Yay! The wedding season is on & this will be the most precious moment of your life. Despite all the excitement & butterflies in your stomach, you will be exhausted, overwhelmed, and yet times out of mind on your wedding day. And it happens with all the couples-to-be. With all the hectic wedding preparations, you may experience a surge of emotions and physical exhaustion. But don’t let that stop you from having a blast at your wedding ceremony. Henna is your best buddy in dealing with wedding stress. Mehndi, or wedding henna ceremony, is organized two to three days before the wedding day. Besides making you look dazzling, henna relieves your anxiety and stress and makes you enjoy the moment.
Henna
Henna, also known as Mehndi, is extracted from the leaves of the plant Lawsonia Inermis. The leaves are dried and crushed into powder form, which, when mixed with water and sugar, turns into a thick paste that can have staining properties on the skin. When you look at the history of henna, it has been used as body art for over a thousand years. It holds a greater significance on wedding occasions. An entire day is dedicated to the wedding henna party two or three days before the wedding. It is a tradition to enhance the bride's beauty with appealing henna art for the wedding season. Henna has recently gained popularity in Western countries. In recent years, henna has been used in bachelorette parties in pre-wedding celebrations.
What Happens At Wedding Henna Parties
1. It was a common belief about Mehndi that the darker the henna color on the bride’s skin, the more she would be loved by her husband and mother-in-law. Well, the mehndi ceremony is not limited by the sentiments of people. There are specific reasons why we use henna at weddings.
2. There was a practice of writing the groom’s name on the bride’s henna design. In the past, when marriages were arranged, the bride and groom never had an opportunity to see each other before the wedding. The wedding night was when the newlywed couple met for the first time. Thus, the groom’s name on the bride's hand used to be an icebreaker to initiate the conversation between them. Nowadays, things have changed multifold. The bride and groom get to know each other very well before marriage. But, the ritual of writing the groom's name on the bride’s hand is still followed in India. It is a fun activity to let the groom search for his name on the bride’s hand.
3.In some cultures, the bride’s wedding henna comes from the groom’s home. They hold a henna tattoo wedding ceremony where the groom’s family applies henna to the bride-to-be & decorates her up for the wedding. They believe in a quote in Hindi that means, “We want you to get color in your colors.” It is a friendly gesture of welcoming the bride-to-be into their family and accepting her as their own.
Medicinal Benefits of Henna For Parties
Want to know why henna holds greater significance in wedding ceremonies? Scroll further down:
1. Cools Down Naturally
A wedding occasion involves rituals that can go on for days depending on different countries' cultural traditions. The rigorous wedding preparations are stressful and may cause headaches and fevers. The overwhelming wedding rituals mixed with nervous anticipation can take a severe toll on the bride and groom’s health. It increases your body heat, leading to physical exhaustion and digestive issues. Also, your palms and feet have nerve endings. Applying henna on these areas will have a natural cooling effect throughout the body.
2. Reduces Your Stress Levels
Because you should handle all the preparations & guests, it is necessary to keep yourself relaxed and have fun. For this purpose and to remove excess body heat, wedding henna custom is the best option.
3. Improves Blood Circulation
Though there is little scientific evidence available, people believe henna has healing properties for the body. Henna is found to maintain better blood circulation in the body, thus improving the functioning of all organs of the body.
4. Relieves Arthritis To Some Extent
As henna is a natural coolant, it can act as an anti-inflammatory agent on swollen nerves. This relieves the unbearable pain and discomfort caused by arthritis.
5. Relieves Skin-Related Issues
As a natural dye, henna is effective against skin issues like itching, eczema, etc., due to its anti-bacterial properties. Additionally, henna offers a soothing effect on blisters or burns.
Tips for Wedding Henna Design for Brides
1. Finding Your Henna Artist
Different occasions carry different vibes. Each person will have their own choices regarding henna designs. Whether it is for wedding henna, party purposes, mandala designs, or tattoo art, we help you easily create beautiful designs using henna stencils and natural henna powder.
2. Plan Ahead
Plan your mehndi ceremony 2-3 days before your wedding to you look flattering on your wedding day. It is because henna takes about 48-72 hours to transform into its finest and brightest color. You must leave the henna on your hands for 6-8 hours for the optimum henna results.
3. Get Your Mehndi Early
You may have many guests coming to your mehndi event. Get your henna work done at least 2-3 hours before the guests arrive so you can socialize well with them and not get too distracted while the henna is applied. Ask your artist to bring henna designs for wedding guests and let them also shine in the best henna designs.
4. Henna Aftercare Is Important
As much as choosing original henna is essential, you must follow guided henna aftercare for the best results. For perfect henna art, hire a skilled henna artist who mixes their mehndi designs with your ideas and takes you through the process of aftercare henna. Once the dried henna lumps are removed, apply coconut oil to moisturize your hands and feet and protect the henna color from washing out.
Note:
On this important day, you cannot take any risk that can ruin your wedding vibes. Choosing a professional wedding henna artist who knows their work, follows work ethics, and doesn’t perform any malpractices as you would reasonably spend a reasonable amount of time with them in your wedding season. There are many incidents where henna artists use store-bought henna, black henna, or cheap quality henna during bridal mehndi designs instead of high-quality henna. They are full of chemicals and added preservatives for brighter colors and longevity. They can cause severe skin reactions in the areas of applications and can even be fatal. Black henna contains a hazardous substance that is deadly to the skin. After the dangers of black henna were exposed, its use was banned in several countries.
How Can Mihenna Help?
Several companies are selling pre-made henna cones and henna powders worldwide. You can easily order henna powder online and make your own designs. But is henna safe? Do they give the expected results while keeping you safe? Not all, though! Most henna powders readily available in the market contain chemicals that can cause allergic reactions to the skin. Black henna is one best examples. So, what’s the solution? Nature has the answer. An organic henna powder extracted from the henna plant, Lawsonia Inermis is natural and safe for your skin. Mihenna is an organic henna powder-making company delivering in the United States and Canada. With Mihenna, you can order henna powder and make your own henna paste at home.
You can order a henna powder kit to get all the essentials of henna body art. If you want to cover up any gray hairs for the wedding, our henna hair dye will help you color the gray hair . For bachelorette parties or hanging out with friends, we recommend using our henna stencils so you can create your designs without the help of henna professionals. Not satisfied with the stencils in the kit? You can build your henna kit using multiple varieties of stencils available at our store. Join us to make your wedding henna ceremony healthier and happier. Prayers and blessings to your wedding from Mihenna.