Henna is a dried leaf herb of Lawsonia inermis L. family. Henna or mehndi, as it is commonly called, is a popular form of natural dye used for rendering color as well as beautifying the hands, nails, feet, hair and different parts of the body by employing a host of exotic designs and patterns.

These applications of Mehndi are derived by creating an aqueous paste of henna powder obtained by drying its leaves. Henna is primarily a shrub or a small tree which grows in clusters, usuallly found in the Middle East and other Asia-Pacific regions. This particularly includes countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and India. In these countries henna is regarded as a highly sacred and a ceremonial dye used by people for special ocassions like weddings, festivals etc.

Natural henna powder is primarily green in color. The stain that henna powder paste leaves on the skin ranges from reddish brown to deep maroon. The use of henna as a dye is increasingly gaining popularity all over the world as it is made up of purely all-natural ingredients and are free from any kind of skin damaging chemicals.

Henna dye has a staying capacity for about one to three weeks on the skin. However, factors like body temperature, skin type, life style and the surrounding weather conditions do effect its maintainence. Henna powder stays fresh for one to two years if it is kept away form light and moisture.