Meet Nadia Elhag of Henna Art By Nadia

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nadia Elhag.

Nadia, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
As a young girl, I was always fascinated by the ancient art of henna. Visiting my family in Egypt was always my favorite because I got to witness in person the beautiful artwork of this country.

At the age of twelve, I picked up a henna cone and began to draw on my body and soon realized how much fun and relaxing it was to me. Throughout middle school and high school, I practiced on family, friends, and myself as often as I could just to get the practice in. I first realized that henna art can not only bring people together, but that I can truly make a difference.

My first year of college, a friend of mine, Faaria Ansari, and I hosted a fundraiser in my hometown, Newtown, CT, for the Philippines and in one night we raised over $900 to donate to the country after the tsunami. I felt truly happy and blessed to see people come together as a community receiving beautiful artwork and donating to a good cause. This memory has always stuck with me and is what has driven me in the future years to create my business.

I moved to California this past January to become a full-time henna artist. I handcraft my henna paste with all natural and organic ingredients such as essential oils ensuring that the client is relaxed and enjoying their time. I am meeting new people daily at corporate events, weddings, birthday parties, fundraisers, and am so proud of the progress I have made and continue to work hard at my passion.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Some struggles I have had with myself is making sure I do not compare myself to other henna artists in a negative way. Your biggest critic is yourself, but learn to love your work and the progress you’ve made. Also, practice definitely does make progress. I know I will never be perfect, but I can always work towards being a better artist then I was yesterday. One henna artist that I have been crushing on lately is Anjali Henna who has been doing henna for only 9-months, but creates the most stunning and unique designs I have seen. I love re-creating design concepts of hers and learning new techniques for placement on the skin. What is great about the henna community is that we are one big family who inspires each other daily to create new and fun designs.

Another huge challenge of mine was pushing myself to become a full-time henna artist. This year, I finally stopped settling for another career path and chose to work diligently on my passion alone. It has been difficult just starting out financially, but the support I have received from family, friends, and people I have met with my art have continued to motivate and inspire me daily. I know that the journey will not be easy, but it is the one I choose to take.

At 22-years old, I have also learned that this world is so big and you will meet people who take advantage of you, but learn to have a voice and say, “no” if you don’t feel comfortable with a situation or take a step back before moving forward.

So, let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Henna Art by Nadia story. Tell us more about the business.
Henna Art By Nadia is a company I created to share my passion of henna with other people. I am a self-taught artist who can freehand beautiful designs leaving the customer feeling relaxed and happy with artwork they can show off for the next few weeks. Henna is a flowering plant found in hot/dry climates such as Egypt, Morocco, and India. The leaves are ground up into a fine powder and then mixed into a luscious paste with sugar, essential oils, and water. The paste is applied to the body and stains the skin a dark red/brown color that will last 2-3 weeks.

When I was first introduced to henna, I purchased from stores that supplied “black henna”. What I did not know then was that “black henna” is harmful to the skin due to harsh chemicals and can cause scarring to the skin. I am proud to say that years ago, I learned the dangers of black henna from Joey of Mehndika Joey Henna and now handcraft and use only organic and all natural henna instead of the icky, store bought henna. I always inform my clients that henna is not black and to always make sure an artist used a product that is natural. In addition to henna, I use Jagua which is a fruit from the amazon that dyes the skin naturally a dark blue to black color. When customers are looking to stain the skin a black as opposed to the stain henna provides, I use the Jagua gel. Since Jagua is a fruit, I do ask clients if they have allergies to fruits of any sort and test a small patch of Jagua before drawing a design. Many clients use Jagua to test out potential tattoos since the color stains similar to a tattoo.

As the business grows, I learn so much about myself and know that henna will always be a passion of mine. Henna Art By Nadia books many kinds of events such as birthday parties, weddings, bridal showers, festivals, fundraisers, and more. A few weeks ago, I was hired by NYX Professional Makeup to work at an event of theirs. It was my first huge event here in California as it was 4-days of non-stop henna, but it was an absolute blessing and amazing opportunity meeting and making new friends. I had a constant line of people and endless compliments and just the support alone really does motivate me daily to keep on making new art. I plan to continue this business in a positive way by inspiring others and donating my talent to fundraisers because this idea all start from just that.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I would not say that luck has played a huge role in my life and business, but an abundance of love and positivity from everyone has. I believe that the more you give, whether it’s something tangible or not, the more goodness you receive. Good words and kindness from the people I care for always keep me working hard and loving what I do. Not only is the goodness around me a huge motivation, but staying true to who I am is also! My passion and love for art shines through my work and makes others happy, that’s all I strive for really. Support and help others happily and you will receive the same back.

Pricing:

• Private Appointments: $20+
• Events and Parties: $100+
• Bridal: $200+
• Non-Profit Events/Fundraisers: $0-$100

Contact Info:

• Website: www.hennaartbynadia.com
• Phone: 914-602-4841
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: Instagram.com/hennaartbynadia

Image Credit:
The Bakersfield Californian
Tyler Woodford
Mira Roy