Henna a nature’s Jewel.
Henna has a very beautiful tradition which ages thousands of years.

Henna is icon of purity and tradition. Henna or Mehndi has broken free of the traditional wedding, Teej or Karva Chauth days and is being applied for a Valentine’s Day bash , a formal party or even an evening at a disco. In its new avatar, mehndi has been elevated to the status of body art and a fashion accessory for the fashion-conscious youngsters.

While henna is known by many names including mehndi, Henne, Mignonette, Egyptian Privet and Smooth Lawsoni. There are also many versions of the name, you may see it written as mehandi, mehendi, mendhi, henna, al-henna.

Henna or mehandi is only used by women but also used extensively used by men for hair conditioning. In recent popular culture, mehndi has enjoyed a renewal. Western musicians and Hollywood personalities have adopted and altered the tradition so that mehndi as a temporary, pain-free body ornamentation alternative to tattooing is now the hottest new trend among women and men. As the trend grows in popularity, so grows the list of personalities that have been seen sporting mehndi patterns. Actress Demi Moore was among the first celebrities to be seen wearing mehndi. From Madonna and Naomi Campbell to Drew Barrymore the list of famous names smitten with mehndi magic is ever increasing.

Henna body art is made by applying henna paste to skin.

Different types of tattoos are carved out on palms, hand and legs, even on bare back and stomach. Pregnant women are very found of applying henna (mehndi, mehandi) on their stomach. The henna tattoo look great when wet. It looks very beautiful when it leave dark stain on skin.

Henna by nature is cool and it is believed to pacify mind, body and soul. In the ancient times the desert people of Rajasthan, Punjab, and became aware of Hennas cooling properties, they dipped their hands and feet in a mud or paste made with the crushed leaves of the plant. Even when the mud was scraped off, they noticed, as long as the color remained visible, their body temperatures stayed low.

Three main traditions can be recognised aside from the modern use of henna as a trendy temporary tattoo. Generally Arabic (Middle-Eastern) mehndi features large, floral patterns on hands and feet , while Indian mehndi uses fine lines, lacy, floral patterns . Apart from these there is the African mehndi art which involves large and bold geometrically-patterned angles. African mehndi patterns usually use black henna whereas Asian and Arabic henna is often reddish brown.

Henna is a symbol of tradition and a modern way of expressing art. In USA, and is been used by many young girls. Henna tattoo is not only temporary it is not at all painful as against needle piercing. I would like to ask each one of you reading this to have a small henna tattoo done and show them to your friend. I am sure the will say WOW!!

In and Arab countries henna powder is extensively used for hair conditioning. Henna powder is soaked into water overnight and applied to hair in the morning, only a specialized hair specialist can apply henna to hair gracefully. After some time (around 2 hours), the hair is rinse under running water. After drying the hair you wll see red tint in your hair. And one feels hair very light. Because henna is natural, there are no side effects.