Wedding season : Hacks to darken your mehndi naturally

Shahnaz Husain *

It’s the season of weddings, and who doesn’t like the hands with some beautiful mehndi on them ? Mehendi ki raat is one of the most important pre-wedding ceremonies.

Functions like Haldi, Sangeet, and Mehndi are celebrated with great pomp and show. As for weddings, it is celebrated as part and parcel of the wedding, where intricate designs are painted on hands and feet.

Henna or mehendi is a part of wedding rituals and is said to bring prosperity to newlyweds. It is believed that the darker the stain, the deeper the bond. That is one reason brides are keener to get a brilliant and dark mehendi stain.

It is stated that Mehndi is a fertility symbol and is hence utilized in wedding rituals. Majorly, the mehndi ceremony is a very special function for a bride. From the design of the mehndi to the writing of the name of the groom, the bride takes care of almost everything to perfection.

You have been patiently sitting through the mehndi application and the hard part is over now you want your mehndi to be dark and bold but have no idea how to do so These tips might come in handy.

You can get the deep dark colour of henna naturally through simple ways and easy steps. Before applying henna, it is important to clean the skin and apply moisturiser. This way, there won’t be any effect of chemicals on your skin. Try to minimise the use of soap on the hands to keep the colour long-lasting.

Leave the henna for a longer duration----

Natural henna is initially light orange and then darkens considerably after a day or two. That is why it is always recommended to get mehndi done 2 days before the big event. Keeping the henna for a longer duration helps in locking colour and yields better results. You can even keep it overnight by covering your mehendi with socks or wrapping your hands in cling film to keep the mehendi intact all night.

Once you wash off the henna, dip your hands in cold water for two minutes. Cold water closes the skin pores and may seal the color for a longer time

Fumes Of Clove : Running your hands over the fumes of cloves will help with the penetration of the mehendi on your palms.

Take a few cloves and heat them on the pan over a medium flame. You can take clove smoke to make the colour of mehndi completely dark. The fumes of the cloves will dry up the lemon and sugar mixture and help lock in the colour of the henna for a long-lasting design. The fumes work wonders when used with the lemon and sugar mixture.

Another ingredient which is added to the henna mixture in some parts of India is walnut husk, which also gives a nutty brown colour and adds to the henna colour, making it last longer. All kinds of acidic substances, like tamarind, vinegar, etc, have been added to henna, but lemon juice is the most popular.

Using lemon and sugar mixture on your hands and feet post application of mehendi will make the mehendi design richer and dark.

Also, be sure not to overuse the mixture. Boil some water with sugar in it. Add lemon drops to it. Apply your mehndi as it is and once it dries, apply this mixture on top of the mehendi designs at least thrice on your mehndi. The sugar keeps the mehndi in contact with the skin for deeper penetration, while the lemon juice acts as a catalyst for dye release and deep penetration of colour.

Lemon juice is added to the henna to bring out the colour. You can mix the henna in a glass, ceramic or plastic bowl, using a plastic spoon. Since henna becomes dry easily and cracks, it tends to fall off in pieces. That is why sugar is added, to make it stick to the skin for a longer time. Apart from lemon juice and sugar, many people also add coffee and tea water, to get a richer colour.

The tan in tea is said to help the colour. These ingredients are added to the henna powder and mixed into a paste with warm water. A few drops of jasmine oil is also added, so that the mixture is not too sticky. After mixing the henna, wrap it and seal it. Keep it in the refrigerator overnight.

Henna stains the skin easily. If you wish to apply it on the nails, first clean your nails and trim them. Push back the cuticles. Soak the fingers in warm water for 10 to 15 minutes. This softens the nails and skin around it and the henna paste is better absorbed.

Apply oil

Once the mehendi has dried, Rub your hands together gently until all of the mehendi has been removed. Protect your mehendi with a layer of coconut oil, mustard oil cocoa butter, Vicks or mango pickle oil. It will stimulate the henna for deep penetration into the skin. After applying henna, avoid waxing or shaving on that part.

Many methods are used for applying mehndi, starting from toothpicks and match sticks to cones and stencils. After applying the henna, if small bits fall off, just fill in with more of the paste. The longer the paste is kept, the darker the colour. The henna paste should be removed by scraping it off. It should not be washed off.

As far as the designs are concerned, there is immense variety. Fine lines, floral, paisley and highly intricate designs are done, with great detail. The artistry is such that it can only be admired. Sometimes, no designs are followed and the paste is applied to cover the entire hand. During weddings, women in India cover the palms, forearms, feet and even the lower part of the legs with intricate henna designs.

Henna, of course, has several benefits. Research has revealed that it is a natural antiseptic and anti-irritant. It is still used in Ayurveda to soothe and heal heat rashes and skin allergies. It has been used for treating burns, bruises, cuts and skin inflammations.

Used on the hair, it has been known to control scalp disorders like dandruff, itching and related conditions. In fact, it is a natural cleanser and restores the acid-alkaline balance of the skin.