Mehendi is considered to be an ancient Indian body
art. It is used in creating elaborate ethnic or contemporary designs and
exotic patterns on various parts of the body; traditionally mehendi was
applied on the hands and feet of Indian bride and women preparing for
special festive ceremonies. Today men are finding it a nice alternative
to permanent tattoos. But now both men and women enjoy the temporary
tattoo. The art of applying henna in this manner is called Mehendi, it
is an ancient ritual and art form No Indian wedding is ever complete
without the mehendi ceremony. The ritual of mehendi is followed in every
part of the country where the hands of the bride are adorned with the
lovely red hue of the mehendi. Henna designs can be used as armlets,
bracelets, anklets, and general designs on hands and feet. Various kinds
of designs can be made depending on the occasion. In wedding ceremonies
mostly traditional Indian designs are made on the hands of the bride.
These traditional designs are elaborate and detail. Other than the
ethnic and conventional designs for the bride you can opt for
contemporary designs, which are sleek and fashionable. Today brides also
opt for Arabic designs, ornamental designs and tattoo designs like
necklace tattoos, navel tattoos and anklet tattoos.
Henna is a natural product. Its leaves are dried and grounded to make
the henna powder. Since it is a natural product, there are no known side
effects. It usually takes many hours to get a good henna stain on the
skin, and that stain is quite harmless. The shade varies according to
the quality of the henna powder. Your henna design should last at a
minimum of 1 and a maximum of 4 weeks depending on the thickness of the
epidermis of your skin and on where the design is located. To have a
good result leave the henna paste for eight hours and more. The longer
the paste is kept on, the darker the design will be. The less exposed to
water, soap or rubbing, the longer the designs will stay. For the
wedding day try to go for simple and detailed designs on your hands and
feet. The designs should not be overdone it should look pretty.
