Re: Henna & Wax
Posted by Catherine Cartwright Jones on November 02, 1999 at 19:37:21:
In Reply to: Henna & Wax posted by Tracy Stewart on November 02, 1999 at 15:53:50:
It works wonderfully! it's the only way I know to get a beautiful
pale pattern in the middle of a really dark henna area.
It is best used when you have gritty henna that that will give you a
good color when you pile the paste on thick. Heat your parrafin in a
little potpourri electric crock, and brush it on in your skin in
little patterns, as if you were doing batik. Thicker is better than
thinner. I like fine Japanese brushes for this job. It's not for
the pain intolerant. It feels like hot pizza cheese. When you are
satisfied with your wax pattern, and are sure its going to stay put,
slather on the henna paste. Let it dry a little, but it doesn't have
to dry all the way. Wrap your henna down with gauze. Leave it
several hours or overnight.
Where is it prettiest? Little white stars on deep red-black dipped
fingertips. Little white khamsa cruciforms and Ishtar stars on the
soles of feet, with the rest of the foot dipped up to the toes, like a
beautiful red slipper. At its best, it's like ivory inlay in deep
burgundy color. Rajasthan, Yemen and Iran all do the wax thing
sometimes.
It goes a damn sight faster than tape. It's the best thing you can do
with henna that is gritty, unsiftable spackle.