The Marriage Of Art And Alliance A Habit Of Henna

A Hindu bride is a work of art: Her hands and feet are a canvas for the most intricate of henna designs. It is said that the darker the colour of the design, the more love and welcome she will receive from her in-laws so getting it right is an absolute must.

- Sophie Ibbotson and  Max Lovell-Hoare

Henna (Lawsonia inermis) is a flowering plant native to the tropical and subtropical zones of Africa, South Asia and northern Australasia. The plants are cultivated most heavily in the Pali district of Rajasthan, where more than 100 henna processors operate in a single city. The henna they produce is used domestically within India but also exported around the world, where henna body art and hair dye are growing trends.

Since the Bronze Age, henna has been used to dye not only textiles but also skin and hair. The dark reddish brown stain that it leaves on the skin makes it perfect for body art, particularly as it is only semi-permanent, and it has been used as a cosmetic hair dye for the past 6,000 years. It is claimed that the ancient Egyptian queens Nefertiti and Cleopatra both used henna on their hair. More recently, the bohemian followers of the pre-Raphaelite movement considered red hair (natural or otherwise) to be the pinnacle of aesthetics. Across the Islamic world today, you may see men with their hair and beards died orange with henna: They are following the traditions of Prophet Mohammad. He also encouraged women to dye their nails with henna so that they could easily be distinguished from the hands of men.