I cannot exactly remember the last time I had applied Henna paste on my hair. It sure has been a long long time. That was a time when I took care of my hair, took care of my skin and cared about how I looked. It was also a time when I had no
children. Motherhood brought about a host of lifestyle changes and one of them was no more henna for the hair. Housework and the kids left little to no time for anything that went beyond regular grooming. Putting family first is probably the norm with most other Mommies throughout the world and its perfectly alright. However, finding time for yourself and doing something fun is also important. Applying henna paste to your hair is one big "me-time" activity.
This realization came about after a chance encounter with a total stranger at the
Richmond Centre Mall's play area. She was from Iran and a new mother of a very active 18 month old girl. She didn't wear any make up and still looked beautiful with her light skin and curly hair. The obvious conversation starter was our kids and then we moved onto discussing about Eid and Henna. She mentioned that back in her country she always used to dye her hair with henna and would put henna on her hands for Eid. She wasn't planning on doing either of those activities for tomorrow's Eid because of her daughter. This got me thinking. Although, I have applied henna on my hands for almost every Eid, even with kids, the applying henna to the hair ritual just died down over the Mommy years.
Bringing the ritual back to life, I took a pack of Henna for hair, added some yogurt and water and made it into a paste. I then applied it on my hair section by section. First the front then all the way to the back and then let it dry. A shower cap would have come in handy to cover it. But I just had to make do with a grocery bag. I washed my hair and dried it and could feel the difference. My hair was silky, shiny and soft. The henna smell remained even though I used shampoo. I am sure the smell will go away after a couple washes. The feeling that I accomplished such a time consuming task while catering to the needs of my kids was simply amazing. I had created a me-time for myself and that sure is super awesome.
Richmond Centre Mall's play area. She was from Iran and a new mother of a very active 18 month old girl. She didn't wear any make up and still looked beautiful with her light skin and curly hair. The obvious conversation starter was our kids and then we moved onto discussing about Eid and Henna. She mentioned that back in her country she always used to dye her hair with henna and would put henna on her hands for Eid. She wasn't planning on doing either of those activities for tomorrow's Eid because of her daughter. This got me thinking. Although, I have applied henna on my hands for almost every Eid, even with kids, the applying henna to the hair ritual just died down over the Mommy years.
Bringing the ritual back to life, I took a pack of Henna for hair, added some yogurt and water and made it into a paste. I then applied it on my hair section by section. First the front then all the way to the back and then let it dry. A shower cap would have come in handy to cover it. But I just had to make do with a grocery bag. I washed my hair and dried it and could feel the difference. My hair was silky, shiny and soft. The henna smell remained even though I used shampoo. I am sure the smell will go away after a couple washes. The feeling that I accomplished such a time consuming task while catering to the needs of my kids was simply amazing. I had created a me-time for myself and that sure is super awesome.
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