The holy month of Ramadan and Eid tend to take people back to their traditional practices. The art of dyeing hand and fingernails with henna is an example of such traditions, holding cultural and heritage significance for women in Kuwait. Women used henna to dye their hair, hands, fingernails and feet in the past, especially during traditional and religious celebrations. Today, henna still holds its role as a fashionable art form, loved by women for its creative designs.

Shanti, an Indian henna specialist, said women love to decorate their hands with henna. “I draw different designs using different colors of henna, depending on each woman’s preference. There are multiple colors of henna including red, black and brown, but in Kuwait, the majority prefer to decorate their hands with black,” she said.

'Dam Al Ghazal', a red powder mixed with henna to enhance its color and pigmentation.

A woman shows her hand with henna designs. - Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Abu Fares, a Yemeni herbalist and vendor.

Brown Yemeni henna, called Sahiliya, used for dyeing hair, sells for KD 3 per kilo.

Henna that is premixed in a tube to help draw the desired shape easily.

A henna artist decorates the hands of a girl.

Abu Fares, a Yemeni herbalist and vendor, showed Kuwait Times a few examples of the best types of Yemeni henna. “Different types of henna are of different quality with different names. There is the ‘Katim’, a black henna, which is one of the best. It sells for KD 5 per kilogram. There is also ‘Jabaliya’, a red henna. Women use this for beautifying purposes such as dyeing their hair and body — it sells for around KD 3 per kilogram.

There is also ‘Sahiliya’, a brown henna. This type is only used for the hair and sells for around KD 3 per kilo,” explained Abu Fares. He said the henna powder is usually mixed with water to create a paste, but some people mix the powder with yogurt, roselle or butter for moisturizing.

Hamid, an Iranian herbalist, told Kuwait Times that types of henna vary — some come readymade, already mixed and filled in a conical plastic bag that helps the specialist draw the desired shape, while some come in powder form. “The henna plant is ground until it becomes a powder. This powder is mixed with substances and oils that give it the texture that allows women to use it for decorating their hands or dye their hair, such as ‘Dam Al-Ghazal’, which is a red powder that gives color and pigmentation to the henna to last longer,” he explained. According to Hamid, the majority prefer readymade cones and tubes due to their convenience.

Lama, a Kuwaiti woman, told Kuwait Times: “The holy month of Ramadan and the days of Eid take us back to our roots, both spiritually and physically. Just as we renew our connection with Allah, recite the Holy Quran, pray and fast, we also love to bring back the traditional things that add to the overall atmosphere of this month. It gives us a break from Westernization and sets us free from getting caught up in the virtual world and its trends. We basically enjoy the comfort of our heritage, culture and identity.”