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COPYRIGHT 2001 Mothering Magazine
We drink espresso, eat sushi, listen to reggae, and wear batik. So it was only a matter of time before world culture came to cosmetics. Mehndi, the ancient Indian and African art of painting the body with henna, is fun, safe, and a more personal form of expression than a smear of blue eye shadow ever could be. It has reemerged from the mists of time, valued today for its natural qualities and spiritual dimension.
We humans have been decorating our bodies since ancient times. Celtic tribes colored their skin blue, and American women in the 1920s rouged their knees. Mummies unearthed in ancient Egyptian tombs bear evidence of mehndi; eons later, henna still tints their skin and fingernails. As a cosmetic, henna has traveled from Africa to India, following trade routes and adapting to local traditions and aesthetics. In today's world culture, mehndi is available to anyone.
Mehndi uses the coloring properties of henna, a bushlike herb that grows throughout Africa and the Middle East. The dried and ground leaves are mixed with strongly-brewed black tea and a few drops of oil (jasmine, eucalyptus, clove, even olive or corn oil) to create a cool, moist paste. The paste is drawn in patterns on the skin and allowed to set. As it dries, the color seeps into the skin. In India, practiced artists apply the paste by squeezing it through their fingers, but it can also be applied with a foil or paper cornet, a plastic applicator bottle, a toothpick, or a knitting needle. As with decorating a cake, a steady...
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