Henna before & Aftercare: Tips & Tricks

Henna works best on clean, dry skin.  It is best to avoid oils/lotions on the day of your appointment.  It is also helpful to remove any hair from the area where your design is to be applied.  Designs last longest and stain darkest on the hands and feet, where the skin is thicker, and can last up to two weeks with proper care.  

• The longer you leave the paste on, the darker the stain. It is recommended you keep the paste on 4-8 hours after it has been sealed.  

If you will leaving the paste on overnight, you may want to wrap it securely with gauze or several layers of tissue paper to protect it.  Cotton socks on hands/feet also work well to keep the tissue and your design in place.  Your our artist may also provide a hypo-allergenic medical tape (me-fix or Saniderm) to protect the design.

•  When it is time to remove the henna paste, unwrap your design and flake/brush off the paste with your fingernail (the edge of a credit card works great for this too).  Do not wash off with water! 

•The henna design will be light to bright orange at first and then darken over the next 24-48 hours to a shade of reddish-brown.  Keep your henna design away from water for the first 24 hours or so after you remove the paste.  Early exposure to water can interrupt the darkening process and leave you with a lighter stain that will not last as long.  

•If you have henna paste that is difficult to remove from your skin, use a cotton ball dipped in olive oil or Bella Henna Aftercare balm.  (coconut and any kind of vegetable based oil will also work).

Henna likes heat, so staying warm while your henna design is on, and while the color is developing is ideal. 

• To make your beautiful henna design last,  try not to scrub the area or use exfoliating lotions on it.  You can also protect your henna from wear and tear by using Bella Henna Aftercare Balm, especially before bathing and showering.

Bella Henna uses only the highest quality henna powders and jagua gel/juice from reputable suppliers.

HENNA INGREDIENTS: BAQ henna powder, lemon juice, distilled water, sugar, dextrose, and essential oils in her mix.  

Each batch of henna is hand-prepared and tested for quality. 

Henna paste should be left on for several hours to overnight, and will start as an orange stain that will darken to a shade of reddish- brown over the next 24-48 hours.

Remember, henna is never black!  For information about the dangers of "black henna" see The Henna Page  

1.  Leave the jagua gel or paste on, 3-6 hours.  Jagua takes approximately 30 minutes to set, please be careful not to smudge your design during this time.   

2.  Wash the jagua design thoroughly with lukewarm water.  It will be light yellow to invisible at first, and darken to a shade of blue/black over the next 24 hours.  

3.  Jagua is a very strong dye and may transfer at first, so you may want to cover your fresh jagua design when sleeping for the first night to avoid winding up with a jagua design in unintended places (rare, but it has happened!) 

All Jagua gel and juice is supplied by FreshJagua.com  - check out their page for more info.

Jagua Ingredients:

Genipa Americana Fruit Juice, Xanthan Gum,Citric Acid,Potassium Sorbate,Organic Lavandula Angustifolia Oil.

from our supplier:  ***Our product is 100% natural and does not contain any P.P.D or other toxins***