She’s young and about her business! Meet Saundarya, aka Houston’s Henna Plug. From traditional Indian weddings to casual henna for men and women, black henna, colored henna, white henna… she does it all. Saundarya is the best around town, super talented with an eye for detail, as you’ll see with her beautifully intricate henna designs. She even used to make her own henna. How cool is that?! “Henna,” sometimes referred to as mehndi, “is a plant,” Saundarya explained to me as she was doing my henna. “It comes from the dried up leaf of the plant. I haven’t made henna in a long time so I don’t remember all the ingredients.” Now, she uses a premium, all organic henna. Check out how she got started, what inspires her and more in our chat below.
That’s awesome you used to make henna. How did you get into henna as not only an art, but also business? As a kid I always doodled in my notebook and made designs. One day my mom came home with a henna cone, “Here, you should try this.” So I tried it… and it came out really bad so I was like, “I’m just going to throw this away. I’m not gonna use it anymore.” Then one day, a few years later, I picked it back up and thought I should give it another shot. That was in high school. I kept practicing this time and that’s when I started getting better. I started practicing on myself, my friends, family. I realized I was really good and henna was starting to get extremely popular. Since I do this, I thought, “I can easily get my foot in the door.” I started January 2015, I still have a lot of progressing to do.
How did you start getting clients? I just started showcasing my work. When I started, I had no website, no promotions, just Instagram and word of mouth. That’s still all I have. People would see my work, the quality and reach out.
Do you have a lot of American clients or mostly Indian? Mostly other cultures. With Indians, we get it for Holidays, weddings, special occasions. If you go to an Indian person’s house with henna, they’ll say, “Did you go to a wedding recently?” No, I just always have my henna done (lol). With them, it’s like why would you get henna for no reason? Americans do it for fun, like something cute to get done on my birthday or some see it as a temporary tattoo. It’s not a cultural thing or embracing the culture, and it’s not spiritual to Americans like it can be [symbolic] for Indians, for example, henna night on weddings.
What is the cultural meaning behind henna? I don’t know exactly where it started. I think it originated in Hindu culture, and then grew to Middle Eastern culture. After India and Pakistan separated, the Muslims went to Pakistan then Saudi Arabia and that’s when it started spreading. It started off as part of the [Hindu] wedding celebration. It’s more of a traditional thing, cultural not religious. There’s symbolic meaning, but not spiritual like opening a third eye.
Someone once told me henna represents love. I do get that, but I think it’s an old Indian superstition, like if your henna comes out really dark, it means your mother-in-law is going to love you a lot.
Can you talk about the different kinds of henna? Nothing is actual henna except red. Red is the only traditional, organic color. Black is ink. Black henna lasts five or six days tops so I tend not to promote it. I always warn people ahead of time. Red henna lasts 2 weeks. White henna is actually body paint without the gel. Without the gel, it’s not going to wash off; well it’s not supposed to wash off. White henna is something you do for people that want it for that day. Now, they’ve started making different color hennas, its just paint without gel. You can have any color if you’re willing to only have it for a day or two. That’s why I feel red is always the best option, it won’t react to the skin, cause irritation, discomfort.
Do you apply all of them the same way? What’s your favorite to work with? My preference is definitely red, they don’t go on the same. I actually have black with me, let me show you. *She shows me how the black henna is applied.* See, I have to press against your skin. It’s blobby, it’s literally like ink. The red comes out in a straight line naturally. Oh, and with black, there are no mess-ups. I have to be really attentive with black; it’s not like red henna.
How do you come up with your designs?
Usually people come with a preset design. I usually take the design as inspiration and work with it. I’m not a fan of using someone else’s work. Show me something you like, I’ll look at it, work with it and twist it to my style, what I think will be cute. Everything I show people, everything on my Instagram, I want them to know this is where my mind is. Unless someone requests something specific, like I really want this exact design, then I’ll do it. I wont argue with my client.
You started talking about how you freestyle designs. Can you talk more about how you freestyle, the craft of henna? It took a while. I had to build my experience. The more designs in my mind, the better I am. When I first started freestyling, it was bad. Well not bad, it just wasn’t where I am now. Now, I’ve developed a flow. I can do a full sleeve. Most established henna artists have set designs, no options. I’d like to stand apart from this trend. It shouldn’t be up to the henna artist what you’re going to have on your arm. If you want me to freestyle, I should have a flow. To be able to freestyle successfully, your expertise has to be at a certain level.
What makes your style unique and different than what others are doing? I have a very neat hand and you are going to be happy. That’s one reason I always tell people [why I’m the plug!]. People will come to me and tell me I have changed their whole henna experience. They went to a salon and that’s the worst place to go. You would assume that’s your best option, but it’s not because it’s not their forte. When people come to me, they know they’ll get what they want. It’s a different quality and expertise that I offer. I wont leave something on a client’s hands that I don’t approve of. With some others, they’ll think oh, they’re American, they won’t notice. But people notice. I always want a good impression so I put my all into it. I appreciate the word of mouth and always want a positive outcome. I know my potential and what I can produce.
I don’t like leaving people unhappy so if I don’t like something, if it’s not aligned properly, I’ll erase your whole hand and start over. If you’re paying for it, you should be happy. I want you to be satisfied. If someone goes home and isn’t happy, the stain isn’t dark enough or something, I’ll say lets meet up tomorrow. There’s no excuse for me to not make sure that happens. I don’t want any dissatisfaction at all. It’s not about the money or the sales. My mom told me if I’m doing this as a business, it’s about the people.
That’s a great word from your mom. Do you have any tips or tricks to make henna last longer? A stain is usually at its darkest 24-48 hours after you apply it. I usually tell clients if you want your henna to be its darkest, leave it on the entire day and through the night. It’ll start to flake off, but really take it off the next day. The longer you let it stay, the longer the oil sets in your skin. It’ll flake in your bed though if you do sleep with it.
What should we be looking out for from you? It has to be my year. I won’t accept anything less. This will be my year of establishing clients that come to me on a regular basis. I don’t want you to consider another artist because I want you to know I’m the best. This summer will be fun; hopefully I’ll be doing group henna parties. It’s a great season to get henna, for pool parties, the beach, vacation.
What motivates you? I finally found my niche. I’m 23. I’ve spent the past few years not completing my bachelors, kind of bouncing around trying to find myself. I’ve finally found something where I am content. I can take this and run with it, make this a business. Everything else I’ve done, it’s been, “I don’t know if I like this.” With henna, it’s never been a question. I can do this day in, day out and I will never get bored of it, never get tired of it.
What does creating with purpose mean to you? When I see people happy, it makes me happy. I know what it is to be down. Every person whose henna I do, regardless of how small or big it is, I have the opportunity to shine a little bit of happiness.
How legit is Saundarya y’all!? Since I spoke with her, she’s already hit one of her goals for the year, partnering with a salon. You can find her on Saturdays in the Galleria at Momentum Hair Designs. Any other time during the week, hit her up and she’ll meet you for your henna needs. Henna party for the summer anyone? Don’t forget to follow her on Instagram, @houston.henna.
With love,
Carin
@motilaine
Moti Laine 