Sole Shine Henna Body Art
Deena Drewes 651.253.0477
All About Henna
The Henna journey begins in the tropical savannah regions found mainly in India, Pakistan, the Middle East and North Africa. Lawsonia inermis, the Henna plant is cultivated and processed by crushing into a fine powder.​
​This is the powdered Henna...
Sole Shine Henna Body Art seeks out the finest, freshest Henna powder available. Good Henna powder is always a beautiful green color and has a rich, earthy aroma. To make the paste, I use organic lemon juice and high quality essential oil called Melaleuca cajeputi. This combination releases the dye of the plant and it is this dye that stains the skin cells. It will penetrate the top few layers of skin, but does not go deep enough to get into the bloodstream. Henna has been used for 6,000 years to safely stain the skin, the hair and textiles such as wool, horsehair and drum skins.
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When the paste is ready to use, I put it in a little squeeze bottle with a fine metal tip. This is how I apply the Henna paste to your skin. For the BEST results, the Henna paste should remain on the skin for at least 4 hours, preferably 8 hours. In order to ensure that the Henna paste stays on your skin, we put a clear sealant over the top of the design once it has dried.
​​The resultant temporary tattoo is AUBURN BROWN and will last from a few days to several weeks, depending on where it is applied to the body and your skin type. The process is in no way painful or harmful to the skin. In fact, Henna has been used medicinally for ages for its cooling, soothing
and antibacterial properties.
The art of Mehndi (Henna Art) has a rich history with its traditional and ritualistic use embraced by cultures in India, Africa and the Middle East. For example, a bridal Henna application will take several hours as every inch of her arms and legs are decorated from tips to elbows and knees. An Indian woman may celebrate her bond with her child by decorating her belly with Henna around the 7th month of pregnancy. Muslim women celebrate festivals (Eid) with Henna & there is evidence that some Egyptian mummies were adorned with elaborate Henna designs before being entombed.
Whatever the use, it should always be considered a meditation and spiritual practice at some level. It is with this reverence to the art of Mehndi that I practice my own form of body adornment. I do every design freehand, meaning that I do not use stencils, stickers or ink transfers.
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Henna Body Art is a fun addition to any birthday party, bridal shower, Bar or Bat Mitzvah, corporate event or high school senior party.
I am available for these events throughout the year in addition to my public events in MN, WI and ND in the summer months.