Henna Body Art (Mehndi) by SKINSHOCK

I've included links to some excellent pages on the ancient and exotic body art form called Mehndi. There you can find technical info and some history as well.

Mehndi Info and After Care


It takes almost as much practice and patience caring for your applied design as it takes to make it! Here's the instructions I give my clients:
Be careful not to smudge your henna design...they can't always be fixed! The mud will take from 15 to 30 minutes to dry. It will turn black and lose its shine and may begin to crack a little.
Just as it becomes dry enough to touch, the design needs to be re-moistened with a solution of lemon juice and sugar. This will keep the henna moist a while longer, to give a richer, longer-lasting color. The solution will dry to a sticky glaze, adhering the henna to your skin.
Leave the dry, glazed henna on for 1 to 8 hours. For the most durable and intense stain, wear the henna overnight wrapped securely with toilet paper and tape. The mud can be scraped off with a butter knife.
Don't use water!
If at all possible, don't wash the decorated area of skin for at least a day. Use vegetable oil or any heating cream (eg. Tiger balm, Rub A535) to remove residual mud. The orange stain will eventually darken to a richer, more brown color.
The stain is easy to care for: Just don't exfoliate, either with excess friction or soaking in hot water (especially chlorinated). By following these instructions, a henna design can last between 1 and 3 weeks.
Color results vary from person to person and body part to body part. Variations in the color of the design are normal.
Have fun visiting SKINSHOCK Mehndi Gallery 1 and Mehndi Gallery 2.
Click here to read "Mehndi For the Masses: An Essay On Helping Mehndi Survive Its Own Success".


All images, graphics and text are copyright 1998, 1999 by Vibrata and SKINSHOCK Body Art. To reproduce anything from this site without my consent is an act of plagarism, and the karma is yours to deal with.