So what is henna really?

Henna (Lawsonia inermis) is a plant that grows in hot climates and can be found in most African and Middle Eastern countries such as Iran, Pakistan, Syria, Egypt and India. The henna plant can grow 8 to 10 feet high and its leaves are dried, crushed and ground into a powder. The natural dyeing properties found in Henna are tannins, this is what allows the henna (when mixed with other ingredients) to temporarily stain the skin. While henna is the plant, mehendi is the traditional art of decorating the hands, feet, & shins with a henna paste.

Giving different colors to your hair with henna

Here are a few pointers to help you color gray hair the right way:

• First of all always use Mehendi of a good quality.


• To give your hair a reddish tinge, boil and add grated beet.


• If you want a bronze effect, add coffee powder to mehendi. You can also add oil to the mehendi paste.


• For jet black hair, soak Amla (if you don't know what Amla is, please leave a comment and I'll answer your query) overnight and then add this to the mehendi paste and keep this overnight. Apply it the next day.


• If you do not want to color your hair and only want to use it as a conditioner, then oil your hair before applying it and leave it on only for an hour or so.

Again, remember to wrap a cloth around your shoulders and use gloves to apply mehendi in order to avoid soiling your clothes. Take care that mehendi does not touch your ears or face, or else the color won’t go for some days.