MY HENNA DREAMS ARE FILLED WITH.....



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Hi Gorgeous!



I know I mentioned in this past Tuesdays Are For Tresses post about how I plan on getting a henna tattoo. Not to be confused with the regular tattoo which I do intend on getting this year. Henna tattoos are temporary, normally not lasting past a couple of weeks. I ended up having a brief convo with Zainab1 (AuNaturale blogspot) about henna tattoos that sparked my interest beyond my cosmetic desire for one.

So allow me to take you on a pictoral/informative journey on henna tattoos:



Henna is also known as, or goes by the name of, "mendhi".

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Before the recorded introduction of henna; Hindu, Buddhist, and other Indian women used dyes from the fruits of Laksa trees to stain the palms of their hands and soles of their feet. According to Guatama Vajracharya, professor of art history at the University of Winsconsin in Madison, women wore these tattoos decoratively every day. “Widows, as a sign of mourning, did not wear them,” Vajracharya said.

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Henna / Mehndi has a very long history with centuries of migration and cultural interaction. Many different traditions began in multiple different cultures over the past 5000 years and it has now become part of our modern history as well. Henna / Mehndi has a rich and beautiful past including evidence that it was originally used in ancient Egypt to stain the fingers and toes of the Pharaohs prior to mummification. The most common association with henna tattooing is its use within the Indian culture used as a ceremonial art form for wedding ceremonies. Along with it's beautiful and eye catching cosmetic uses, henna / mehndi is also known for its natural healing properties for health problems such as headaches, liver disorders, skin diseases and more.

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The art form of henna/mehndi differs from region to region, as it is a tradition that has been a part of so many cultures over the past 5000 years to present. Arabic designs tend to be more floral in their patterns while Indian designs are made of a delicate blending of fine lines creating striking pattern which covers a larger area of the skin such as the hands and feet. You will see this Indian tradition most often used as part of a wedding ceremony. Africans and Native/South American Indians have used henna tattooing as well but their designs tend to be larger geometric designs as opposed to the more often seen delicate designs of India. The modern henna tattooing that has now become part of many cultures worldwide which didn't originally use this form of body art can be quite diverse. Some people choose to wear a traditional Indian design while others use henna tattooing as a replacement for a modern tattoo design. Henna tattoos have become a very popular way to express ones individuality without the pain and permanency of an actual tattoo.

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During the 16th century, henna’s popularity expanded through Pakistan and North India by the Moguls. Females used henna to decorate their bodies for ceremonies, especially weddings.

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I just love this henna design on the pregnant belly. There's something so endearing about it.

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Btw, my henna tattoo will be on the palm of my hand, which explains why the majority of photos featured on here are of such. But first, mama's gotta get a manicure -- quick. My nails are a horrid mess. But rest assured, once the nails are taken care of, my next stop will be for a palm henna tattoo. And yes, I will post pics of it. =)
 Resources: http://www.essortment.com/ and http://www.henna-tattoos-kits.com/.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

Post Title → MY HENNA DREAMS ARE FILLED WITH.....

HAIR UPDATE - JANUARY 2011

Hi Beautifuls!

You know... ever since I post on my future hair plans, I've been reevaluating my time frame for all that I want to do with my hair. I promise you, I'm a bit capricious (Look mommy! I learned a new word. Haha!) about my hair. It's just so much that I want to try out. I suppose being a bit bored with the usual plays a part in it as well. I'm certainly not interested in getting waist-length hair. Too much work. So length is not an issue for me. I'm just feeling my "do-whatever-the-hell-I-want-to-cause-I'm-doin-me" attitude to the fullest. And right now, it's moving my desire to rock some fierce locs a bit sooner than 5 years from now. I'm thinking more like 2. And believe me, all things are subject to change. Haha.

Btw, just a little loc inspiration that I've come across:


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Had to put a lil' Lauren Hill in here. ;)

*Shout out to all the sexy men sporting those medium-long locs!*

*Ahem.* Excuse me.
We now return to regularly scheduled programing....

After sporting my bun, I washed/deep conditioned and then did some twists. As "mini" as I could stand to do them. And as you can probably see, again they are not that mini. Lol.

Back view.

I often wish for thicker hair. Hate the open spots.

Front view of pony-bun'ish style.



My little half-hazard bun that I think looks cool. ;) So much better in person. Lol.


I've since gone into a twist-out which I will try and make last for a week. Crosses fingers. This may be wishful thinking for me but I want to try out a organic shampoo of sorts, Pure Earth Hair Wash. I watched the review by youtube's Naptral85 (Love her channel!) and was totally intrigued (and impressed) by her review and the ingredients.

