Hengua Info & Care

PREFACE: "Hen-gua" is simply a blend of henna and jagua. Below I will first give information about henna and jagua separately before going into detail about hengua. 

All About Henna

The henna plant, or "Lawsonia inermis" is a shrub that grows best in hot, semi-arid climates (India, North Africa, Middle east). The leaves of the plant contain a dye molecule which permanently binds very well to keratin and stains it in reddish brown hues. It has been used for centuries not only as a medicinal plant, but commonly to naturally dye hair, brows, skin and nails as cultural practices among a variety of peoples. For a longer shelf life, the leaves are dehydrated, crushed and sifted into a fine powder that can hold the dye in almost perfect condition for 12-15 months until it is mixed with a liquid and ready to be released. Henna crops differ from year to year, and the quality of the color depends on how the crop has grown that year. The highest-yielding color comes from henna that is a "Body Art Quality" (or BAQ) standard. The leaves of a BAQ crop contain the most dye which results in the richest stains, in hair and skin. I source my henna powder from a farm in Rajasthan, India in large bulk; it is my favorite powder from my favorite people. My henna powder is a 5x-sifted Organically-grown BAQ Rajasthani henna.

All About Jagua

The jagua "berry" or Genipa Americana (or huito) is a fruit that grows best in the tropical climates of South America. It has anti-inflammatory and antibiotic properties and has been grown by indigenous people to help with insect bites and skin rashes for centuries. The genipin in unripe jagua is actually a colorless compound which, when applied to skin and being exposed to oxygen, chemically reacts with the keratin to create a deep blue stain. The Shipibo tribe of the Peruvian Amazon have used jagua as a form of cultural body art expression for centuries, and now the rest of the world is also learning about the beautiful joys of jagua. 

Jagua should never be misunderstood as a "different kind of henna" as it has no ties to the henna plant, henna cultures, nor the land where henna grows. Jagua is a completely separate form of body art so we should abstain from calling it "jagua henna" or anything other than jagua or huito. (This does not apply to recipes where henna and jagua are mixed to create a "jagua henna blend").

I get my organic Jagua from a sustainable farmer and manufacturer in Peru. They not only juice the unripe jagua berry but they also dehydrate the liquid to create a concentrated jagua powder. Jagua powder has a longer shelf life, and is usually mixed with water to create the juice.

Hengua Dye Release

My hengua mix paste recipe consists of my henna powder, organic cane sugar, organic pure lemon juice, organic jagua juice, distilled water, and organic tea tree essential oil.

Hengua paste, when made fresh, starts off a dark greenish color since it is mostly the henna plant/leaves. Once liquid touches the powder, a process called "dye release" (where the henna dye molecule starts to separate from the rest of the leaves) starts. The entire process of dye release keeps going until there is no more dye in the plant to release. This can take anywhere from a couple hours to a couple months! The dye release process is affected by several factors: temperature, acidity levels, other ingredients, and of course time. 

  • When hengua paste is very cold, the process of dye release actually slows down so you can preserve hengua by freezing it for several months! When the paste is very hot, the process of dye release speeds way up and the hot hengua will expire in several hours. 
  • More acidic paste creates a stable dye release. So adding lemon juice to the recipe not only elongates the dye release process over time but can create darker stains as well.
  • Certain essential oils contain a high level of terpineols and mono-terpene alcohols whose chemistry can help stabilize dye release and slightly alter the red/brown hues in the stain as well. Some essential oils give more of a red stain while others may give more of a brown hue.
  • You should know that the process of dye release, once started, cannot be fully stopped, even when the paste is completely frozen. Even frozen hengua paste will likely only last a year at most before all the dye is released inside the cone and the paste has gone bad.
  • When hengua paste dries up, it is also not releasing dye anymore. It can only release dye while it is a wet paste, not a dry flake.
  • Genipin, the blue dye in jagua, does not necessarily need warmth or moisture to create a dark stain. It simply needs oxygen and time, as a jagua stain can take anywhere from 24-72 hours to reach its maturity in color!

How to Get (and Keep) a Rich Stain

The info above is all very important to know when you are trying to get a good hengua stain. It is also important to know that humans have several layers of "outer" skin (the epidermis), and as paste sits on the skin, the dye molecule slowly seeps into these layers of skin and binds to the keratin (protein) in our skin cells. So although you may think your "design is fading," that is not what is actually happening. Your own skin cells on the outer layer are falling off and new skin cells on the inner layer are being created. The skin cells falling off still have the hengua stain!

Knowing all this, getting a rich stain is more self-explanatory. Here are some helpful steps to ensure a dark, long-lasting stain:

  • Starting off with a high-quality hengua cone from a freshly-made batch of henna is the first step.
  • Clean (slightly exfoliated) skin without any lotions or sunscreen helps absorb the dye into the skin.
  • The longer you can keep the paste slightly wet on your skin, the longer it will continue to release dye into your skin
  • Keeping the hengua cone and skin in a warm environment when applying the paste allows the dye release process to happen a bit faster so you would not need to keep the paste on for days!
  • In colder environments, keeping the paste on for as long as you can (sometimes 12 hours) will help get a better stain, but warmth is always your friend when you want dye release to happen
  • Removing hengua paste should always be done without water. Use a pure oil like mustard seed, coconut oil or olive oil to help scrape off the tough parts.
  • Avoid water on the area for at least 12 hours after you've removed the paste. Definitely avoid chlorine pools for as long as you'd like to keep the stain dark.
  • Also, before showers, I like to put oil on the design to help repel water during the shower.
  • Lastly, try not to exfoliate the skin too much.

A hengua stain starts off a dark orange/brown color and takes up to 72 hours to fully oxidize and reach its mature deep burgundy brown color.