Henna Tattoo

Here we have what can only be called a very intricate henna tattoo. One that covers nearly every square inch of this persons hand. A henna tattoo is not a real tattoo of course. If this one were a real tattoo this person would probably not have been able to use that hand for a few days after getting it. The pain and swelling would have been severe in most cases and bad in the best cases. But all in all this is a good piece of tribal style artwork. And I am sure it has some particular significance in the tribal world but it is not apparent to those of us who are not extremely familiar with such things.

I must admit that I first had a few different henna tattoos before I ever got a real one. The first one I got I did to fool my friends and told them it was a real tattoo and yes, it did work. Then the next few I did to sort of test the waters on tattoos that I was thinking of getting. And doing that gave me a good idea if I would really like them or not. One of those I did not get, the other one I did get. So henna tattoos can be of some help.

Henna tattoos usually refer more to the ink used then the actual style or design of tattoos, though there is a particular style of tattooing made up of Eastern symbols and geometric designs that are called henna tattoos. The designs closely resemble those of traditional tribal designs. It’s a practice employing henna powder which is known locally throughout the Middle East and North Africa as ‘Henna’ or ‘Hene’. Henna powder that is used for henna tattoos is made from the crushed leaves of the Henna Plant, also known as Lawsonia Inermis. It’s a tall shrub like plant that thrives in hot and dry climates. To produce the finest quality henna powder the leaves are air-dried, out of direct sunlight, in order to preserve the staining properties. The dried leaves are then ground into a fine powder, ready for preparing henna paste. Historically, across all of the Eastern regions where women have traditionally hennaed each other, the application is often strongly linked with ceremonial & celebratory occasions, like weddings and religious festivals. Henna tattoos when they are properly done with henna ink are some of the most beautiful pieces of body art that you will ever see. It’s a style that will fit in with almost any other motif.