Henna is a plant that originated in the Middle East and has been used for body art and hair dyeing for over 5,000 years. Archaeological evidence shows ancient Egyptian mummies with henna-dyed hair and toenails. During their lifetime and after death, Egyptians used henna to color their hair, and Ramses II used it to dye his gray hair back to its original auburn color. The Mughals introduced henna to India in the 12th century where it became popular, especially as body art for brides during wedding ceremonies. Today, henna body art continues to be traditionally used in wedding celebrations and cultural ceremonies in North Africa, the Middle East and South Asia.

1. Henna
an art of tattoo
History and information

2. Henna likely originated in the Middle East,
possibly in Egypt. Archaeological evidence
shows mummies dating back 5,000 years with
henna-covered toenails.
For the Egyptians, henna was part of the ritual
preparation
for the afterlife—body art supposedly
smoothed the journey ahead.
Henna was not limited to burial practices but
was used throught the culture.

3. During the New Kingdom,
the nails of royal
mummies and other high-
status individuals were
often hennaed. Though
the nails of Ramesses I
have not been analyzed
for traces of henna, they
are a distinct deep orange
color.

4. During life and in death henna was used by the Egyptians to
color their hair as it is still used today. Ramses II used it to
color his white hair to a more youthful auburn.
The L’Oreal institute plucked out one of hairs to examine the
roots, and found it to be naturally auburn when he was
younger (even grey hair retains pigment in the roots). It was
hennaed in his old age to match the color of his youth.
http://mathildasanthropologyblog.wordpress.com/2008/07/21/mummies-and-mummy-
hair-from-ancient-egypt/

5. The Mughals brought
henna to India in the
12th Century A.D. It
evidently caught on,
because by the time
the 1600s rolled
around,
henna-covered hands
were commonplace
in India.
http://www.indianbridesa.co.za/meaning_of_mehndi.htm

6. Henna body art is traditionally used in the Indian culture in
ceremonies related to marriage.
In the Middle East it customary for Arabs not to present their
hands for henna if they are lying about something, and like in
India, it is usually body paint for brides. In countries like
Turkey, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia henna is a symbol of good
luck.
People in Morocco use henna body
painting for many different things –
pregnant women use henna designs
on their ankles to protect them
through childbirth; these designs
remain family specific and are
passed down through generations.
http://www.hennapage.com/henna/what/freebooks/HPJpp2.pdf

7. The henna night traditionally marks the official beginning of the
wedding festivities. In times past Arab brides would be covered
from head to toe in henna patterns and somewhere on her
body the henna artist would include the initials of the husband.
The husband's task on the wedding night was to find those
initials.
These days, the bride and her guests usually have patterns
applied to just their hands, feet and ankles. Professional
henna artists are always hired and you’ll find each henna
salon and each area of the Gulf has its own specific patterns.
The henna patterns in Oman often involve large areas of very
dark brown/black geometric patterns (African influence) and
in Bahrain the colour is lighter and the patterns are smaller
and more delicate, often using flowers (Indian influence).

8. Name Game
A bride's wedding designs usually includes a hidden inscription of
the groom's name on her palm. It's believed, if the groom fails to
find his name within the intricate patterns, the bride will be more
dominant in conjugal life. Sometimes the wedding night is not
allowed to commence until the groom has found the names. This
is also seen as a subterfuge to let the groom touch the bride's
hands in order to find his name, thus initiating a physical
relationship. Another superstition regarding Mehendi is that if an
unmarried girl receives scrapings of Mehendi leaves from a bride,
she will soon find a suitable match.
http://hinduism.about.com/b/2009/08/07/the-beauty-of-mehendi.htm http://theweddingguide.com.my/tag/andy-lim/

9. Shelly Mehndi (Henna) Kits
This Kit simplifies the art of Mehandi application and helps in
making beautiful design pattern in deep color easily.
Mehandi Powder: Made from best quality leaves and finely
sieved. (50 gm)
Mehandi Oil: Blend of high quality essential oils. It helps to attain
deeper and attractive shades of natural Mehandi color. (4ml)
Cone: Cone is equipped with a special nozzle to provide better
control and smooth flow while making designs.
Stencils: Self Adhesive plastic stencil for quick imprinting of
different designs.
Design Paper: Attractive designs of
mehandi for hands and feet which
can be used as convenient guide
while using cone.
Instruction Page: Instruction of using
Cone and Stencil

10. http://wgaw.blogspot.com/2008/12/henna-night-12o2.html
Henna is the Persian name for the plant with the Latin name,
'Lawson inermis' which is found in many hot, dry countries. The
leaves from the plant are picked, dried, crushed and then made
into a paste which is then applied to the body in patterns or
shapes and as it dries stains the skin underneath. Once the
henna is dry, which takes anything up to a couple of hours, the
flakes are rubbed off and the pattern can be seen.

13. Temporary Black Henna tattoos
can cause permanent scarring.
Warning! Henna tattooing is not automatically safe to have
done. While the pure henna has a small rate of allergic
reactions there have been some that have not.
Henna tattooing can have other ingredients that can cause
severe allergic reactions, scarring, and health complications.
Make sure to discuss any serious thoughts of having this
procedure done with a dermatologist prior to the actual
application process.
LPS does not endorse this practice in any manner
what-so-ever.
See the listed web site for further information.
http://www.snopes.com/horrors/vanities/henna.asp

14. Questions?