Getty: Alex Hoerner (NY Times)

The New York Times T Magazine recently published a teeny piece about ink being the new IT accessory for making temporary tattoos and asked four artists to create a design. We especially love Maria Abramovic’s. It echoes our posts last summer about drawing a heart in the palm of your hand, and using your hand as a “pad” for notes.

It all got us wondering exactly how healthy it is to be putting ink on your skin more than occasionally; what exactly would your body be absorbing? There isn’t much solid info. According to WiseGeek, water-based inks are considered non-hazardous. Indelible/permanent inks definitely have quite a few potentially toxic chemicals.

You can always buy non-toxic tattoo markers and gel pens designed for kids and teenagers.

Since we know that henna, a plant-based dye, has been used for thousands of years in India to make temporary tattoos called Mehndi, we thought ‘how great it would be to have a henna pen for d-i-y tattoos’. And we found some wonderful-looking Henna Pens in different colors that seem to pass muster in terms of safety (Some henna products can be questionable because of the colorants that might be mixed in. Here’s the scoop from the USDA.Might be.

 

via Treklens

It’s that danger thing. EVERYTHING is dangerous when you look closely enough, and in large enough amounts. And people are freakin’ out all around us about one thing or another (Witness our posts on the toxicity of shipping pallets…concern that, in the end, seemed to much-ado-about-nothing).

Our decision: We’re gonna draw on our hands here and there and not worry about it.

via Sodahead*

*http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee36/dlee211/Hand_writing_love.jpg

Related posts:
5(0) dangerous things your kids (and you) should do
dangerous things an adult should do

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