Has your mehndi stained alarmingly light at first? Don't despair, I'm here to help!

Indeed, it comes as a shock to the best of people when they wake up in the morning, remove their mehndi, and then - "WHERE'S MY STAIN??" *insert shocked face here*
This happens, even after following my care instructions to a T.

Some background information: Many people get their mehndi done on special occasions, and they want something that's done quickly, and stains really quickly. They go home, wash it out, and a seemingly good stain is present, which deepens over the next few hours or so. They tuck themselves into bed, stare at the ceiling in awe, fall into a cosy sleep, and all is well in the world. Unfortunately, not for long, though...they've been disillusioned by Instant Mehndi.

I'm here to help you with this, and to dispel any myths you may have had in the process.

"WHERE'S MY STAIN??"

The pic you see above was taken about 5 minutes after I removed the paste. This is natural mehndi...and at first, this is enough to scare anybody who feels like they've invested in a good mehndi artist.

You'll be rewarded richly when you apply baby oil and patience.

The end product will surprise you.

Myth #1: When the mehndi paste is removed, it will immediately be dark.

Not so. In fact, I went to sleep a bit worried, thinking in full paranoia that this time Murphy's Law may have hit me this time and it won't stain so well. Two days later I ended up with that! It may seem like nothing's happening but trust me, it will darken.

Our next photo shows a bit more effort. I applied an extra amount of heat by keeping my hot water bottle close to me at all times. Removing the paste gave me this:

48 hours later, heat + baby oil + patience - water = this beauty.

When they say anything's possible, they meant it.

The weather was quite cold that week so you can combat it by keeping extra warm, and you'll still get a good stain.

Myth #2: Washing mehndi off with water won't have any effect on the stain.

Water's bad for mehndi; if there's one promise I'll make to you, it's one that says your stain won't reach its full potential if water sneaks its way in. This is a no-chemicals-allowed zone, so a quick dark stain is out of the question. Gotta make time for it ;)

Myth #3: I can leave the design on for an hour or two and it'll stain well.

This has to be left on for several hours at least.

Myth #4: (this is worth a mention) I can use the quick-staining mehndi on kids.

No.



So, in all essence,

Hot water bottles = good
Clean, warm skin beforehand = good
Washing out with water = bad
Coming into contact with water in general = bad
Keeping your design on for as long as possible = good
Rubbing continuously with baby oil/olive oil/vegetable oil = good
Natural mehndi = very good
Snuggling under the covers with popcorn and a movie = blissfully good
Booking your appointment with me = extremely and blissfully good
Following my step-by-step tried and trusted care instructions I provide after your appointment = fantastic
Trusting you'll get a good stain if you've followed all of the above = the best.

I've mentioned before that different skin types and thicknesses, climate etc. all affect the way you stain, even the colour you stain, and each person will be different. Feel free to come back to refer to this post when you need reassurance, and when you need an on-the-go guide, or drop me an e-mail or message. Have faith. Only time will tell.