Henna Mania

With the influx of Bollywood babes and the introduction of Indian Vogue, Indian dressing has become a hot topic amongst fashionistas. Having grown up with inspirational Indian girls I have a fascination with their exotic style. My first love was spangly bangles and a Sandalwood fan that my dad gave me from a trip to Pakistan. I was hooked. The smell of the sandalwood, the elaborate carving of the fan and the gilded glamour of an armful of jingly-jangly bracelets, felt fabulous and mysterious.A young friend whose family owned “Bombay Stores” in Bradford was a wealth of knowledge and fascination. Like a mini magpie I would delve and explore the rainbow array of saris. My closest friend’s mother would dress me in saris and we would explore her jewellery box of gold nose rings and chains as though we had stumbled on buried treasure. I was the only English girl at school who wore Henna on her hands; I even bought a L’Oreal mehndi kit to pattern my hands with flowers, loops and swirls.Henna or Hina as it is sometimes known is a plant that can be made into a paste and when applied to the skin creates a red-brown stain. Once left on the skin, the paste dries, cracks and eventually crumbles to reveal the dye. Henna is applied during joyous times: weddings, celebrations and for good luck. It is also believed that Henna was used for medicinal purposes including skin ailments and for cooling the body in hotter months. Henna is an anthropologist’s intrigue….and its roots (pardon the plant pun) are buried “in the mists of time”.Certain celebrities have embraced this ancient accessory: Prince, Liv Tyler, Madonna Pink and Gwen Stefani to name a fascinating few. Why not spruce up your look with a little Mehndi mystery.BexBella