Not all henna artists are created equal!

Let me ask you this....
Do you care about what goes on your skin? 
Would you like a beautiful henna stain on your wedding day? 
If the answer is yes to both, then make sure you do this first.

Do your research.
Just like you made sure you like everything about the photographer, make-up artist, décor make sure to do your research about the henna artist.
Visit their photo gallery (website and/or social media). If they don't have any....🚩

Make sure they have henna stain pictures in their portfolio.  📷

Ask questions

• Do they use homemade, natural henna paste? The correct answer is 'yes'. 👍
• What are the ingredients of their paste? If they can't provide this info, that's a 🚩 red flag.
• What packages do they offer for hands and feet - coverage & 💲💲💲?
• How long does the henna application take?
• Do they work solo or with a team? It's common for artists in the USA to work solo for bridal henna.
• Do they travel? 🚗 If they drive themselves that's a plus! 👍
• How far can they travel for a bridal henna? Artists may have a limit about how far they travel from home.
• What are the travel charges? This covers gas, wear & tear of their vehicle and time.
• What's their booking process? Pro henna artists require a booking fee (retainer) to hold your date.

I'm sure these questions will help you select the best bridal henna artist for you!
Make sure to let me know by commenting below if you tried this.
Leave me 👍 below if this was helpful.

-Manasi
Bridal Henna Specialist, Atlanta GA

Believe me when I say...
Nothing is more frustrating for the bride and the mehndi artist than henna mess-ups.
And cancan can be one of the main culprits!
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Want me to elaborate? Read till the end for the alternatives.

• A cancan is a stiff net. It's attached to the underskirt to give a flared shape to a skirt or lehenga.
• Since it is very stiff, it's very hard to fold.
• A henna (mehendi artist) artist needs unrestricted access to the bride's feet and ankles.
• A skirt or lehenga without cancan can be easily pinned out of the way.
• However, most cancans are extremely stiff and are very hard to move or pin out of the way.
• Even if it's somehow pinned away, it tends to come undone and brush against the wet henna at the ankles.
• As you can imagine, this makes it very hard on your henna artist to do their job.
• Not to mention it's frustrating for the bride because the feet design keeps getting messed up despite her best efforts.

But fret not!
If you a bride-to-be take notes!
I have few options for you that'll help you and your henna artist avoid this issue completely!

• For custom made lehengas, request a more comfortable cancan.
• If your lehenga came with the stiff cancan attached, have it taken out. (psst... can be simply trimmed off)
• Order a cancan skirt separately that is not stiff instead. Several options available online.

Save this for yourself for future reference.
Share this with a friend who is actively planning her mehndi night.
Save yourself and/or your friend AND their henna artist from having to face this.

As always, I'm here to answer any questions!

This popular phrase applies to mehndi artists too.
'Tips are not expected but appreciated.'

There's something even more valuable than tips for a henna artist! 
To make it a little less vague, here's my suggestion as a henna artist with 13 yrs experience.

As a client how was your experience quality working with the artist?
Good
Tip them.
Better
Tip + leave a review
Best
Tip + review + recommend to friends

Was this helpful?
What other questions can I answer for you?

Short answer: Don't do it!

Long answer:
Here's what happens, from a bridal henna specialist with 13 yrs of experience. 
✨You plan your henna during an event.
Most probably on your Mehndi night. ✨

👍🏽The upside?
Your guests get to watch you get henna done live.
They also get their henna done for the wedding. That's why it is called a Mehndi night!

👎🏽The downside?
Every aunty and all your friends in the room want to greet you - followed by hugs, pats, kisses.
Which results in...
👇🏽
You moving. This affects the henna application greatly.
👇🏽
Your mehndi artist tries to fix the design or may be stops the application so as to not mess it up.
👇🏽
This takes time.
👇🏽
Then there are pictures taken.
More people around you which highly increases the risk of someone accidently brushing against your beautiful bridal henna.
👇🏽
Your henna artist graciously fixes all the mess ups despite all the unwanted interruptions.
After all, how the design turns out in the end falls on your henna artist and not the bride.
Not to mention adding more time to the application.
👇🏽
This means the bride has to sit still even longer for application.
👇🏽
To add salt to the wound, everyone starts having fun around you but you are stuck with getting henna done.

