The henna powder you use should be as fine as talc or baby powder, and should not have any little sticks of bits or leave in it. Fresh henna should smell like fresh herbs or fresh grass, and should have a vibrant green color. Never use henna that appears too light green or gray. Always store your henna powder in a cool, dark, airtight place free of light and moisture. You might also want to check with Islamic or International shops on the web or in your town or shops that sell natural products.

• a dissolving factor of the flaccidity of an organ, which characteristic comes from a balancing moisture it contains; and
• it contains a costive characteristic of a cold earth substance. Some benefits of Henna include: treatment of burns, congruity with nerves when used in poultices(soft moist heated mass spread on cloth and applied to the sore), and is used for the treatment of ulcers of the mouth, stomach, burns, and hot swellings.

Staining the nails, skin and hair with henna is the favorite way of enhancing beauty amongst women in the Middle East. It is used as both a hair treatment as well as a dye to make decorative designs on the skin. Henna cosmetics are made from the Egyptian evergreen plant, Lawsonia inermis, whose shoots and leaves yield an extract which is mixed with catechu, anastringent substance obtained from various trees and shrubs. Arabians crush dried berries from this plant to obtain a red powder.

Black henna (saumer) is reserved for the soles of the feet and hands while red henna is used for the tips of the fingers and toes. It involves the additional use of another paste made from powdered lime (nura) and powdered crystal amoniac (shanadah). The orange markings then turn black and then remain on the skin for about twenty or thirty days. Both red and black henna can commonly be purchased from international grocery stores.

The application of henna is a ritual which may take up to 6 hours. After all ingredients are mixed and designs applied the person shouldn't disturb painted areas for 6 hours or more, depending upon the richess of color and how long you want the design to stay on. This recipe was given by a Moroccan woman for henna application:(1) Purchase fresh red powder henna (Afshan or Sadaq brands boxed and wrapped. 2) one cup brewed black tea, allowed to sit overnight, 3) 1 tsp of fresh lemon juice from a lemon which sat in the sun 12 hours or more, 4) blass bowl, not ceramic, 5) mixing spoon, 6) Rose and Orange water to wash hands and feet before application. For application, the traditional N. African tool is a Mishwak pick, but you can also use cake decorators, stencils from craft shops (taped to body first). There may also be available for purchase henna pens from Pakistan.

HAIR

Function of henna: Hair papilla nourishes hair pigment that gives the color to hair. It is a good hair conditioner. It strengthens the roots of hair and gives shine to hair.
Recipe:

• 2 cups henna
• 1 egg white
• 2 tsp coffee powder (Nescafe)
• 3 big lemons
• 3 tsp Tea water

• Mix ingredients with water until consistent.
• Apply to humid hair as a paste. Go to the roots first.
• Wrap a warm cloth around your head.
• Leave it from half an hour to three hours.
• Most people remove it when dry.
• Remember that hot water releases the red pigment of the henna.
• If you are blond, you might end up orange. Therefore use neutral henna. Other hair color look nice with colored henna: brown hair might turn out to make you look like a natural dark red headed; dark hair usually only keep a shadow of red.
• It is preferable not to use henna before about the puberty age. For sinus or bronchopneumonia people, avoid lemon; use more coffee and egg.
• Also use hot water.

• 1.Good for falling hair.
• 2.It is a good conditioner, give luster to the hair.
• 3.It strengthens the roots of the hair.
• 4.It turns white pigment to brown.
• 5.Good for dandruff.
• 6.Good for high blood pressure, migrain.
• 7.For heart patients it gives cooling effect.
• 8.Good for heart strokes
• 9.Good for scanty or rough hair and premed hair, blithered hair.
• 10.It stimulate blood circulation
• 11.It removes tensions, worry, anxiety, fatigue, cornice, insomnia.
• 12.It has a sex appeal also.

Henna can also be used for creating designs on skin in the manner of a removable tattoo.
You can buy henna mehndi through the web from Life Art (http://www.hunza.com/), or Castle Art (http://www.castleart.com/), they both have quality henna.
Heat 2-3 inches of water in a saucepan. Toss in a palm full of fresh whole and ground cloves, dried lemons, and 2 or 3 bags of dark tea or coffee singles. Simmer the mixture for about an hour. You can also add other ingredients to the mix, such as tamarind paste, granulated sugar, or pomegranite concentrate. Stir your brew with a wooden spoon. You should NEVER use metal utensils to mix it. After you have sufficiently cooked your mixture fir an hour, remove it from heat and allow it to cool. Then you may begin mixing it into the henna powder.
Once the henna is mixed, let it sit for a couple hours, preferably overnight.
For application, put henna it into a small bottle with a long thin tip on it. You can find them at specialty stores, or in arts and craft stores.
You can also use paper cones.
When you mix the brew into the powder to make the paste, be careful not to add too much right away, so you don't accidentally make it too thin. While mixing the paste, I add generous amounts of lemon juice and eucalyptus oil. The end mixture should have a very smooth texture, slightly thinner than toothpaste. Normally I can tell if a batch is good if it begins to stain my skin with a vibrant orange color after being on for only 5-10 minutes. TIP: If you mix up more paste than you need, you can freeze it for up to 6 months, and it will still work well.

HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR NEW DESIGN
Once the paste is applied, you'll need to cover the design in a lemon and sugar mixture, made from equal amounts of fresh squeezed lemons and granulated sugar. This substance creates a sticky coating that helps keep the design in place and the citric acid helps deepen the color. Be sure you do not have any pulp in the mixture. You will also need to heat the design. Use a candle when the mix is on hands, but a hair dryer works good too. No matter what, be careful so you don't get burned. Alternate between dabbing the lemon sugar on with a real cotton ball and then applying heat if possible.
Repeat this process 4-5 times. Then wrap the designs in unraveled cotton balls (use only real cotton) or large cotton first aid pads. Leave the design on overnight and scrape it off in the morning. Rub some oil (such as vegetable oil) on the design and avoid washing it for a day or so. It should last quite a while (about 3-4 weeks) if the henna paste was good and you care for the design a lot. If you ever want to get it off, scrubbing daily and swimming on clorinated water or getting sun on it will take it off much faster. Beware of getting it in the sun too much. If you get burned with a new design on, your design will fade and you will have a white design where the design used to be.