4 Henna Aftercare Tips

After sitting down, sometimes not too comfortably, to get your henna done, you want to keep it for as long as you possibly can.

Henna can last from 6 to 15 days onto the skin, depending on how much aftercare you put into it.

Are you wondering how to care for your henna stain? 

Here's 4 tips for you:

1. No Water

Does that mean you can't drink water?

Of course you can!

Once your henna paste has dried, leave it on. Do not wash with water.

It’s best to not scrape off the dry paste and to cover it with a breathable material. If you decide to scrape off the dried henna, do so without washing it with water. Instead, rub in some coconut/olive oil into your skin and wipe off with a paper towel.

The minimum amount of time to leave your paste on is said to be 6 to 8 hours but, if you want a deep dark stain, you might want to wait even more. So this means no shower after henna application. The usual practice is to get your henna done in the evening so you can sleep the hours away..

2. Keep warm

Henna loves warmth to mature into a deeper stain.

So once the paste removed, keep your hand warm (use winter gloves if you need to).

3. Avoid baths

Avoid baths for the next week or so. Prolonged hours in the water will exfoliate your skin and fade your design quicker. Before showers, apply a non-exfoliating balm or just some coconut oil. This will create a temporary barrier between the henna and water during the shower.

4. Enhance your stain with lemon.

You can mix equal amounts of lemon and sugar into a paste and use a cotton ball to apply on the dry henna paste. This would get the paste to stick and adhere to your skin. No way those bits are falling off anymore! Skip this step if you’re prone to skin allergy due to lemon.

When the dry paste comes off, henna stain is bright orange. 24 hours later, it will be bright red. 48 hours after application, stain matures into a deeper darker burgundy color. This is why you should do your henna 2-3 days prior to your event.

Now that you know everything you need to keep your henna stain alive on your skin. Remember, henna stains differently on different parts of the body. For instance, henna would be darker on the palm than the back hand and it will stain lighter on the neck. The more skin layers, the deeper the stain.  Check out the Henna Pre-care tips we've come up for you.

What's your henna aftercare? Let us know if the comment box below!