Henna by Nadi NAM

   Natural henna is from the plant Lawsonia Inermis which only grows in hot regions such as the Indian sub-continent and North African countries. The leaves of the henna plant are dried, crushed up into a fine powder, sifted to remove leftover twigs and leaves and made into a paste with added organic ingredients such as essential oils, cane sugar or molasses, and water or lemon juice to liquefy the paste for body art or a natural hair dye. The stain gives hues of orange, mahogany red and in some cases can be so dark it nearly looks black. Henna paste must be frozen to prolong its shelf life for 4-6 months, otherwise it will only last up to 72 hours until it expires if notkept frozen. The henna stain on skin typically lasts 7-10 days with proper aftercare of course.

   A long time ago, in ancient times, the henna plant was used as a means to keep ones skin cool on excruciatingly hot days. People would crush up  the leaves and rub the plant paste all over their bodies. It was and still is used as a form of holistic medicine for skin rashes, warts, small cuts and sunburns.

   It wasn't until a few hundred years ago that women in the Middle East and some African countries would have henna applied on their skin as a way to show off their family's wealt and status. Today, it is used for just about every occasion you can think of like weddings, Diwali, Holi, Eid celebrations, birthdays, baby showers and even for just because!

 

Jagua (ha-gua)

   Jagua is an ancient bluish blackish ink that is extracted from the fruit Genipa Americana which can be found in The Amazonian Rain forest in Brazil and other parts of South America. The local tribes of the Amazon rain forest  mainly harvest jagua for skin dying as it is used in many of their traditional customs. It can be made into a gel freeze dried into powder form to keep from expiring too quickly as it is very perishable in ink and ge form when not frozen. The existence of jagua is fairly new to the public eye (since 2006). Jagua has healing properties just like henna and is used to fight off mosquito bites and other skin related issues. Like henna, it can be used for body art.  Jagua typically lasts about 2-4 weeks with proper aftercare.