Mehendi and How to Care for It

By Amanjeet Aysha Kaur
Copyright 2011

Mehendi is the art form of applying henna to the skin in artistic patterns.  Henna is a plant also known as Lawsonia Inermis and it is native to India.¹  It has been used for centuries by the people of India, Pakistan, and Morocco to color their hair, skin, and nails.  To make henna the leaves of the henna plant are ground up, mixed with eucalyptus oil, lemon juice, and then mixed into a paste.  Once the paste is ready for use it is placed into a pliable cone made from plastic, or it can be applied with a tooth pick.  Applying henna with a cone is much like decorating a cake with icing extruded from a plastic bag.  Since the henna goes on wet it is important not do smudge the design after it is applied. 

The most common places henna is applied is to the hands, forearms, feet and legs up to just below the knee.  Mehendi is typically worn by women for weddings, parties, religious functions, celebrations, and just to wear the beautiful art form. 
 
Once a design is placed on the skin the coloring agent within the plant begins to be absorbed by the skin.  The longer the henna paste stays on the skin the darker the color will become.  The minimum amount of time for henna to be left on the skin is four hours.  The longer it is left on the better.  For this reason it is common for brides to leave the henna paste on overnight.  If the henna is left on for about four hours the design may last about a week.  If it is left on about eight hours it could last up to two weeks.  This is because the longer the henna stays on the skin the deeper it can penetrate into the skin.²  Body heat is what helps the henna to stain darker.  This is why the palms of the hands will stain darker than the rest of the hand.  There is more heat generated in the palms of the hands.  The darker the henna stains, the longer the mehendi design will last.  For the henna to continue coloring the skin for long periods of time the henna paste needs to be kept somewhat moist.  Once the henna is applied, it will begin to dry.  If by some chance the henna dries up too quickly while it is being applied, it can be rehydrated with a fine mist water spray bottle.  Just one spray will probably be sufficient enough to rehydrate the henna.  Once the henna design has been completely applied a lemon and sugar mixture is typically applied with a cotton ball to the mehendi after it has dried a little.  This will seal in the moisture of the oil of the eucalyptus and allow the coloring process to continue.  A better method to keep the henna moist is to use a mentholated rub.  Mentholatum is typically applied to the skin around the chest area when a person has a cold to keep the area warm.  The benefit of applying a mentholated rub to the mehendi is that it creates heat which will help the henna to stain darker on the skin.  Mentholatum is also nicer because it is not sticky like the sugar and lemon mixture.  It is cleaner and has the added benefit of heat. 

If you would like your mehendi design to last longer it will be best to wash dishes or do house cleaning with gloves on.  The more often you wash your hands the faster the color will fade.  This is because the henna is absorbed into the top layers of the skin which will slough off with time.
 
Henna applied to the nails can be left on a few hours and this will turn the fingernails a rusty red color, and henna applied to the hair will produce a reddish color as well.  Since mehendi is a temporary body art form, designs can be changed as often as a person likes which can make this ancient art form fun to wear.