Preparing to get a henna tattoo
In preparation to get a henna tattoo on your skin, it’s best to avoid all oils or lotions on the area you want hennaed. If you use a heavy body butter, avoid using it a day or two BEFORE your henna tattoo is done. Body butters can make the skin more moist, so you’ll need to take some time to clear out the skin cells. Henna requires clean, dry skin for getting the best color. Avoid self-tanners in the area to be hennaed. Henna has trouble bonding to skin cells that have self-tanner.
Henna Color and Longevity
The color and lasting quality of a henna tattoo depends on several factors including low long you leave the paste on your skin, what part of the body you decorate, the cleanliness of the area, your skin chemistry, and how you care for your henna. Henna aftercare is very important to the color and longevity of your henna tattoo. A henna stain starts off orange and darkens over 2-3 days to a red/brown color. The hands and feet get the darkest color, and the further away from those areas you get, the lighter the stain.
Generally, you can expect good color for 5-10 days and all traces of henna will be gone in 1-3 weeks. The best color is 2-3 days AFTER the henna is applied.
Aftercare Tips for Your Henna Tattoo
Keep the paste on as long as possible, ideally 4-8 hours, try to avoid bumping or smudging it.
Avoid water for as long as possible (definitely avoid water for the rest of the day).
Keep the skin warm while the henna paste is on the skin.
Avoid exfoliation during the time you want your tattoo to show.
Keep in mind, the longer you keep the henna paste in contact with your skin, the darker and longer lasting your henna tattoo. The longer you avoid water, the better the henna will oxidize.
How to Book a Henna Tattoo Artist
Our henna tattoo artists can move quickly when doing smaller designs – one artist can tattoo 12 – 15 people per hour. We would need more time to do larger designs, and would get fewer guests done per hour. You may want to consider booking multiple artists for your event. We can supply up to ten henna tattoo artists for one event if given enough notice. Please consider how long you expect your guests to wait in line and how their waiting experience might affect your event.
We require a minimum of seven days’ notice to book even one henna tattoo artist. That means if your event is less than a week away, unfortunately we would not be able to help you. It’s best to book our artists one month in advance to ensure your needs will be met. Henna is very popular and few people do it well and are professional and reliable. You can call or email us to get pricing and information.
When you are ready to book with us, we will gather all your details and information. We will email you an official contract to sign and send back. All your event information including time and location will be in the contract. Be wary of individuals who do not supply a proper contract. Our contracts ensure that we are all on the same page regarding what is being supplied and what the payment terms are.
We ask that you provide the artist with a table and two chairs. One chair is for the artist, the other is for the guest who is receiving the tattoo. The table can be small or large but we ask that it is at least three feet long and clean. Our artist will supply a table covering and all necessary supplies. It’s helpful if the table is not placed in the sun if we are outside. Shade and/or shelter are greatly appreciated, by both the artist and the guest.
Book Local
We are local to the Greater St. Louis, Missouri area. We serve Missouri and Southern Illinois. When working with an entertainment agent to book artists for your event, be sure it’s a local agency. Many companies from out of town build websites and pay for Search Engine Optimization to dominate categories such as Henna Tattoo Artist, Face Painter, or Balloon Twister. This way, for the price of a website, a phone number and some marketing dollars, they can get your attention and your money. When you book an artist through one of these big companies, you’re paying extra for nothing. They will mark up the price of a local artist for doing nothing other than making sure their name is at the top of the search when you look for talent St. Louis (or any other city).
These companies are not agents. A good agent lives in your area, knows the neighborhoods and works constantly with the artist they will be sending your way. A good agent will listen to the type of experience you are trying to create and will enhance that with their knowledge and understanding of the art. They will help make sure your artist understands your unique point of view and needs. Be sure you’re working with a local agent to get local talent. Don’t help a guy with a website take the business away from your community!
