Aftercare
You want a happy henna stain that lasts as long as possible?
Do these 4 things. :-)
You’re welcome.
Don’t smudge wet henna
The paste stays wet for about 10-30 minutes (depending on weather, your body chemistry/temperature, and other elements). Be careful not to smudge your henna. Smudged henna stains last 2+ weeks, just like pretty henna stains.
Leave paste on, then gently flake it off
Leave the dried henna paste on your skin for a minimum of 1 hour, preferably 4+ hours. Then use fingernails, or the side of a spoon or credit card to scrape henna off your skin. The henna stain on your skin should be orange now, but don’t worry, it darkens in 24 hrs.
DO NOT use soap and water to remove henna past. If some paste stubbornly clings to skin, dab it with olive oil, coconut oil or something similar to get it moist and wipe off gently with a paper towel or tissue.
Moisturize
We recommend to NOT use Vaseline based moisturizers.
Coconut oil, shea butter, olive oil and other, similar natural goodness is great for henna’d skin. But remember, apply moisturizers only after you have flaked your dry henna paste off (otherwise you will make a decidedly UNhappy mess). :-)
And even though there’s essential oil in the henna, it’s just a bit, please never use essential oils as a skin rub, they’re very potent and could actually cause problems.
Don’t get it wet for 24 hours
Yeah, we know, you want a shower. Wash the rest of your stinky self, but keep the water and soap off your henna, you’ll thank us later. Why? Because water and soap interfere with the staining process, meaning you’ll still get stain, but it will be light and not last as long if you get it wet right away.
After 24 hours, shower as normal, but no hard scrubbing, loofah, or towel scrubbing on the henna as all those actions hasten exfoliation of dead skin, thereby hastening henna loss. And that’s not happy, that’s sad. Don’t be sad.
Swimming, especially in pools, also speeds exfoliation. Not saying don’t swim, just saying it’ll kill your henna faster. :-)