Getting creative with mehendi is what the fashion conscious are indulging in today’s world.

From being an ingredient that helps enrich hair to becoming a significant part of a girl’s marriage celebrations, mehendi has evolved into a must-have product.

The once popular big and small dots and swastiks – that added charm to a bride’s hands have now given way to delicate patterns and attractive designs.”The concept of beauty itself has undergone a sea change. Mehendi is just following suit and is undergoing a major transformation. Now, even men are going in for mehendi, not as henna but as a design on the hands.

Mehendi ceased to be just a traditional mould of designing long ago. Today, there are different patterns that come under four main categories, mix-and-match and fusion designs. Arabic, Marwadi, Indian and black outlines are the major and well-known categories.While Arabic designs comprise a huge leaf and three to four flowers, Marwari designs are thin patterns where the entire hand is filled without a single gap. The other designs comprise kalash, doli, peacocks, mangoes, parrots, etc.Mehendi tattoos on certain parts of the body, colour mehendi and glitter mehendi are popular with youngsters. “Faces, sun, scorpions and little floral designs are currently the favourite designs. Girls prefer tattoos on their neck, forearms, upper arms, neck, waist, navel and sides of the shoulders.

Sporting the name of the spouse as part of the design is the in-thing. Earlier, the bride used to shy away from the practice. But now, she proudly flaunts it.

The magic of mehendi in all its glory and glitter continues to enthrall.

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The varied use of Mehendi by the rich and royal from very early times has made it popular with the masses, and its cultural importance has grown ever since. Mehendi’s popularity lies in its fun value. It’s cool and appealing! It’s painless and temporary! No lifetime commitment like real tattoos, no artistic skills required!
It’s just an addon to the beauty of the person.Painless with the belief that lots of love is stored in it.

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A bride’s wedding designs usually includes a hidden inscription of the groom’s name on her palm. It’s believed, if the groom fails to find his name within the intricate patterns, the bride will be more dominant in conjugal life.
Sometimes the wedding night is not allowed to commence until the groom has found the names. This is also seen as a subterfuge to let the groom touch the bride’s hands in order to find his name, thus initiating a physical relationship.*A good and beautiful start for the new life.*

Another superstition regarding Mehendi is that if an unmarried girl receives scrapings of Mehendi leaves from a bride, she will soon find a suitable match.

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The beauty business of applying henna has never had it better than on Karva Chauth day. “Karva Chauth”, is a traditional festival when women keep fast for well-being of their husbands, , Beautiful and intricate designs are created on the palm and feet of married women. Henna or Mehndi, considered to be auspicious for married women, is a necessary part of the Karva Chauth ritual.

Women get intricate henna designs applied on their hands before they get down to the actual rituals. Most traditional henna patterns are based on very simple shapes – circles, triangles and lines are the most basic. These shapes can be combined to create a very intricate pattern and a very beautiful henna design.

It is believed that married woman who get dark color from mehendi will get a loads of love and caring from her groom. It also denotes prosperity and good luck. It symbolically says as the henna gives away her color to beautify someones hands, the married woman should also be generous and kind to give up certain things to beautify the life ahead of her.

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Tattoo: On Hand & Foot

Tattoo on hand and foot has issues and consequences that are different from tattoos on other parts of the body as the skin here is not like the rest of the body.

1. Hands and feet tattoos will spread more and faster than tattoos located on other parts of the body. Because of the spread issue, designs on the hands and feet must be very graphic in nature and cannot be too detailed. If they are very detailed and small within a short amount of time the tattoo will loose it’s definition and become blurred.

2. The body may not accept tattoos on the palms of the hand and soles of the foot. .

3. There is greater chance of infection associated with a hand or foot tattoo as hands and feet get dirty. Extra care and attention will need to be paid during the entire healing time (1-3 weeks).

4. During the healing period you cannot wear any shoe or sock that will rub the healing tattoo. No nylon stockings can be worn while the tattoo heals, as they do not allow the tattoo to breath.

5. A healed tattoo can be rubbed out on the foot if the placement is such that your shoe will routinely rub it.

6. Diabetics cannot receive a tattoo below the knee due to issues with healing.

7. Tattoos on the hands and feet are PAINFUL! It is not recommended that your first tattoo be in either of these locations.

8. There is no guarantee on tattoos on the hand or foot. All touch-ups will be at the expense of the client.There is a handling charge for a hand or foot tattoo in addition to the actual application cost. The handling fee is $50.00. The tattoo application cost will be dependant on the time it takes to complete the application.

