Students learn to make henna tattoos

Sophomore Hallie Baumann sat scooping henna into cones as she joked with the girls she calls “regulars” at the Asian Cultural Center’s weekly Henna 101 class.

“Dots make everything look more intricate,” freshman Mackenzie Keller said.

She applied designs to her left wrist and hand that were already decorated with fading henna.

“We’re fond of dots here,” Baumann, who is the class’s instructor, said.

The practice of dying skin and hair with a paste from crushed henna leaves mixed with oils goes back to antiquity.

“Henna has been used not only in India but also in Jewish weddings and Northern Africa,” Baumann said. “The best crops you can get the powder from are from India.”
Baumann mixes her henna with lemon juice or terpenes, which are plant oils. After mixing, she leaves it out in the sun to bake for a day.

The deepest color is achieved when henna is applied to an area with good
circulation.

Baumann said to let the henna set for about three hours until it starts flaking and the orange outline starts to appear underneath.

Baumann said there has been an inconsistent turnout at Henna 101 since it began Sept. 12 with no one showing up the first night and up to 15 another week.

She then turned to watch freshman Margaret Arnold, who has been attending for several weeks, apply a detailed henna design to the palm of her own hand.

“She has improved an incredible amount,” Baumann said.

A novice herself, Baumann said she has only been doing henna for about a year. She started by ordering supplies off eBay, but she recommends going to specialized websites or stores.

She now has her own company, Inali Henna, and she has done henna at events like CultureFest.

“I always liked the idea of having something like a tattoo without the permanence or pain,” Baumann said.

Students in attendance are shown how to create classic designs, which include flower motifs, lines, vines and dots, but Baumann said she’s always willing to do henna Pokémon.

Henna 101 is 5 to 6 p.m. every Monday for the rest of the school year.

“Advance notice is wonderful,” Baumann said. “It’s a good activity if you want to bring your floor together.”