There are several reasons for this, and the primary reason is that the finished color will not be as dark as henna on the hands, arms, feet or legs. In fact, I do not recommend that you put henna on your back unless you are willing to go to extra effort to ensure good color.
Every ones skin type is different, and some people may get a good result for a henna tattoo on the back with aftercare. It is much more likely that I will get a complaint from a client that henna tattoo on the upper back is not very dark. There is very little I can to to correct this.
For most people, the pores of the back are small, the upper back may be oily in nature and these factors inhibit the henna from deeply penetrating the skin. It is also quite easy to smudge the henna when driving home!
As henna is a heat activated dye, applications of olive oil and sunshine ( or perhaps a tanning bed ) gave the henna the extra push necessary to get dark color on the back in this air-conditioned Western world.
If you click to enlarge the photo, you will see that the darkest color is in the lower back. Sometimes it is possible to get a good finished color on the lower back... especially for women.
This pattern was a special order for a special occasion, and extra time was spent to keep the henna wet on the skin as long as possible ( lemon sugar glaze with essential oils was applied regularly over a two hour period to help the henna penetrate the skin.)
I do not offer this kind of henna at the Midnight Sun. The fee for this size and quality of work is $85 an hour. There may be some artists who are able to get a better color than I for the back. If you are out there.. please leave a comment on the blog so others can find you.
Or... feel welcome to post a tip to help us all get darker results on the back. With all best wishes,
Ann George - Henna Artist - Spirit Vision Henna in Jacksonville, Florida
