Mehendi

Decorate your body with ornate ornaments, emphasize your uniqueness and individuality - today many young people cherish such dreams. But unfortunately, a tattoo is not only a painful and expensive procedure, but also carries with it not always pleasant social consequences. However, if, nevertheless, your love for underwear painting is very great, then such ancient art as mehendi (mendi) can satisfy you.

What is mehendi?

Mehendi is the ancient ornamental art of the countries of the East, which consists in drawing patterns on the body with henna. The beauties of India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Egypt knew how to draw mehendi in order to bring prosperity, love and beauty into their lives. It was for this purpose that the drawing on the bodies of the girls was applied. And in India, for example, even today no ceremonial holiday can do without henna tattoos.

Traditionally, such an ornament has a dark brown, brown or red-brown shade, but modern manufacturers today offer a variety of colors: blue, green, purple ... However, using real, natural henna, you can get authentic mehndi and touch the ancients customs

Types of mehendi

This henna tattoo is divided into types, depending on the place where it was painted. Every nation has its own methods and distinctive features of application, which make mendi in different parts of the world unique. Before you make Mehndi, check out the types of this painting and choose the option you like most.

• Arab. The main motif of this mehendi is flowers. This theme is already reflected in Arabic embroidery and painting, and then influenced the body pattern;
• African. Floral pattern is also present in this type of henna tattoo, but here it is combined with elements of geometric shapes. Special attention is paid to the clarity of contours;
• Indian. This ornament is almost entirely composed of geometric shapes and points. It is quite complex and often carries religious motives;
• Asian. This mehndi has absorbed all the best traditions of the three other types, becoming a kind of contact point for drawings from different countries.

Henna for mehendi

So, if the henna tattoo seemed attractive to you, then it is not necessary to go to the salon: you can easily make such a tattoo to yourself. And the first thing to start with, if you want to perform a mehndi tattoo yourself, is to get henna. There are two options for the development of events.

First, you can buy henna in specialized stores for creativity or order it online. The price is quite affordable and will not leave the wallet empty. The average cost of henna is 70 rubles per tube 30 ml.

The second option is to make henna for a tattoo at home. To do this, you will need: black tea, henna powder, lemon juice and mehendi oil (can be replaced with eucalyptus oil). Then follow the step-by-step instructions:

1. Make a strong tea brew (2-4 tsp. Of black tea per 0.5 l of water) and, as ready, strain it;
2. Sift the henna powder through a fine sieve to prevent large pieces and lumps;
3. Slowly add tea brew to the powder, remembering to stir constantly;
4. To the same mixture, add 2-3 teaspoons of lemon juice and a few drops of oil;
5. Wipe the paste through a sieve;
6. Leave it to brew for 3-4 hours.
7. Everything, now henna for mehendi is ready, it remains only to shift it into a syringe package (a rolled-up cone with a cut off tip) and you can start creating!

Mehendi at home

So, now that the materials have been prepared, you can proceed directly to creating a tattoo with henna. Following the step by step instructions, you can easily create a mehendi pattern at home.

1. The first step is to prepare the skin for the application of the ornament. It is necessary to wash the desired area of ​​skin (most often they make mehendi on the arm or leg) so that no creams or lotions remain on it;
2. This item is optional for execution, but if you want the pattern to last longer and look brighter, then you should pay attention to it. Apply a couple of drops of eucalyptus oil to the intended tattoo site and rub it well;
3. Now you can begin to apply the picture. There are many ways to make mehendi. You can use stencils for mehendi, you can pre-apply an ornament with eyebrow pencil, and then draw on top with henna, or you can simply use real materials at once, improvising and creating a pattern during the process, as they do in Eastern countries. Stencils for mehendi and schemes of possible drawings are freely available on the Internet. The latter option is limited only by your imagination and skill. If you are not yet sure of your skill, then you can practice on a regular piece of paper, by circling your arm or leg (depending on the mehendi on your leg or arm you want to do) and applying the desired ornament;
4. After the henna tattoo is ready, it is important to leave it alone for at least an hour, and preferably for 5-7 hours until completely dry. The main rule: the crust should fall off by itself, no need to tear it off;
5. As soon as the crust has descended, lubricate the resulting pattern with some vegetable oil (sesame, mustard, almond, etc.) in order to prolong the longevity of your tattoo.

Mehendi Care Tips

Having created such beauty on my body, of course, I want to keep it as long as possible. For this, there are some rules that are worth adhering to.

• Of course, if you made mehendi on your arm or mehendi on your leg, then it is quite difficult to implement, but still try to prevent water from entering the drawing as rarely as possible;
• Do not rub with a washcloth or soap a zone with an ornament;
• Do not epilate or shave the part of the body on which Mehndi is located;
• Avoid excessive sweating, for example, when going to the sauna or taking a hot bath;
• From time to time process the picture with vegetable oil.

Following these tips, you can save mehendi for 10-15 days. If to be less accurate, then henna tattoo will come down faster, in 5-7 days.

Making mehendi is to give yourself a painless tattoo, emphasize your individuality, immerse yourself in the centuries-old traditions of the East and give you pleasure in the creative process of drawing a pattern. So create, fantasize and be beautiful!

Video: Learn to draw beautiful mehendi yourself