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Stories of a henna adventurer.

Can a Christian do henna?

1/28/2020

 
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You gotta understand.

I live in the Deep South, in the buckle of the Bible Belt, and this question is Important with a capital "I" to a lot of folk. And I get it. A sincere Christian wants to honor God in every aspect of life, and most of us who grew up Baptist or Pentecostal or even Episcopalian didn't also grow up with henna. Thus the question ... is it okay to wear henna?

Usually when people ask this question, they have one of two issues on their minds:
  1. Is henna a religious practice?
  2. Does henna violate the prohibition against tattooing in Leviticus 19?

So, let's tackle these one by one.

1. No — henna is not a religious practice.

It's easy to see where the confusion comes from. A person Googles henna (also known as mehndi) and sees a photo like this:
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She's Hindu and Indian, right? Not so fast! A bride in this style of clothing could be Indian ... or Pakistani ... or Bangladeshi. She could be Hindu ... or Muslim ... or Sikh ...

And it's easy to think, Oh! A Hindu bride. Henna must be a Hindu practice. And it can be ... if you're Hindu. Ironically, the model in this photograph is actually Muslim — and Muslims worldwide use henna, too.

Henna is a beautification practice that has crossed many national, ethnic and religious lines since it was first cultivated in the Middle East at least 6,000 years ago.  The reason why most people associate henna with Hindus or Muslims is simply an accident of geography: The parts of the world where most henna is grown happens to be mostly Hindu or Muslim: northern Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and the northern Indian subcontinent. Jewish, Sikh, Jain, Christian and many other religious groups in these regions also use henna.

So if you're a Christian and want henna, you're in good company. Many Christians in Armenia, India, Palestine and other places in the world wear henna. It's simply a part of celebrating life!

2. No — henna does not violate Leviticus 19 (in my opinion).

"Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord."
Leviticus 19:28 (NIV)

As some of you know, I get annoyed when people use the term "henna tattoo." Technically, henna is not a tattoo — a tattoo is the surgical implantation of ink in the skin to create a permanent design. Henna is its own art form — it has its own history and was not developed as a way to copy ink tattoos.

Historically, henna and ink tattooing have not been considered the same thing. Henna is widely practiced among Jews and Muslims even though Islam and Judaism both prohibit ink tattoos. (There are practicing Muslims and Jews with ink as well as imams and rabbis who argue against henna, but for the most part, neither Islam nor Judaism considers henna to violate Leviticus.)

But what about Christianity?

Let's take a moment and look at the purpose of Leviticus. The book is a collection of laws and regulations that Moses delivered to the ancient Hebrew people. The Levites — the priestly tribe — not only served as ancient Israel's religious leaders, they also were the police, the health department, the court system, etc. Israel was a theocracy, and the Levitical laws governed just about every aspect of everyday life in ancient Israel.

Let's take a look at some of the other laws mentioned in chapter 19 ...
  • "Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material." (v. 19)
  • "Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it." (v. 26)
  • "Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard." (v. 27)

So ... do you wear cotton/polyester fabric? Eat your steak rare? Trim your sideburns?

Almost no modern Christian considers these rules to be binding today. (A lot of modern Jews don't consider them binding, either.) And the vast majority of Christians I know also eat bacon and shrimp — two things that are very much no-nos according to Leviticus. So, what's the problem with ink tattoos in the first place?

Tattooing is actually an important part of Coptic Christianity. For centuries, the Egyptian Copts have tattooed crosses on the inner wrist as an expression of their faith. They were originally tattooed against their will to be "marked" as Christians (much like Jews in Germany being forced to wear Stars of David), but now they are embracing the tattoos as a potent statement of faith. They are a religious minority in Egypt and have actually experienced persecution because of their tattoos.

But back to our culture ...

For much of our western history, tattoos were the mark of "rough people": criminals, sailors, sideshow performers. No respectable person would be caught dead with a tattoo. It was a cultural prejudice that found a convenient justification in Leviticus. At least, that's my opinion.

Now, of course, tattooing is mainstream. The U.S. has 20,000 tattoo studios, and the number of tattooed Americans is growing. Today, some 30 percent of college graduates are tattooed. So, with the cultural stigma falling away, is it time for Christianity to rethink its stance about tattoos?

If a person has a sincere religious belief that ink tattooing — or henna — is wrong, I respect that. I'm not here to twist anyone's arm or violate their conscience. But from what I know about henna's history and culture, I don't think getting henna should worry a sincere Christian. I have hennaed lots of crosses, fish and Bible verses, and I welcome any client who wants to incorporate henna as a statement of their faith, whatever that faith may be.

But ultimately, it's up to you. What do you think? Let me know in the comments below. :)

Waiving travel fees for bridal services in northern and central Alabama

12/17/2019

 
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Brides! Do you live in central or northern Alabama? We are now waiving travel fees (normally $50) for brides who book at least three hours of service* with Blue Lotus Mehndi if you're within approximately 100 miles of Birmingham.

That includes brides who live in cities such as:
  • Tuscaloosa
  • Cullman
  • Jasper
  • Clanton
  • Huntsville/Madison
  • Decatur
  • Gadsden
  • Guntersville
  • Ft. Payne
  • Columbus, Mississippi
  • Montgomery
  • Auburn

If you're interested in talking with us about bridal services or henna for your wedding-related event, fill out this quick form and we'll call, email or text you (your preference!) within 24 hours.

* Unless an overnight stay is required.

Blue Lotus Mehndi featured on Southern Bride Magazine's blog!

