The mehndi function is a big part of wedding festivities, and every girl (secretly or not) is mighty excited to get a beautiful henna design drawn on her hands. After patiently sitting through the application, it is natural to want a dark and bold mehndi that stands out. However, most girls are clueless on how to make their mehndi darker, aside from the traditional nimbu juice-sugar combination. Gone are the days when a girl would have the patience to sit with sticky hands, waiting for it to take effect on her henna. Here are some easy peasy ways to answer every brides question, ‘How to make henna dark’?
Tips To Make Mehndi Darker
Don’ts To Get A Long Lasting Mehndi
How to Make Your Mehndi Darker
Follow these easy tips to make your bridal mehndi dark and last longer. Vouch for these tips and follow them before you get your hands painted with bridal Mehendi and be sure to get that rich colour.
1. Go Chemical Free
Use natural henna as it lasts longer than the one with chemicals added to it. Natural Mehendi comes out darker and will leave you with a more beautiful colour too.
Also Read: Finger Mehndi Designs
2. Washing Is A Prerequisite
Before you have to sit for your Mehendi make sure you wash your hands and feet with soap. This is a prerequisite as any presence of dirt or oil will hinder the absorption of henna on your skin. Washing your hands and feet ensures better absorption of henna.
Also Read: Leg Mehndi designs
3. Apply Eucalyptus oil
The quickest answer to how to make your mehndi darker is – apply eucalyptus oil. This is the easiest and the most commonly used tip on how to darken Mehendi. Before applying the Mehendi, rub some eucalyptus oil on your hands and feet. This makes the mehndi darker. Application of this oil helps in giving the henna that dark and gorgeous colour.
4. Lemon And Sugar To The Rescue
This is the most common remedy which helps in darkening the henna. Mix some sugar with lemon juice and use a cotton ball to apply it on your hands and feet after the henna dries up.
It is believed that this easy peasy tip works even after washing off the mehndi and is an answer to that common question ‘how to make mehndi dark after washing?
5. Clove Steam Does The Trick
After you have applied the lemon juice and sugar mix, take a clove steam to get that gorgeous colour. Warm a few cloves in a container and run your hands over the smoke. It’s as simple as that!
6. Stay Away From Water
Use a butter knife or a card to scrape off your Mehendi instead of using water. You must avoid washing your hands and feet for at least 12 hours. Contact with water will only lighten the colour.
7. Do Not Blow Dry Your Mehendi
You will be tempted to use something to dry your Mehendi as soon as possible, but let it dry on its own. Blow drying can lead to bleeding of your Mehendi and ruin the design and believe us, you wouldn’t want that especially when you’re getting married.
8. Shaving Or Waxing Is A Big No!
After you have applied the henna, do not shave or wax as it can scrape off the upper layer of your skin. This can also ruin your Mehendi and make it look dull.
9. Get It Done In Advance
A day or two in advance is when you should apply your mehendi. Remember that it darkens overnight, so to get the best colour on D-Day, you should apply it 2 days before your wedding ceremony.
10. Apply A Balm Or Cooking Oil
After you get rid of the crust, apply Vicks or cooking oil to bring out the colour of your Mehendi. But do not go overboard with the application of Vicks as it may turn your Mehendi to an extremely dark shade of brown.
11. Say Hello To Vaseline!
Before going to bed at night, make sure to apply vaseline all over the Mehendi to protect the colour. Apply it generously!
12. Wrap Up The Design
Wrapping up the design will give you a rich and darker colour. While you can wrap it yourself, but it is always a good idea to ask the artist to do so, for fear of spoiling the design. You can also make use of medical tape.
Now that you know what you should do to make your mehndi darker. Let’s look at the ways to make mehndi dark even after washing.
Things To Do Before Applying Mehndi
- Wash your hands and legs before the application. Do not apply any creams, oils or lotions – your skin should be completely dry.
- Visit the loo. You don’t want to interrupt the flow of design. Plus, how are you supposed to use your hands without ruining the design?!
- Choose a spot with great lighting so your mehendiwaalis can do their best work.
- Finish your waxing and mani-pedi session beforehand as they can take off the upper layer of your skin, fading the mehendi.
- Keep in mind that thicker strokes come out better and darker. Fine designs may look pretty when applied, but once the mehendi comes off they don’t look as striking.
Don’ts: Things Not To Do For Long-Lasting And Dark Mehendi
- Don’t wash your Mehendi hands in soapy water, this will lead your Mehendi to fade in portions.
- Don’t overuse the mixture of lemon and sugar, it’ll turn the mehendi into a deep brown colour. It might also dilute the mehendi paste and spoil the design of it.
- While mehendi artists prefer to sit in good light, avoid sitting in direct sunlight while you adorn your hands.
- Don’t drink too much liquids before or while you’re applying mehendi.
- Don’t move your hands sideways or up and down in order to dry your Mehendi quickly. You might end up spreading it and spoiling the design. Let your mehendi dry at its own sweet pace.
So there you have it. 12 of the simplest answers for how to make mehndi last longer and darker’. You should follow some of these tips in combination, and always go for the ones that suit you best. Say hello to a bold, beautiful and dark mehndi!
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Also Read: Best Back Hand Mehndi Designs
