Can a mehendi be called a temporary tattoo? How to make henna drawing on the body at home?
"Temporary tattoo" is a concept that has firmly entered the lexicon of lovers of body painting. But from the point of view of professionals, it sounds incorrect and is a contradictory phrase.
Are there temporary tattoos?
The masters say: there are no temporary tattoos for a year or more. A real tattoo is done for life. The pigment is driven into the deeper layers of the dermis with a needle: the paint is not washed off and does not fade.
The term "temporary tattoos for 3 months or more" is often used by masters of mehendi (ancient Indian underwear painting). But the images they created are more correctly called “henna patterns” on the skin. They are performed with a natural dye and gradually disappear after 2-3 months, since the pigment does not stain the deeper layers of the dermis.
If you understand the process of creating a tattoo and a mehendi pattern, the question of how to get a temporary tattoo will not arise. It will become clear that there are incompatible concepts in the phrase, since a tattoo cannot be created at all for a short period.
Accordingly, a temporary tattoo at home is not possible. If you like to apply henna or chemical dyes to your body, you will most likely be called a representative of mehendi or bodypainting (depending on the technique of the image).
Important! If they try to assure you that there are temporary tattoos for a month, be aware: this name means body painting with henna in the mehendi style, which is an independent art and has nothing to do with tattooing.
How is mehendi made?
In the East, men and women have long applied sacred drawings and ornaments to the body with the help of crushed leaves of thornless lawsonia, called henna. Subsequently, the technique spread to Europe, mehendi is painted in cosmetic and tattoo parlors.
For mehendi, natural henna is diluted with lemon juice and vegetable oils. But in salons and stores there are ready-made sets in cones or tubes. For their preparation, chemical additives are used to enhance the brightness and saturation of the shade, to extend the shelf life.
Another option for a temporary drawing is body painting or painting with acrylics. Drawings made with these pigments look catchy, but they are washed off after a day. Popular with girls who get married are mehendi-style patterns made with white acrylic.
Mehendi masters offer services at home, in beauty salons, on the beaches or promenades of major resorts. But if you want to try to create a masterpiece on your body yourself, you will have to stock up on patience and materials:
- Purchase henna or acrylic paint from a specialty store or online.
- Cleanse your skin and remove hairs.
- Select a drawing. You can use stencils for mehendi or transfer the image using polyethylene, drawing on it with a marker.
- When the sketch is ready, start drawing, gently squeezing the paint out of the tube. Make sure that the outline is accurate and not smeared.
- When the pattern is ready, wait 4-7 hours for the pigment to dry. Then scrape off the residue and evaluate the result.
Are there temporary tattoos - look at the video:
"Temporary tattoo" is a misnomer. It is not used by tattoo artists. If we are talking about painting mehendi, you get a short-lived drawing that will last on the body for up to 1 month. But only an uninitiated person in the intricacies of art can call it a "temporary tattoo".
