Depending on the quality of the henna, the type of your skin and your optimum body temperature it dyes various shades of orange, brown, red or even burgundy. Mehndi looks orange immediately after scraping it off. Genuine Henna will always stain somewhat light orange initially. Do not use water to wash it off as mehndi needs at least 24 hours to further darken, and water will prevent that process from happening.
Some people apply lime juice, oils, or even steam to help the henna darken but the effect does not last beyond a couple of days to a few weeks. Since our skin exfoliates, the colour of henna will fade over time.
How to get dark mehndi / henna
- If you are using home made henna, then prepare it by mixing a little of tea leaves. This will help darken the colour too.
- Mix some drops of lemon juice with sugar. Let the sugar dissolve and the mixture be a little thick. Apply the mixture on your palm with a cotton ball. Let it dry
- Do not wash your hands with water. Use a butter knife to scrape off the dried mehndi and keep it that way overnight.
- Natural body heat is one of the factors influences the darkness of the mehndi.
- Use products which contain eucalyptus oil as one of the ingredients such as Vicks, Amrutanjan or even the oil itself.
