Mehandi - The Art of Henna
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the art of natural body painting
Most people will recognize "mehandi" by its Americanized name, as the art of henna body painting. Although often mistakenly identified as a "temporary tattoo" henna is done on the surface of the skin, not into it as with tattooing. Henna is an organic plant material, dried and powdered, and then mixed with water and essential oils to make a temporary stain on the skin.
The customs of painting elaborate henna skin designs hail from India and the Middle East, but the practice has spread to Europe and America and can be found there in traditional and pop culture applications.
The traditional body paint of South America was jagua, a fermented fruit juice that turns blue-black on the skin. This too is a stain which can last for several weeks.
Henna Books and Mehandi Kits
You can get started doing henna yourself with my own Henna eBook for just $1.95! This straightforward booklet can have you doing your own henna skin designs at home in 24 hours. Easy-to-follow recipe and application instructions put beautiful skin art literally at your fingertips!
Mehandi, The Art of Henna
Mehandi or henna is a body painting form that is traditionally found in India and the Middle East. The henna plant is dried and powdered, then mixed with essential oils and water to make a thick paste. This is daubed or squirted on the skin in elaborate patterns and leaves a reddish-brown dark stain. These designs last for several weeks before wearing off. Henna will stain the skin any color ranging from orange to very dark brown. It does not stain the skin black which is a common misperception.Henna is used traditionally as a decoration on the hands and feet of brides in India. Elaborate floral and decorative motifs of gods and goddesses are painted, with the belief that the longer the stains last, the more blessings are brought to the newly married couple. In Islamic cultures, henna (which works by staining) is considered to not be polluting to the body like makeup or other substances that sit on top of the skin.
Sadly, unscrupulous body painters in the US have started to add a black hair dye to their henna pastes in an attempt to make darker stains and this can lead to serious skin reactions that can cause permanent scarring in some individuals. Be sure to educate yourself about the so-called "black henna" before letting anyone paint you with henna.
Henna Body Artists
if you do henna/mehandi body art, please list your site or studio here!
Since the biggest question I get is, where can I find a good henna artist, I figured I'd put a spot on this lens for you to list yourselves!
Henna artists, PLEASE include your state or country as the internet is an international resource...
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anupma
Feb 10, 2012 @ 3:44 am | delete
- nice lense
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Snehalata
Nov 16, 2011 @ 12:39 am | delete
- I like to get mehndi by professionals
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kelli320
Sep 27, 2011 @ 11:17 pm | delete
- I like that you can express yourself, but not in a permanent way. Thanks for the info.
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miaponzo
Mar 6, 2011 @ 2:10 am | delete
- I love it! Get it done, and I live in Kuwait :)
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MoonandMagic Dec 9, 2010 @ 5:44 am | delete
- great lens, I love henna it's such a natural medium for hair and tattoos. love it!
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Henna and Mehandi Links, Info and Resources
- Mehandi.com shop - Henna, Indigo and Harquus .... body art and hair care supplies that are hard to find!
- Mehandi.com has indigo for woading, harquus for temporary tattoos, and henna body art supplies, as well as henna, indigo and cassia for safe, natural hair dying!
- Designes For Hands
- The introduction of Mehendi into Euro-American culture is a recent phenomenon. Today Mehendi, as trendy alternative to tattoos, is an in-thing in the West.
- Mehandi Henna
- How to make polypack Mehandi / Heena Cone and apply henna
- Mehndi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Mehndi (or mehendi or mehandi or mylanji) is the application of henna as a temporary form of skin decoration, most popular in South Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and Somaliland as well as expatriate communities from these areas. It is typically employed for special occasions, particularly weddings. It is usually drawn on the hands and feet, where the designs will last the longest due to the fact that it only penetrates the dead cells of the stratum corneum.
- mehndi
- What is Mehndi? How is it made? Where on the body is it decorated? How long does it stay on the body? How long does it take to decorate? What kind of motifs are used? What is the experience of being Hennaed like?
- The Art of Mehndi
- I was a semi-professional mehndi artist from 1994 to 2003. My experience spans from painting the public at volunteer festivals about India to being resident mehndi artist at salons, weddings, and parties.
- The Henna Page - The most complete henna information resource!
- The Henna Page is an educational resource devoted to the history, traditions, techniques, science and art of Henna, and is part of a site group devoted to Henna and related arts.
- Henna (Mehndi)
- Staining the nails, skin and hair with henna is the favorite way of enhancing beauty amongst women in the Middle East. It is used as both a hair treatment as well as a dye to make decorative designs on the skin. Henna cosmetics are made from the Egyptian evergreen plant, Lawsonia inermis, whose shoots and leaves yield an extract which is mixed with catechu, an astringent substance obtained from various trees and shrubs. Arabians crush dried berries from this plant to obtain a red powder.
Jagua Body Paint
Jagua Tattoo Kit (30ml Jagua) Over 70 Designs - Use Like Henna
Amazon Price: $32.00 (as of 02/15/2012)
List Price: $24.99
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Henna Art
Click to Buy From Art.com
Temporary Tattoos
a faster form of temporary skin art
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Henna Powder
make your own paste
Marwad #1 Henna Mehandi for Body Art 100 g
Amazon Price: $7.15 (as of 02/15/2012)
For those who are mixing up their own henna blends, this is the powder you want to start with. Remember, it's keeping the paste acidic and moist that make the color dark...
Henna Designs
Mehndi Designs CD-ROM and Book (Dover Electronic Clip Art)
Amazon Price: $8.49 (as of 02/15/2012)
Henna Kit
Earth Henna Henna Tattoos Body Painting Kit 1 Kit
Amazon Price: $12.02 (as of 02/15/2012)
