Why should Henna Artists be Certified?

Most jobs that involve touching and marking other people have some certification program established and required by their government or professional organization.  This protects artists as well as consumers.  Voluntary participation in a certification program benefits both artists and consumers, even when a certification is not legally required.  Certification programs establish a level of competence, and create a level of trust and professionalism.

Beauticians, nail technicians, cosmetologists, and tattoo artists have certification programs.  If you touch people, basic understanding of hygiene is critical.  If you  mark people with henna, basic understanding of potential allergic reactions is crucial.  Henna artists should know how to mix their own henna paste.  They should know what is safe to put in that paste, what is safe under most conditions, and what is unsafe.  They should know how to deal with different kinds of skin and different body areas, and how to get the best results in different circumstances.  If there is a certification program, all artists who pass the certification exam will demonstrate a basic level of proficiency and competence. This is good for the clients, the artists, and for henna!

If experienced, respected henna artists set up the certification, it will be relevant, sensible, and responsible, and that will benefit artists and consumers. If henna artists and participate in that certification program, it will gain respect, and people will have confidence in it.  If a government official who is largely ignorant of henna writes up the certification, it may be poorly designed, hindering henna art and artists.  If The Henna Page sets up a certification process first, and if that certification and process has wide support from henna artists, it is more likely that when governments and schools start thinking about regulating or certifying henna artists (which WILL eventually happen), they will go looking for standards already set up, and this will be in place. 
.

Who  created the Certification Program for Henna Artists?

There is a chairman and a board of directors, and an educational advisor, and an examination administrator.   The board of directors formulated the examination questions, and made recommendations for the study guide. The study guide and a sample examination are available online at The Henna Page. 

The board members for 2005 are Erika Harrison, Jewel, Mark Foster, Deborah Brommer, and Kim Brennan.  Each person has a very different area of expertise, and years of experience, and each person seems to be a real live grownup level-headed, responsible person. These people are of diverse national origins and religions.

The examinations are electronic. 

The educational advisor is Mary Anne Dan, a non-henna person who has 40 years experience in teaching and administration in the California schools.  She has experience in of dealing with establishing educational programs, standards, and presenting educational and certification programs to schools, state government and labor unions. The chairman of the board is Catherine Cartwright-Jones

What will the Certification Exam consist of?

There will be 100 multiple choice questions and 3 extra credit questions.  There will be several exams, with different questions, and they will be rotated to deter cheating.

You will have to send in a list of what you put in your paste, and a description of how you mix it.

You will have to send in 3 pictures of your freehand work. 

(What are those two thing for?  This to eliminate people who can't do better than slap down a stencil and smear a pre-mix over it!)

There will be a required basic exam of hygiene, technique, mix, and process.

The exams will be $25.  Part of that fee will go to the person who administrates your examination and another part goes to the person who grades the exam.  The rest of your fee goes to defray costs of maintaining the International Certification for Natural Henna Arts website. 

The exam will be a secure download.  You answer the questions and email it back in within 24 hours to the educational advisor.  She will assign it code name (for anonymity) and send it on to the examination processor.  That person will grade your exam and send it back to the educational advisor with the incorrect answers marked.  If you fail, you can take the exam again in 1 month.  There will be more than one exam, so you can't just memorize what you messed up and stick it in the second time around.

There will be options for mail out and mail-in exams for people who can't work with an electronic download and return. 

Questions:

Will this certification program be a legal certification, with government backing,  like a driver's license?
No.  It will have no binding legal status.

What is "Peer Review"?
"Peer Review" means the certification and exam is set up by your peers: other henna artists.  It is not a government or school certification (Like a driver's license or high school diploma.)

Am I going to have to be certified now to work as a henna artist?
No.  This is a voluntary exam. 

Will having a henna certification help me get work in a salon or tattoo parlor, or other places?
Probably!  If you go to a salon and they ask if you're certified to do henna, you can hand them your certification, and show them that you passed a rigorous test!  If there are two henna artists applying to a festival or any other job, if you show that you're certified, that will give you an edge. 

Do I have to be a participant on The Henna Page to take this exam?
No.  Anybody can take this exam.

Can I cheat? 
NO.  If anyone is caught cheating, sharing questions or answers (and this is a SMALL community and word gets around, and the examiner will be looking for identical exam answers!) that person will forfeit their exam fee and will NOT get certified, or will have their certification revoked!

How long do I have to complete the examination?
24 hours.  This allows for people in different time zones and the examiner to coordinate.  It's a big planet.  Your examination will be graded within a week of completion, probably much sooner. 

How will I know what's on the exam and how do I prepare for it?
The Henna Page will have the study guide online.

Will you tell me who the examiner is so I can send in a bribe?
No. 

Will the examiner know who I am?  What if the examiner hates me?
No.  Your examination will be assigned a code name.  The examination is electronic, and therefore is incapable of hating you. All that matters is correct answers.

If I fail the exam do I have to pay again to retake it?
Yes.  The examiner gets paid for grading the exams ...

Do I have to retake the exam every year, like my driver's license?
Your certification is good for 2 years.  New things come up, new techniques are discovered.  Studying up once in a while is a good thing.

Could my certification be revoked?
Yes.  If you are seen using PPD "black henna" your certification is dead!

Will the list of certified artists be public?
Yes.  They well be listed on ICNHA.

Will I get a pretty certification to show off?
Yes.  You'll get a certification you can put in your place of business, and a card you can keep in your wallet.  It'll be signed, dated, stamped, and all that jazz.  You'll also get a certification .jpg that you can put on your website to show people you are a competent, knowledgeable and reputable henna artist.

Is CCJ and HP setting up some sort of HennaNazi Uberlord thing to decide who can and cannot be a henna artist and will we all be CCJ clones?
Though the Henna Page faciliate and support the certification, neither The Henna Page nor Catherine created nor maintain this certification.  The ICNHA  board members, all of whom are professional henna artists created the examination.  The examininations are graded electronically, and photographs and extra credit questions will be graded by an examiner.  Catherine and the Henna Page simply facilitated a certification program that many people believe is urgently needed!   Anybody can take this exam who wishes to be a Certified Henna Artist.  It's voluntary, and there is presently no certification program required for henna artists ... but ... that could change, and if it does, you'll have an advantage by already having a certification. 

Look at it this way: henna will probably be regulated within 10 years by the government, after there are enough lawsuits filed against PPD slingers, and misunderstood by enough lawmakers to come to a crisis.  Why not take the first step and get a sensible, responsible henna artist certification in place NOW before a government agency sets up such in ignorance, or outlaws henna entirely.  Why not have a certification in place that's created by, used by, and respected by henna artists working in natural henna, so that when the legal crisis happens, we are prepared with a response?  It can't hurt.  It may help!  It will probably help good henna artists get more respect and better jobs.

Back to the Henna Page Business Index 

Can't find what you want here?  Try The Henna Page Main Index.