Temporary Tattoo Ink

From LoveToKnow Tattoos

Why Use Temporary Tattoo Ink?

Temporary tattoo ink offers individuals the opportunity to try out different artistic patterns and designs in a tattoo form without the threat of leaving their skin permanently marked. Whether the goal is to try out a short-term tattooed look, portraying a character in film, television, or theater, or adorning the skin with ritualistic cosmetic markings, you can use temporary tattoo ink with the confidence that you can always change your look.

Mehndi art being applied freehand

Henna

Quite possibly the oldest and most well-known temporary tattoo form, henna has been used for body art in growing regions such as India, Africa, and the Middle East for centuries. Called Mehndi, henna artistry is traditionally used for weddings, during important rites of passage, and in times of festivity and commemoration including Purim, Passover, Norouz and many more. The Henna plant (Lawsonia inermis) is believed to bring love and good luck, and is used to ward off any form of evil eye.

How to Apply Henna

Lawsone, the molecule released when henna leaves are crushed and made into paste, is what causes the beautiful reddish-brown stain on the skin. If you’d rather not make the paste from scratch, you can purchase henna paste at various cosmetics retailers and drug stores.

Applying henna paste to the skin is relatively simple; however creating masterful designs and striking artistic patterns will take practice. Try your hand at Mehndi on some blank paper before using any henna on your own skin. Once you are feeling confident, begin drawing your temporary tattoo in the upper left corner (or upper right corner if you happen to be left handed) in order to avoid smudging. Stencils are also available for purchase and can greatly reduce the effort needed to create simple classic images.

As after care, you may apply a solution of lemon juice and sugar over the henna design. The sugar helps keep henna sticking to your skin for a longer duration of time while the lemon juice keeps the paste moist and staining your skin with a deeper color. Regardless of how you begin, keep in mind that practice makes perfect! This temporary tattoo will fade away over time, usually completely disappearing after approximately two weeks.

Jagua Ink

Jagua ink is derived from the fruit Genipa americana. Discovered in the Amazon, this fruit is about the size of an apricot with a very thick rind. Indigenous people throughout Central and South America originally used jagua for body adornment, extracting the natural dye from the unripe fruit. Today, as the trend of tattoos and body art has become increasingly popular throughout the global community, jagua can be found more and more through the Internet marketplace for regular consumers no matter where they live.

Applying Jagua

Jagua seen above a permanent tattoo

The color of jagua ink begins as bluish-grey. Highly predisposed to leaving stains, this ink creates a semi-permanent tattoo on the skin for anywhere between ten to fifteen days. When applying jagua, the ink-paste will go on in a gel form and dry into a hardened design. Gradually the dried paste will peel off the skin leaving behind a faint marking in a bluish tone. At first you may find this disappointing, however you should note that there is a time gap between application and actual stain manifestation. The remnants of the stain usually take 24 to 48 hours to darken into a very deep and noticeable black color.

If you’ve never tried jagua ink, you may find that this is a great way to get the realistic black tattoo look without the permanence of a real tattoo. However, be careful with the hardened peel of jagua as it will certainly stain fabrics and carpets! Some jagua artists recommend washing the peel off roughly two hours after applying it onto the skin for this reason.

Other Types of Temporary Tattoos

Other options are available to anyone interested in trying out a temporary tattoo. Many innovative cosmetics lines offer predesigned transfer-tattoos which can be applied anywhere on the skin from a special sheet of paper. There are also some locations that will incorporate an airbrush gun to paint the tattoo-look of your choice onto your skin in a body paint style. Whatever route you feel is best, temporary tattoo ink is always a safe bet!