n the skin. Specific essential oils, also known as “terps” are recommended as mordants for Henna; the gentlest one is Lavender Essential Oil which is especially good for children and pregnant women. Henna Caravan sells organic or wild crafted, pesticide free essential oils. The other oil that I ordered for the class is their signature essential oil blend: Melaleuca Cajeputi, Wild Orange and Lemongrass oils from Australia.
• sugar: this ingredient, used in the lemon recipe, helps the henna adhere to the skin
Following Rodi’s discussion last week about circles, we looked at the Olympic Logo of 5 interlocking circles and began discussing their significance as well as the Continents in the world, where Henna grows (ie. which continents) and the number of continents represented in the Olympics (5). 2 Since 5 was the number of the day, I showed them the significance of the number 5 in Moroccan Henna. Moroccan Henna designs are most often used for protection and fertility. Henna is believed to contain “Baraka” or good luck; the henna designs are seen as talismans or blessings on the skin. The number 5 is linked to the hand, the 5 fingers and protection symbols.
I took the Henna paste that we mixed home to keep warm under a lamp so that the dye would release for Tuesday’s class. Then I brought it back and showed the kids how to make (cut, roll and tape) and fill cones. The cones - or applicators - are one way of applying the paste to the skin. We may also try paint brushes and other tools of their invention. We also explored using spirit transfer paper so that we could transfer designs that they made on paper to the skin. This is what tattoo artists use for transferring designs and I asked who knew the difference between a Tattoo and Henna.
•“Tattoos are permanent, Henna is temporary.”
•“Tattoos can be colored, Henna is orange, or shades of brown and burgundy.”
“T” told us that in gymnastics meets Henna is not allowed, so I made some tubes of colored gel (also from Henna Caravan and made with gel and Mica for body art). It can be applied like Henna, washes off and can even last for a day or two if not washed.
• “Tattoos are made using needles, henna is a paste.”
• Tattoos are typically single images while Henna is a series of patterns which in India and Morocco traditionally cover the arms, hands, legs and feet like a lace glove.
Henna has been around for over 5000 years and dates back to the Egyptians. The prophet Mohammed used Henna to color his beard, Henna was found on mummies as well. Tattoos are comparatively a much more recent art. (17th or 18th c)
*As far as I know, tattooing is not a group activity as is Henna, which traditionally has been used for celebrations and rites of passage. (weddings, births, etc)
1 Michael Schneider, A Beginner’s Guide to Constructing the Universe, p23
2 The Olympic rings as a symbol of continents is debatable from a historical perspective, but we do know the provenance of the colors of the rings.