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Mehndi can last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. The darkness and intensity is a result of many factors: quality henna, good mordants, skin chemistry, heat, and setting time. You can help develop the design by staying warm after you remove your wrap — exercise, or wear warm clothing. And you can help it last longer by moisturising the area and avoiding harsh chemicals and exfoliants. Applying an aftercare balm with emollient ingredients like cocoa butter will help protect your design from chlorine in the water.

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Once the henna is applied and dried, you need to apply a setting agent to help keep it on the skin, and to further activate the henna staining compounds. Traditionally, a mixture of lemon juice and sugar has been used — carefully daubed on and allowed to dry. The sugar creates a protective crust and the lemon juice activates the henna. You can also add a drop or two of clove oil to the lemon and sugar mix to intensify the color. And you can cook the lemon-sugar mix to make a long-lasting syrup. May use a 1:1 ratio of sugar to lemon juice to make a thick syrup. You can also use a quick spritz of a spray-on hair gel.

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Traditionally rosewater or orangewater is used to remove any excess oils and dirt from the skin before painting. However, you can use any astringent lotion, or even soap and water. I like to use a mixture of witch hazel and rosewater with whole cloves in it.

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The Middle Eastern style is mostly made up of floral patterns similar to the Arabic textiles, paintings and carvings and do not usually follow a destinctive pattern. The North African style generally follows the shape of the hands and feet using geometrical floral patterns. The Indian and Pakistani designs encompass more than just the feet and hands and generally extend further up the appendages to give the illusion of gloves and stockings which are made up of lines, paisley patterns and teardrops. Lastly, the Indonesian and Southern Asian styles were a mix of Middle Eastern and Indian designs using blocks of color on the very tips of their toes and fingers. All of these styles remain popular today but have also been joined in popularity by celtic designs and chinese symbols. The point once again is to have fun with designs and experiment with them until you find something that you feel really passionate about.

In India, it is used at celebrations like weddings and other special occasions which are traditionally associated with transcendence and transformation. It is used for worship and work but not for the sake of vanity. It is traditional for the bride to get together with her friends and have them spend hours applying the henna to her skin and give her marriage advice in tandem. The patterns used for weddings are much more intricate and time consuming (than the everyday wear) and therefore the bride’s friends have lots of time to give her advice on erotic activities for her wedding night, sexual pointers and tips during the hours that it can take to complete the design. The bride’s henna must be more beautiful and intricate than anyone else’s of course since it is, after all, her special day. Another interesting fact is that the bride has good reason to look after her henna for she is not expected to partake in housework until the henna is gone. This means that she will not be rubbing, scrubbing or tubbing a lot unless she really loves doing work at home.

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A deeply colored design is generally considered a good sign for the new couple. It’s a common belief among Hindu women that during the nuptial rituals the darker the imprint left on the bride’s palms, the more her mother-in-law will love her. This belief may have been contrived to make the bride sit patiently for the paste to dry and yield a good imprint. A bride is not expected to perform any household work until her wedding Mehendi has faded. So wear it dark and deep!

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Mehendi is very popular with both men and women also as a conditioner and dye for the hair. Mehendi is also applied during the various vratas and fasts observed by married women. Even gods and goddesses are seen to adorn Mehendi designs. A large dot in the centre of the hand, with four smaller dots at the sides is an oft seen Mehendi pattern on the palms of Ganesha and Lakshmi.

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Mehendi is not just a way of artistic expression, sometimes it’s a must! A Hindu wedding includes a number of religious rites before and during the nuptials, and Mehendi play a vital role in it, so much so that no Indian marriage is considered complete without it! The reddish brown color of Mehendi – which stands for the prosperity that a bride is expected to bring to her new family – is considered most auspicious for all wedding-related ceremonies.

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There are some people who are allergic to henna, but this is very rare! The reaction to pure henna is a Type I allergic reaction, entirely different from and unrelated to the frequent Type IV sensitization to PPD in synthetic hair dyes. It is very unusual for a person who is allergic to PPD in synthetic hair dyes to also be allergic to henna.

There have been only a few reports of Type I, IgE-mediated allergic reactions to pure henna. This allergic reaction includes a tight feeling in the chest, sneezing, itchy eyes, runny nose, and a dry cough. The onset is soon after the person is exposed to henna powder or paste. If you think you might be allergic to henna, dab henna on your forearm and wait one hour. If you do not have the symptoms above within that hour, you are not allergic to henna.

