Henna artist builds connections with women she decorates

soul about her.”

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration doesn’t approve of applying henna to the skin. Stevenson preaches and prides herself on henna safety, advising against use of unnatural henna, which can contain other ingredients “intended to make them darker or make the stain last longer on the skin,” according to the FDA.

“Black henna” — as the name suggests, it’s black — is often mixed with coal-tar hair dye, which can contain p-phenylenediamine and cause allergic skin reactions. PPD, as it’s more commonly known, is banned from skin applications, making many forms of “black henna” illegal.

Thus, Stevenson creates her brown, all-natural stain from the imported and powdered plant

also known as henna, and mixes it with a tingly, aromatic combination of sugar, water, an essence such as a floral water for scent, and an essential oil with a high alcohol content like lavender or cajeput to help stain the body.

Then, using a thin plastic cone filled with her signature concoction, she adorns hands, feet, bellies, crowns and concealed parts of the body, or what she calls “boudoir” or “lingerie” henna, in a swirling motion. For an added touch, Stevenson often dusts the henna with a sprinkle of glitter, which stays on until the paste itself dries and flakes off, revealing a temporary brownish design on the skin, similar to a temporary tattoo. The stain can last about 10 days on the hands, up to two weeks on the scalp, and three weeks to a month on the feet and other areas of the body where there is less exfoliation.

Sherry Knox, 46, of Camp Springs, Md., said she would get henna every week if she could.

“It’s just pretty. It’s very girly. It makes you feel special,” said Knox, who, as a stenographer, works with her hands.

“I love to watch my hands when I have henna on them and see how pretty it looks when I’m working. Since I never was a girl who got tattoos as a young person, this is my way of having some fun.”