Henna for Hair

Using henna to decorate the skin is usually done only by women, but henna for the hair has been used by both men and women for a long time in the Middle East and India. Henna helps during the warm and hot months to disperse heat from the body. The popular places to put henna is on the hands, the feet and in the hair/scalp. It helps to condition the skin, hair and fingernails/toenails. It also puts highlights in dark hair and darkens the color of lighter hair. Henna adds elasticity and body as well as holds split ends together to give the hair more shine. The color will last in the hair for about two to three months and when the hair grows out the henna fades out so one will never have that harsh line of color that alerts everyone else to the fact one has not kept up dying the roots.

Henna usually gives a reddish to orange tint to the hair, but one can add certain ingredients to the henna to alter the color or intensify it. For instance, if one were to add apple cider vinegar or lemon juice the result is golden or copper color highlights; adding ground cloves deepens and enhances the color of the henna. If one were to add a bit of congac and olive oil it further reddens the effect of the henna. Tea adds golden highlights to brown hair and coffee deepens the browns and tones down the reds.

Just like anything else henna has a few quirks. Since henna is considered to cool the body and is an astringent, one might want to refrain from dying hair when it is cold outside. Illness and pregnancy are further contraindications. When dying hair, one always wants to do a test strip to see if it might irritate the skin. Also, if one’s hair is grey, permed, or otherwise treated in some fashion, the hair is more porous and will drink in the dye. So if one has very light grey hair or white hair beware–it could make the hair a bright orange or pink like a clown’s!! There is an alternative called Neutral Henna and it will condition and give shine to the hair but will not dye it (well, not too much anyway). It is very hard to find a completely neutral henna so one might still get a bit of a dye.

There is one WARNING I will give on henna for hair and that is if you have dyed your hair with henna and then go to the salon, always tell your stylist about it. If you go to have your hair permed or have another harsh chemical put on your henna-dyed hair, it can react badly with the henna and one of the side effects is that your hair can fall out!! Also, just a note: if you dye your hair with henna, it will fade out over time but you cannot have it stripped out like other dyes. Once it is in your hair, you have two choices: you can wait for it to fade out, or you can cut it out.

Most of the information for this section and more on this subject is in the book, Henna From Head To Toe: Body Decorating, Hair Coloring, Medical Uses, by Norma Pasekoff Weinberg. As always, you may email me with questions and comments.

Henna- A Little Bit of Background

Henna has been used for so long that its origins are utterly lost in obscurity. We have some evidence that points to henna having been used up to 100,000 years ago. It is thought that henna, along with other plant and mineral dyes, was used to paint the body to denote group membership and rank. Later, symbolic coloring of the body was used in religious festivals and as a kind of magic, possibly in hunting and ceremonies throughout the year.

Throughout history, many cultures have had a tradition of using henna. It was popular with the Hebrews in biblical times as a cosmetic and it is thought to have been the substance often referred to as camphire in the Hebrew texts and the Old Testament. However, it is believed that it was first used for cosmetic reasons in ancient Egypt to dye the fingertips and fingernails a reddish hue, as well as the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. There have been finds on mummies dating from five thousand years ago with henna on their hands. A fair amount of evidence suggests that henna was introduced to India from Egypt. Henna is also very popular in India, being worn by women as an expression of creativity and beauty. One can see henna worn at a lot of festivals and celebrations, especially on a new bride at her wedding. Henna is considered to bring luck and prosperity as well as protection. Followers of Islam have enjoyed the use of henna for a long time as well. It is used in rites of passage and is considered to be a blessing or a lucky charm to protect against harmful entities and evil. Whatever the reason henna is worn, be it protection, luck, or beauty, it is used and worn all over–from India, Pakistan, and throughout the Middle East, on into Egypt, across North Africa to Morocco, and down through sub-Saharan Africa.

If you are interested in reading more about some of the history and uses of henna, I got some of my information from, and would recommend, the following books. They are good introductory-level books that are easy and quick reads, with some nice pictures of finished henna work as well as ideas for patterns.

Mehndi: The Timeless Art of Henna Painting, by Loretta Roome
Mehndi: The Art of Henna Body Painting, by Carine Fabius
Henna From Head to Toe!, by Norma Pasekoff Weinberg

An Introduction to Henna

This past summer I started to offer henna as another form of art for my customers. This year in preparation for my “henna season” I thought it might be nice to write a couple of blog sessions on henna and give some information and answer a few commonly asked questions on this art form.

Henna or Lawsonia inermis is a plant that once harvested and dried it is ground to powder and mixed into a paste. This can then be applied to the body in a variety of ways. What you will usually see here in the U.S. is someone using a henna cone, which looks like a disposable pastry piping bag, or someone using a Jacquard bottle with a metal tip. Once the paste is applied to the skin it can stay on the skin for as little as a few hours to a full 24 hours. The longer it stays on the skin the darker it will usually stain the skin. After the henna has dried and needs to come off, it will be scraped or peeled off and the skin will be cleaned up with a vegetable oil, usually olive oil. The stain will be a light orange to brown color and will darken over the next 24 to 48 hours. That is the short version. I will now go through so of the more frequently asked questions and get into some more detail.

