Henna has been used to adorn young women's bodies as part of social and holiday celebrations since the late Bronze Age in the eastern Mediterranean. It was regarded as having "Barakah," blessings, and was applied for luck, joy and beauty. Many woman consider adorning their bodies with henna as a divine experience. It is traditionally applied to the hands and feet, but there are many more modern artists applying it to different parts of the body today.
The name Henna is also used for dye or paste derived from the crushed leaves of the Henna plant, and for the art of temporary tattooing from the paste. Mehndi is the term used for the application of henna as a temporary skin decoration in south Asia as well as India, but is most commonly associated with India today.
The paste is made from dried leaves of the plant by mixing it with hot water, lemon juice and some essential oils like eucalyptus or lavender. When the paste is applied onto the skin and left for few hours, it leaves an orange to dark maroon stain which fades away in 2-3 weeks depending on how well it darkens your skin and the amount of soap you use. It is recommended to leave the paste on as long as possible to get the best results. The palms of the hands and ankles often get the darkest.
Note: Natural henna is 100% organic and safe for your skin, but is never black. Many pictures that you see that appear very dark are taken while the paste is still on or dried. Black henna will have additional dyes added to make them darker, so make sure to stick to natural henna, or always do a patch test on your skin to make sure you won't have a reaction to it.
Inspired by the symbols of centuries old henna tradition, we created our Mehndi Necklace.
