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What is Henna?

What is Henna? Henna is a flowering plant, the sole species in the genus Lawsonia in the family Lythraceae. Henna, Lawsonia inermis, produces a burgundy dye molecule, lawsone. This molecule has an affinity for bonding with protein, and thus has been used to dye skin, hair, fingernails, leather, silk and wool. The word "henna" comes from the Arabic name for the plant, pronounced ħinnaː. It is also an islamic name given to girls which means blessed. Henna is commercially cultivated in western India, Pakistan, Morocco, Yemen, Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia, Sudan, Libya, Egypt, and Bangladesh. Presently the Pali district of Rajasthan is the most heavily cultivated henna production area in India, with over 100 henna processors operating in Sojat City. Though henna has been used for body art and hair dye since the Bronze Age, henna has had a recent renaissance in body art due to improvements in cultivation, processing, and the emigration of people from traditional henna using regions. Henna is used in various festivals and celebrations. It is applied from a tube (similar to a tube of toothpaste) and the paste is left on the skin from a few hours to overnight and the stain can last a few days to a month depending on the quality of the paste, individual skin type and how long the paste is allowed to stay on the skin.  Covering the henna paste with a mixture of lemon juice and sugar and then wrapping the hands in loosely covered plastic bags also will make the henna dye darker and last longer on the hands.