Mehndi or Mehendi is a form of body art that can be traced to ancient India, in which decorative designs are created on a person’s body using a paste created from the powdered dry leaves of the henna plant. Locally, henna is primarily used as a means of cultural expression for religious ceremonies, weddings and festivals and, of late, as a fashion statement.

Your Under the Dryer team (UTD) introduces readers this week to Ashley-Ann Lebert, a self-taught 24-year-old henna artist whose henna artwork is referred to as Leebie’s Henna. Lebert operates both from her home in Mount View, St Catherine, and the homes of her clients.

An art enthusiast by nature, Lebert discovered henna back in 2011 while surfing the Internet. Her passion for the art form was innate and almost automatic. “I’m a creative person, and the idea of tattoos and decorating myself always interested me,” she told UTD. After discovering that she could adorn herself in beautiful designs without any lifelong commitment, she knew she had found that ‘thing’ she was meant to do. “I was in love!” she continued. As in everything else, henna painting for Lebert was never an immediate grasp. It was, and still is, a learning process. “I would first draw the patterns and designs on paper with pen,” she told UTD of her journey.

Everyone needs an extra push now and again; to that Lebert can attest. After a few years of drawing henna patterns on paper, she was introduced to the henna paste by an admirer of her work. Sadly, it took more convincing for the then novice (who still thought her craft needed improvement) to take her hobby seriously.

Two times, as it turns out, was the charm. Another friend suggested that she make use of her artistic skills during the Carnival season. This time she was sold, and soon after, she invested in some henna paste and henna cones. “It was very difficult at first,” Lebert reminisced. “It was much different from holding a pen, and I had a lot to learn.”

Three years in, Lebert continues to hone her henna craft and does a wide variety of henna patterns and designs. These designs are often for birthday celebrations, graduations, weddings, carnivals or any other memorable function, and include the traditional Indian henna, Moroccan, or any other pattern that either comes to her mind or is requested.

Lebert says, as a henna artist, she not only needed steady hands, but had to learn to adjust and improvise on demand. Her greatest challenge is meeting the desires of her clients, whose requests are sometimes designs she has never seen or done before. These procedures, she says, can be very time-consuming.

However, she says she enjoys empowering people with a temporary tattoo.“It makes you feel special and confident and more importantly, it is a creative outlet without any lifetime consequences,” Lebert explained. For her, henna symbolises beauty and health; the procedure itself is a sacred occasion.

Ashley-Ann’s Steps for Henna Designs:

• Prepare henna paste with organic henna powder and essential oils.

• Place henna paste in henna cones and store in a cool place.

• Sanitise the area of the skin where the henna artwork will be done.

• Start decorative process (similar to decorating a cake).

• Leave paste on the skin for at least six hours.

• Peel off paste and keep fresh stain away from water for 48 hours to allow it to darken.

Hennas are usually visible on the skin for over a week and begin to fade as soon as the skin starts regenerating new cells. Lebert’s advice to those who would like to venture into henna artistry is to exercise patience while continuously learning and improving their craft. More importantly, she encourages budding henna artists to practise excellent customer service, treating every client with utmost respect.