Henna self-tanning is actually a thing

04.10.2021 - Sima Ahmed

For the beauty lovers who would like to get a tan in a natural way, and I don't mean tanning in the sun. But tanning through a natural source…

We have been dyeing our head hair with henna for a long time, we color our hands with beautiful henna figures, and we dye our eyebrows with henna. But why not coloring our whole skin with henna? In this blog, I'm going to tell you more about how to create your own natural henna self-tan.

What is it

I know it sounds crazy but yes! Instead of going to a tanning salon, getting a spray tan, or using a self-tanner, you can even create your own sunless tan with henna. Henna powder produces a reddish/brown tint, which naturally varies with skin tone and can technically give you a "terracotta-like" glow if applied correctly. Are you ready for it?

Pre-self-tan

Before applying a self-tan, it is important to prepare your skin as well as possible. First, make sure that if you want to epilate your body you do this before applying the self-tanner Step 2: is to exfoliate your skin well to remove all dead skin cells, this will ensure that your skin absorbs the self-tan henna better. Step 3: make sure your skin is completely dry and not damp before you want to apply self-tan.

How do you do it

The process of getting the right solution is harder than when you buy a ready to use self-tan product but hey, at least you know what you put onto your body ;)

You have to mix your henna a bit differently then you want to make Henna Brows. Except, according to an article we read, it says you would mix the henna with water, lemon juice, sugar and a natural oil.

Apparently, the lemon juice brings out the pigment in the dye. Of course, you would need the water to dilute the powder a bit so that it doesn't appear too dark and create a paste solution to apply to the skin. They also mention to apply a few teaspoons of sugar, which apparently prevents the mixture from cracking. At least you need a bit of a natural fragrance-free oil to make the henna paste more like a lotion structure. Once you create the henna paste, let it sit and develop for a few minutes and when it looks brownish, it should be ready to use.

How to apply the henna self-tanner paste

Get yourself some disposable gloves because it will get messy as hell. Apply the henna solution from the bottom to the top. For difficult to reach body parts you can use a brush. Make sure you’re doing this in the bathroom. Get rid of all light clothing or towels. Otherwise they will be tanned as well..

According to the article it says that you can leave the henna from 10 minutes to sereval hours. The longer you leave the henna, on the skin, the darker it will be on your skin. If you don't want it too dark, then take it off sooner. It's up to you whether you keep it on for a few minutes or a few hours.

After you rinse off the henna self-tan with warm/hot water. the orange or red coloring should fade to a more bronze color on the skin within a few hours. Sounds amazing right!

Aftercare

If the henna self-tanner picks up well on your skin, then of course you want to make sure the color lasts as long as possible. No one can guarantee exactly how long your self-tanner will last, but certain things can help the color stay longer. To start with using a gentle shower gel and apply a body lotion every day to keep your skin moist. Try to avoid products with retinol as body peelings, these things can make tan go away.

What do we think of this trend?

As with regular fake tan, this is a tricky procedure. You never know if it's going to come out smooth, if the color will be correct as you don't know the exact amount of time to leave it on to your liking, and if the time invested is worth the duration it lasts! Maybe a fun trend to try out once, but we don't know if it’s something we would continue religiously! I personally prefer to use henna only on my eyebrows.