Henna

 

Here at Henna Inspired, we only use safe, natural, homemade henna paste. Our paste includes dried henna leaves, lemon juice, water, cajeput essential oil, and molasses, and that's it! There are no preservatives or other additives of any kind, and definitely no PPD (a.k.a. black henna). 

 

What is henna?

Henna is a plant dye that naturally stains skin and hair a reddish-brown color.  Made from the ground leaves of the henna plant, henna has been used for body art for thousands of years. Traditions of decorating the body with henna paste are most associated with areas of India, the Middle East, and parts of Africa. Traditionally, henna is done for wedding ceremonies, during important rites of passage, and in times of joyous celebration. The paste is applied to the skin in intricate designs, and when the paste is removed several hours later, designs can remain on the skin for up to three weeks (typically around 7-10 days), gradually fading over time. 

 

What We Do

Henna Inspired will bring henna services to all types of invents including:

PUBLIC EVENTS

Festivals, farmers' markets, outdoor fairs, renaissance festivals, concerts, open houses, art gallery receptions

PRIVATE EVENTS

Corporate events, parties of all kinds (birthday parties, graduations, ladies night, bridal/baby showers, just for fun), community organization events (libraries, clubs, high schools, colleges), small business events (art galleries, yoga studios, salons)

Private appointments: henna crowns, prenatal henna, vacation preparation, burning man, prom, or henna just because!

SCHOOL EVENTS

Prom after parties, graduations, cultural events, field days, after-school enrichment programs

IMG_5275.JPG

Send us a message through our Contact Form to see if we can add henna inspiration to your event!

About the Artist

Karyn is a fully insured henna artist who has been practicing henna throughout the Greater Boston area since 2012. She holds a great respect for the traditions of henna and has devoted much of her time to learning about and guiding others to honor the artwork style and cultural traditions surrounding henna and its use. 


Caring for your henna design

Once you have gotten henna, the goal is to help a dark, long-lasting stain develop! Here are some tips to remember:

  • Henna loves heat! For the best color, stay nice and warm while your henna paste is on and as it darkens overnight.

  • Leave henna paste on for at least an hour. For an even darker, longer-lasting stain, leave paste on for 4-8 hours.

  • When you are ready to remove the dried paste, gently scrape or brush it off. Do not use water. Also, do not go to bed with henna paste on, or you risk transferring the stain to your face, sheets, etc.

  • Try to keep your henna stain dry for up to 12 hours after the paste has been removed for best results.

  • The design will appear as a bright orange stain that will darken to a reddish-brown color over the next 2-3 days. Good henna takes time! If anyone offers you "henna" that will show up as a dark stain immediately, they are definitely NOT offering natural henna!

 

Education

IMG_20191001_111843.jpg

Here at Henna Inspired, we also love sharing our knowledge. Karyn has extensive experience in education, having spent almost a decade as an elementary classroom music teacher prior to her career as an artist, and she can make almost any subject accessible, enlightening, and fun, even for beginners!

Karyn can share her expertise through artist talks, classes, workshops, and demonstrations in henna, henna-style bleaching, memorial flower petal beads and more.

Contact us about taking a class or setting up a private workshop.

 
Henna workshop and demonstration

Henna workshop and demonstration

 

Drums

Animal skin drumheads stain beautifully with henna, and still remain playable after the paste is removed.

Here are some examples drums and tambourines that have been decorated by Karyn:

Commissions start at $100. Contact us if you’d like to add some henna inspiration to an instrument of yours!

Henna-style Bleaching

When I focus on applying designs to fabric, I draw with a bleach paste freehand, using a traditional henna cone. The color of the design itself is always a surprise since each piece of fabric reacts differently to the discharge paste. The type of fabric, kinds of dyes present, dye saturation, as well as the thickness of the bleach paste layer, and length of time it’s left on the fabric all have an effect on the end result. When the paste is washed away and the fabric dried, each item is truly one of a kind, and each final color a complete surprise when the bleaching agent is washed away.

All fabric items are 100% cotton and are made in the USA by workers who are paid a living wage and are provided health care and retirement benefits by their employer.  All items have been washed and dried after decorating, and your garment will arrive to you ready to wear/use.

See items I have available in my shop here, or contact me for a custom request.

IMG_5159 copy.JPG
IMG_8385 copy.PNG
IMG_1594 copy.JPG
IMG_1947+copy.jpg
IMG_3869+copy.jpg