Well, yes, it is said that Mehndi is a symbol of fertility and hence is used in wedding ceremonies. However, there is another significant reason as to why Mehndi has been used marriages. Mehndi is a medicinal herb, and is great in de-stressing a person. While wedding is a happy occasion for the families involved, it can get a little hectic. Mehndi application helps in calming the nerves and also, prevents headaches and fever.
It is also usually mixed with eucalyptus oil and lemon, which help in darkening the color of the henna, but, are again great medicinal powerhouses! Here are simple ways to make your mehndi color deeper and darker.
Washing before applying
Wash your palms thoroughly with soap before you sit down to apply mehndi. Make sure you don’t apply any creams or lotions. By eliminating any possible layers on your skin, mehendi will be completely absorbed and you will naturally get a darker shade.
Apply eucalyptus oil
Make an exception with eucalyptus oil. After washing your hands apply this essential oil to your hands and feet. Not only does it smell good, but the oil actually helps darken the color of mehendi.
Make that hair color last
Let your mehendi dry naturally
Allow the mehendi on your hands to dry naturally. Don’t shake your hands or use a blow dryer. The movement or the blowing air can smudge the design and waste all the time you spent in getting it applied.
Invest the hours
Keep the mehendi on your palms as long as you can, preferably overnight, if possible. Once it’s dried, you can ask someone to gently bandage your hands so the mehendi stays on and doesn’t leave crumbs in bed.
Smoke it
It is believed that the smoke from heated cloves helps darken mehendi. Place some cloves in an iron pan and turn on the heat. Let the smoke coming from the cloves come in contact with your mehendi. Hold your hands out for as long as you can bear the heat and stop only when they start to hurt a bit.
Lemon and sugar
Apply a mixture of sugar and lemon juice to your hands after your mehendi has dried completely. Dab it on gently using a cotton ball. Don’t go overboard with it as the juice might end up lightening the color.
Vicks to the rescue
After you’ve kept the mehendi overnight it’s time to remove it. Gently rub your hands together until all the mehendi has been scrapped off. Apply Vicks or some pickle oil to your hands. This has been known to give you a dark mehendi shade.
Stay away from water
Ideally, allow 24 hours to lapse before you expose your mehendi to water. Water will wash away the top layer of the mehendi and not allow the color to really penetrate deep within your skin.
No beauty treatments
Keep all waxing, pedicure and manicure appointments before the mehendi. If you must do it later, allow at least 2-3 days to go by. Else you will end up scraping the top layer of the mehendi away and not get the desired result. Or else, if you really need to get rid of your body hair, you can shave your hair using Gillette Venus razors that are specially designed for women! But this is in a case of extreme necessity.
Apply well in advance
Make sure there’s a gap of one or two days between applying the mehendi and your function. Mehendi usually gives its darkest shade after a few days. Plan your mehendi session accordingly and you will have the best color possible.
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