By Scott Bays
staff writer

People are always finding new ways to express themselves. There seems to be an endless supply of new fads and trends that people enjoy nowadays. But there is a new one that is a little different from the rest: henna.

“Henna is a plant, and it is grown mostly in India,” junior Molly Rossman said. “It depends on a hot climate to grow.”

Henna dye is a substance taken from the plant of the same name. If prepared properly, a brown dye can be obtained from the plant. It has been used for centuries, ever since the Bronze Age, but it is now coming to DHS. Girls have been using this to draw various patterns, the dominant one being flowers, on their arms, hands and legs.

“I’ve done random flowery designs on my hand,” Rossman said. “I did the Assassin’s Creed symbol for someone on their shoulder.”

Henna serves as a sort of temporary tattoo. Usually lasting one to two weeks, it will allow artists to be able to draw patterns on themselves without it washing away immediately in the shower the next morning. DHS students are able to express themselves using henna to draw body art without the commitment of a permanent tattoo. The reason for its sudden popularity increase is at least partly due to the modern improvements of its preparation.

“I took a class over the summer at the Creative Spirit Center and a woman taught us all about henna, and I just think that it’s really cool that you can use a dye and you can make your own tattoo that won’t be permanent,” Rossman said.

Students have been able to find henna through the internet, as the dye cannot be made in Michigan. The idea of having a tattoo has always been enthralling to teenagers, but often they don’t want to commit themselves to a permanent one. Rossman agrees that henna’s temporary but long-lasting nature has contributed to its sudden surge in popularity.

“I think it’s because that (henna) is not permanent, I think people really like that aspect of it,” Rossman said. “If it’s done on the palm of your hand or on the base of your foot, it’ll (last) about a month. If it’s on any other part of your skin, they can promise for sure a week, but it depends on the quality of the henna.”

Many girls have used henna because of its unique look, and it allows them to look different from the norm. Sophomore Hannah Dressen was able to order some off of Yahoo, and has been using it ever since.

“I just think it’s a really cute thing, and it looks adorable,” Dressen said.

Whatever the reason for using henna, DHS girls can all agree that it is fun to use and it’s a great way to express themselves. Several girls have used it, and it doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon.

“It’s a neat idea that we are harnessing something that is natural,” Rossman said. “It’s not going to hurt you as long as you use the right type.”