nna, or alternately heena is the pigment

enna, or alternately heena is the pigment used for the process, is from the henna plant that resembles a tea plant. Legend has it that Cleopatra used henna to dye her hair, to make it more lustrous and beautiful. The leaves are gathered and dried and made into a fine powder, which is then mixed with tea, coffee, lime, water and eucalyptus oil to make a thick paste. It is usually applied with the use of a cone made of rolled plastic, much like a baker’s icing tube, and it is used much in the same way. The size of the hole will determine the fineness of the lines.
For best results, a mehndi design must be allowed to dry at least overnight, with frequent applications of the lemon and honey until such time as it attains a glossy coat. This signals that the henna powder has been saturated with the mixture and is ready to be scraped off. Some heat-treat the mehendi or apply tiger balm to help the pigment darken. What will remain is the unique mehendi design hand makeup of porange-brown that will last a month but will be remembered for a lifetime