Another Recipe - Mehandi Powder

My aunt suggested to me a recipe I used to use at home, which she had learned from masters in mehndi from India. Basically, take water, tea leaves (I used 2 lipton tea bags), a few seeds of methi ka dana, and some tamarind paste, and boil this mixture until it reduces to half its original volume. Strain the tea (to get rid of the grains of methi and tamarind) and allow it to cool completely. Then add the henna and eucalyptus oil that you need (the general ratio is 1:1 liquid to solid). I usually add about 1/8 teaspoon sugar as well. Blend the paste completely, and allow it to sit, covered, for at least two hours. The premise behind waiting for the tea to cool is, that if you add hot tea to the henna, the henna will cook somewhat and therefore will become more grainy and more difficult to use. Allowing the henna to sit for 2 hours or better yet, overnight, will help the powder to dissolve better into the liquid.

Mehndi on the BackThe person who recommended to me to use iced tea said, "I have been experimenting with mehndi & discovered I had better results with a powdered instant ice tea mix than with regular tea bags. The mix has sugar and lemon juice powder, and I mixed about twice as much mix as mehndi powder, or just until you get a really dark color. It tends to make the mehndi paste adhere better, and tend to stay creamier, and wet longer." I haven't experimented with the iced tea myself, but it sounds like the idea could work considering the ingredients in the powdered mix. This person also suggested the wine vinegar. She once saw a recipe calling for wine and decided to replace it as such. She said that she got a very nice color, but the henna also fell off the skin very quickly.