Story details

My name is Nussrat and I'm going to talk about henna and what henna means to me and to my family.

When I think about henna, I automatically think of my Mum. My Mum loves henna. It doesn't matter what weather it is, what time of year it is, she has got henna on her head. She likes to put henna on her head because she likes the orange colour, and plus it has religious connotations for her as well. I keep telling her: "Mum, it's safer to put hair dye on your hair." But she won't have any of it. She goes around in terrible weather, with henna on her head, covered in Asda carrier bags, because she wants to keep the moisture in. And because it has healing powers as well - what henna does is, it makes everything cold, like for instance if you're burning, you've scalded yourself or anything like that, the best thing to do is to put henna on it. Now, this crazy woman goes around with henna on when it's snowing outside, comes round to my home, and it's like "Mum, what are you doing? You can't have henna on your head!" But she won't have any of it.

Now she's got my sister-in-laws going as well, so they walk around with henna on their hair as well. And she's got her grandchildren involved in it as well, because I'll drop the kids off and say "Right, OK Mum, can you babysit?" So Mum's got this henna going, and she's mixing all the henna to put on her own hair, and she's putting it on her nails and everything. So the kids come home with henna on their hands and on their faces - henna everywhere, it's like "What are you doing?" "But grandma said that you must have some on!"

The religious implications of henna is that there are henna trees in Saudi Arabia and our prophet - peace be upon him - used to use Henna a lot firstly to colour his own hair but also for healing purposes as well.

I remember when I was growing up it was henna, henna, henna any spare time my mum got and I never took any notice but now that I'm older and a practising Muslim praying 5 times a day I have slight nails and I can't put nail varnish on, and to give it a little bit of colour I will actually use henna, and now that I'm actually using henna I will promote it to my children as well. Henna is such a unique thing it will never go from the Asian culture, it will never go from the Asian Sub Continent. Even when you go back home there is so much emphasise on Henna, there is no wedding ceremony without henna, it's impossible to have a ceremony without henna, it's impossible to see an elderly person without seeing henna on their hands, their nails, their feet , their hair and it's just nice.