Actual Significance of Mehandi in Indian Culture:
Well, yes, it is said that Mehandi is a symbol of fertility and hence is used in wedding ceremonies. However, there is another significant reason as to why Mehandi has been used in our Indian weddings since centuries!
Mehandi is a medicinal herb, and is great in destressing a person. While wedding is a happy occasion for the families involved, it can get a little hectic. Mehandi 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 colour of the henna, but, are again great medicinal powerhouses!
Its application has been known since ancient times and hence it is always an integral part of most Indian festivals!
But as mentioned earlier, the dark colour also represents the love your new family would have for you. We obviously don’t the truth of this matter, and this is just an age old belief, and hence the struggle to get really deep colour ! However, lets not make them jump hoops for us, instead lets try to get deep dark colour of henna naturally. There are simple ways to make your mehandi colour deeper and darker.
10 Tips for Darker Mehandi Colour
#1 Washing before applying
Wash your palms thoroughly with soap before you sit down to apply mehandi. Make sure you don’t apply any creams or lotions. By eliminating any possible layers on your skin, mehandi will be completely absorbed and you will naturally get a darker shade.
#2 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 colour of mehandi.
#3 Let your mehandi dry naturally
Allow the mehandi 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.
#4 Invest the hours
Keep the mehandi 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 mehandi stays on and doesn’t leave crumbs in bed.
#5 Smoke it
It is believed that the smoke from heated cloves helps darken mehandi. Place some cloves in an iron pan and turn on the heat. Let the smoke coming from the cloves come in contact with your mehandi. Hold your hands out for as long as you can bear the heat and stop only when they start to hurt a bit.
#6 Stay away from water
Ideally, allow 24 hours to lapse before you expose your mehandi to water. Water will wash away the top layer of the mehandi and not allow the colour to really penetrate deep within your skin.
#7 No beauty treatments
Keep all waxing, pedicure and manicure appointments before the mehandi. 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 mehandi away and not get the desired result. Or else, if you really need to get rid of your body hair.
#8 Apply well in advance
Make sure there’s a gap of 1 or 2 days between applying the mehandi and your function. Mehandi usually gives its darkest shade after a few days. Plan your mehandi session accordingly and you will have the best colour possible.
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