Handy fashion tool

Henna, long known for its medicinal properties, is making waves as a stylish accessory


An ancient art practised for centuries, henna painting brings special events and festivities alive even today. Women get together singing and dancing, while getting their hands and feet painted with intricate patterns with the paste made from the henna plant. Today it has become a fashion accessory. It certainly looks attractive: if the designs fail to grab attention, the fragrance is sure to get it noticed.

Henna, or mehendi as it is also called in the Subcontinent, has managed to survive the sands of time. It certainly wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that henna has only grown popular with age. The ancient Egyptians used it for mummification. The Moroccans, and also the Sudanese, believed that rubbing henna on the palms cooled the body. Around the 12th century , the Mughals brought it to India; since then it has developed as an art form.

Henna has had a lot of applications ever since. Besides being used as skin paint for decorating the body, it also works as a conditioner for the scalp and hair. It is noted for its medicinal properties, especially when mixed with other ingredients.

With time, both men and women across the world have recognised henna as essential for personal grooming, though in varying perspectives. Some give it with traditional, cultural values and others treat it as a fashion statement. Whatever the intention, henna has time and again proved its worth by being useful in many innovative ways.

Henna in place of jewellery

Now gaining popularity, henna is being used in place of jewellery to adorn oneself for a festive occasion.

Says Afifa Ismail, an expert in henna painting in Dubai for the last 25 years: "Henna helps express a woman's beauty in totality." Afifa believes that henna has a language of its own and through its design, colour and odour, it enhances a festive time into full bloom.

An MA from International Correspondence Schools, Afifa is of the opinion that henna to the West is a temporary tattoo.

But to the East, it is about women, celebration, hope, transition, growth, auspiciousness, spirituality, good fortune, and above all, pure beauty.