If you have ever had the opportunity to travel to certain parts of India, you would have come across an art form that is still used by millions of Indian women to beautify their bodies. It is known as henna and the henna designs of the country are legendary. It is really not much to look at, but good henna designs do much more than make the hands and feet of the wearer appear exotic. Most marriages in the northern states of India feature henna designs as an essential part of the bride’s attire. Most festive occasions all over India warrant the application and display of henna designs on the hands and feet of the womenfolk. Henna designs have been studied at length and it has been proven that they contain certain medicinal properties.
What goes into the making of good henna designs? To start with, one must have the right ingredients. Good henna is compulsory for great henna designs. The henna leaf needs to be sourced from reliable growers, who don’t pluck it off the branches when it is too young or too old. Henna needs to be sourced when it is just right. Only then will the henna designs get the rich color that they are so renowned for.
The next thing about great henna designs is the other ingredients that go into the mixture. Some practitioners of henna designs swear by the use and efficacy of lemon juice. While others sing the praises of materials like lime and sugar. Still others claim that good, clean, potable water makes for the best binder. These ingredients are poured into well ground henna paste and mixed to get a pasty concoction. With the change in times and the unavailability of time in the hands of most people, a sort of henna powder has replaced the freshly ground paste. But traditional practitioners of henna designs will never use the powder method if they can help it. Whatever the case may be, different practitioners of henna designs have their proprietary methods and swear by them.
Finally, the one thing that makes for great henna designs is the artistic capability of the henna design artist. A good artist can make even the most simple of henna designs appear fantastic. And a bad artist can make even the simplest designs a disaster. The trouble with henna designs is that once the paste has been applied, it leaves behind a reddish shade that will not disappear for days on end. So getting the application right the first time around is critical to say the least.
