How do I make my own henna paste?
- Purchase fresh, quality henna powder (not henna hair dye powder, or any powder that contains unnatural additives). If it is not available in your local community, it is readily available to purchase online.
- Add equal amounts of lemon juice and water (or strongly brewed black tea), several drops of tea tree oil, and some sugar. Stir until the mixture is smooth and roughly the consistency of mashed potatoes. (Lemon juice helps the dye to release, tea tree oil helps the dye to last longer, and sugar helps the paste adhere to your skin better when it is applied)
- cover the paste with plastic and let it sit somewhere warm for at least four hours until you see a difference in color between the surface of the paste and the paste underneath. This is your signal that the dye has released and your paste is ready to use!
- Put small amounts of paste into cones made out of clear pastry bags, or make your own cones out of sheets of cellophane paper.
- Any cones of henna that are not used within the first day should be put in the freezer for later use, as the dye begins to break down and lose potency after it is made into a paste.
How can I use StoryHands resources?
- All the StoryHands templates are offered free of charge for you to use as you wish- as long as you do not use them to create materials that you credit as your own or use them in any way in a for-profit capacity. If you have any questions about this please contact us through our contact form. StoryHands stencils are sold as inexpensively as possible though our store. If you have an interest in purchasing bulk quantities of specific stencils, or desire to learn more about how you can source your own stencils please contact us.
- Wear a design on your hand or arm, and enjoy sharing it's meaning with those who are interested in learning more!
- If you enjoy doing henna on others, consider sharing this gift one on one at an ESL center, global fair, or other social event in your community!
- Host a henna party for a group of international women in your community and enjoy learning about henna traditions together. Pick one StoryHands design template or stencil based story ahead of time to enjoy practicing together
- Consider facilitating a henna and ESL class in your community. Use simple conversation starters to encourage group discussion around themes of common interest to women from around the world. A free pdf discussion guide is available below to get you started.
- We are sure you have many more ideas to share! Contact us with your suggestions and we will add them to our list!
| henna_party.pdf |
STORYHANDS
simple henna patterns designed to share stories of faith
simple henna patterns designed to share stories of faith