How to Make Mehndi Darker and Long Lasting?

Mehndi function is a huge part of Indian wedding festivities and Indian culture. Mehendi is antiseptic in nature, is considered auspicious and believed to bring good luck and prosperity in life. Mehndi is also considered to have a cooling effect and reduce stress for bride and groom. In Indian weddings, it not only completes the bridal look – the ‘solah shringaar‘ but is also one of the popular conversation topics in all the wedding functions. All women and girls wish for the perfect Mehendi to adorn their palms on festivals and special occasions and it hurts when the perfect colour of mehndi isn’t achieved or if the colour fades away too fast.

Since childhood, haven’t we all been listening to this myth how the dark colour of the mehndi signifies how much a husband loves his wife?! The darker the mehndi, the deeper the love… Dark Heena signifies fertility as well. Believe only if you’d like to. We’ll talk about the science behind it all. We appreciate how you sit for hours patiently to get that adorable mehendi done so we’ll share the secret recipes on how to ensure you get the desired colour of mehndi. After all, it plays an equally important role in enhancing your wedding day look too.

So, let us get started with home remedies that work magically, ensuring a beautiful dark henna on your palms and feet. In this article, we will cover:

1. Things To Do Before Applying Mehndi
2. Tips to Make Mehndi Darker and Last Longer
3. Things Not to Do After Applying Mehendi

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Things To Do Before Applying Mehndi

1. Remember to wash your hands and legs thoroughly with soap and water before the application of mehendi.
2. Avoid applying any creams, oil or lotions on your skin as it will act as a barrier, and will minimise the absorption of mehendi into your skin.
3. It is recommended to get your waxing and mani-pedi sessions before mehndi application.
4. Get everything required by the mehendi artist ready within their reach (old newspapers, water, clothes, scissors etc.) before you sit down for the application.
5. Get everything ready for yourself that you might need during and after mehndi application. Use a straw to drink water until you take off your mehndi.
6. Wear loose and comfortable clothes. Avoid unpinned dupattas.
7. Tied hair would be better.
8. Apply a few drops of good quality Eucalyptus Oil and rub your palms with it to get rid of harmful chemicals and ensure that your hands are greasy enough to apply the intricate mehndi designs.

Tips to Make Mehndi Darker

1. Good Old Lemon and Sugar for Mehndi

This is an age-old home remedy to darken the colour of mehendi. Yes we are talking about the mixture of lemon and sugar. This method is very popular as the mixture protects your dried mehndi from cracking; sugar keeps the mehendi in contact with skin longer, while the lemon juice acts as a reactant for dye release and deeper colour. All you need to do is boil some sugar in normal water and let the solution cool down. Pour the solution to a bowl, add equal quantity of lemon juice to it and stir well to get a thick syrup-like consistency. Take a cotton ball/pad to apply the lemon and sugar mixture on mehendi applied areas. Apply this mixture (dab lightly with cotton ball) on your dried mehendi palms and/or feet. Make sure that you do not apply too much – the liquid should not drip.

2. Clove Fumes for Dark Mehndi

This is the most amazing hack to darken your mehendi colour. Sometime after applying 1-2 rounds of lemon and sugar mixture, heat some cloves on an iron pan and place your hands over the fumes produced by the cloves. Try doing this 5 to 6 times with both the sides of your hands. Do not forget to keep your hands at a safe distance from the pan, so that your skin does not hurt. This remedy is widely used as the fumes of the cloves help lock the colour and gives a long-lasting design. Trust us and try it as it will work wonders. You need to be careful not to burn yourself or melt the henna while trying out this method.

3. Balms to the Rescue of Mehndi Color

Balms have been always known as an all-time saviour for mehendi. After you have kept the mehndi overnight or a good number of hours, gently scrape out your dried mehndi with a blunt knife until all the mehndi is scraped off. Once you are done removing all the dry mehendi from your hands, it’s time to apply some Vicks Vapour Rub or Tiger Balm to it. The menthol present in vicks and tiger balm helps in darkening the Mehendi color.

4. Mustard Oil for Dark Mehndi

We all have mustard oil available in our kitchen. Mustard oil is considered beneficial in making your mehendi colour darker and longer lasting. It is believed that the oil is hot in nature and produces heat in your body after applying it. Mustard oil will not only turn your stain a shade darker owing to its heating properties but will also remove traces of the lemon and sugar mixture. Choose one of the post-mehndi techniques – vicks / balm / mustard oil.

5. Vaseline for Protecting Mehndi from Water

Apply Vaseline on henna design area before taking a bath. Water, soap, shampoo and chlorine fade the henna stain quickly. Vaseline makes a thin layer on your skin making it water-resistant and keeps the mehendi stain intact.

You will see that your mehndi design starts to darken as it oxidizes throughout the day. Natural henna requires about 24 – 48 hours to reach its darkest point.

Things Not to Do After Applying Mehendi

1. Do not wash your hands with soapy water just after the application is done as this will fade your mehendi in portions.
2. Avoid water for as long as possible. Wear hand gloves to protect the mehndi colour while sleeping and doing chores.
3. Don’t go for beauty treatments for some days after mehndi application like body polishing, waxing, bleaching, shaving etc. as these will dull your mehndi colour.
4. Don’t go for tan after mehndi application as it can burn the skin and leave permanent marks.

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