Does it hurt to have henna done? No, it feels like a toothpaste or body gel that rests on the top of the skin. The paste is usually used at room temperature but can be a little cool to the touch. In most cases having henna done is quite relaxing because you can sit, talk, eat and enjoy the time with your friends while waiting for the design to be completed and then to let it dry. If you use an all natural henna it is known for actually conditioning the skin.

Is henna permanent? No, it is not permanent! If you are like me I could never get a tattoo because after I got a tattoo I would wish that I had gotten a different design or that I had put the tattoo in a different place. Henna allows me the flexibility to have all of that. I can have a lot of different designs in a variety of places which will always keep things new.

How long does henna last? If you take care of your henna it can last up to a month, if you do nothing to care for your henna it will last about a week. However, certain parts of the body stain better than other parts. That being said, the parts that stain best will last longer. Those parts that stain best are the hands (especially the palms), the feet, and parts of the torso. The parts that do not stain as well are the shins/calves, lower parts of the thigh, the forearm, and the upper arm. The henna reacts well with body heat so those parts that are hotter will allow the henna to stain darker therefore it will last longer. The henna actually stains the skin and as the skin exfoliates the henna appears to fade until it has literally been rubbed/washed off. If you need it to come off more quickly keep washing and exfoliating. You can scrub with plain white sugar or table salt to help but the salt has a tendency to dry out the skin.

What colors does henna come in? That is kind of a trick question because it depends on how it reacts with your own body. Because henna can stain darker on some areas of the body than others it can appear to be a bright orange to a red to a rust color, and on the parts that stain darker a hazelnut-brown to a DARK-chocolate brown. There is no way to know what color it will appear on you until it is on you. There are a few things that a henna artist can add to the henna to naturally increase the dye release action in the paste and help it to stain darker such as essential oils, red wine, or a heavy brew of coffee or tea. Henna is just henna; it does not come in a variety of wild colors and most definitely NOT black!

A little WARNING!!! There is a product that is marketed as Black Henna but this product contains something called Para-phenylenediamine (or PPD) and can have a hazardous side effects on those who use it. You will not know if it will react badly to you until you put it on you. Some of the side effects are severe itching, blistering, open sores, and scarring. Sometimes there can be sloughing off of the skin and swelling of the body. I would stay clear of it to be on the safe side.

Does it stain everyone? Very rarely I come across someone whose skin just does not seem to want to stain very well. Their skin will stain but it does not stain very dark and it does not last very long.

Does henna still show up on people with a very dark complexion? Yes it does. Sometimes you will need a second application of the henna to get a deep, dark color for more contrast. There are, in some cases, things you can add to the process to darken the henna further on some parts of the body.

Is is safe for everyone? For the most part henna is safe. I would not use it on babies or very small children but it is okay to use on school age children, adults, and pregnant women. However, if a woman is pregnant or thinks she maybe pregnant tell your henna artist because they might need to mix their henna differently.

If you need to mix the henna differently for different people, what is in it? Every henna artist has their own mixtures that they use but there are a few things that pretty much every artist uses. They will start with plain henna and then add sugar or honey and lemon juice for consistency. Some will then add a coffee, tea, or wine to help with the dying. All of these things are safe for everyone, but the part that may need to be changed is some artists add essential oils to their mix. Essential oils are used to further help darken the dye and just to smell good but not all oils are good for people with sensitive skin and very few are okay for pregnant women.

Do YOU Tweet?

You love Veronica’s Veil — who doesn’t? You like it on Facebook, but that’s not enough for you.

We know. That’s why you can now follow Veronica’s Veil on Twitter: @VeronicasVeil! There’s going to be some exciting stuff going on here, so keep your eyes peeled!

Site Maintenance

If you’re a regular you may be noticing that it looks just a little bit different here… Well, as Ann is adding Henna Parties to her repertoire, it came time to change the navigation just a little bit. It’s going to be a little bit hectic for a couple days, as we get all the images in their proper places, properly captioned, and all that jazz.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask! Also, any thoughts on the new navigation? Love it, hate it, have a suggestion? It’s what the comments were made for! =D

The Medieval Calendar Part IV

This will probably be the last post concerning the medieval calendar. This is actually a quick note on the transition of the medieval calendar (Julian calendar) to what we use today (Gregorian calendar). The following is an excerpt from Painted Prayers: The Book of Hours in Medieval and Renaissance Art by Roger S. Wieck. I think it explains the calendar’s transition best.

