It is vital that you test the skin for allergies before painting henna art on anyone’s body. Most people are not allergic to the henna itself, but some folks are allergic to other ingredients. Test small areas by mixing a bit of powder with water and letting it sit for about an hour. Then test for richness of color and allergies by dabbing a bit of the mixture on the sole of the foot of the person you will be painting. Once it dries, scrape it off. If the person has an allergic reaction or if you think the color is too light, get different powder and start over.

Lemon sugar is applied to the design once the henna dries. It prevents the henna from flaking off, although it sounds like a delicious summer treat! It should be prepared just prior to painting. Roome suggests two teaspoons of sugar for every half a lemon. Make sure to strain the lemon juice before you mix it with the sugar. Simply mix it together. Then lemon sugar is dabbed on with a cotton ball.

As mentioned in the previous post, henna recipes are precious to the artists who create them. If you become friends with your local henna artist, she might share a special recipe with you. We are going to keep it pretty basic. Remember, though, that one of the best things about working with henna is that you have creative license. Feel free to experiment with essential oils and spices and whatever cool ingredients you find on the shelves of the store. Just be careful of synthetic ingredients.

The first time you make a batch of paste, expect to make mistakes. It might take a while to get the right ratio of henna to water. Keep tying, be patient, and have fun! Give your work your full attention. Do not watch television or talk on the phone as you make mehndi. Make sure that you have ample room, and spread newspapers out before you begin. The work can get messy. Put on your rubber gloves if you do not want your hands to stain. Wear old clothes that you do not really care about.

The simplest recipe calls for just henna and hot water. Do not boil the water; just make sure that it is very hot. You can also mix the henna powder with pure lemon juice. This is an African henna recipe. Roome suggests leaving the lemons in the sun for twelve hours before mixing. This is one recipe using half a cup of henna:

• Boil half a cup of dark tea leaves in four cups of water. Keep boiling until half the water is gone.
• Add cloves, dried limes or lemons, or even instant coffee to the brew. (This is optional.)
• Cover the pot and let it simmer for a while. Let it cool overnight.
• When you are ready to make your paste, pour the tea water into a bowl, being careful not to let the solid matter at the bottom of the pot pour out. First squeeze out any large particles with your hands, and then pour the mixture through a fine strainer.
• Add the juice of one lemon, straining out the seeds and pulp.
• Put your henna powder in a separate bowl, and have two plastic spoons ready.
• Use one spoon to add the powder to the brew while stirring the mixture with the other hand.
• When the consistency feels like cake frosting, stir out all the lumps and air pockets. (Don’t eat the mix)
• Add two teaspoons of eucalyptus oil to the mixture and stir again.
• Test the thickness by holding a spoon of the mixture above the bowl. It should drip slowly like molasses. It should be like a thick lotion or warm hot fudge, according to Roome.
• The henna should sit in a warm place for two hours. Stir it often or cover it with plastic wrap. If it gets runny, you will have to add more powder. It will stay for about two days. Do not refrigerate it. Make sure it is stored safely away from babies and pets.

Now you are ready to paint! The batch will yield enough paste to do one elaborate pair of hands or feet, or about twenty simple bracelets. Heat helps the designs take. Carefully hold the painted part of the body near a heat source, like a candle flame. This is more difficult for larger areas of the body.

Unless you are buying presifted powder, you will have to spend a lot of time sifting your henna powder before you make it into paste. This is because twigs and other debris need to be removed before the henna paste will fit through the applicator. Sifting takes a long time; try searching for presifted powder. Some sources of good presifted powder are listed at the end of the book. You can also ask a local henna artist. Do not buy henna in bulk until you have tested it first. It would be a shame to waste on money on henna that failed to leave a design on the skin, and it would be really awful to spend time sifting and making paste for no reason. So buy small amounts and test first. You can tell right away that henna has not been sifted if you see twigs in the powder. Presifted powder is more expensive, but the convenience is worth it, especially for the new henna artist.

