How To Make Henna Paste | Henna Tattoos | Mehndi

HOW TO MAKE HENNA PASTE

You will need:

Body Art Quality Henna (pre-sifted and ready to use like Jamila)
Room Temperature Lemon Juice (if using real lemons, strain well to remove pulp - generic re-constituted is fine)
Carrot Bag or Plastic Baggie
Non-Metallic Mixing Bowl
Plastic Spoon
Plastic Wrap
Applicator Bottle or Mylar Cone

Honey or Molasses - to help paste adhere to skin (optional)
Essential Oil – to make the stain even darker - about 1ml to 3ml oil for every 10g henna powder (optional but recommended)
Artificial Sweetener – for a smoother texture - as much as 1 part sugar to 5 parts henna powder (optional)

HennaMe Henna Kits contain all of the above except bowl, spoon, plastic wrap, lemon juice and honey or molasses.

Pour henna powder and optional artificial sweetener in a small, non-metallic mixing bowl. The artificial sweetener makes henna paste smoother. You do not need to mix up all the powder at once. You can keep unused henna powder in the freezer for up to 2 years.
Slowly add room temperature lemon juice and stir with a plastic spoon until the mixture is the consistency of thin mashed potatoes. Don’t worry too much about consistency at this point for the paste can be thinned out later.
Cover mixture closely with plastic wrap and let sit 5-8 hours or more until the *dye releases from the henna powder. Keep out of direct sunlight. Dye release will occur faster in warmer weather.

*Dye release is evident if the top layer of the paste is darker than the underneath. You can tell if the top layer is darker by scraping some paste back with a spoon. You may also see tiny orange pools of liquid under the plastic wrap. You can test the paste by placing a small dab of the paste on your skin. Leave on for about 5 minutes then wipe off. You should see a light orange stain. If you do not see anything after leaving the paste on for 5 minutes it might need to sit a little longer.

After dye release, the henna paste is ready for use. The paste is also ready for the addition of essential oil. The oil is optional, but it does aide in darkening the stain. Adding essential oil is recommended for achieving the darkest stain possible and getting the most from your henna powder.
Next, you can add some optional honey or molasses to help make the paste stick to the skin better. About 1-3 tablespoons.
At this point, you will want to adjust the consistency to allow for easy application. Start adding lemon juice A LITTLE AT A TIME until the paste is thin enough to SLOWLY fall from a spoon. The paste should be the consistency of stirred yogurt.
Spoon the paste into the plastic bag and cut a small hole in the tip. Squeeze the paste into an applicator bottle or mylar cone. It’s a bit easier to get the paste in a bottle by squeezing the bottle first, then slowly releasing pressure on the bottle while you squeeze the plastic bag.
Screw the metal tip on the bottle and you are ready to go!
If you have problems squeezing the paste out of the applicator bottle or cone, it may be too thick. You can squeeze the paste back into a bowl and add a bit more lemon juice.
Store unused paste in the freezer after each use (you can place the whole bottle and plastic bag in the freezer). Thaw paste to room temperature for additional application. Paste will keep for up to a year in the freezer. Henna paste generally lasts for about 48 hours total at room temperature.

TIPS:
Think of applying henna as you would decorating a cake. Do not drag the applicator tip across the skin. Hold the tip just above the skin while squeezing.

You can sketch out designs on the skin with a washable children’s marker before applying the paste. The marker will not affect the henna stain.

Making henna paste is just like cooking. Everyone has his or her own recipe and everyone likes the paste a certain consistency. This recipe is simple, yet effective.

If you have any trouble, feel free to email us with questions. We are happy to help!

Back to main HOW TO's page