Mehndi - Color Of Love

Henna or Hina is a flowering plant. It is native to tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, southern Asia, and northern Australasia in semi-arid zones. Henna is commercially cultivated in western India, Pakistan, Morocco, Yemen, Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia, Sudan and Libya. Presently the Pali district of Rajasthan is the most heavily cultivated henna production area in India, with over 100 henna processors operating in Sojat City.

Small Mehndi Plant

Though henna has been used for body art and hair dye since the Bronze Age, henna has had a recent renaissance in body art due to improvements in cultivation, processing, and the diasporas of people from traditional henna using regions.

The word "henna" comes from the Arabic name for Lawsonia inermis, pronounced /ħinnaːʔ/ or colloquially /ħinna/. In the Bible's Song of Songs and Song of Solomon, henna is referred to as Camphire.

In the Indian subcontinent, there are many variant words such as Mehndi in North India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. In Telugu (India, Malaysia, USA), it is known as Gorintaaku. In Tamil (South India, Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka) it is called "Marudhaani" and is used as ground fresh leaves rather than as dried powder. It is used in various festivals and celebrations and used by women and children. It is left on overnight and will last one month or more depending on the plant and how well it was ground and how long it is left on.

Henna has many traditional and commercial uses, the most common being as a dye for hair, skin and fingernails, as a dye and preservative for leather and cloth, and as an anti-fungal. Henna was used as a hair dye in Indian court records around 400 CE, in Rome during the Roman Empire, and in Spain during Convivienca. It was listed in the medical texts of the Ebers Papyrus (16th c BCE Egypt) and by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya (14th c CE (Syria and Egypt) as a medicinal herb. In Morocco, wool is dyed and ornamented with henna, as are drumheads and other leather goods. Henna will repel some insect pests and mildew.

The United States Food and Drug Administration has not approved henna for direct application to the skin. It is unconditionally approved as a hair dye, and can only be imported for that purpose. Henna imported into the USA which appears to be for use as body art is subject to seizure, and at present it is illegal to use henna for body art in the U.S., though prosecution is rare.

PREPERATION AND APPLICATION OF PASTE:

Henna body art is made by applying henna paste to the skin: the lawsone in the paste migrates into the outermost layer of the skin and makes a red-brown stain.

Mehendi Powder

Whole, unbroken henna leaves will not stain the skin. Henna will not stain skin until the lawsone molecules are made available (released) from the henna leaf. Fresh henna leaves will stain the skin if they are smashed with a mildly acidic liquid. This will stain skin within moments, but it is difficult to form intricate patterns from coarse crushed leaves. Dried ground, sifted henna leaves are easily worked into a paste that can be used to make intricate body art. Commercially available henna powder is made by drying the henna leaves and milling them to powder, then the powder is sifted. This powder is mixed with lemon juice, strong tea, or other mildly acidic liquids. Essential oils with high levels of "terps", monoterpene alcohols such as tea tree, eucalyptus, cajeput, or lavender will improve skin stain characteristics. The henna mix must rest for 6 to 12 hours so the leaf cellulose is dissolved, making the lawsone available to stain the skin. This is mixed to a toothpaste consistency and applied with a one of many traditional tools, including resist techniques, shading techniques, and thicker paste techniques, or the modern cellowrap cone.

Mehendi Cone's

Once applied to the skin, lawsone molecules gradually migrate from the henna paste into the outer layer of the skin. Though henna's lawsone will stain the skin within minutes, the longer the paste is left on the skin, the more lawsone will migrate. Henna paste will yield as much dye as the skin can easily absorb in less than eight hours. Henna tends to crack and fall off the skin during these hours, so it is often sealed down by dabbing a sugar/lemon mix over the dried paste, or simply adding some form of sugar to the paste. This also adds to the colour of the end result, increasing the intensity of the shade.

When the paste has fallen off the skin or been removed by scraping, the stain will be orange, but should darken over the following three days to a reddish brown. Soles and palms have the thickest layer of skin and so take up the most lawsone, and take it to the greatest depth, so that hands and feet will have the darkest and most long-lasting stains. Steaming or warming the henna pattern will darken the stain, either during the time the paste is still on the skin, or after the paste has been removed. Chlorinated water and soaps may spoil the darkening process: alkaline may hasten the darkening process. After the stain reaches its peak color it will appear to fade. The henna stain is not actually fading, the skin is exfoliating: the lower, less stained cells, rise to the surface, until all stained cells are shed.
How to Apply Mehendi? »»
You can make your own powder by drying henna leaves in shade. It might take weeks for them to dry to a crisp and you need to grind them thoroughly. You may also buy henna powder from the market.


Take... »»
1. Henna powder sieved through a muslin cloth.
2. Well strained strong tea decoction.
3. Eucalyptus oil (few drops).
4. Strained lime juice.
5. Sugar (one table spoon).

Take the henna powder in a bowl, add the tea till it becomes a thick paste (similar to a dough). Add eucalyptus oil, sugar and lime juice and mix well to make it into a smooth and thin paste.
Leave it covered over night or during the day if you prefer to apply in the night.


Make a Cone.... »»
Take a thick plastic cover or use any thick freezer bag - cut it into shape of rectange 7" X 4". Twist one corner of the cover to make a cone. Tighten the tip to make tiny hole. Hold the tip and fill the paste and tie the broader end tightly with a thread.

You also get readymade cones from the market.


Let imagination fly... »»
Now have fun. What ever you draw is beautiful and is a master piece in its own.

Remember.... »»
You should leave the mehendi to dry on your skin and keep it on for as long as possible (4 to 6 hours if possible - you may go to bed also with it). Scrape it after that. The color will become deeper if you leave it untouched by water for another 4 to 6 hours. A deep color may last upto two weeks. The coloration varies from person to person.

No Pakistani wedding is ever complete without the mehndi. Whichever part of the country the bride may be from, her hands are adorned with the lovely red hue of the mehndi (mehndi). Beauty parlours have special bridal mehndi packs - these days, the brides have a choice between the Indian mehndi (which covers pretty much most of the palm) and the Arabic mehndi (in which the pattern is drawn to one side of the hand). The cost of applying the mehndi may vary from parlour to parlour. mehndi (Mehndi) is associated to lots of things - a good dark design is a sign of good luck for the marital couple.

Tips For Better Design »»
You should leave the mehndi to dry on your skin and keep it on for as long as possible (10 - 12 hours if possible - you can go to bed with it). Scrape it after that. The color will become deeper if you leave it untouched by water for another 10 - 12 hours. A deep color may last upto two weeks. The colouration varies from person to person.

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