THE ART AND HISTORY OF HENNA AS BODY ART

by +Neera Abdulsalam

The use of henna for body art is several centuries old. It has been practiced for over 5000 years in Pakistan,India,Africa and middle East. Because henna has natural cooling properties(yea,it does),people of the desert,for centuries have been using it to cool  their bodies.
They make a paste of henna and soak their palms and soles of the feet in it to get an air conditioning effect(Mama nature did provide us with everything).
They feel its cooling sensation throughout the body for as long as the henna remains on their skin.
Initially,as the stain faded away,it left patterns on the skin surface which led to ideas of making designs for decorative purposes.
In  ancient Egyptian times, mommies wore henna(mommies??!!!),and it is documented that Cleopatra herself used henna for decorative purposes.
People today all over the world have adopted the ancient traditions of adorning their bodies with the beautiful natural artwork created from the henna plant(now,who doesn't like things natural???I know I do).It has become a very beautiful form of temporary body decoration.
People all over the world now adorn their bodies with henna designs for weddings,birthdays,festivals and what have you.
In other cases,henna is used to paint bellies of pregnant women(now,that new? I know you're nodding ),while going through chemotherapy,scars camouflaged to make them unnoticeable e.t.c.

Any comment?