Instructions for 'BRIDES'
Before Application:
Before application of mehendi, the brides should follow some instructions. Such as….
· Bride’s mehendi should preferably be done a day earlier than her big day (wedding,reception,holud or engagement) as the paste takes 32-48 hours to achieve the darkest stain.
· Do not exfoliate just before the mehendi application- we need as many layers of skin there to soak up the henna as possible.
· Please have your waxing/shaving, pedicure, manicure done before the application of mehendi. These things can severely affect the stain and longevity of the design. If you shave instead of waxing, make sure to shave lightly so that you do not get razor burn, get an open wound by cutting yourself or exfoliate too much skin off. The harsh chemicals used in pedicures/manicures can keep the stain from developing. We cannot be held responsible for stain quality if this or the aftercare instructions are not followed.
· Any massages or lotions must be avoided just before the mehendi application and for 2-3 days afterwards or it will interfere with the stain.
· Make sure that the room where the mehendi will be applied is comfortable temperature-wise, preferably slightly warm. Mehendi does not sink into the skin very well in cold temperatures.
· Before application, ensure you are wearing comfortable clothes you can sleep in and remove your contact lens if you wear them as you will be unable to remove them once your mehendi is applied.
During application:
The bride and her family member should remember that bridal mehendi can take 3-6hours depending on the design patterns and extension. During this time, please make sure that there are not too many major distractions so that the artist can focus on executing a beautiful design and keep her speed up. It is also very important for the bride to remain fairly still and relaxed when mehendi is applied. Brides are advised to bring someone (preferably not any minors) along with her to take care of some small things like her bags and phone (even receiving her calls too). Bridal mehendi can be a long and tiring process for both the bride and the artist, so we want to have a lovely, stress-free environment. This can make a huge difference and turn an 8 hour appointment down to a 4 hour appointment.
SPECIAL NOTICE: Brides are requested to maintain their time of appointment .
'Aftercare' Instruction
Good after-care is very important to get the best stain out of your henna designs. All you have to do is to maintain some simple steps. These steps will assuredly result in a beautiful, deep, and rich stain..
· Leave paste on for a minimum of 6 hours. Overnight makes for the best results.
· Seal the dried paste with lemon juice and sugar syrup: As long as the henna paste on your skin is moist, it will keep staining. When the paste is dry, seal it on to the skin with sticky lemon juice and sugar syrup (Dissolve 3 tsp of sugar in 3 tbsp of fresh lemon juice. Adjust quantities to make thick syrup like consistency.). This can be dabbed on the design with a cotton ball, or sprayed with a spray bottle. And then, heat it!
HENNA AND HEAT ARE FRIENDS :)
Hold your hand (with henna paste still on) over the stove. Hovering it around, to get some heat onto the design. Only a little bit of heat goes a long way! A couple of minutes of heat is adequate enough. Repeat the lemon sugar dabbing, then heat again.
· As long as the mehendi paste is moist, it will keep staining…heating makes u sweat and hence moistens the paste.
· To protect your clothing and keeping your mehendi for more time, you can cover it up… Unroll cotton balls and stick them onto the sticky mehendi design. Wrap with an old sock, toilet paper, or medical bandage…anything will work, to keep the mehendi paste on the skin and to protect clothing and furniture.
· Mehendi paste should never be washed off. It should be scraped off/brushed off/removed with baby oil or vegetable oil..But NEVER water.
· Design will progress from being orange to reddish brown or dark brown over the next 48 hours. Mehendi stain will be light/bright orange at first and will darken to a deep brown over the next 48-60 hours. This gradual darkening of the stain is a sign that the paste is 100% natural.
· Contact with soap & water should be avoided as much as possible in the first 24 hrs. WHY? Because, mehendi stain develops gradually. Washing the initial stain reduces its potential to reach its peak. Keep stain coated with olive oil to create a barrier in case of using water in first 24 hours.
You can just leave the paste on for 4-6 hours and not follow any special steps and still get a good stain. The above instructions are for a SUPER DUPER dark stain!
Mehendi looks different on everyone. Body chemistry including stress and hormones, temperature and location on the body affects the stain. Caring for your mehendi is a very important step for achieving the darkest color possible. Our mehendi paste is 100% natural and contains no instant staining chemicals. The paste MUST be kept on the skin for at least 4 hours, sealed with lemon-juice+sugar syrup, and away from water initially to allow stain to darken gradually.
