Getting Our Henna On with Moonlight Mehndi

For over five thousand years henna (or mehndi) has been a symbol of good luck, health and sensuality and is traditionally used for celebrations and rights of passage.  

I have always been curious about henna, but never looked into it until my daughter wanted to get a glitter tattoo at the San Diego Sea World.  I decided to get a henna tattoo with her and I instantly fell in love with the intricate floral designs that are typical of henna.

There are not too many places in Hawaii that offer henna, but thankfully, I found Valorie Eubank of Moonlight Mehndi.  She is available for parties, events, and private appointments.  Valorie has been practicing henna since 2003 and makes her own henna paste using only natural ingredients.  

Now that I found Valorie and Moonlight Mehndi, I was on my way to throwing my first henna party!  Typically, Valorie can complete about 12 to 15 small to medium designs or about 20 to 30 very simple designs in one hour.  Her larger designs take between 15 minutes to an hour depending on the size and complexity.  Two hours was perfect for 7 henna designs and 6 glitter tattoos.  That's right!  When I inquired about henna for the kids, she recommended a minimum age of 7 because the henna takes a while to dry so she offered to bring her glitter tattoos for them.  She's awesome!
  

Henna is popular on hands and feet, as it stains the darkest there, but can be applied anywhere like on the back or shoulder.  

After the henna is applied, it needs to dry so keep this in mind when deciding on the placement of your henna tattoo.  The longer you leave on the henna paste, the darker it will stain.  

Valorie has numerous designs that you can choose from and she can also customize a design to your exact liking.

The peacock is known to be a symbol of beauty.  

I love this simple lotus blossom design.  

She has many different tattoos for the kids too!  The kids pick their tattoo and choose their colors.

She also sells glitter tattoo kits for $10 and it gets you 3 stencils, 3 glitters, and glue.  This kit is perfect as gifts or for some fun at home.

After it's dry, you can scrape off the paste or else it will flake EVERYWHERE.  The henna takes about 1-2 days to fully darken.  The final color is a reddish brown and can last anywhere from 1-3 weeks depending on the quality and type of henna as well as the placement of the henna on your body.  Moisturizing with natural oils can help make the stain last longer and exfoliating can cause the stain to fade.

Getting henna done made for a perfect Friday night Girls' Nite In (with kids).  Now go get your henna on!

Moonlight Mehndi
www.moonlightmehndi.com