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 Some hennas are naturally very stringy. The stringiest ones I've seen are from Morocco and Yemen, harvested in desert climates. These hennas are extremely high in tannins (so they stain fast and dark!), and their plant sugars are very concentrated. When you mix these up, the texture is like bread dough! "Terp" your henna paste, keep mixing and adding lemon juice until the gooeyness settles down a bit. If you really think you can't deal with super stringy paste, freeze your paste for a few days and then thaw it. That will tame the texture. |
| Stringy henna is easiest to apply with mylar cones and syringes. Drape long, long, perfectly straight lines with stringy henna, moving steadily to lay down the endless henna thread. You can literally lay down a meter long perfect line with this stuff! These super stringy hennas also cling to the skin and don't crack like some others. |
| Lay down long straight lines first. Then subdivide
sections for
patterns. Divide those sections smaller ... and keep dividing
until
you're doing the tiniest fiddliest bits. Start a line by touching
the cone down ... lift the cone and drape the line along, just like a
spider
spinning. When you want the line to stop, touch down again.
when you're working the little sections, keep touching down on a line,
so the henna will stick. Practice on paper .. this technique is
addicting!
Moroccan henna artists start their work up near a client's elbow or
knee
... and lay down the longest lines of a pattern first, then divide,
divide,
divide ... and end at the fingers in the tiniest
patterning.
All text and images on this page copyright 2003 all rights reserved Catherine Cartwright-Jones The Henna Page  Back to "How" index Can't find what you want here? Try The Henna Page Main Index.  |