Mehndi... you see that name plastered everywhere, from a print type on a slipdress to little brown magic markers. You may think of Madonna or Drew Barrymore or Gwen Stefani or perhaps a Gothic outcast living next door. Maybe Mehndi makes you think of the catwalk or of California or maybe even India.

Madonna's Mehndi-covered hand in the "Frozen" video.

Unfortunately women and art don't readily come to mind and we can thank major industry for that. Commercialization always distorts things. So what is the real deal with Mehndi?

For starters, Mehndi designs are made by applying henna to the skin. Henna is made from a plant known as lawsonia inerma in Latin. Many people use it to colour their hair. When water is added to the dry henna powder, it forms paste-like mud (i.e. mud mask ). You can take a paint brush and make designs. When dry, you can peel the henna paste off. Underneath is a design which is stained onto your skin, so it looks like a tattoo, but it's temporary. Most Mehndi designs are light orange to brown-coloured, depending on your skin colour, texture, length you leave the paste on, etc.

Now for the history segment. The art of Mehndi goes back thousands of years in India. It is also one of the few arts to be totally created, mastered and transmitted through the generations exclusively by women. Thus, women used and continue to use Mehndi as a form of personal expression and also as a way to bond with other women.

Usually, Mehndi wasn't a big deal: many women practiced Mehndi as they would apply make-up or put on jewelry. The exception was marriage. In many traditional Indian and Arabic weddings, Mehndi was, and still is, a part of the elaborate decoration ritual of the bride-to-be; likewise, henna represents peace, good luck and omens in many of these cultures.

Furthermore, forms of Mehndi were practiced by Muslim, Jewish, Gypsy and nomadic women in Africa, Australia, Turkey, Cypress, Egypt, etc.

Traditional Indian Mehndi.

Sadly not enough emphasis is placed on the "woman" part of Mehndi which can lead to its return to obscurity. Hopefully girls around the world won't let this happen.

Now, some bad news about Mehndi:

• Some people with sensitive skin might get an allergic reaction from the paste
• Henna should never be ingested because it can poison you
• One type of henna to stay far, far away from is so called Black henna which has left permanent scars on some people because of a chemical added to it called PPD. Use only red henna products to avoid these problems.
• Never use ink pens to get a Mehndi "effect", not only does it look bad but it can also be toxic. Use make-up or my fave, self-tanner, instead!

• If you would like to learn more about Mehndi or say hi to me, you can visit my Mehndi site or e-mail me at bijork@rocketmail.com

Discuss this topic on Eve's Message Board.

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