Henna, the wonderful plant with multiple uses, has found many takers and has aided many people in various ways. Today, a wide range of henna tools and products are available in the market, with which one can easily make striking patterns and designs. Besides skin decoration, henna is also used widely in hair and skin care. The demand for henna has grown so much that many beauticians even hold mehendi classes to teach people about basic henna recipes and designs. So, if you want to reap the advantages of henna, the first thing that you have to learn is how to make a paste. Although, you can buy it from beauty stores and salons, the dark green paste can be easily made at home with few simple ingredients and henna powder. Making henna paste can be a fun activity and you don't need to invest too much money or energy in it. To know how to prepare henna paste in a simple way, read out the following write-up.
Mehendi Preparation Ideas And Steps
Ingredients
Know more about tips for making henna paste, mehandi preparation ideas and steps, ingredients for good mehendi paste.
Tips For Making Henna Paste
- 20 g fresh Henna Powder
- Coffee (as required)
- ¼ cup Lemon juice
- 1 ½ teaspoon Essential Oils (as required)
- 1 tablespoon Sugar
- A plastic Bowl
Procedure
- To get luscious dark color on the skin it is best to select good quality henna powder. Be careful not to pick up fake henna powder or the ones loaded with chemicals. Henna is sold in air tight packets and so you must open it only when you are about to make the paste. If you are not using the entire power then make sure that you store it in air tight containers.
- Since henna preparation includes coffee, the first step would be to boil it in a cup of water. Make sure that you boil the coffee for a longer time to make it strong. Keep the coffee aside.
- In a bowl, mix the henna powder and lemon juice. Then add the sugar and mix thoroughly. Adding sugar is vital to keep the paste from drying too quickly.
- Continue mixing until the henna forms a fine thick paste with even consistency. All the ingredients combined with the powder should be churned well. While mixing, see that there are no lumps formed.
- Into the henna paste slowly add the coffee and mix until it becomes silky smooth. Then add a dash of any essential oil to the paste. If the henna paste looks a little hardened and rough, then add more coffee into it.
- Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap tightly and store it in a warm place for about six to ten hours.
- If the henna paste is thin and not consistent, don't hesitate to add more henna powder. The henna paste should have the consistency of toothpaste. You can store henna paste in fridge for almost two weeks safely and if kept in the freezer, it will last for nearly two months.
- While applying henna, see that your skin is clear and free from any kind of creams, oils, lotions or dirt.
- The longer you keep the henna on your skin, the darker the color of the stain will be. A minimum of four hours is required for a dark stain but keeping it overnight is considered to be the best.
- While removing the dried paste, do not use water. Instead apply oil and then scrape it off with your fingers or use a butter knife.
Ingredients For Good Mehendi
For long lasting stain, the henna should be prepared into the right consistency. For this many ingredients are used, besides henna powder. These ingredients are:
For long lasting stain, the henna should be prepared into the right consistency. For this many ingredients are used, besides henna powder. These ingredients are:
- Adding a dash of lime juice not only stimulates the release of dye from the henna but also make the stain appear rich and dark.
- Most of the mehendi recipes recommend using eucalyptus oil, which is one of the most popular and common essential oils. There are also exclusive mehandi oils, available commercially that are created by blending various essential oils.
- Tea or coffee is also widely used in the preparation of henna to get a nice aromatic fragrance and also to get a darker stain.
- Sugar has an amazing ability to enhance the henna paste's capacity to absorb moisture. Besides, sprinkling sugar syrup over the henna pattern also keeps it from drying too quickly.
- Fenugreek seeds, also known as Methi ka dana in India, can also be used in making the henna paste. First boil the seeds in tea brew and then, strain the solution and add it to the henna.
- Yogurt or egg white, cloves, wine, vinegar, and honey are some other ingredients that can be added to the henna.