Hiding Out with Henna

“Henna has deep roots in femininity, love, celebrations, and family”.

Model IG @joy.casey.568
*photo by Milaya C Photography*

There’s only so much you can do to keep yourself from boredom during quarantine. For us, one of our most favorite things has been Henna. At night when everything winds down, we will use Henna to relax and give our artistic souls some peace.

Traditionally Henna was applied with a twig or stick with a paste made from Henna leaves. Today it is much more versatile and convenient. There are syringes, pens, and plastic cones. For us, we used the plastic cone. It reminded me of the icing cones you use to decorate a cake. Watching the ink stain the skin was almost therapeutic, which is why our model ended up with Henna sleeves.

Model IG joy.casey.568 wearing Fashion Nova
*photo by Milaya C Photography*

Applying Henna is very unforgiving, the dye comes out so quickly and if it’s natural, it could have clumps. There are a lot of improvisations that must be met by the artist. While it is not permanent, it can last for up to three weeks. I think it makes it more beautiful that Henna is technically difficult and temporary.

Henna body art originated in the eastern Mediterranean, dating as far back as the Bronze Age. Women from many cultural and religious backgrounds used Henna to adorn themselves for celebrations such as weddings. Women (and sometimes men) from religions such as Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, and Sikh used henna to celebrate holy days. Historians believe it was because of their easy access to where Henna grew naturally.

Henna has deep roots in femininity, love, celebrations, and family. We loved exploring it and applying it to our body as well as the context of our current lifestyle in quarantine. We have more inspiration and time to explore our femininity and practice self-care, to be more romantic in our love-life, adapt to being minimalistic in our celebrations, and become mindfully present in our family life.