Monday, November 7, 2011
My totally awesome maid Lakshmi (Full name Vijayalakshmi) was nice enough to offer her design services so I could experience firsthand (pun intended) the joy of Mehndi. For those of you who aren't sure what Mehndi is (I was one), it's the semi-permanent henna designs drawn on the body for weddings, holidays, or just for fun.
The henna stain mix can be bought in pre-filled containers that look exactly like mini cake decorating tubes. You simply snip the tip of the writing side, and squeeze out the mix as needed. Lakshmi drew this free handed from a picture in a book, which pretty much guaranteed I will never be able to do this on my own, because my artistic skills suck. I should have asked whether there were stencils available. I took a quick picture of the mixture on my arm as it was drying - you have to leave the stuff on for anywhere from a half hour to full hour (and I've read in other places that it's recommended to let it dry, wrap your arm in a bandage or tissue, and wait a full 24 hours before washing for really dark designs).
The henna stain mix can be bought in pre-filled containers that look exactly like mini cake decorating tubes. You simply snip the tip of the writing side, and squeeze out the mix as needed. Lakshmi drew this free handed from a picture in a book, which pretty much guaranteed I will never be able to do this on my own, because my artistic skills suck. I should have asked whether there were stencils available. I took a quick picture of the mixture on my arm as it was drying - you have to leave the stuff on for anywhere from a half hour to full hour (and I've read in other places that it's recommended to let it dry, wrap your arm in a bandage or tissue, and wait a full 24 hours before washing for really dark designs).
My forearm with the henna mix still drying. Bad quality picture because I couldn't use my right hand. As you can see, I smeared the design a bit accidentally, and ruined Lakshmi's art. Sorry!
My palm with the mix washed off after it dried.
Back of my hand.
As you can see, the design was almost orange at first, but it darkened closer to a brick brown color overnight. This was so much fun to watch. Guess what everyone in the US is getting for Christmas! Buy your Nativity stencils now!
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