Mehndi, the Hindi word for henna, refers to the staining of the skin by the henna plant.  Literature on henna may also refer to it as Mehandi or Mendhi.  The fine powder, mixed  with oil and tea, leaves a stain lasting ten days to 2 weeks.  India and Pakistan have taken this ancient practice to a high level art form, with mehndi artists becoming renowned for their design styles and mixing techniques.  

The West has known henna previously only as a natural hair dye.  It became popular as Body Art in the mid-1990's with movie and music stars (“Prince”, Sorvino, Madonna, and others) showing it off at events and performances.  Salons thrive in New York and California, charging $100 per hour, while even chains like Walgreens have joined the bandwagon with pre-packaged kits and mixes.  Women and men are experimenting with Mehndi art, finding it a painless option to tattooing, while enjoying endless possibilities of new designs.  

Time Commitment

It depends on the design.  A simple flower may take 10 minutes to draw, an intricate design can take two hours.  After the henna is applied, it dries, hardening and shrinking.  When it begins to crack, a sugar/lemon mixture is applied to help fix the paste.  Leave the paste on for as long as possible, hopefully four hours.  You may then scrape it off, but do not wash the area for twelve hours.

I began taking henna customers in May 1997 and have since enjoyed drawing on hundreds of hands and feet.  Interested in learning more about the art of mehndi?  I share what I have learned in these links: history, recipe, the stain, and care.  See the design and photo links for examples of designs that I have done, exercises on how to practice and traditional henna patterns.