Henna was originally known as Mehndi in Hindi and Urdu, Henna is red or brown dye that is normally made from dried leaves of the henna scrub (Lawsonia inermis). It has been practiced in Pakistan, India, Africa, and the Middle East for over 5000 years.  

Originally Henna was used for people living in hotter climates because of its natural cooling properties. Initially it was limited to soaking hands and feet in its paste to retain body temperatures when it was extremely hot out. Henna is also used to treat various types of skin problems like ringworm, athletes’ foot etc. It’s effective in treating cracking nails. A considerable number of women use it as a substitute for nail polish which doesn’t require a nail polish remover. The bark of the henna plant is known to be effective in the treatment of jaundice and some diseases. 

Eventually, people started applying paste to the hands, feet and arms with fingers and the designs were made with the use of small twigs and or toothpicks. Henna is a very important part of Islam, because it’s used for a lot of different events like weddings. The use of henna was later adopted by Hindus and Buddhists. Henna is used as a decoration on the skin of married women has spread to most parts of the Muslim world and India. 

Nowadays, henna comes in cone-shaped tubes to make pretty designs. This ancient form of skin art now consists of thousands of designs including paisleys, geometrical or floral.