Karwa Chauth 2022: Make your mehndi darker - add THESE ingredients to henna

Karwa Chauth mehndi tips: As per beliefs, darker the shade of mehndi on your palm, deeper is the love of husband for his wife. Check out how you can use everyday items to make your henna turn out dark and beautiful!

Pic: Pixabay

Karwa Chauth 2022 mehndi colour: Karwa Chauth is just a week away and will be celebrated this year on October 13, Thursday. According to the Hindu lunisolar calendar month of Kartik, the special day falls on the fourth day after the full moon. Married women observe fast on this date and pray for the long life and welfare of their husbands. In various parts of India, the festival is also known as Karak Chaturthi.

Karwa Chauth 2022: Significance of Mehndi

While Karwa Chauth is celebrated across the country, the festival is more prominent in North India - Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, parts of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh as well. Married women dress up in their finest attire, and deck up like brides. Even many unmarried girls also observe a fast (vrat) on this day and break it after the moon is sighted at the night (as per some beliefs unmarried girls look at the star and break their vrat). Applying mehndi or henna on hand is an integral part of Karwa Chauth celebrations. According to lores, the darker the colour of mehndi, deeper is the love of husbands for wives! And even if you don't really believe in this, well who doesn't want dark henna designs on their palms? They just look beautiful!

Karwa Chauth 2022: How to make our mehndi darker

To darken the henna on your palms and wrists, add the following items to the mehndi. 

Alkaline or acidic ingredients

Add alkaline or acidic ingredients like lemon juice to your mehndi and see your designs turning out to be dark and beautiful! You can add sugar to lemon, which will help the mehndi stick to your skin.

Coffee

Coffee is known for its natural colouring properties. Coffee will make your henna browner and redder.

Mustard oil and chilli powder

Chilli powder and mustard oil added to your henna can work wonders in terms of a brighter and darker shade of mehndi. But don't use more than a teaspoon of chilli powder to a teaspoon of mustard oil as chilli powder in excess can cause skin irritation. 

Fumes of clove

In a pan, add some cloves and let them heat to medium flame. Once the cloves heat up, place your hands over the fumes of clove. If you do this process after applying the lemon-sugar mixture, it will be more effective. 

Essential Oil

Essential oils like lemon oil, eucalyptus oil, clove oil, or Mahalabiya oil can be used to darken henna. They contain monoterpenes, which is a group of alcohols and can do the trick.

Beetroot

Beetroot, with its deep pinkish-purplish, can enhance the colour of your henna and it's used as a natural dye in cosmetics. 

Black Tea

Tannin concentrates in black tea can lead to the darkening of henna. Brew some tea leaves with water and then add them to henna. 

Balms 

Balms used for headaches or on the chest when we catch a cold can work wonders in darkening the henna. The balms produce heat under your skin and this helps in darkening the henna colour.