Mehndi! (Henna)

For our final evening in India, we all got the chance to have some Henna designs done on our hands and feet! The lady who did the artwork was Rajiv's neighbor and now travels all around the world to do it for people - she was amazing and so fast!!
Henna, or Mehndi in the Hindi language, is a natural dye from ground henna leaves mixed with an oil. The paste is applied to the hands in the same way frosting can be applied to a cake with a decorating bag. I told her she should open her own cake decorating store!! The paste can be applied in thin or thick lines and usually forms intricate lace-like designs. The henna paste dries on the skin in about an hour and is then rubbed off, revealing a light orange tattoo. Throughout the next 24 hours, the dye will change from light to dark pretty durastically. Henna stays on the skin for about 1-3 weeks following application.

It was really fun for us to watch this form of Indian design and take a little piece of Indian culture back home with us. Here's a short video of the process and a photo of the finished product!