“Medieval time was Roman time. It followed the reformed but still imperfect system instituted by Julius Caesar (100-44 B.C.) By the thirteenth century, it was noticeably out of sync with reality: by the late Middle Ages, full moons were not appearing until ten days after the Calendars said they were supposed to. Easter was moving into summer. Pope Gregory XIII (papacy, 1572-85) reformed the Julian
calendar and, adding ten days (October 4in 1582 was followed by October 15)and other fine tunings, instituted in 1583 the Gregorian calendar we use today. And this is why, if I run the calendar in my computer backward, it stops in that year”.

New at Veronica’s Veil!

I am now offering henna body art!! Henna is a plant based paste and when applied to the skin leaves a beautiful temporary tattoo (one to four weeks). Depending on one’s skin it can turn out bright orange or a reddish brown to a deep chocolate brown. I will have picture examples up later this week!

The following is a news article from the Leavenworth Times for the 15th of June 2010. It talks a bit about my work.

Read about this at Carnegie Arts Center News

The Medieval Calendar Part III

Sorry it has been a while since I last wrote. Getting ready for summer is busy, busy, busy. Like I said last time, in this third part I am going to talk about the kinds of illustrative works that accompany each month of the medieval calendar.

With each month there was usually a picture of a domestic scene that showed some kind of work usually performed during that particular month. For example, on the pages for September you might find people pressing grapes for wine making, or in November feeding acorns to the hogs. In many cases you will also see a duo of small vignettes, one of which will be the seasonal task and the other picture is of the zodiac sign for that month.

Going back to part II, I had referred to the repeating letters A through G as the Dominical Letters. These Letters would help one to find all the Sundays throughout the year and consequently all the days, but as noted before, every year the Sunday letter would move backwards and on leap years it would move twice, the second time being on the 25th of February. To find the Dominical Letter for any year from 1 to 1582 take the year and add a quarter to itself (ignore the remainder); divide the sum by seven; subtract the remainder by three or, if that produces zero or a negative number, subtract from ten. The resulting number corresponds to the Dominical Letter (1=A, 2=B, 3=C, etc.) Here is an example for the year 1534.

1534 + (1534 / 4) = 1534 + 383 =1917
1917 / 7 = 273, remainder 6
10 – 6 = 4
4 = Dominical Letter D
All Sundays for 1534 will fall on the Letter D.

I also referred to some random looking numbers off to the far left on the picture below in part II as the Golden Numbers which were used to find the appearances of the new moons and counting ahead fourteen days the full moons throughout the year. To find the Golden Number take the year and add one; divide by nineteen; the remainder is the Golden Number (if the remainder is zero then the Golden Number is nineteen). Here is an example for the the year 1534.

1534 + 1 = 1535
1535 / 19 = 80, remainder 15
xv = Golden Number for the year 1534.

Reference: Painted Prayers: The Book of Hours in Medieval and Renaissance Art, by Roger S. Wieck.

The Medieval Calendar Part II

As I previously stated, in this second part I will explain the meaning some of those columns that look to be random letters and number to the left of the list of Saints’ days.  Usually there are about three or four of these columns.  For the visual example I have chosen a January page from Les Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry.  This example also happens to be one of those deluxe French manuscripts I talked about in part one, so there is a lot more color than one would usually expect to find, but more importantly those four columns happen to be very clear to read.

From Christus Rex

To start with we are going to look at the second column from the left.  This column begins with the letter ‘A,’ goes through to ‘G,’ and then continues to repeat itself.  These are the Dominical Letters, being seven letters, they help one to find all the Sundays and of course the rest of the days of the week.  Every year, the letter for Sunday (and consequently the rest of the days) would move backwards.  On leap years the letter would change twice, the first being on the first of January, and the second time being on the 25th of February.

The two columns to the right of the Dominical Letters are actually read together.  These two columns are a holdover from the ancient Roman calendrical system.  In this system there were only three fixed days in each month.  The first day of the month was kalends (which is where we get our word calendar), then Nones which fell on the fifth or seventh day of each month, and last was the Ides which fell on the thirteenth or fifteenth day of each month.  All the days that fell in between were counted backwards from these fixed points.  For example, Saint Valentine’s Day would not be the fourteenth of February but the sixteenth day before the kalends of March.  Now in a lot of calendars the days of kalends, nones, and ides would have been written out but the days leading up to them would have been abbreviated, kl for kalends, N for nones and Id for ides.  That being said, in the month of February, Saint Valentine’s Day would be written xvi kl.

Finally, we are going to look at the first column from the left.  In this column we will find the Roman numerals I to XIX but they are not in consecutive order and there are gaps in between a lot of the numbers.  These numbers are called Golden Numbers and they indicate when the new moons would occur and then counting up fourteen days would give the day for the full moons throughout the year.  This was particularly important because this would help determine the day on which Easter would fall, which was the most important holy day of the year to the medieval Christian.

Because this section ran a little longer than I anticipated I am going to write about the illustrations that accompanied each month in Part III.