07/15/2026
Jagua Design on Palm
Here's a recent experiment with designs on the palm of the hand. The beginning shows the fresh design (minor changes were made after recording) and the end shows how the design looks after about a week of wear. Not all jagua or henna designs last this long — especially on the back of the hand — but this design is going on two weeks now. The reason? Most likely the thickness of the skin.
When you add henna designs to an area of skin that is thicker, that means you are also applying henna/ jagua to an area of skin that has a higher concentration of keratin. The pigments from the jagua/ henna bind to the keratin in your skin and the more keratin there is to bind to, the more prevalent your designs appear. There also tends to be more perspiration in areas such as the palms of the hand and the bottoms of the feet which means that the dry time/ time the henna or jagua sits on your hand is longer than average. This prolonged exposure of a wet design to your skin may also contribute to a deeper hue and a, thus, longer lasting design. (Scientists and artists of TikTok are welcome to chime in on this and/ or correct me of any error.)
