Mehandi is applied on many multiple occassions by woman in India. Mehndi holds an immense importance in our culture. It is believed that the darker the colour of the mehndi, the stronger will be the love and bond between the wife and her husband. When it isn’t dark enough, it can be disappointing. So here I am sharing few tips to get long lasting dark mehndi color.
* Wash your hand ProperlyIt’s very important to get rid of any oil or dirt before you sit to apply mehndi. So, wash your hands and feet (if applying on feet also) with a good mild cleanser first. Don’t apply any lotion or cream before applying mehndi. Presence of any possible layers on your skin will hinder the absorption of mehndi. Eliminating this in turn will naturally give a dark color.
* Use Eucalyptus OilAfter washing your hands properly, rub some drops of eucalyptus oil on your skin. Wait and let the oil gets totally absorbed, as any moisture on the surface may make it difficult for the pigment to penetrate the skin. Application of this essential oil not only smells good but helps darken the colour of your mehndi.
* Natural DryDon’t get tempted to use something to dry your mehndi as soon as possible. Allow it to dry on it’s own. Never try to dry it by shaking your hands and don’t even try to blow dry it. Any movement or the blowing air will only spoil and smudge the design. Obviously, you would not like to waste all the time you spent in getting it applied!
* Clove FumesIt is believed that using clove fumes, also known as bhaap helps darken mehendi. Put some cloves in an iron pan and turn on the gas. Place your hands few inches away from the pan and let the smoke of the clove reach your mehndi.
Heat allows the mehndi to grow darker. Therefore, try to keep your hands and feet warm.
* Lemon Sugar SyrupOnce the mehndi dries up, it starts cracking. To avoid this, seal it onto the skin with sticky lemon juice and sugar syrup. All you need is just- “dissolve 3 tsp of sugar in 3 tbsp of fresh lemon juice” and it’s ready. Dab it on gently using a cotton ball to keep your mehndi design moist.