Mehndi: Henna Hand Art

What is Henna? Henna is a plant that has been used as a dye since the Bronze Ages, primarily in the Eastern Mediterranean region encompassing Northern Africa, Italy, Spain, and the Middle East. It was also widely used in India, where it is still a popular form of temporary body art to this day.

Henna is used on brides for their weddings in India, the Middle East and Africa. The “Night of the Henna” is the oldest and most famous henna celebration. Both men and women have a “Night of the Henna” just before their marriage. Henna is supposed to be lucky for a bride, and to make her beautiful. Hindu, Sikh, Muslim and Jewish brides have a “Night of the Henna”.

Henna: Lawsonia Inermis Henna is a small tree that grows in many countries. There are henna traditions in North and East Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. There are many words for henna: mehandi, mehndi, camphire, and kopher.

Farmers grow henna in India, Pakistan, Iran, Yemen, and Morocco.

Henna This is a red-orange dye which binds to keratin. This dye will safely stain skin red-orange. Henna stains range from pale orange to nearly black. Fresh henna from hot climates makes the darkest stains.

Henna stains skin. Henna stains palms and soles best because that skin is thickest. Henna stains exfoliate from the skin in 7 – 30 days.

Can dark skinned people use henna? People of all skin colors can use henna. Henna is as beautiful on dark skin as on light skin. l

Henna stains fingernails. Henna strengthens skin and fingernails, and deters drying and cracking. Henna has some anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. Henna is a sunblock.

Who uses henna? Women use henna for weddings, celebrations, births, birthdays, and any other special occasion when they want to feel beautiful. Men use henna for their weddings, but not as much as women. It is an integral part of beautification and is generally used to decorate hands, arms, legs and feet. Sometimes people henna their horses, donkeys, and dogs for celebrations too.

Is henna sacred? People who are Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims, Jews, Christians, Buddhists, and some animist religions have all used henna at one time or another. People use henna for Diwali, Norooz, Eids, Purim, Passover, and other holidays, but henna is not part of the religious celebration. Henna is part of the social celebration of these holidays, as Christmas trees are a social, not sacred, celebration of Christmas.

How do you make henna paste? To create a dye for the skin, the henna plant is grounded into a paste with a few other ingredients, which is then applied to the body using a cone-shaped funnel. The henna must stay undisturbed on the skin for several hours to properly stain the skin, and then it is washed off.

Heat will make your henna stain darker When the paste is on your skin, stay warm with steam, a heater, or carefully wrap the henna.

Mehndi is all about the patterns Pattern: The repetition or reoccurrence of a design element, exact or varied, which established a visual beat.

Henna Symbols & Patterns Start with a simple pattern, shape or symbol, continue adding lines and shapes to expand your design.

Henna designs on the palm The palm gives you a wide open space for creative expression. Henna designs on the palm commonly involve an abstract design that emanates out from the center, like a mandala.mandala To create a design like this, pinpoint the center of the palm (or close enough to the center) and start with a dot, a circle, a spiral, a flower, a star… any symbol or image that you like. Then continue adding designs that radiate out from that central point. Another idea for decorating the palm is to draw something that personally symbolizes you. It could be a particular flower, a bird, a favorite pet, or any object that describes who you are. You don't need to worry about making it look realistic, because henna designs are abstract. This is all about creative expression!

Henna designs on the wrist The henna design on the wrist will basically be a horizontal pattern that goes across one side to the other.

Mehndi Video Clip Henna Video

Draw a row of dots Now, add raindrop shapes around each dot Next, add another raindrop shape around raindrop shapes you just drew At the top of each double raindrop, add a small circle Now draw curls sprouting to the left & right Creating a pattern: Step by Step

You can use the same pattern on all fingers, or put a different pattern on each finger. You can also decorate the fingertips with special designs, like flowers, stars or other symbols. Another idea is to draw a ring- like pattern at the base of each finger. Henna designs on the fingers

Henna designs on the wrists

Basic designDesign with details

Examples of symbols