making a basic harquus

Posted by CAtherine Cartwright Jones on December 16, 1999 at 19:57:25:

I tried a couple of harquus recipes ... (not that there was a very
complete description, so I'm doing a lot of guessing) and found some
basics that work. This one makes a glossy black, fragrant, durable,
waterproof, smudgeproof harquus. The only down side is it that it
must be applied hot (feels like about candle wax temperature).

Get 2 tablespoons that you can afford to totally trash, a grinder
(like a mortar and pestle) and a candle.
Put a couple of pinches of henna powder in one spoon and hold that
over the candle flame till it carbonizes to black. Stir it with a
little stick as you carbonize it, like the unburnt end of an incense
stick. Don't let it catch fire. Enjoy the incredible fragrance of
hot henna! Be patient...this takes a little while, and must be done
slowly.

Grind several pinches of frankincense or myrrh into powder, and put
that in another spoon. Hold that over the candle flame till it is a
hot amber liquid. Don't let it catch fire. Again, be very patient with
this. Stir that with your little stick. Your stick will get sticky
with hot resin. As soot coats the back of the spoon, scrape that off
with your sticky stick and mix it into the hot resin. Start adding
the carbonized henna (a little at a time) by dipping your sticky
stick into the henna, and mixing what sticks into the spoon of hot
resin. Occasionally thin this out with a a few drops of perfume oil
(I used Tibetan Musk). Keep adding soot and henna and perfume oil
until you have a smooth hot black puddle of resin in your spoon.

Start testing consistancy on your forearm. Dip your stick into resin
puddle in the spoon, blow on it a bit to cool it, and make a little
line on your arm. Yes, %^@#$&, it's hot! I found by carefully
balancing the oil and resin, heating and cooling, I could apply it to
my skin without burning myself, and the resulting harquus lines were
absolutely waterproof and smudgeproof, glossy black, and very
fragrant.

I think ambergris would make the mix much easier to work with, but I
don't want to inconvenience any whales. When I tried adding wax, the
harquus pealed off my skin too easily. Alcahol kept bursting into
flame, and didn't seem to help any. The simple resin and soot mix is
very durable, but must be applied pretty hot (not enough to burn you,
but it will wake you right up!) I did a bit of this on my cheek, with
no harm, but it made me flinch. There may be a way lower the
temperature without losing the durability of the harquus .. this was
just a first try.

BTW...just in case anyone thought to do so....don't do this on your
eyelids!!!!!! Too hot!!!! Try it on your FOREARM until this recipe
is refined!

Follow-ups:

• Just an idea anita 17:57:32 12/20/99 (3)
  • sounds ideal! Catherine Cartwright Jones 18:14:15 12/20/99 (2)
    • Zauders anita 23:33:18 12/21/99 (0)
    • online, yep Natasha Papousek 20:52:40 12/20/99 (0)
• perfume oil? kate 21:36:50 12/17/99 (5)
  • fenugreek Joann 16:44:31 8/09/00 (0)
  • fenugreek Joann 16:44:28 8/09/00 (0)
  • Re: perfume oil? Catherine Cartwright Jones 04:02:27 12/18/99 (2)
    • Patchouli Oil from fresh Pogostemon cablin. Dadang Usman 09:25:58 6/30/00 (0)
    • Patchouli Oil from fresh Pogostemon cablin. Dadang Usman 09:25:53 6/30/00 (0)
• Re: making a basic harquus kate 21:27:35 12/17/99 (1)
  • Re: making a basic harquus Catherine Cartwright Jones 03:59:45 12/18/99 (0)
• Re: making a basic harquus Jenna 20:44:42 12/16/99 (5)
  • Re: making a basic harquus Catherine Cartwright Jones 21:29:39 12/16/99 (4)
    • bendable? kate 23:09:29 12/17/99 (1)
      • Re: bendable? Catherine Cartwright Jones 03:54:24 12/18/99 (0)
    • Re: making a basic harquus kate 01:44:52 12/17/99 (1)
      • the perverse nature of silverware. Catherine Cartwright Jones 03:51:06 12/17/99 (0)