Traditionally, when you think of henna, it’s red-brown stains in geometric or floral patterns, usually on hands and feet. But one Malaysian artist is taking it somewhere completely new.
Thirty-year-old Morika Banu, of Chinese-Indian descent, grew up in Kuala Lumpur, and first encountered henna at Indian weddings.
“I would always draw for fun as a child, and I wasn’t very good at academics. So after SPM, my father encouraged me to learn henna,” Morika told FMT Lifestyle.
Mostly self-taught, she initially followed the path of most henna artists – learning as she went and practising the traditional designs common in Indian culture. But after about five years, something clicked.
“I started to find the traditional designs boring, with the same patterns being repeated,” Morika said. “One day I realised I didn’t have to use the henna cone to just draw those types of designs.”
Having been fascinated with tattoos since she was young, Morika drew inspiration from artists abroad on Pinterest, and began experimenting with more illustrative henna art on different parts of the body – arms, collarbones, back, and chest – the very places you’d usually find a tattoo.
Morika recalled instantly feeling, “I found what I am meant to do. This was so much more fun.”
She officially started The Henna Lab in 2018. After working in media for five years, she quit in 2023 to pursue this creative venture full-time.
Now, with around 10 years of experience as a henna artist and more than 8,000 followers on social media, her tattoo-like henna has become a growing trend.
The Henna Lab uses Jagua ink, a natural, fruit-based temporary dye that stains darker than traditional henna. Its black hue, compared to henna’s typical orange or brown, gives a look closer to a real tattoo and can last up to 14 days.
“These are very different from traditional designs, which are more precise and uniform,” she said.
From a snake winding down the arm, to cosmic designs on a pregnant belly, a samurai on the leg, cute characters or fine wavy lines – some might say Morika’s henna designs rival those of real tattoo artists.
“I didn’t know anyone else in Malaysia doing this back then. I only had a few hundred followers when I started, so I randomly messaged influencers and offered free henna tattoos. That really helped boost my reach,” Morika recalled.
One of her biggest recent achievements was creating temporary henna tattoos for the actors of the local movie “Blood Brothers”. This was her largest design to date, which took more than five hours to complete.
Morika said she gained new recognition after this. “Fans of the actors even asked to take pictures with me!”
Each year, Morika said she looks back at her pictures and sees how her work has naturally improved. “I like to create things I’ve never drawn before, and do more out-of-the-box designs.”
Mostly working at pop-ups around the Klang Valley, Morika said every client comes with a different purpose. Though she provides templates, most people come with personalised designs or references they want to try.
“A lot of my clients go from trying a henna tattoo to getting the same design inked permanently. So it’s a great way to see if you like it on your body before committing,” she said.
Over time, she said what she enjoys most isn’t just the art, but the human interaction.
“Drawing is just an excuse to spend time with different people, chat with them while creating, and be in the moment. I have a lot of personal conversations with clients, and some even return just to continue the conversation.”
Her ultimate goal? “I just want people to feel confident about themselves.”
Follow The Henna Lab on Instagram to catch Morika Banu’s latest booth.