We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Asma Syed a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Asma thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Getting that first client is always an exciting milestone. Can you talk to us about how you got your first customer who wasn’t a friend, family, or acquaintance?
“Growing up in Saudi Arabia, henna was a big part of our Eid celebrations, I was very passionate about art and this was the only time I made sure I took my time to create the traditional Arabic floral designs on my hands. I always wanted to do something different,”
In 2015, I moved to the USA with my husband and four year old kid and this year during Eid unexpected things happened as usual I had adorned my hands and my daughters with henna and I walked into the nearest Islamic center to celebrate Eid and throughout the center people commented on my designs. As I made my way to exit the building a sweet old lady stopped me , smiled and asked for the henna on my hand and asked if I used a stencil to do it on my daughter ? Upon explaining that it was done free handed , she said , “It’s beautiful! Will you do it for my granddaughter for her wedding? I’ll pay you your price”
These words were the motivation to me and changed the rest of my life and I got my first client :) .
By 2017 , my life had changed entirely and I started doing henna from side hustle to full time business ! I found myself working more and more with henna.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Hi! My name is Asma Syed and I’m the founder of and artist behind Henna House Asma, I take great pride in providing five-star henna services to women across the DFW area.
I’ve been working with henna since 2011, specializing in everyday individual appointments , bridals and private events — I don’t travel to provide my services; all services are rendered at my workplace locally in DFW. Designs are created freehand for each client using fresh, natural, artisanal henna and Jagua paste for the richest, most long-lasting stains.
It’d be my pleasure to serve you at the henna boutique for your next design! For more information about henna services, please visit:
https://www.hennahouseasma.com
”Henna is a platform for women to get together. It’s just a cool way to reconnect with our culture.” Gone are the days where henna was reserved for special occasions. Women across the globe are sporting the natural dye on a day-to-day basis, and rather than opting for basic designs, my brides and everyone seems to be reinterpreting henna to suit their own styles like adding grooms names , incorporating, logos and skylines and adding sentimental touches where they met their partners.
At Henna house Asma I hope that by making high-quality henna more accessible, more women will be inspired to get creative with body art in their everyday styling.
“Henna should be like getting your nails done, your hair done, your makeup done for a look. Adding henna just tops it off beautifully.”
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more?
My daughter was approaching the age to enter school and I decided to take on henna full time . I rebranded my small business and officially launched Henna House Asma .
In 2019 , my family made the move to the DFW area where we’ve since settled. Through Henna house Asma , I’ve been able to connect with thousands of local women, using henna as a means to celebrate their experiences and successes.
Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.
When I first started practicing henna, I would buy cones from a local ethnic store near my house. But whenever I would try to find ingredients there was nothing mentioned on it “Naturally, I wasn’t comfortable using something on my skin if I didn’t know what was in it, especially since I use henna so frequently. The fact that I couldn’t find a chemical-free product anywhere showed that there was a serious lack here in the states so I began sourcing and manufacturing high quality henna from overseas and started making it at home . Our henna product is completely non-toxic with a whittled-down ingredient list that consists of just four key elements: High-grade henna powder and Jagua sourced from India, Pakistan, Morocco and Yemen and south America with a blend of essential oils, water, and sugar.Henna is makes me feel alive and allows me to express my artistic side. The best thing about it is that unlike a tattoo, I can update the designs regularly and regular brown henna is actually good for your skin.”
Contact Info:
- Website: www.hennahouseasma.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hennahouseasma/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/asmahennartist/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/asma-syed-5038bb182
- Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/asmasyed966
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCqa-i5uChv_7kR5Rqj6c8dA
Image Credits
By: Yaraphotography