For my love of Henna

Henna Design in progress @Millenium Park

Henna, Laali, Laale. Kunshi, Mehndi, soo many names. Whatever name it's called in your part of the world, this post is dedicated to my love for it.

Henna Design on my hands and feet

I believe its such a beautiful artistic expression and i love it more 'cos i can always switch it up every once in a while. I never knew about Henna Body Art till i ventured into the Abuja (North Nigeria) during my NYSC in 2008 and it was love at first sight for real. I had to get it done ASAP and there has been no looking back after that. I even tried to design it on myself using the Rani tube henna, sadly i am not not gifted at this art; Maybe with a lot of practice sha i can get better.

If you follow my blog i'm sure you are aware i am quite a fan of most things Northern Nigeria has to offer-language, food, meals, fashion sense, etc. So this probably isn't surprising.

To the best of my knowledge, in Nigeria, Henna Art used to be seen mostly on Northern Women/Young girls (regardless of religion) and Western Muslim Women/Young girls with the most elaborate designs done on Brides-to-be but it has now been adapted by many Nigerian ladies regardless of tribe,culture and religion. Some get it done just for their wedding ceremonies, festivals and other similar events & celebrations while others, like me, get it done to have it beautify our body. 

Here's a few things you should know before getting a Henna Design on your body:

• The Henna mix is essentially a dye and can be formed using solely the leaves from the Henna plant or with a mix of other plants,materials with similar dyeing properties
• Henna is also used for other things asides body art 
• Some people are allergic to ingredients used in making the henna paste (especially people with sensitive skin), so please do a lil patch test to know if your skin can handle it
• Some Henna Artists use harsh materials for their mixtures which may burn the skin
• Henna Artists typically customize their paste mix to their individual preference and desired color 
• It takes a while to fade off depending on the potency of the ingredients in the paste mix (3Days-2Weeks)
• The more you exfoliate/scrub your skin, the faster it will fade off
• It takes even longer to fade off your nails
• You can adorn any part of your body (hands, feet, back, tummy,etc.) with a henna design
• You can allow your Henna Artist freestyle or you can find a design online for them to replicate for you
• The Henna mix can stain your skin in variations of Black, Brown or Red 
• Your Henna design can be very simple or elaborate. Its totally your choice.
• Your Henna Artist can switch up a design by using different colors, adding glitter or stones. It all depends on your preference
• The skill of the Henna Artist varies per individual, some are really good and do a very neat job while others have shaky hands and it shows up in the art
• Wear something you don't mind getting the henna paste on when getting your henna design done 'cos it stains clothes and is difficult to wash off
• Choose a comfortable position to get you henna design done so you don't numb from lack of blood flow and so that it can dry without you staining yourself and things around you
• You need to let the Henna mix dry very thoroughly before peeling and washing it off for the color pigmentation to be bold

You can typically get henna done at a friend's wedding where its part of their custom or get the contact of a henna artist from them for a home service (its pricier though especially in Abuja). Some spas also offer it as a service, check out 'The Henna Place' (Lagos).
When i'm really 'craving' it and there's no wedding in sight i go to Millenium Park, Abuja to get it done. There's a lady there called "Mama Twins", she does a good job with the design but it doesn't stay on your skin for too long. Her price ranges from N500-N1500 depending on the design you want and how long you want it to last on your skin.
You can reach her on these no.s 08187379628/09032090260.

Some Instagram Accounts i like:

• Neha Assar
• Henna Temple
• Henna Lookbook
• Henna Yagmur
• Henna Tattoos

I had to rummage my Pictures Folder to find some of the henna designs i have gotten over the years. Enjoy!

Please Ignore my pretty toes🙈Focus on the beautiful design

2012

2012

2013

 2014

2014

2015

2015 (Zanzibar, Tanzania)

 2016 (Millenium Park)

 2016

Toodles!XooX

Google is ur friend + Wedding in Idah

Google is the most popular search engine i know of, Bing comes in 2nd i think. I love Google, i have learnt so much from the resources i have been linked to via the search engine. Its the same kinda love i have for Youtube. There is so much to see and learn and absorb that it's mind-blowing that i can access it all once i have good internet connection.

So what is making me profess this obvious love most people (especially students) have for google? My Camera, i was able to fix my jammed lens thanks to Google! Its a Nikon camera and i've had it for quite a while now, i love the camera and though its starting to die out on me, 'cos i now have to hold down the shutter button hard to take pics and the battery dies out quick,  i'm not ready to get a replacement for it yet. It still gives me decent pictures and i'v gotten a hang of how to handle its issues plus i'm just not ready to make that financial investment as much as i'm a fan of taking pictures (plus my phone is no good for taking pics). 

I travelled for a friend's wedding in Idah, Kogi State and of course i had my camera in tow, the trip from Abuja to Idah took about 4hours, we got there just in time for the traditional ceremony, quickly ate and dressed up. I took several pics on the 1st day (Traditional Wedding) {We danced out with the bride, greeting the guests, then she went in and changed and we danced out with her again till she sat on the mat before her parents with two of her close friends; Her husband danced in next and joined her on the mat. I got my hand Henna-ed and got to witness a new cultural wedding} and then on the 2nd day (Fathia and Wedding Reception), the camera lens just got stuck as i was taking pictures of her Henna-ing {she was taken out with a wrapper covering her face then seated on a couch in an open area between seated guests, they put the henna mix on her hands and feet while the musicians sang and were sprayed money. After her hands and feet were rinsed, she danced with her mother and friends while they sprayed money. I was told all the money sprayed during this event usually goes to the musicians (this was new to me)}. 

Back to the camera-It was showing 'lens error' on the camera screen and the lens were stuck and refused to retract back, i tried all my technical know-how on it to no avail, so i just kept it in my bag the way it was {and tried to enjoy the rest of the ceremony, we left before the reception though, in order to get back to Abuja in time}, to figure out what to do with it once i got back home and had access to the internet. Honestly the rest of the day my mood was dampened 'cos i kept wondering how i'd fix the camera and what it would cost.

I decided to try and see if i could remedy the situation myself 1st before losing hope, I typed in the Google search bar 'how to fix a Nikon camera lens error'. It brought up the results, and i opened a number of them that looked like i could get relevant answers from, in new tabs and then went thru the content of the sites, eliminating any that was irrelevant.

The most useful and easy to apply result i got was this one. I tried most of the simpler Fixes before Fix #6a finally worked for it and my camera lens happily retracted in and my camera was back to normal again. It took me just about 45mins from the time i searched Google till i found and tried out the fix for it. I can't even describe how happy i was that it worked!! I had been low throughout my trip back home thinking that i would not be able to fix it myself and a repairer will charge me quite some money for it which would make me end up abandoning it and having to get a new one. 

Moral of my story- Google is your friend. The internet is your friend. Make use of these resources available to you, not only for social networking and fun but to also solve real-life problems that would otherwise cost you your hard earned money. Remember sometimes the answer you're looking for may be on the 3rd page of the results, so don't be lazy and quit when you don't find it on the 1st page.

Toodles!XooX