A bridal mehendi timeline, week by week
From the first enquiry to the morning after the mehendi, here is when each step should happen.
Natural henna or chemical cones: how to tell
Black henna and instant cones can stain in minutes. Here is what is in them, and how to spot one before it touches your skin.
Natural henna paste is green-brown when you squeeze it out and smells of earth and eucalyptus. It stains orange first and takes a day or two to reach its final red-brown. It never stains black. If a cone promises a dark colour in 30 minutes, or the paste itself is jet black, something has been added.
The usual additive is a dye used in hair colour. It is not meant to sit on bare skin for hours, and some people find their skin reacts to it. We do not use it, and we will not apply cones that guests bring from the market, even at a home function. It is not about our cones being better; it is that we cannot tell what is in someone else’s.
There are simple checks. Read the label: natural henna lists henna leaf, an acid like lemon, sugar and an oil, and little else. Look at the date: fresh paste has a short life, so a cone without a made-on date or one that has sat on a warm shelf for months is a warning. Smell it: a sharp chemical smell is another.
Our own cones are rolled every Thursday and carry the date on the wrapper. If you are unsure about any cone, try a small dot on the inside of your arm a day before and see how it behaves.
