What color is henna?
Okay. 
Let's start with the basics.

Henna is a plant and its leaves are harvested, dried and milled into a powder.
This powder is used to make henna paste. 

Let's take an example of spinach that you can buy at any regular grocery store.
When you cook these green spinach leaves, they turn to a dark green mess...lol.
Henna paste is the same color - dark green.

Now let's talk about the color that henna paste leaves behind on the skin.
The naturally occurring dye in henna is a translucent orange color.
When exposed to air, this dye gets darker - more red to dark brown shades.
Watch this video to see the progression of henna stain on skin.

What else can I help you with today?
  

I bet you are one of those people who like to educate yourself before you get into something. 
If that something is getting henna done then you're in the right place!
I'm sharing my aftercare instructions below. 

• Once the design is applied, keep it on for 4 to 8 hours. The longer the better!
• Keep the design from getting wet during this time.
• This is the 'Setting time' and affects how long the stain will last.
• After the Setting time, first scrape off the paste or gently pick at it with your finger.
• Do not wash it.
• Then apply coconut oil on stubborn bits to remove easily.
• Lastly, avoid getting the design wet for 12 hours after scraping the paste off. This step is important to get a beautiful dark stain.
• Stay warm. This is important to get a dark stain. 

Watch the aftercare  video

If you follow these instructions carefully, I'm sure it will result in a beautiful henna stain. 
I would love to hear from you if it worked or not in the comments below.

I know you are excited about your beautiful henna design. Most probably you are told to keep the paste on for several hours for best results.

But it's already bed time.
The henna paste seems to be cracking and flaking off in places.
What can you do protect your henna design?
What can you do to protect your bedding from getting stained?

Don't worry my friend! I got you.
Below is my true and tried method that'll take care of your worries.

Grab a toilet paper roll and an old sock.
Good alternatives for the sock are nylon stocking. If none of those are handy, grab cling-wrap or a plastic bag.
Follow these steps:
* Take the toilet paper roll and start wrapping the henna design. Wrap it a couple of times.
* Make sure all the henna design is covered in toilet paper.
* Now wear the sock/ stocking over it. If using cling-wrap or plastic bag - wrap it covering the bundled up design.
That's it!
Was this helpful?
If you've tried it, I'd love to know if it worked for you too!
If you'd like to see pictures or a step-by-step video of the above process, comment below!