Henna FAQs

Henna (also called mehndi) is a plant that grows in countries with a hot climate like Pakistan, India, Morocco, Somalia, Egypt, Yemen, Saudi Arabia etc. The leaves of the henna plant contain the henna dye. These leaves are picked by the farmers in the henna fields, dried and sent to the mills where they are crushed to a fine powder. The dry henna powder is then packaged up and sold in the markets. Henna paste that is used for body art, is made with pure organic henna powder, lemon juice/water, and essential oils like Cajeput, Lavender, Eucalyptus. This paste is then used to draw henna designs on the skin.

Designs are drawn on skin using real and natural henna paste filled into applicators. The paste dries on the skin in 15-30 minutes depending upon the thickness of application. Henna paste needs to be kept on skin for at least 6-10 hours to get a beautiful, deep, rich, reddish-brown stain. After 6-10 hours, the henna paste is scraped off and there will be a bright orange stain of the design on the skin. This will darken to a deep burgundy-brown over the next 48-60 hours.

Henna designs done in real, natural henna can last anywhere from 4 days to 2+ weeks, depending upon where on the body they are done, and how well the after-care instructions were followed. Henna stains the top few layers of skin cells and fades gradually with natural skin exfoliation over the course of 1-3 weeks.

Real henna is not a chemical product. It is a plant based dye that naturally occurs in the leaves of the henna plant. It naturally stains the skin starting at a bright orange that gradually darkens to a deep reddish brown. Henna does not exist in blue/purple/pink etc. colors. You can rest assured that anything labeled as ‘blue/pink/purple/golden etc. henna’ is a chemical product unsafe for putting on your skin.

White henna is not henna. It is merely white body paint. It doesn’t stain the skin like real henna, neither does it last for 1-3 weeks like henna does. It stays raised on the skin, gets dirty after a couple of hours and starts rubbing off. White body paint looks nice for photoshoots but is not a practical form of body art to wear for daily activities.

Most of the pictures you see are with the henna paste still on the skin. The colors you see in the pictures is just cosmetic glitter sprinkled on top of wet henna paste. It is a temporary way to add some sparkle to your henna design. The glitter sticks only to the wet henna paste, and comes off when you take your henna paste off after a few hours. Glitter does not stain the skin. The natural henna stain will be there once the henna paste topped with glitter is removed.

'Black henna' is not real henna. It is a chemical called PPD, which is found in hair dyes. Some people use this black hair dye on skin and call it ‘black henna’. REAL henna is made from the leaves of the henna plant, and naturally stains a reddish brown, it does not stain black. Black ‘henna’ is a very dangerous product. It can cause rashes, itches, burns, permanent scars, and liver damage among other things. It is unfortunately quite widely used in tourist spots on unsuspecting customers. Beware of black.

Henna is not ‘instant’. It requires patience and care to get great results from real henna. Anything labeled as henna that promises to give instant dark stains in just a few minutes is filled with artificial dyes and chemicals not meant for use on skin.

The short answer is: you cannot.
Henna requires time and patience.. both in the application and in the aftercare. You cannot rush the henna stain to develop. Real, natural henna needs to be kept on the skin for 8-10 hours and then given 2-3 days for the stain to develop from orange to a deep reddish brown. There are no shortcuts.

Henna stain is the darkest on the coarsest, thickest skin, which is the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. The further you move away from these areas, the lighter the henna stain will be. The shoulder will stain a beautiful rich reddish brown while the palm of the hand will stain an almost cherry black. Typically, hands, arms, shoulders, feet, ankles, legs, and even the back are great areas to get a henna design. Henna does not stain well at all on the face or neck area due to skin composition. Every person has a different skin composition, so each person may stain a bit differently.

Designs are drawn on skin using real and natural henna paste filled into applicators. The paste dries on the skin in 15-30 minutes depending upon the thickness of application. Henna paste needs to be kept on skin for at least 6-10 hours to get a beautiful, deep, rich, reddish-brown stain. After 6-10 hours, the henna paste is scraped off and there will be a bright orange stain of the design on the skin. This will darken to a deep burgundy-brown over the next 48-60 hours. For detailed aftercare instructions click here.

Henna designs done in real, natural henna can last anywhere from 4 days to 2+ weeks, depending upon where on the body they are done, and how well the after-care instructions were followed. Henna stains the top few layers of skin cells and fades gradually with natural skin exfoliation over the course of 1-3 weeks.

That totally depends on how much coverage you are looking for. A small design done on guests at parties takes about 5 minutes to do, while bridal henna can take 3-6 hours. Private appointments can take 30 minutes or up depending on how much henna you would like to get. Henna application is a meticulous art and should not be rushed.

Natural henna is a temporary & painless form of body art and knows no boundaries. Anyone can get a henna design. People who are allergic to fava beans or have the G6PD syndrome should not get henna.
I personally do not do henna on men for personal religious reasons.

Wear comfortable clothing you can sleep in if you will be keeping your henna on overnight. Your skin should be clean, dry, and free of any moisturizers, oils, or lotions. It is HIGHLY advisable to remove any arm hair if getting henna on your arms as the hair gets in the way of fine lines and messes up the design. Hair-free skin is best for neat design application.

I ship freshly mixed henna every week on Mondays to ensure delivery within the same week. All orders placed from Monday to Sunday are shipped the following Monday. Weekends are the best time to place your order for quick delivery.

USPS priority mail takes 2-5 business days to be delivered once your package ships. If you have a deadline and need your henna urgently, please contact me to upgrade your shipping to express which is an additional $20+ depending upon the size of your package. Express mail is guaranteed by USPS for delivery in 1-2 business days.

No. Fresh henna paste is a perishable product and not suitable to be shipped internationally due to longer transit times. Fresh henna needs to be frozen right away on delivery to maintain freshness, which is why I ship it only within the USA.

Please click here to read the complete shipping policies.

I do not own a storefront hence all sales are online. However, in some cases I do offer local pickup from my residence in South San Diego zip 92154 (Email wardah@hennatrendz.com for local pickup orders) if the following criteria is met:

-Minimum order of $35

-Prepaid in advance online

-At least 2 days advance notice

Sure! Contact me for a bulk discount if you are looking to order 100+ henna cones or henna paste in bulk (10+ carrot bags of 16 ounces each).