Cones are very important. Middle Eastern women often paint with cones. You will need them to fill the Jacquard bottles with henna paste. A mehndi cone is really just a small plastic funnel. It looks like a small pastry bag. To make a cone, cut a rectangle out of plastic (from a freezer bag or drop cloth) about five by seven inches. Cut the corner of one side to make a rounded edge. Roll the plastic into the shape of funnel, with the rounded edge at the tip. The tip should be no bigger than a pinhole. Next tape the seam, and reinforce the tip with tape. Once you have made your paste, you will drop it into the cone with a spoon.

Start with heavy duty plastic, such as a piece of drop cloth or a plastic freezer bag. Cut a 5″ x 7″ rectangle out of the plastic and round out one of the corners. Next, roll the plastic into a funnel shape, making sure that the tip is only about the size of a pinhole. Tape the seam shut along the side of the funnel and around the tip of the cone. Fill the cone about halfway with henna paste.

To seal the cone, fold the corners down as if you were gift wrapping a box. Keep folding the corners down over again until the cone is sealed tight. Tape down all the seams carefully to prevent leaking when you squeeze the cone.

That’s it! If the hole in the tip is too small for henna paste to pass through, you can widen it using a pin. Likewise, if you want to store the cone to use later, push a pin into the tip to seal it up and keep the henna from drying out.