells these machines new, but as they grow in popularity you never know.
Using transfers with 3M spirit master paper. We suggest that you use plain lemon juice to make the skin sticky rather the deodorant because the lemon doesn't fill the pours and is no-toxic. Put a thin coat of lemon juice on the skin and wipe off most of it. It should be sticky not wet before you apply the transfer. Cut out the design that is to be used and place the ink side on the skin apply pressure with your hand or a dry sponge. Hold the design on the skin for about 10 seconds and peel of the paper. After a few times you will have this technique wired. ALl you do next is apply the henna paste right over the transferred design and let it dry for at least an hour. The henna will lift most of the ink off the skin and the rest will wash off the next day.
List of Tools and Props
1) Comfortable chairs are a must , we suggest director style chairs because they can be found at all different heights. Tall ones are good for feet and short ones can be used with the back folded down in a row as a place to lay down. I use at least 3 short and one tall for a small crowd. The more the better. Keep your design books open on the chairs so that people don't just sit down and rest. It is good advertising and if they do sit down they have to pick up the design book. The best kind of sign is one that says Henna Body Art or Henna Tattoo.Mehndi Art is also good but not everyone knows what it means.
2) A tent is nice to make a small unique environment. Most booths are 10' by 10' and many commercial awning and tents are made for this purpose. A more traditional way is the find 4 polls and use a nice print cloth as a sun cover or just use a big umbrella. It is best to bring a nice carpet to cover the floor because people(you) will have to sit on it sometimes. You can also use a push cart like the ones you see in the malls. Push carts can be expensive to buy, but they can save you money. Most craft shows will rent cart space for about half the cost a full size booth and don't usually mind a few folding chairs.
3) Bring Lots of lemons and paper towels. I prefer clean white towels because they are nice to use, but when you run out of clean ones paper towels are a good substitute. A small table is also useful to set you mehndi tools and a cooler is a good place to keep you henna paste , lunch and drinks, cotton balls, q-tips and tooth picks are helpful to help fix mistakes and fix detail only in the first few minutes after the henna is applied.
4) Bottled water to drink and use to clean tips is a good thing to have on site. It is best to clean the applicator tips with an empty applicator bottle filled with clean water. Just squeeze the water out through the tip until the it is clean. Don;t use needles or wire because they can scratch the inside of the tip and cause clogs.
5) Pillows are nice props and helpful to keep people still. Lighting is sometimes a must. Make sure you find out about the natural light and get lights if you need them. There is nothing worse then doing henna in the dark. Make sure you have power if you are paying for a craft show spot. A blow dryer is also good to help dry large designs. It is best to let the customer do their own blow drying though so the skin doesn't get to hot.
6) Start a photo album of henna art you have done to show customers what you can do. It is a good idea to create an information sheet for your customers that tells what henna is and how to take care of their new tattoo. you can add a little history to make it more interesting. Get business cards if you do private partys or have a henna salon.
How Much to Charge
This is a good question that is asked a lot. I have charged from $5 to $200 dollars depending on the circumstance. At shows and public events I start at $10 for adults and $5 for kids, but I have found that it is not a good idea to price the designs because when you are slow it is good to even do a couple for free to get a crowd started. If you are working in a salon you can charge more and do nicer work. You might want to start at $20 for adults and $10 for kids. It all depend on the area you are working in and the caliber of the customers
License's
In most city's in the United States there is no licence required to do henna body art. Henna body art is not considered a cosmetic by law and a cosmetic licence is not necessary. If you do have a cosmetic licence be sure to use only natural henna paste, because you can loose your licence for using the black henna (hair dye) on the skin and the FDA law in the US does not allow mixing henna plant with color dyes or inks. Most city's will require a business licence if you are going to open a business. A good way to classify henna body art when applying for a license is to call it temporary tattoos, body painting or even face painting. The idea when getting a city license is to find a category that already exists and makes the city happy. I have even received a real tattoo classification when applying for a license in the city of Long Beach CA. Check into the cities codes and laws before you apply for your license to save time. If you use all natural henna products you will not have any trouble. If you use Mud™ print our MSDS to show the insurance companies that your henna is safe and non-toxic. Most fairs don't require business licence's and not all require insurance. Ask a face painter in your area about company's that will insure their line of work if you must.
That's about all you need to know to get started, experience will do the rest so have fun don't sell yourself cheap.
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