How to Make Jagua Gel from Jagua Powder

Jagua is a natural dye from the jagua fruit that gives a blue-black stain, so a jagua design looks much more like a real tattoo than henna does. Read more about where it comes from in our jagua body art guide. Making your own gel from jagua powder is easy with a small set of scales and a little patience. This guide follows our own jagua gel instructions.

The jagua gel recipe

This recipe makes roughly 45 to 50ml of gel:

• 5g jagua powder
• 25ml water
• 1.5ml essential oil, such as cajeput
• 1.5g xanthan gum

Add a little more or less water or xanthan gum depending on how thick you like your gel.

Equipment you need

• 2 non-metallic bowls and a spatula
• Mini scales
• A pipette for the essential oil
• A measuring jug that measures small amounts of water
• A piping bag to store the gel
• An applicator: an applicator bottle or cones
• Gloves

Our Jagua Powder Mixing Kit brings the main items together.

Step 1: Mix the jagua powder with water

Place one bowl on the mini scales and weigh in the jagua powder. Measure the water and add it to the powder slowly, so none of the powder is lost into the air.

Step 2: Mix the xanthan gum with the essential oil

In the second bowl, weigh the xanthan gum (a little more gives a thicker gel). Use the pipette to add the essential oil, then mix until the oil has been absorbed by the gum.

Measure the oil carefully: too much oil makes jagua gel bleed when you apply it and can ruin a design.

Step 3: Combine the two mixes

Slowly mix the jagua liquid into the xanthan gum mix, then mix thoroughly with the spatula. You can also use a mixer.

Step 4: Fill your applicator

Your gel is now ready. Spoon it into a piping bag so you can fill your bottle or cones easily without wasting any gel. If it is too thick or too thin, add a little more water or gum.

How to apply jagua gel

• Apply to clean, dry skin. Avoid areas that sweat, as sweat spreads the dye.
• Let the gel dry and leave it on the skin for at least 1 hour.
• As with henna, covering the dried gel with micropore tape gives better results.
• When you remove the gel the colour is very pale, almost invisible. It develops into a dark blue-black over 48 to 72 hours.
• Before you go to sleep, wash the area to remove any excess dye so it does not transfer to your bed sheets.

Keep any gel you are not using in the freezer to keep it fresh.

Allergy advice

Anyone with a citrus or tropical fruit allergy should not use jagua products. Always patch test before a full application.

Prefer a gel that is ready to use? Try our jagua gel cones or the jagua premix powder. You can also download our jagua gel instructions (PDF).