👉🏽Makes sense?
Let me know below!

What color is henna?
Okay. 
Let's start with the basics.

Henna is a plant and its leaves are harvested, dried and milled into a powder.
This powder is used to make henna paste. 

Let's take an example of spinach that you can buy at any regular grocery store.
When you cook these green spinach leaves, they turn to a dark green mess...lol.
Henna paste is the same color - dark green.

Now let's talk about the color that henna paste leaves behind on the skin.
The naturally occurring dye in henna is a translucent orange color.
When exposed to air, this dye gets darker - more red to dark brown shades.
Watch this video to see the progression of henna stain on skin.

What else can I help you with today?
  

I bet you are one of those people who like to educate yourself before you get into something. 
If that something is getting henna done then you're in the right place!
I'm sharing my aftercare instructions below. 

• Once the design is applied, keep it on for 4 to 8 hours. The longer the better!
• Keep the design from getting wet during this time.
• This is the 'Setting time' and affects how long the stain will last.
• After the Setting time, first scrape off the paste or gently pick at it with your finger.
• Do not wash it.
• Then apply coconut oil on stubborn bits to remove easily.
• Lastly, avoid getting the design wet for 12 hours after scraping the paste off. This step is important to get a beautiful dark stain.
• Stay warm. This is important to get a dark stain. 

Watch the video below.

If you follow these instructions carefully, I'm sure it will result in a beautiful henna stain. 
I would love to hear from you if it worked or not in the comments below.

Wedding planning can definitely be an overwhelming experience.
Let's help you by asking you some key questions.

Ask yourself this to help prioritize your favorite wedding vendors.
Question 1
Every time you think about your ideal wedding, an image may pop up into your mind. What do you see?
Is it how beautifully you are dressed up? Is the venue and beautiful décor, or is the pictures and videos of a beautiful wedding?
Note this down.

Question 2
Do you have a Pinterest board of bridal henna designs and/or the mandap décor?
What is the Pinterest board about? 
Note this down.

Question 3
Is there something without which your dream wedding won't feel complete?
If you don’t have them as you wanted them, would your dream wedding still come true?
That’s a tell-tale sign of you where your priority lies.
Note this down too.

Look at your notes. 
Did the answers surprise you?
Maybe deep inside you already knew, but now it's crystal clear.

If this was helpful in any way, please let me know!
Whether  you’re  feeling  overwhelmed or determined, discover more  about bridal henna at HennafyMe.com

Is henna considered a 'tattoo'?
The short answer is No.
It is a form of art that stays on your skin for a few days and then goes away.

The long answer:
By definition, the word tattoo has two meanings according to google search.
1. mark (a person or a part of the body) with an indelible design by inserting pigment into punctures in the skin. 
2. a rhythmic tapping or drumming.

None of these apply to henna or its application.
Here's one of my Instagram videos showing henna application using a cellophane cone applicator.

Henna paste is applied on top of the skin.
The paste sits on top of the skin and there are no needles or any kind of pain involved.
Getting henna design done is a very therapeutic, calming and pampering experience.
It has no religious affiliations.
The henna art form is a part of several cultures spanning the continents of Asia and Africa. 

Please leave me your questions below.

Would you believe me if I said that henna is a plant?

You read that correctly!
Henna is a plant, a tall shrub in fact, that grows in harsh desert areas of Africa and Asia.
It has fragrant flowers and often planted as hedges.
The leaves are harvested for their staining properties, sun dried and ground to a powder.
Coarsely ground powder is often used for hair application.
Body art quality (BAQ) henna powder is often very finely ground. As fine as all-purpose flour!

The henna paste that you see applied on skin?
That is a paste made by mixing henna powder + water (or a liquid like lemon juice) + sugar + essential oils.
That is it.
Very simple! Watch my henna paste making video here.

What questions do you have for me?
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