Even if the package says the henna powder is presifted, it is always a good idea to double-check. Presifted powder will be as fine as baby powder and free of twigs and other debris. You can check powder that you are not sure about by making a small bit of paste and filling a Jacquard bottle with it. Just mix the powder with a little water to make the paste. If the paste passes easily through the tip of the bottle, it has already been sifted. If there is any clogging, you will need to sift it yourself. Sifting is a time-consuming process. You can use a nylon stocking and stretch it over a bowl to do your sifting. You basically need to push the powder through the stocking and into the bowl. This should remove any unwanted particles. Now you are almost ready to make paste.

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.

The most important tool is the applicator. Loretta Roome, author of the wonderful book Mehndi: The Timeless Art of Henna Painting, recommends the Jacquard bottle for this purpose. The bottles are available at most art stores, usually in the craft section. Just ask someone at the store. If you cannot find them locally, you can order them from a distributor listed at the end of this book.

You will also need heavy-duty, four-millimeter plastic to make cones to fill the applicators with henna paste. Drop cloth or freezer bags work best. Other items you will need are scotch tape; scissors; a ceramic, glass, or wooden bowl; a tea strainer; cotton swabs (get real 100 percent cotton); paper towels; a sifter (if you need to sift the henna powder); flat toothpicks; rubber gloves; and finally lemons and sugar. You might want to get a lemon squeezer too. There are some other fun items that are not necessary, but you might want to get them down the road a bit. They include: coal, incense, porcupine quills, coins, and candles. These are mood enhancing, Middle Eastern toys for henna time.

If you have never seen henna work in person, you might be a little confused by the photos in this book. When henna is first painted on the body, the paste is thick, moist, and dark. After the henna paste dries and is treated with lemon sugar, it is left on the body for as long as the wearer can leave it on so that the design will take. The scent of henna will remain on the skin as long as the dark paste is left on. Then the dried henna is scraped off, and the henna tattoo left on the skin is visible. The skin is actually dyed by the henna paste. The longer you can leave the paste on, the darker the design will be. The color of the henna will be in the red family, anywhere from orange to sienna to deeper reds. This depends on skin tone, where on the body you have chosen to be painted, the quality of the henna, and the amount of time the dried paste is left on the skin. Notice the differences between the prescraped and postcraped mehndi photos in the book.

If you cannot find a henna artist in your hometown, you will have to do the legwork yourself. The first step is finding a good supplier of henna products. This is not as easy as it sounds. Although the popularity of henna has increased the availability of henna products, you should be aware that there are many products of inferior quality lurking about. No matter where you purchase your henna, make absolutely sure that you are not buying henna meat for the hair. First of all, this kind of henna will not take on the skin, and second, it might be full of harmful additives. So be careful.

The best place to find quality henna is in an ethnic store: Indian, Moroccan, Middle Eastern, or Islamic. Look in the Yellow Pages for locations. If you know people of Middle Eastern or Indian heritage, you might ask them if they know where to find these specialty shops. Many towns and cities have sections where certain ethnic groups congregate, and these areas can be great places to find materials for henna painting. Shops like this are often magical places, filled with the scent of exotic herbs and spices. These stores can make you feel as if you are in a foreign country. Take a moment to notice the details. This is the beginning of your journey into mehndi, and even the shopping part shouldn’t be taken for granted.

If you cannot find a henna artist in your hometown, you will have to do the legwork yourself. The first step is finding a good supplier of henna products. This is not easy as it sounds. Although the popularity of henna has increased the availability of henna products, you should be aware that there are many products of inferior quality lurking about. No matter where you purchase your henna, make absolutely sure that you are not buying henna meant for the hair. First of all, this kind of henna will not take on the skin, and second it might be full of harmful additives. So be careful.

The best place to find quality henna is in an ethnic store; Indian, Moroccan, Middle Eastern, or Islamic. Look in the Yellow Pages for locations. If you know people of Middle Eastern or Indian heritage, you might ask them if they know where to find these specialty shops. Many towns and cities have sections where certain ethnic groups congregate, and these areas can be great places to find materials for henna painting. Shops like this are often magical places, filled with the scent of exotic herbs and spices. These stores can make you feel as if you are in a foreign country. Take a moment to notice the details. This is the beginning of your journey into mehndi, and even the shopping part shouldn’t be taken for granted.