During my next wash/dc, I plan on doing a henna treatment. Which, by the way, I've been itchin' to get a henna tattoo. Almost did, a couple of weeks ago on the fly but I didn't have enough time. But whenever I do, I'll definitely post pics of it. I just love their beauty & intricate detail. Anyhoo, the henna for hair treatment is long overdue. And how I'll style it until I get my hair straightened & trimmed next month is anybody's guess.

If you all have any suggestions for a style to try, I'm open to them. It may be something that I've never considered or forgotten about.

Ttyl,

Post Title → HAIR UPDATE - JANUARY 2011

BACK TO HENNA

Hi Gorgeous,

On last Friday, I finally hennaed my hair after it seemed like ages. In reality is was only a month or so. Henna is another type of ayurvedic herb. Henna, also known as Lawsonia inermis, which comes from a plant is a green powder that have a red-orange dye molecule. It stains the hair red-orange but it is a translucent stain that combines with your natural hair color. Body art quality henna , which I use, has a much higher dye content than the henna sold for hair. I personally prefer Yemen henna as it is touted as having the highest concentration of natural dye in it. Aside from the fact that henna is a natural colorant, it's also an awesome conditioner. For more information on the henna dying process, click here.

So let me get back to what I did.


I pre-pooed overnight with that fabulous Hairveda Vatika Frosting. I'm so gonna have to dedicate a post to "the Frosting". Loves this stuff. Anyhoo, I cleaned my hair with some of a sample of Mixed Chicks Shampoo that I had. It was a little harsh on my hair so I only used a drop w/a lot of water on each quadrant of hair. Note: I do wash/condition my hair using the quadrant sectioning method. It's simply dividing your hair into the four quadrants on your head. Front right, back right, back left and front left. It makes handling my hair so much easier.

After the cleaning, I applied the henna to my hair. CurlyNikki has a great and simple pictorial on henna. I used a mix of Chamomile tea and Green tea to make mine w/a lot of honey. Similiar to how a relaxer is applied to the hair, my application started from the back and moved to the front. I basically smooshed/stroked it into sections of hair from the root to the ends. After all sections were done, I put a plastic cap on to cover my hair. Actually, I used two caps cause it definitely can be messy. Then I used my heatcap for about an hour and a half. After that, I was out and about with chores and errands. What?! But of course, I broke out the tam to cover up all that. Lol. Btw, I've generally purchased my henna from Mehandi.com or Mehndiskinart.com. If I'm in a pinch then I'll hit up the local Indian grocery or an Indian salon.

After about 5 hours or so, I washed the henna out. First, I literally dunked my head into a water-filled bucket. Yes, I did. Then I continued washing the rest out with my fave henna rinse-out condish, V05 Moisture Milks. I may have used close to a full bottle to get all of the henna which is okay because it's very cheap. They typically run around a dollar a bottle. After all the henna was rinsed out, I did a 30 minute deep steam treatment with Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose Moisturizing condish topped with Laquita's Bobeam Oil that she sent me to try. Woo Hoo!!

The next step was to cool rinse the conditioner out. I finished with a final cool tea rinse. Another something I hadn't done in ages. My tea du jour consisted of equal parts of rosemary leaf, horsetail, burdock root, chamomile, lavender and half of Tablespoon of ACV. You can check out the goodness of ACV or Apple Cider Vinegar at Zainab1's blog Au Naturale. Zainab1 has a really straight-forward informative blog. You should check it out. You can also find some info on ACV over at another fav blog of mine, Mane and Chic. Oh, back to my hair tea. I used about 20 oz of distilled water with maybe a T of each herb. A very small amount of ACV and 5 drops each of lavender essential oil & lemongrass essential oil.

My leave-in of choice was MOP leave-in conditioner. I then twisted my hair with Jane Carter Solutions Twist and Lock while sealing my ends with her Nourish and Shine. I know it sounds like a lot but keep in mind that I still enjoy playing with my hair. And yes, it was a hair day. I guess I did a hair spa day, like Fleurtzy over at Texture Playground.

I'm quite pleased with how my hair feels and looks. As I stated in a previous post, my shed hairs are down to small numbers and I haven't had much of an issue, if any, with tangles. I'm still contemplating getting my hair blown straight before spring just for a check-up trim. Not sure on that one yet.

Any of you had a "hair day" lately? Do share...

Post Title → BACK TO HENNA