Type IV allergic reactions to PPD occur up to 10 days after exposure, so a patch test is NOT useful in determining synthetic hair dye allergy. Even if you have not had a reaction to hair dye before, the probability of sensitization increases with use. Synthetic hair dye allergic reactions include blistering, edema, rashes, itching, hair loss, and rare complications including death

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“Black henna” is the name given to an artificial product created by the addition of paraphenylenediamine (PPD) to natural henna to create a black stain. PPD is traditionally used in black hair dye but is a sensitizer, which means that it is something that the body is naturally allergic to or can become allergic to. Black henna can cause severe reactions that can take from 5–15 days to appear, which can cause permanent scarring and may even be life threatening. Reactions to black henna frequently necessitate immediate medical attention from a doctor or allergist.

However, other dyes exist which are sometimes called “black henna,” which are usually composed of a mixture of henna and indigo. These generally do not contain PPD.

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Mix a batch of henna paste per your usual methods; bring it to the consistency you typically use for cone or squeeze-bottle application.

Transfer paste into the new cones, leaving an inch or two of empty space at the top of the cone. It is important to not get any paste near or on the edge of the top…if you do, it will not seal properly. I use paperclips to affix the cone, opened, inside a plastic soft drink bottle that has the top cut off. Then I put my paste into another ziplock bag, snip off a corner of the bag and squeeze it into the cones carefully. This makes it easier to prevent any paste getting onto the top of the cone.

Finally, seal the top of the cone. Obviously, the book method won’t work here as the paste would ooze out when the book was closed. So, lay the cone on your table with about 1/16″ sticking over the edge. Place the metal ruler’s edge along the top to hold the sides together, press down, and run the lighter flame along the edge, melting the sides together.

And If you’re going to use in the next couple of days, allow them to sit out for a few hours, then toss into your refrigerator. If you’re not going to use it for a week or two, just toss ‘em into the fridge. Yes, I’ve had henna paste stay active in excess of a week using this method.

To use, simply snip off a tiny bit off of the tip. Keep snipping TINY bits off until you get the hole size you desire. Other than that, use it just like any other cone.

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Here are a few pointers to help you colour gray hair the right way. First of all always use Mehendi of a good quality.

Soak mehendi overnight in an iron vessel and then use it the other day.

If you do not want to colour your hair and only want to use it as a conditioner, then oil your hair before applying it and leave it on only for an hour or so.

If you wish to give your hair a reddish tinge, add ‘katha’ to it. Or boil and add grated beet.

If you want a bronze effect, add coffee powder to mehendi. You can also add oil to the mehendi paste.

For jet black hair, soak Amla overnight and then add this to the mehendi paste and keep this overnight in an iron vessel. Apply it the next day.

Wrap a cloth around your shoulders and use gloves to apply mehendi in order to avoid soiling your clothes. Take care that mehendi does not touch your ears or face, or else the colour won’t go for some days.

For best results, do not shampoo your hair after applying mehendi. Rinse your hair with plain water.

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Both tattoos and henna body decorations are ancient arts. Permanent tattoos are applied by tattoo artists using a needle that pierces the skin; the process can be painful. Whereas henna designs are applied with a pastry-bag-like cone or a toothpick-type instrument that does not pierce the skin; henna feels great going on.

In USA, tattooing is illegal in some cities and states. The links or dyes used for tattooing are color additives and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved these color additives for use on the skin. Unsterile tattooing equipment and needles can transmit infectious disease, and you cannot donate blood for one year after getting a tattoo. Henna decoration is a plant that is beneficial for most skin types and can act as a sunscreen.

Tattoos are not easily removed and, in some cases, may cause permanent discoloration. Henna body designs will fade naturally in 2 to 3 weeks, depending on the original color of the henna, how long it is left to dry, your skin type, the number of soap-and water washings, and any exfoliation of the area.

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Apply the henna paste on clean skin free of oils lotions. A warm wet towel can be used to open the pores of the skin, works great on shoulders and arms and other body parts.You can also use a spray bottle with a mixture of lemon juice and sugar, and spray it on to keep the henna from cracking and falling off. Lemon Spray Mixture: 2 oz. of lemon juice, 3-4 tablespoons of sugar, 6 oz. of warm water to dissolve the sugar, shake well.

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Henna arrives pre-sifted, but you can re-sift the henna powder through two layers of nylon stretched over a jar to extract any large particles, as a practice. Then mix the henna powder with strong coffee or black tea, add some lemon juice, and sit for 2-4 hours in a warm location. Lastly mix Mehndi oil or Aromatherapy grade essential oil. Recommended oils: Tea tree, Lavender, Geranium, Cardamom, Cypress, Eucalyptus oil and the mixture is ready to apply. The henna paste should have theconstancy of toothpaste. If you like your henna even more stringy, add 1 teaspoon of sugar to the mixture.

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