Another thing to watch out for when shopping is the label “black henna.” Real henna is never black. It just appears black before it has been scraped from the skin. Since henna has grown so trendy, many black henna products have been made available commercially. These products are not real henna. True henna will be anywhere from green to brown in raw form. On the skin, after the paste has been scraped off, the designs will be in the red family. The color will vary from person to person and from one body part to another. Henna should have a deep and fragrant smell, like fresh herbs. If your nostrils detect anything that seems artificial or chemically based in the henna powder, do not buy it. A lot of henna currently available is chemically treated. It will not always say so on the package.

If you are committed to practicing authentic henna art, you should go with natural henna. Usually the type of henna in chain stores at malls is the unnatural variety. Later on I will discuss the merits and drawbacks of using instant, artificial “henna” products.

Another option is to buy premade paste. If you know a local henna artist who is willing to do this for you, you need to do your painting within a few days because real henna paste is perishable. Ask the artist not to use any additives in the mix. Beware of buying premade paste from commercial distributors because they are certain to contain chemical preservatives. Premade they are certain to contain chemical preservatives. Premade paste is a great option if you want to get right to creating designs. If you have access to premade paste, much of the information about buying and working with henna powder does not apply to you right now, but you might want to read it just for fun.

If you find top quality henna powder, all you really need to make a paste is the powder and water. Sometimes people use unusual ingredients in their recipes. You can experiment with this if you want to, but we are going to present only simple recipes here. When your work gets more sophisticated some of the ingredients you might buy include eucalyptus oil, mustard oil, cloves, okra, tamarind, garlic, pepper, orange-blossom, water, cardamom, ground black walnut hulls, fenugreek seeds, pomegranate, and limes. These are some exotic additions to enhance the basic henna recipes.

If you have made the decision to experiment with henna painting, there is alot of planning involved in the process. Keep in mind that practice is essential to the craft. Keep in mind that practice is essential to the craft, and do not get discouraged if your designs are not perfect at first. Another thing to remember is that if you get really goo at mehndi, you might be able to do it professionally someday! Because henna has exploded in popularity, there is a great demand for henna artists in conventional places like beauty parlors. Traditional tattoo parlors now employ henna artists as well. If you think you might want to become a professional mehndi artist, you will have to learn business skills in addition to the craft of henna painting.

It is highly recommended that you first try to find a local henna artist to talk about mehndi. It is probably a good idea to get some work done by a professional mehndi painter before you try it yourself. If there is a henna artist in your community, contact her and inquire about rates and training. Ask how long she has been practicing. Often artists will have a book you can view to check out their work beforehand. Once you feel that the artist is competent, make an appointment.

Do not be shy about using your time with her to ask as many questions as you can think of about mehndi. Ask about local supplier; ask her to share her recipes if she is willing; ask her what designs her clients like the best. Don’t forget to ask the meaning of the design she paints for you. You can even request a special design. Once you have had work done by artist, there is a good chance you will be inspired to do it for yourself and your friends. Being painted feels great, and when the henna dries, the designs are beautiful and eye-catching. They are definitely conversation pieces! The application of henna is thought to be healing and rejuvenating to the body. Some people say it is like going to a spa. Maybe that is why the treatment is offered at beauty parlors. Henna artists report that the work they do makes them feel good, too. Most massage therapists and other hands-on healers believe that healing is a reciprocal art. Giving a massage or painting mehndi heals the practitioner as the work is done.

Mehndi is considered a woman’s art. Although men often painted and practice mehndi, too. As more Westerners begin to practice the art, this trend will continue. Historically, it has most often been painted on the hands and feet of women about to be married. The word shringar, an Hindu term, refers to the beauty of a woman’s creativity. Mehndi is one of the ways that Indian women express their shringar. Women have traditionally used mehndi as a means to celebrate life. In America, we bake cakes and buy cards to mark special occasions. Mehndi designs are unique reminders of important occasions and last for up to two weeks!

