Hi everyone, first of all thank you for reading my post.
This time I am going to be talking abut my newest passion/ addiction: Jagua.

Jagua looks a lot like a "real tattoo"

What is Jagua?

Jagua (Genipa Americana)is the common name of a plant/fruit that grows in South America & Central America, and the unripened juice of the fruit is used to create body art. It has been used for many years by many tribes to create face- body paintings, the color that jagua develops into is a blue/ black color, depending on the body part that it is applied, on the hands it becomes almost black, and that is the reason why many henna artists world-wide are starting to incorporate jagua as a safe alternative to "black henna".

Jagua has been used by many tribes as body/face art

Can I get a reaction to Jagua?

Jagua is all natural and safe, it is an edible fruit and jelly, ice cream and drinks are made with it, though people with fruit allergies may have a reaction to jagua, because it is an unripened tropical fruit that contains enzimes. People with 🍓berries/ mango/papaya/ pineapple allergies 🍍should not get a jagua tattoo. A stop test may be done to rule out any possibility of an allergic reaction.

Color development

Just like henna, jagua takes a couple of days to fully develop it's final color, once applied it has to dry (allow it to be fully dry as it stains rapidly), after 2-4 hs it can be washed off. The color will be very pale after being washed off, do not worry, and wait, the stain will start darkening within 24-48 hs, jagua stains the first two layers of the skin, the stain will last 2-3 weeks (sometimes longer) and it will fade away as the skin naturally exfoliates.

What is hengua?

Hengua is a term that was recently created by the henna artist community and it refers to mixing henna powder and jagua gel, to naturally create different shades of brown/ blue body art. It was mainly brought to the community by the super talented henna artist Penney Halcon Douglas, Follow her on IG @g4penney!

Art by Penney Halcon Douglas

How can I differentiate Jagua vs Black henna?❗

A lot of cheap "black henna". artists are still using the chemically adulterated "black henna". and they lie saying that they use jagua... here's some tips on how to differentiate "black henna"(http://www.hennabyholly.com/blackhenna.html).from jagua:

• Jagua has a sweet (almost nil) aroma, while "black henna" stinks very back (like turpentine).
• Jagua takes 1-2 days to fully develop it's final color, while "black henna" will stain the skin right away.
• Jagua will last up to 3 weeks, while chemically adulterated "black henna" will last up to 5 days.
• Package: chemically adulterated henna comes in obvious industrialized cones, while natural henna, jagua & hengua artists will use hand-rolled cones, or applicator bottles.

What NOT to use!

I hope you have had enjoyed this post, if you have any questions feel free to leave a comment!

Thank you for all the Upvotes, Comments & Re-Steems I really appreciate it!

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Photo credits: 1 @danilamarilu, 2, 3, 4, 5
Banner: "100% SP" Image Credit: @madjack