August 2010

Body Painting With Henna

Painting body with henna is an increasing trend in many countries. Mostly women living in Middle East and Far East paint their bodies with henna. Some do it as a ritual and other do it for fun. The exquisite and delicate designs are what make painting the body with henna so much interesting. The custom of painting the body with henna dates back 5000 years. The interesting thing about this kind of painting is that it is temporary and one can create new designs every four weeks. So people looking for temporary tattoo and painting can opt for henna body painting as it is safe, reliable, cheap and easy to use. Also it provides the exquisite and imaginative look which people really love.

Painting your body with henna can be time consuming if you opt for difficult and delicate designs. There are certain things that one must be aware off before painting their body with henna. One can buy henna online from many websites but the important thing to be considered is that the quality should be exemplary in order to get the best reddish-brown color. If henna paste is applied for a small period of time and then washed it will leave a pale color. Similarly if it is applied for a longer period of time like several hours then it will leave a dark reddish-brown color which will take about 4 to 6 weeks to wear off. Also the process of painting body with henna is painless. It is only applied on the surface of the skin and not injected into the skin like other body art.

Body Painting Art - Nude Female and Male Body Painting

In fact we are fond of painting our bodies since prehistoric times. In past we were used to paint our bodies with materials like natural dyes, paints and pigments. In some cases we used ash, and clay, too.

The markings that the people make on their bodies are thought to have magical powers with which one could ward off evil spirits or the tribal enemies. Such was the thinking in past. The painting of bodies was also coined with celebrating of auspicious occasions like New Year or a dance party. Same practice can still observed in the indigenous populations of the countries like New Zealand, Australia, the Pacific Islands, and certain parts of Africa.

In India the women and men are fond of using Henna. It is a colour extracted from a plant of Henna; it is also known as Mehandi. This type of body painting with Henna has been a fashion in India and the Middle East since many years. People paint their hands and legs and other parts of body with Henna during auspicious ceremonies like weddings. The use of henna or Mehandi has become popular in the Western countries, too, since last two decades.

The art of body painting is not a new phenomenon in the countries of South America, too. People here have been using indigenous materials to paint their body and body parts. They use wet charcoal and other materials available in the local surrounding. In some parts of America, a material known as Huito is used to paint the bodies and faces. Huito is a black dye, and it takes weeks to fade away.