No one really knows where mehndi originated. Some people think it started in ancient Egypt. Egyptians were known to dye their fingertips with henna. It was considered impolite to leave one’s fingertips unpainted. Some historians believe that the Egyptians may have given the henna plant to the people of India as a gift. It’s truly amazing that so little is known about the origins of mehndi, an art that carries with it so much ritualistic and symbolic significance. Mehndi designs are often handed down like powerful family heirlooms. Each design has a meaning, as does the act of painting the design of the skin. The wonder of mehndi, of course, does not end when the henna paste dries. The deepness of the color influences the power of the wish or prayer connected to the wearer. Mehndi reminds us of the cycles of life: It is created, and then it fades away.

There is an interesting connection between the meaning of mehndi and the women who make it and wear it. Women’s bodies are deeply connected to the cycles of the earth. The moon waxes and wanes approximately every twenty-eight days, just like the menstrual cycle of a woman. Mehndi also has a cycle: It usually wears off in two weeks, about the time between a woman’s ovulation and her period. This is very significant: Ovulation is the time when women can metaphorically give birth to creation. (At this time an egg is available to be fertilized. When a woman’s period arrives, it washes away the unused egg, and the cycle begins anew. Maybe this is why women understand henna so well and continue to use it and teach it to their daughters, sisters, and nieces.

It many societies, including our own, the talents o women were shadowed and suppressed. It was only recently that women began to work outside of the home. Women continue to fight for their rights all over the world. Mehndi has always been a retreat for women, a space where they could safely bond with one another and share secrets. Now that mehndi is super popular, the secrets of the art are being shared with men. It is a different world now, and women have been allowed to share in some of men’s secrets as well. So boys and men can practice and wear mehndi. In spirit, however, henna painting will always be a woman’s art.

What about you? Just because you are not a devotee of Hinduism or animism does not mean you cannot deeply appreciate the art of mehndi. As we approach the end of the century, the ritual is expanding to fit new ideas. More and more, kids unafraid to look different and experiment with new ways of thinking. Think about the subcultures that might already exist in your school. There might be ravers, Deadheads, hippies, punks, cheerleaders, jocks, skaters, and other groups. Most people who are members of a subculture have a particular way of adorning themselves. Punks might wear leather jackets with spikes and T-shirts with their favorite band’s name on them. Deadheads and hippies often wear tie-dyed T-shirts and India print dresses. Ravers might adorn themselves with really baggy jeans and other androgynous attire might dye their hair in bright colors. What do you think the members of these groups are trying to express with their adornment? How do you express yourself with style?

No matter how you were raised, as a Catholic, Muslim, Jew Buddhist, or anything else, it is healthy to learn about and experiment with the rituals embraced by other cultures, as long as you are careful not to exploit them. Some Hindus, in fact, were very disturbed when Madonna performed in traditional Hindi garb complete with bindis and ritual robes at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards. She chanted in Hindi as well. As you experiment with mehndi, keep in mind that it is an art with a rich history and deep significant for the people of the East. It is important to learn the history and traditions behind these arts as you make them your own. Every art form evolves. Now that henna painting is taking off in America, these people creating new designs are part of the evolution of this art form.

Mehndi is a spiritual practice. In the West, most people do not think of getting tattoos or putting on jewelry as a way to get closer to God. We put on makeup and wear certain colors because we want to be attractive and fit in with the people around us. In India and other areas where mehndi is practiced, adornment is as important as prayer. In fact, it is a form of prayer. Special symbols are painted on the body to invoke certain gods and goddesses. There are symbols of protection and symbols of good fortune. Sometimes women will have a henna party if they want to influence future events. In Morocco, a religion called animism is a large part of the culture. Devotees of animism believe that many objects contain baraka, or mystical power. The henna plant was thought to be the prophet Mohammed’s favorite flower, so it is believed to have a high degree of baraka. Therefore, some Moroccan women still use mehndi as a magical tool.
Mehndi is also linked to superstition. The deepness of the stain left on the skin of a bride is thought to indicate the strength of the bond between husband and wife. Hindus believe that the goddess Lakshmi exists in henna designs. Lakshmi is the goddess of prosperity.