Why Choose Henna or Jagua over a Permanent Tattoo

It’s 2017, and in many places around the world tattoos are now a normal part of life. Seeing beautiful people walking the streets sporting stunning artwork on their skin is enough to make anyone want a piece of the action.

Likewise, there are people wearing some questionable creations; they may well be perceived as a walking advert for never inking your skin. Tattoos can be absolutely beautiful to look at; that can’t be denied. But a permanent tattoo is not for everyone. It’s not even for everyone who thinks it is. Hindsight may be a wonderful thing, but it’s either useless or very expensive in the tattoo world.

If you’re toying with the idea of getting a tattoo, there’s probably a valid reason for that toying. So we recommend you take plenty of time to assess the reality of having permanent ink, and consider the benefits of going for non-permanent designs instead

Youthful tattoo choices can lead to regrets

Generally speaking, young people tend to be a lot more adventurous than their older counterparts. Our teens, twenties and thirties are the years when anything goes. They are all about experimentation, pushing boundaries, and reckless behavior in the name of fun.

It is fun, and we wouldn’t have it any other way; but we ultimately find out the hard way that at times, impulsivity and lack of experience leads to scars.

A tattoo is essentially a scar, albeit a beautiful one. We know that scars are for life and most of them are not acquired by choice, but it’s even more disappointing when you have gone out of your way to get that scar, only to find it ugly later in life.

What appeals to you at the age of seventeen may be worlds apart from what appeals to you at forty. Forty isn’t so old, even if it seems so when you’re seventeen. When you’re forty, you’ll still care about your appearance – unless you’re the type who never cared much for aesthetics… in which case you probably wouldn’t be reading this article anyway. You get the point. 

Tattoos are permanent, whatever your age

 It’s not all about youth though. Tattoos can be regrettable whatever your age. Some people get a tattoo while drunk (not remotely recommended), and some people do it when they’re blindsided by passion.

For instance, having your lover’s name tattooed on your neck in an impulsive display of affection may lead to much embarrassment and awkwardness later. Your current beau could well be your future ex-boyfriend, however rosy things look at the time. 

 A declaration of love – or any kind of statement for that matter – done in henna can be just as beautiful and meaningful as permanent ink. If he or she is still around ten years down the line, by all means get inked.

Tattoos can also go wrong. If you accidentally splotch henna down your arm, no big deal… you just laugh it off. But if a tattoo artist misinterprets your idea or has a moment of clumsiness, that’s your dream design out the window. Not cool. 

Trends change

Fashion has a major influence on tattoos. Up to and throughout the 80s, tattoos had more of a stigma attached to them and not so many people had them. Those who did often had simple, ill-considered designs like love hearts with a names through them, roses, favorite pets’ faces, tributes to soccer or baseball teams… 

Tattoos have fortunately come a long way since then, but that doesn’t mean that today’s tattoo trends will not induce cringes twenty years from now. 

 As recently as the 90s, tribal tattoos were the ones. Bulky, jagged edges, bands that went around the arms… and yet these too were inevitably a trend. A lot of them look tired and basic now. Later we saw a lot of Japanese sleeve designs with coy carp, tigers, Geishas and cherry blossom. Some of these are beautiful, sure, but they’re no longer new and the next big thing is replacing them.

Today, mandalas and sacred geometry are spreading like wildfire and whole bodies are being covered with intricate designs. It can’t be denied that there are some incredible tattoo artists out there doing great work, but how sure are you that you’ll want your entire body to be covered in these patterns later in life? 

If you’re not one hundred percent certain, you should try out henna or jagua for an extended period to see how you feel. The cost and pain of laser tattoo removal is not something you’ll relish, we assure you.

Tattoos hurt your skin, and your wallet

 Tattoos often hurt like hell. OK, the pain is temporary and some people enjoy the challenge and endorphin high. Not everyone likes that burning, ‘wasp sting’ type pain though, and it would be an understandable factor in delaying your decision.

Your wallet might also feel the burn, if you’re going for a complex design or paying for the security of a highly recommended, talented artist. If you’re going to get a tattoo, the investment will probably reflect your commitment to the idea on some level. If you’re prepared to pay for true value, you’re less likely to regret it. 

If you aren’t, or can’t, then we recommend trying out an intricate henna Mehndi design, or a beautiful black jagua design instead. The best thing about these natural, temporary inks is that they’ll wear off and you can either re-do them if you love them, or you can try out another gorgeous design you found.

Change is the only constant in life, and henna and jagua allow us to embrace change in the most beautiful ways. Why not try out some of our quality henna or get a jagua tattoo kit? We are certain you won’t regret it.