Top Tips to Make Mehendi Dark and Long Lasting

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Last Updated on September 2, 2021 by Shravani Priya

Whether you’re a bride or you’re just getting some henna for the festive season, we all love to make our mehendi dark and long lasting. Mehendi is a traditional form of body art that is often used by women to adorn their hands and feet during festivities. Mehendi also hold special significance for brides. Some cultures believe that the darker the bride’s mehendi the more love she will get from her husband. And others believe that the color is representative of the mother-in-law’s love. Whatever the beliefs, mehendi is a favorite among many women and is always popular during festivals like Karva Chauth, Diwali, Teej or weddings.

There are many factors that affect the way your mehendi turns out. Some women naturally tend to have darker mehendi while some have to try many tricks to get the desired color. If you’re about to get some mehendi soon and you’re worried about the color, fret not, there are many ways to make your mehendi dark and long lasting. From mustard oil and clove steam to remembering not to wash your hands with soap, small tricks can help make your mehendi all dark and pretty.

Here are Some Easy Ways to Make Your Mehendi Dark and Long Lasting:

Get all Your Beauty Treatments Beforehand:

In case you need to get your arms or legs waxed or get any meni pedis make sure you get all that done two or three days before you get your mehendi. These beauty treatments require a lot of water, soap and chemicals that can make your mehendi look paler by affecting the topmost layer. If you have any event to attend for which you need to get some grooming done, best is to get it a few days prior to avoid getting them after you get your mehendi. This will not only ensure that the color is dark, but will also make it long lasting.

Wash Your Hands and Feet Properly Prior to Your Mehendi Appointment:

Before you sit to get your hands adorned, make sure you wash and lightly scrub your hands and legs. Getting rid of any residual moisturizer or products is important before you get any designs. These products act as a barrier on your skin and can minimize the absorption of mehendi leading to faded after effects. Don’t scrub your hands too hard as that can lead to irritation or allergies once you get the mehendi on. So clean your hands just enough to get rid of excess oil or products.

Things to Keep in Mind After you Get Your Mehendi –

Keep it on for a Long Time:

Never try to get henna off quickly. It is absolutely essential to keep the mehendi in contact with the skin for as long as possible. 6-12 hours is the ideal sitting time for henna and you must make sure you do not wash your hands before that. If the weather is hot, even two hours can be sufficient for a good color. But if the weather is cold or if your hands generally tend to stay cold, keep it for at 4-6 hours minimum.

Also, many might suggest wrapping your hands in plastic to make the mehendi stay longer. However, that’s a total myth. Wrapping your hands in plastic will cause sweating and hamper blood circulation. If you need to sleep with the mehendi on, just tightly wrap tissue paper around your mehendi. That will prevent the mehendi from falling off and will also allow you to sleep peacefully.

Don’t Use Water and Soap for at Least six Hours

It is also important to remember not to wash your hands with water and soap after you get your mehendi. Try not to use any water and soap for at least 6, if not 12, hours and even when getting rid of the dried mehendi, use a cloth or a butter knife instead of water. This will ensure the mehendi penetrates will into the skin and gives a nice, dark color.

Sugar and Lemon Mixture to Make the Mehendi Dark and Long Lasting:

Lemon juice on henna is the oldest trick in the book. After your mehendi is dry enough to keep the design intact, apply a mixture of sugar and lemon on it. Use a cotton ball to gently dab the mixture all over your mehendi. This will help seal the mehendi into your hands and stays on for longer.

Vicks or Mustard Oil is a Good Alternative:

Your mehendi needs some extra heat to turn out dark. A good trick to warm your hands and feet is to apply vicks or mustard oil before going to bed. Lightly dab vicks or evenly spray some mustard oil all over your mehendi and firmly cover it up with tissue paper. This will help the mehendi penetrate deep into the skin and the heat produced will help darken the color overnight. Also, applying some Eucalyptus oil right before applying mehendi is also an effective way to get a darker color, many mehendi artists suggest.

Use Clove Steam to Make Your Mehendi Dark and Long Lasting:

Clove steam is another simple trick to give your hands some extra heat. Right after your mehendi gets dry, put a few cloves on a pan and turn the heat on. Keep your hands on top of the pan at a safe distance. The steam that will ooze out of the pan is considered a super food for the mehendi. Keep each side of your hand on top of the pan for 5-10 minutes for the desired result. But make sure to keep the hands at a safe distance to avoid burning them.

Now what are you waiting for? Go get some gorgeous mehendi on your hands. And for more such tips and tricks, stay tuned to Styl Inc Blogs.

Keep’in it Styl’ ish,

Signing off,

Kashika