HENNA AFTERCARE
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LEAVE HENNA ON AS LONG AS YOU CAN!
Henna is a plant dye that slowly soaks into skin. The longer you leave it on, the more the dye can be absorbed. Focus on patience zen and let it flake it off. This can take between 15 mins to a few hours.
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THE FIRST COLOR YOU SEE IS NOT THE LAST
When the paste falls off, you should see a bright orange color. THIS IS NORMAL. The plant dye needs time to oxidize (yes, there is a lot of cool science to henna!). Over the next 48 hours, you will see the color continually change. The final color is different for everyone. Hand washing, swimming pools, water based moisturizers, health issues, weather and even body temperature etc… can all play a role in the color.
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PATIENCE HAS ITS REWARDS
Your final color peaks around 48 hours and ranges between a cherry red to a mahogany brown. Henna stains are opaque so they blend with your own skin tone. Your final henna color is as unique and amazing as you!
DO’S AND DON’TS
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DON’T WASH OFF THE HENNA
If you wash off the paste before the plant dye soaks into your skin, you are also washing off some of the color and it will be lighter. Henna paste has hydrogen atoms that are attracted to other hydrogen atoms. Guess what water is made of? H2O. So let the paste flake off by itself. If it gets a little sticky and doesn’t fall off after a couple of hours, you can use a gift card to scrape it off.
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DO KEEP AWAY FROM WATER
Henna needs around 24 hours to cure. So be hygienic but avoid too much exposure to water. No swimming, washing dishes, dirty jobs or even water based moisturizer. This is the perfect excuse to put up your feet and relax for a day or two.
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DO KEEP WARM
Henna plant dye molecules love two things - water and heat. Give them both and you will get an amazing color. You can use a sealant spray to keep the paste from drying out. In cooler weather, a heater, hot water bottle, electric blanket or even just holding your hands over a warm stove (at a safe distance!) can help.
p.s. Henna also brings down the body temperature so keeping warm also helps you from getting too cold!
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DO USE OILS AND BALMS
Oils are a perfect skin barrier against water exposure. You can use most oil or oil based balm around the house. Just remember that some essential oils are actually drying and absorb too easily into the skin to be protective. Some suggestions are Shea Butter, Cocoa butter, Vitamin E oil, olive oil and even lip balm can work.
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DON’T EXFOLIATE
Exfoliate before henna but not after. Why? Henna dyes your skin cells. When you scrub your skin, you are removing the henna dye and reducing the longevity of the design.
Be careful about what products you use as well. Anti-aging and acne creams contain ingredients designed to kill old skin cells to regenerate new ones. Any ingredient that removes skin cells is also removing the henna.
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DON’T WORRY, BE HAPPY
Don’t stress too much over the aftercare. These are just guidelines to help you. Even if you don’t follow a single rule, you will still have a beautiful design. The only difference is how long you will get to enjoy it for.