Remember how in childhood, imitating the screen hero, we drew patterns on our bodies with a ballpoint pen or felt-tip pen, or decorated ourselves with stickers made from chewing gum? And when they got home, they easily washed off all the art with warm water and soap. Mehndi is akin to those children's arts, only it is done professionally and is the oldest art of India.
This is a painless technology for applying a henna pattern, without damaging the skin and completely eliminating the risk of contracting unpleasant diseases. Mehndi lasts up to two weeks, after which you can apply a new design. If you get bored with the pattern before, you can easily remove it by rubbing it with a soapy washcloth several times. Body painting is done in beauty salons. However, you can create a beautiful mehndi with your own hands at home.
To do this you need to have minimal drawing skills and pre-prepared materials. We hasten to disappoint you, a bag of ordinary henna for dyeing hair is not suitable for this purpose; you need to find a special powder for body painting.Black henna often causes an allergic reaction, so before use, do a test by applying the mixture to your elbow and leaving it for a day.
So, the technology is simple. We will need a bag of henna, the juice of one lemon, one fourth glass of strong black tea (or 2 bags of instant coffee bags diluted in a quarter glass of water), one drop of vegetable oil.
1. Mix tea or coffee with lemon juice.
2. Pour the mixture into the dry, sifted henna in a thin stream, mixing the mixture thoroughly.
3. The result should be a homogeneous viscous mixture without lumps. Leave it for 4 hours.
4. Transfer the mixture into a plastic bag, piercing the corner with a needle. You can use a toothpick or soft bottles.
5. Prepare a mixture of 4 tsp. sugar and 2 tsp. lemon juice to fix the design, a needle with a blunt end or a toothpick, cotton balls and a rag to make timely adjustments in case of mistakes.
6. Choose a place for decoration. Traditionally in India, mehndi is applied to the palms and feet, but the back of the hand, upper arm and legs can also be decorated. Give up the idea of decorating your face, ears and chest with this technique.
7. Lubricate the skin with oil.
8. Using a stencil, draw the main lines with a felt-tip pen, and then squeeze the mixture out of the bag.
9. If you have artistic talent, you can apply the design using a wooden stick or brush.
10. As the drawing dries, moisten it with a mixture of lemon juice and sugar.
11. The design must dry for 8 hours, try to move less of the part of the body where the painting is painted, after which the excess henna is cleaned off with a stick.
12. Don't be surprised that the drawing is orange on the first day; it darkens the next day.
13. In order to extend the life of the painting, do not rub the painting with a washcloth and do not use alcohol-containing products. It’s also good to hold your hands over the fire, just a little bit without fanaticism and subsequent burns.
14. The remaining mixture can be stored in the freezer for up to three months.
Creative success in discovering your new talents!
