When thinking of gold tattoos, most people automatically assume that they will be getting a tattoo that has actual gold in it or gold-colored ink.
This however, is not true in the slightest. There is no such thing as gold or silver ink for tattoos, the reason being is this, it would be highly toxic and dangerous for your body and well-being. This goes for ‘silver’ tattoos as well.
The only way that a gold tattoo or a gold-colored tattoo would be possible is if the ink had actual gold flakes inside of it. Injecting gold or any other type of metal would be very harmful to your skin and body, which could easily, and ultimately, lead to your death.
Do not give up so fast! Although there is no gold-colored ink, (the closest to gold would be yellow ink) there are ‘fake’ or temporary flash tattoos that are in fact the color gold. Temporary, or flash tattoos, only last a couple of days, but if taken proper care of and depending on where this flash tattoo is placed, it can easily last over a week. This special ink that is able to wash away, is from a special dye called Henna.
The Henna dye is derived from the Henna plant and tree. Henna was, and still is, used in the Arabian Peninsula, Indian subcontinent, parts of Southeast Asia, Carthage, North Africa, and the Horn of Africa. This dye is not only used to dye the skin and hair, but is used in dyeing cloth, fingernails, and materials such as leather, silk, and wool.
Due to the recent extreme popularity of the Henna dye, it has caught onto many and they now make this Henna dye into many colors whereas the original color of the dye is a dark, reddish, brown color. The most popular dye besides the original, is the color gold.
The Color Gold
Gold is a color that for some odd reason, is very appealing to the human eye. Gold is a transitional metal on the periodic table of elements, with the chemical symbol ‘Au’. One of the rarest forms of metal and elements on the periodic table is gold. This is why as a society, we made this particular soft, reddish-yellow, natural metal so expensive and often form it into jewelry of some sort. Because of this, we always associate the color of gold with being sophisticated and elegant.
The color of gold symbolizes masculinity while silver is more feminine even though most women’s jewelry is gold. A temporary gold-colored tattoo design can say a lot about yourself. It implies a certain level of prosperity, abundance, extravagance, and brilliance.
Gold Tattoo Designs and Placement
Since the gold henna temporary tattoos came into the media, with help from artists such as Beyonce, women and men alike have become obsessed with this ancient, yet new, trend. The true beauty behind temporary henna tattoos is that they are just that, temporary.
This means that if you get tired of a design, you can simply wash it off and start a whole new one. These tattoos are also good for practice and give you the chance to visualize a certain tattoo design that you feel you may want to get inked permanently.
Henna tattoos, since they are not permanent, are more than often done by yourself. Being good with art and drawing graphics is very helpful when applying this dye to your skin. If you are not very good with patterns or designs but want your henna tattoo to look nice, ask help from a friend, or even go to a local tattoo shop near you and ask one of the tattoo artists to give you a helping hand is always a well alternative recourse.
Floral Design
A floral design is always a beautiful way to express yourself. In India, the floral henna design is popular amongst brides on their wedding days. These designs are placed in sports of the body where they can be noticed the most. Stretching from the fingertips to the back of the hand to the wrist, and even going up the forearm, a golden floral henna design is very intricate and eye-catching. The floral patterns are hypnotizing and with the gold coloring, it has a true sense of elegance, happiness, and joy.
Flower Buds
Much like the floral design, patterns of a flower that has not quite blossomed yet are also very popular amongst the henna community. The buds laced around the fingers and wrapping around the hand and wrist signify a sense of fertility and a new life. This is also a favored design for brides-to-be or a mother expecting to give birth.
Sahasrara, The Crown Chakra
For those who are on their own spiritual journey and have invested time into learning about chakras, this wonderful yet complex design is right up your alley. The crown chakra is considered the seventh primary chakra according to yoga enthusiasts. This chakra is described as a lotus flower with 1000 petals of different colors. There are 20 layers to this chakra, each layer consists of 50 petals.
Within the center of the lotus is a golden triangle, either pointing up or down. This is a perfect ‘gold henna tattoo’ design. Because it has so many details and petals, this image is usually done quite larger than normal, only because making it a small chakra would be a test. This tattoo design is more than normally seen on the pectoral muscle, the chest, or the upper thigh.
These are just a few examples to put in your mind of what these henna ink tattoos are capable of. The ‘gold’ henna tattoos mentioned above are all very intricate designs, you can ultimately come up with your very own design if you are feeling up to the task.
The Gold tattoo henna set is easily found online or at a local store, just for precaution, make sure if you purchase these henna kits that you read the directions carefully and any possible risks.