The henna plant ("lawsonia inermis") is a hardy little tree that grows in hot arid climates such as northern Africa, the Middle East and southern Asia. The leaves of this plant are harvested, dried and ground into a fine powder. This powder is made into a paste and used to dye skin, hair and even your fingernails.

The henna plant comes from the Loosestrife family, and there are many varieties found in different areas that, in turn, produce different kinds of henna powder. The powder ranges from bright green to grayish-green to a dull brown in colour. The resulting stain can be mostly in reds, purples, oranges or browns. And like wine-making grapes, the weather can definitely affect the strength of the stain.

Henna paste has been traditionally used for over 5,000 years as a cosmetic, natural dye and medicine. Most commonly used in ceremonies, henna is applied to hair, hands and feet, bringing the wearer good luck and warding off evil.

Henna paste is applied on top of your skin and over several hours the natural pigments are absorbed into the upper layers of your epidermis.

Henna Page: How Henna Stains the Skin

There are also many types of henna plants but the most common is a bright green colour. Your skin will stain in any shade (light to dark) of orange, red, brown, burgandy and near-black. Even if you have darker skin, Henna will be a contrasting stain.

Henna Page: Color Chart



Note: It is not safe to use any other chemical (such as PPD ) to create other colours (e.g. blue, pink, black).

To get the darkest, longest lasting stain, have the Henna paste applied to the palms of your hands and the soles of your feet. (This isn't too practical for some people because it means no walking or picking things up for hours!) The skin is thicker there and exfoliates slower than other areas on your body. The tops of your hands and feet also produce darker colours. Your face & neck will have the lightest stains.

Henna Page: Mapping Henna Stains on the Body