Posted on Wednesday 10 February 2010
(if reading this on Facebook, please direct yourself toward the actual blog at RuzenaThibault.com— pictures and formatting are different.)
I’m super excited to post my first henna blog! :O
While Caroline was in London, she and some friends found a place (some Islamic store) that sells pre-made henna. Heather bought some and drew on Caroline with it and it turned out fabulous! I had always wanted some henna to experiment with so I asked her to buy me some while she was there and offered to give her money when she got back to the states.
So she did. 
For those of you that don’t know what henna is, it’s a plant that when turned into henna paste can dye your skin for a week to a few weeks (depending on type and how fresh the henna is). All of these tattoos lasted about a week or so but were pretty faded a week into it. It’s not the best henna there is but it didn’t make me break out or anything so I guess that’s a plus.
At some point I would like to buy some fresh henna supplies and attempt to make my own paste (using oils like lemon and tea tree… those are just a couple that I’ve heard of people using). I would also like to have some applicator bottles with various sized tips so that I can do some finer details than the mylar cone tip allows.
Henna freezes very well, I’ve discovered. It takes only a half-hour or so to unfreeze it and it’s best used while still partially frozen because then you don’t have all of the henna sloshing around in the top and you can grasp the frozen henna almost like a handle. I’ve also discovered that the tip of the henna cone needs to be cleaned out regularly while you’re using it. (which is another reason I’d like to try and make my own fresh paste)
So anyway, here are some of the tattoos I’ve done (and also one Lauren’s done) since receiving my two tubes at the beginning of the semester. (Thanks, Caroline! :D) I’ve included reference pictures for those requiring one. 
The Orobouros from the anime Fullmetal Alchemist. (GREAT series, by the way…)
The Inuyasha bracelet (made to look like his “sit” necklace) from the anime — you guessed it— Inuyasha.
My first-ever henna tattoo creation!
The Capulet crest from the anime series Romeo x Juliet.
Since I wanted it on my right hand (My left one was already filled up!) Lauren drew it for me.
She’s got major skills, I tell you! (Thanks, Lauren!) We didn’t end up drawing the swirly things because it would have been too complicated and it could have easily driven Lauren insane. xD
The “after” picture. I wrapped my hand over night so that I wouldn’t rub it off in my sleep. The henna paste had been on for 12 hours or more by the time I washed it off which is why it ended up being so dark. :3
This one was another design from Fullmetal Alchemist. I believe it’s kind of a symbol for the state alchemists in the show but I could be wrong. (I just know that Ed has it on the back of his jacket.) Instead of posting the actual picture— this is a picture of the awesome earrings that I got from Anime Castle a little over a year ago. I love them so much! They’re among my favorite earrings! (although everyone confuses the symbol for the medical symbol.)
I didn’t bother taking an “after” picture of this one because it rubbed off in my sleep and then didn’t last long. I will have to wait until the summer to try this one again cause it wouldn’t show when I have shoes on and rubbed away super fast because of that too.
Vine design of my own creation done on my left hand (after the other designs faded). This one is one of my favorites.
Before and after first wash. ^.^
I don’t pretend to be an expert at any of this but I do hope to learn more in the future! Thanks for reading! Please leave comments? ^_^
That vine creation is beautiful. I don’t watch too much anime (just like Studio Ghibli and a few others) so I really don’t know many of the symbols, but that is really cool. When you figure out a recipe for your henna let me know! It looks like fun to try. That and the fact that I will never get a tattoo, but really like body art. But it looks like it works well.
How do you wrap it? It seems that it would rub off even when you do that too. I toss and turn in my sleep so I wouldn’t even want to know what would happen if I tried it.
But anyway, still very awesome!
I wrapped my hand using elastic bandage (or ace wrap) when I did the vine/full-hand one. For the other ones, I just used a non-stick gauze pad and taped it over the top of the tattoo and around my hand with a couple rounds of waterproof tape. (It doesn’t hurt to pull it off the skin)
I toss and turn in my sleep too and I also sleep on my stomach somewhat with my hands under the pillow. The ace bandage makes it literally not be able to move so that worked really well.
The other ones that I just used gauze for were put on earlier in the day so it really wasn’t a huge deal for them to rub off a little in my sleep. The gauze held most everything in place though as it is. It worked surprisingly well.
I’m never going to get a tattoo either. xO Ick. I’m too much of a wuss anyway plus I can’t imagine having stuff injected into me that doesn’t go away. xP
My fiancee doesn’t like anything body-altering (he doesn’t even particularly like these but at least these are temporary) so that would be out of the question anyway. x3
AJ is that same way with body altering things. He doesn’t mind temporary things, but even piercings that can close eventually he has problems with. I understand though, it makes since. But they are so beautiful anyway!
Innuyasha is soooooo hott!!! Totallly!!! *mwah love it hums =]