Traditionally in India Mehendi is applied to a woman's hands and feet. But on very auspicious occasions men apply henna as well. During an Indian wedding both the bride and bridegroom apply henna. Henna symbolizes fertility. It is also a symbol of love between husband and wife. The bride''s intricate Mehendi pattern normally has the name of the groom interwoven into it. The groom is expected to find his name in the pattern. If he cannot do so, it is said that, the bride will control the marriage. Its use became popular in India because of its cooling effect in the hot Indian summers. 

Today henna is used to make tattoos on different parts of the body whether it is the arm, the wrist or around the navel. Henna is being used for body art as well. In this form Mehendi has become popular in the west. No doubt the most popular use of henna is to dye hair. As it is a natural dye and the color is beautiful and gives the hair lustrous look. Henna has to be mixed in the right proportion with the right ingredients to get the desired color and effect. There are different ways, designs and patterns that can be used to draw intricately on a woman''s hand. If the color of Mehendi is to last for a long time one has to take proper care of it. There are certain drawbacks of using henna as well. Read through our site to find more information about all this and more. 

Henna tattooing is the hottest trend to come from the East. Its popularity exploded in 1998 in New York city, and is fast becoming the most sought after, fascinating beauty creations in North America. Many celebrities have been proud to show their henna tattoos in public, on the big screen, and in music videos. India, Gulf, the Yemen, Morocco, Egypt, Iran and the Sudan are the main growers and exporters of henna. Large quantities of henna are produced at home for the local market, and much smaller quantities sold on the international market. For instance, only half of the sum lak''s metric tones of leaves produced in Sojat city, Rajashtan (India) each year is sold abroad, the rest is consumed within Sojat city, Rajashtan (India).Henna is normally cultivated in rows like small hedges. Two or three crops a year are usually harvested from the plants in April-May, August and October-November. The leaves, flowers and buds are harvested by cutting the shoots off the plant, which may continue to produce a crop for between 6-12 years. One hectare of land can produce 1,000-1,500 kg of leaves