3/5/2019

 
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I traveled down to Loxley, Alabama, last July to spend a magical afternoon at the Garden at Bella Sera with a coterie of talented, friendly and incredible creatives to create this Bohemian wedding styled shoot! I painted the models' feet with white Henna Glam: a durable body paint that you can use to decorate skin in mehndi-inspired designs. Henna Glam doesn't stain and is removable ... a perfect option for special occasions!
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I love, love, LOVE white henna on feet! (Photo courtesy Kaley Martin Co.)
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Our "bride" and "groom," Alaina and Joey, are a real couple and were so totally adorable, I just couldn't stand it. Truly, everyone who worked on the shoot was just incredible. It's such a pleasure teaming up with other artists! (Photo by Blue Lotus Mehndi.)
Click here for the blog post and a roll call of the professionals who participated in the shoot, and here are some of the photos I took myself:

Oops. She did it again.

2/7/2019

 
UPDATE: Henna master Darcy Vasudev shows us how to do freckles right using natural paste. Link at the end of this post.
​

YouTuber Naomi Jon is at it again.


After racking up more than FIVE MILLION VIEWS on her original "freckles fail" video, she gave henna freckles another go after getting advice from the beauty blogger who inspired her. While she acknowledges that many people advised her to use natural henna, in the video she admits to sticking with an "artificial" product.
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She's still turning red! And her skin is burning. (She says so in the video.) And she put that sh1t around her EYES. Lord help me.

The only things she did differently this time were (1) choose a "brown henna" and (2) apply a cosmetic oil to her skin first to protect against some of the nastier effects. If she would just use natural henna, the oil wouldn't be necessary. (It inhibits uptake of the henna dye anyway, makes it less effective.)

Granted, the results one day later looks a heckuva lot better than her first attempt:
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Doesn't change the fact that she put really AWFUL chemicals on her pretty skin. And survived unscathed. This time. No immediate damage, but ...

The chemical most likely responsible for causing the burning and redness in her skin is PPD. This chemical is a sensitizer, which means that the more you use it, the more sensitive your body becomes to the chemical and the more likely you are to have an allergic reaction, possibly a severe one.

Naomi definitely enjoys playing with her hair color, and if she wants to continue, she needs to keep artificial henna crap off her face. There was a case not long ago of a British woman who had a severe, blistering reaction to a "black henna" design she received while on vacation to the Middle East. That one bad reaction permanently sensitized her body to strong chemical dyes. She should've been avoiding them like the plague, yet she decided to color her hair using a typical, off-the-shelf brand of hair coloring – something that is (relatively speaking) safe to use under normal circumstances.

Problem was, her body was so sensitized to PPD, she went into anaphylactic shock and died. (That's when your throat swells and shuts off your air supply, causing you to suffocate.)

Folks ... it's possible to use "henna" that contains synthetic dyes with no apparent harm. Many, many times. Some people just aren't that sensitive to those chemicals. Many people from countries with a henna tradition are so accustomed to purchasing these cones at import shops and ethnic groceries that they don't think twice about them. Check out this video by mehndi artist Farrah for her take on using artificial cones. Doesn't mean there isn't a risk. An unacceptable one, in my opinion.

Naomi: You're too pretty to risk your skin and your health with that pre-packaged garbage cone. Please try the freckle test again with natural henna!

And now, let's watch Darcy Vasudev show us how it's done!

An evening with Jimmy Fallon

1/28/2019

 

We interrupt our usual henna stories to bring you this special report:

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Jimmy Fallon, host of The Tonight Show since 2014 and one of my personal heroes.

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The W 49th Street entrance of Rockefeller Center ... a truly breathtaking building.
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It was about 28 degrees F when this photo was taken.
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Note the attractive art-deco gold accents around the sign.
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Inside the NBC Store, where we're waiting to see if we get in to see the show. Conveniently, they have us positioned facing a shelf full of Jimmyswag.
Stephen Colbert has the Colbert Nation. Conan O'Brien has the Coconuts. And Jimmy Fallon has the Falpals.

I'm one of them.

My loving and generous husband agreed to a trip to New York City to celebrate my 49th birthday on January 25. I'd been longing to visit the big city after just one evening there in 2013 to see my talented sister-in-law in her Met Opera debut. And I'd always been fascinated by New York, especially being a fan of the Law & Order franchise since the early 1990s: a show in which the city itself is practically a character. Then I caught the Falpal bug in late 2017. I just had to see a taping of The Tonight Show.

After failing to get advance tickets online (they're free, but there's a waitlist from hell), I decided to brave subfreezing temperatures and wait in the standby line outside of Rockefeller Center the morning of January 23, and Rich generously obliged. Here's how it works: You queue up on West 49th Street, and at 9 a.m., two NBC pages come out and go down the line, handing out numbered standby tickets. It's not a guarantee you'll see the show, but if they do need to fill seats, a certain number of standby ticket holders get show tickets, which are distributed in the order you were standing in line. 

An online friend of mine from Sweden got to see the show in early January – she showed up at 4:30 a.m. and was number 10 in line, and they admitted only 28 people from standby into the taping that evening.

We got there at 4 a.m. 

Yes, I am insane. But I wasn't taking any chances.

We got standby tickets numbered 1 and 2. Not saying it was fun sitting for five hours in a meat locker, but at this point, our chances were good.

At 3:30 that afternoon, we returned to Rockefeller Center, where we got to wait some more, but at least we were in a nice, heated building. It looked like 100 people were there at the NBC Store holding standby tickets. As they spent more and more time arranging us in exact queues, I figured there must be at least a handful of seats to fill and chances were awfully good that we'd get in to see the show. And ...

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    Amy Miller

    Henna artist, traveler, alchemist.

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