Henna tattooing was recently introduced and made famous in the US by Madonna, Demi Moore and a few other celebrities. The reverence for the henna, however, has been in existence probably ever since the first henna tree, or rather the first henna hedge, set its roots into the soil of the planet earth.

Henna is a shrub in its truest form and it can reach a height of six yards. The henna plant blossoms in very fragrant white or rose red flowers and the species is sometimes classified under the name of Lawsonia alba Lam. or Lawsonia ruba.

This writer first learned of henna a few decades ago, when she was invited to a henna night in Southwestern Turkey. Henna night is sort of a female stag party, usually scheduled to take place the night before the wedding or a couple of days earlier when the women get together and paint each other's hands and toes with henna. The henna night is famous for the camaraderie of women and the constant girlish giggling even among the matronly set. The party is akin to the girls night out, not just with henna painting but with the food, drinks, and a lot of fun.

One good thing about henna tattooing: unlike the tattoos the western culture is used to, the henna tatto is not permanent, for it fades away in time or it comes out after a few washings. Some women who are well known local artists can create fancy designs with a pastry bag, a toothpick, or a rolled piece of paper dipped into a paste of crushed henna leaves.

First, to make the henna paste, henna leaves are crushed and mixed well. For the tattooing or rather the henna painting, the henna paste has to be at room temperature. Chilling the paste reduces the color. Henna painting craves heat. As a matter of fact, the ladies put their feet on a heating pad even before the henna is on their skin.

When one observes the leaves of the henna plant carefully, it is easy to see the red veins going through the leaves. Most of the red color comes from those veins. After the henna is on the skin, it is topped with a little sugar and lemon juice mixture to set the colors, and also some heat is applied from a heating pad or a heated Mediterranean tile. The longer the wait, the stronger is the color.

There are several different species of the henna plant because it is so widespread in the temperate zones of Middle East, Asia, Australia and North Africa.

Women have worn henna through the centuries as decoration, and in some tribal regions, different henna decorations helped distinguish different tribes. Henna is also considered a medicinal plant, for it has been used from the earliest times as an astringent and a sedative, finding its way into many folk remedies. Since henna shows some ultraviolet screening activity, it is sometimes used as a sun-blocker.

Washing the hair with henna gives it a slight reddish tint and a wonderful shine. It is believed that henna feeds the hair follicles and helps stop split ends.