Mehndi Tip Monday: Dots, dots & more dots!

I recently posted a picture on my facebook page of a henna doodle that I did and explained the importance of thick/thin lines & a tip on how to achieve them. A few people messaged and said they found the tip very helpful so I thought why not do another one!


So here it is. My very own, 'Mehndi Tip Monday': 

It's probably become quite obvious from my designs on my facebook page (and I think I've also mentioned it before) - I love dots! If you haven't got a chance to check out my designs, here's a link to my facebook page: www.facebook.com/DivyasHennaArt. There's rarely a design where I don't used dots. Although they can be a bit overwhelming sometimes, they really do help to accentuate any henna design. And when I say dots, I mean descending (in size) dots. It's hard to explain in writing but the pictures below should be a good visual for what I mean when I say 'dots'. Because the dots wouldn't work that well with full traditional bridal henna, this tip is specifically for Indo-Arabic designs. It would work very well with bridal henna as well - but simple bridal henna.

Be sure to add some dots into your design & you'll notice how much of a difference it makes! 

Simple, arabic-style design. You can tell how the dot-patterns around the paisleys and florals really make the overall design stand out. 

The dots may not be as visible as they are in the design above, however, when you look at the overall design, you can tell that the dots really help to make the design more flow-y & delicate. 

Mehndi/Henna - products I use & more!

I haven’t really had the chance to experiment with different brands of mehndi that are available in the market so this post is simply to give everyone an idea of the the brand that I use and am accustomed to. The mehndi cones I use works great for me so I’ve resisted trying another brand. Many mehndi artists make their own mehndi paste and I think at some point, I may do so as well. For now, it’s difficult for me to take some time out of my schedule to experiment with different brands and try to make the paste myself. So, for mehndi artist out there or beginners who face the same problem, it’s better to get ready-made cones from the market that you can trust. Over here in Scarborough (Toronto), I buy my cones from Patel Brothers Grocery Store on Markham Road. 

The ready-made cones are packaged in a rectangular box and the brand goes by the name of "Afrin Special Dulhan Mehandi Cones”. I've attached a few pictures of how the product looks for anyone who wants to see it!

When you open the box, there are about a dozen ready-made cones - all individually packaged very neatly in a colorful wraper. One downside to buying ready-made cones is that sometimes the cones have damaged tips which makes it very difficult to apply the mehndi (probably because they're not handled carefully when being packaged etc.) When I'm buying these cones for myself I make sure that I always choose the ones that have a finer tip. From where I buy the cones, they're sold individually (unlike if you were buying it online where you'd have to buy them in a box) which gives me the option of choosing the good ones over the not-so-good ones. 

On a positive note, when you do come across the not-so-good cone, it's not too difficult to transfer the henna paste into a plastic cone wrap (which you can make at home yourself). I will go into more details about Do-it-Yourself Henna Cones in a future post because I think I've wrote enough in this one! I'll also do another update about the consistency & color (stain) for this specific brand of mehndi I use so stay tuned for that! 

It's a great product & I would definitely recommend it for beginners. Here’s a link for anyone interested in buying the product online: http://www.afrinherbalmehndi.com/products_herbal.htm