Temporary tattoos of a characteristic brownish-red color are applied using natural henna dye as a base. There are many recipes for making mixtures; in India, the ancestor of Mehndi, this knowledge was passed down from generation to generation.
A few nuances of mehndi
According to the ancient tradition, intricate ethnic oriental patterns are chosen for henna tattoos - mehndi or mehendi. These designs are most commonly applied to the hands, ankles, and abdomens. To prepare paint, you only need to take ordinary henna without additives and additional dyes. Please note that colorless henna is also on sale, which is certainly not suitable for applying a pattern.
A drawing made with henna lasts about two weeks, but this period also depends on the quality of the prepared paint. To dilute henna powder, natural brewed coffee, strong black tea, tincture of walnut shells and red wine are used. Sugar, eucalyptus oil, and lemon juice are often added to the mixture. They don't prepare paint for the future.
Henna Tattoo Ink Recipes
The first option is the closest to the old recipes from India. To prepare the paint, you need to brew very strong black tea. Strain the present drink and mix half a cup of tea leaves with two tablespoons of sugar and the juice of half a lemon. Henna needs to be diluted with this mixture to the consistency of thick sour cream. The solution should stand for about 20 minutes. The finished paste needs to be filled in a special tube for drawing mehndi.
For this recipe, you need to prepare 50 g of henna in powder, the juice of one lemon, 50 ml of steep tea leaves and a drop of essential oil. Mix the tea leaves and lemon juice and gradually pour the cocktail into the dry henna. Now you need to stir the mass thoroughly. This mixture should be infused for 4 hours.
For the third recipe you need: henna powder, 2 standard instant coffee bags (15 g), 2 tbsp. lemon juice, 5 drops each of clove and eucalyptus oils. To prepare the paint, henna must be sieved, and the coffee must be boiled over low heat. The volume of the coffee solution that should remain is 150 ml. Now you need to mix all the ingredients. The mixture is infused for 2 hours.
Add three drops of olive oil and three teaspoons of lemon juice to a cup of hot coffee or tea (without grounds and tea leaves). This cocktail should be gradually poured into a bowl of henna and stir until a thick, homogeneous mass is obtained.
This recipe is somewhat unusual, but the resulting paint has a very pleasant mahogany shade and lasts a long time. Prepare red henna powder, orange and rose water, settled black tea infusion, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Before tattooing with this method, you need to wipe your skin with orange or rose water. The rest of the ingredients are for mixing the paint.
