Phoenix Henna Artist
Book me for your next party or grab some homemade natural henna and jagua cones and get drawing!
About 10dayink
About the Founder
Hi I'm Kay and sometimes henna is all I can talk about so feel free to stop me. As a kid, my first experience with henna was helping my mom dye her hair, and secretly using the leftovers in a small ziploc to draw on myself.
Throughout my life henna came and went as a cute hobby as I focused on engineering studies. After several years of working as a structural engineer, Covid left me stuck inside and yearning for an artistic outlet. I started studying henna and practicing on myself and friends so much in 2020, they told me to just make it my life already. So here I am now hoping to share the joy and beauty of henna art with you. I chose the name 10 day ink, not only because I work with a non-henna medium called jagua, but my research into henna and jagua has allowed me to perfect a recipe and process that, when followed, will guarantee you a 10 day stain.
Services I Provide
I offer several things for now.
You can book me to come to you, either for any event where you would like guests to get some henna (birthday party, wedding, corporate get-together, baby shower, etc), or for a personal henna (pregnant belly henna, bridal arms/feet, etc).
You can also reserve a spot for some personalized custom henna or jagua tattoos, where we could discuss designs beforehand (this is for people looking for a very specific design, usually to try out before committing to a real one under the needle!).
I also make all my henna and jagua cones at home, prepared fresh for orders. Buy some cones to have fun drawing on yourself or friends.
In the future I hope to provide more products to sell, such as individual ingredients and henna-making kits. I also want to provide my own designs, in books and stencils for beginning henna artists to practice.
About Henna
Henna (also called Mehendi or Khena in different languages) is a plant grown throughout North Africa, the Middle East, and India. The leaves, when crushed, naturally releases a dye that binds pretty well to keratin (so our hair, skin, and nails) and stains a rich reddish color. The climate in which the henna plants grows determines its color richness, tone, and longevity. Indian Rajasthani henna is known to be a favorite amongst henna artists, which is what I use in my recipe.
Contrary to popular belief, the henna stain is permanent. Lemme explain! When henna stains skin cells, the stain is forever, but the skin cells are not. We are constantly "shedding" our layers of skin as our body naturally rejuvenates new skin cells. When henna paste sits on the skin, it releases the dye THROUGH the layers of skin, as long as it is wet. The longer it stays wet, the more layers of skin is stained. As we shed, that bottom layer of stained skin will eventually reach the surface and also fall off, which takes about 2 weeks. This is why people say a henna stain only lasts about 2 weeks. The more ya know!
A henna tattoo cannot be permanent like an ink tattoo because the dye never reaches below the epidermis (which is the outer layers of skin), unlike a tattoo where the needle penetrates down into the endodermis (which is the inner layers of skin).
Henna also cannot stain black, until other ingredients are added such as PPD, which is a chemical that can cause skin burns. I can't stress enough that you should be weary of "instant henna" or "black henna" that does not mention the ingredient that makes it "black." My henna recipe only contains henna powder, sugar, water and essential oils (either eucalyptus, tea tree , lavender, or rosemary tea oil). Everything is natural and homemade, so you know what you're getting.
About Jagua
Now I know I just said there is no such thing as black henna, but there IS such a thing as jagua, which is a great alternative. Jagua is also called Genipa Americana and is a tropical berry grown in South and North America. I source my jagua juice and powder directly from Peru, where I find the best quality jagua to be.
The unripe jagua berry provides a juice that stains just about anything a blueish black color, so be careful of its splash. Since it is a tropical fruit however, people with allergies to berries, kiwi, citrus, and other tropical fruits are encouraged to do a spot test and wait a few days to see if any allergic reactions occur.
Because of the dark stain jagua provides, it mimics a real black ink tattoo. It can also be mixed with henna to give off a much darker burgundy stain.
Jagua goes on wet and dries a bit faster than henna. It also can be washed off with water and soap. The initial stain of jagua is very light and almost unnoticeable, as it takes 24-48 hours for the rich dark color to emerge.
My hengua (henna+jagua) recipe includes everything I use for henna, plus jagua juice or powder.
My jagua gel recipe only contains jagua powder or juice, sugar, xanthan gum, and essential oils (either lavender, or rosemary tea oil). Everything is natural and homemade, so you know what you're getting.