The word Mehndi Design consists of two individual words such as Mehndi and Design.
The word Mehndi comes from a sanskrit word Mehndika which is basically a herb also known as Henna. But the actual mehndi that we use comes after the mehndi leaves dried and made powder of it. When you add some water on this mehndi powder that becomes a semi liquid thing which when put on human skin, paper or cloth it leaves color and leaves a stain mark.
This is why it is used to design various temporary body art and hence the name came Mehndi Design finally.
If you write the word in Hindi it sounds all the same but when written in English some people also write it a Mehendi Design or Mehandi Design. There is no such different whatsoever in all these different words.
It was reportedly used some 5000 years ago. Over the period of time the whole thing has gone through so many changes and that is why I am here to give you all the details about all various mehndi designs available across the world.
Why do people use Mehndi Design art?
There are basically three major reason to use Mehndi as below:
- It is used as a temporary body art which is stylish as well as fashionable
- It is good for the skin which keeps the body cool
- It is completely natural and makes no harm unlike all modern chemical based tattoo or color
It is a Style Quotient
Mehndi design is mostly used by the females on casual as well as on any special occasions because it complements the body color and it looks really beautiful on the hands who puts it.
Henna art makes you look beautiful, it adds style to your personality and you look really standout from the crowd.
The base component mehndi remained same over the period of time but with respect to time modern creativity has brought modern blend to the art that’s why it is adopted by all beautiful women across the world.
A Social Trend
Well, nobody can deny this!
Almost everything goes with the social trend which is driven by the people, by you and me.
On a common religious event such as Eid, Diwali, Karva Chauth, etc. most of the ladies put mehndi design art on their hands and legs.
On some special occasions like ring ceremony or marriage etc. there is a specific ritual which is called as Mehandi Rasham where all the ladies of the house gather together and put different kinds of mehendi art on their hands and legs.
Health Benefits
The last but definitely not the least, by nature Mehndi keep the human body cool. And of course it is natural so there is no side effects like other chemical based colors.
Not just that, if you use Mehendi, bacterias and infections will naturally stay away from human body.
Out of all our body parts, hands and legs are the commonly exposed part to the external world. This is why it is a common practice to put mehndi art on these parts mostly.
How to put Mehndi Designs by Yourself
Now that you know why do people use mehndi design in general let’s take a look how do you do the drawing or art by yourself if you have never done.
Sometime it looks very hard or complex but in reality it is pretty simple to art any mehndi design on your own hand by yourself.
There are only a few things to observe which I will be covering in the coming sections.
Understand the Pattern
The very first thing to look at the existing picture and understand the major base patterns.
Now what is that? How do you find what is the base pattern of a mehndi design?
Let me explain you with an example.
When you look at the above picture it looks very simple and in fact it is easy to draw, but as I said earlier, what the base pattern here?
The base pattern is one small art which start from just 5 dots and then make water drop like arts outside this dotted circle and one art is ready. Now randomly do the same art all over your front hand and you are done.
Write to me in the comment section if you want more examples to understand this concept, I would happy to do that.
Pick a starting point
Once you understand the base pattern, let’s take a look at the other important thing that will make your mehndi design art even simpler.
Let’s take a different picture that might look a little difficult but it is a simple design again.
If you try to understand what is the pattern here? Just circles in different forms.
To make it simpler for you to get started, take the middle big bold dot as the starting point.
Once you draw that rest all designs will be easier because now you have a big enough circular reference point and anything you draw is around this one.
You can make a little bigger circle covering this dot, then another little bigger circle and then lines connecting the two outer circles and then keep expanding the structure.
NOTE:
Always remember that when you are just starting to learn mehndi design you do not have to make exactly shown on the picture.
You can make any design that feels is easier for you to draw.
Once you know the basics the next thing left is different kinds of mehndi designs to choose from.
Types of Mehndi Designs Everyday Use
Of course, not the same mehndi design is used across the globe by everyone. Mehndi design can be of various types based on country or local region, based on the body part where it is applied, or based on occasions.
In this section I am going to cover the most common and everyday usable mehndi designs for you which again is divided based on the application on the body part which are as below:
- Mehndi design for hands
- Mehndi design for leg
- Mehndi design for feet
- Mehndi design for fingers
Mehndi Designs for Hand
The most common practice to add mehndi art is on the hands. The reason being this is the most visible body part which you notice and feel good about and also people see and complement on your mehndi design if you do.
As far as the hands go we have again some more types of designs as below:
- Front hand
- Back hand
- Full Hand
The perspective of front hand or back hand is from the view of who is wearing the mehndi art.
Front hand refers to the palm or front side of the hand. This is one of the most common place to do the mehndi design among all other body parts.
We have a separate dedicated collection of front hand mehndi design which you can visit to get the best design ideas. In fact we have different collections of front hand designs such as below:
Now talking about back hand which refers to the back side of the palm which is openly visible normally. This is also a commonly used place to wear mehndi body art just like the front hand.
Here as well we have a specific collection of back hand mehndi design which covers quite a lot of different types of pictures. Here also we have made separate back hand collections as below:
- Stylish back hand mehndi design
- Modern back hand mehndi design
- Easy and Simple back hand mehndi design
- Back full hand bridal mehndi design
- Arabic back hand mehndi design
Finally we have the full hand design which is not an everyday design but wore on special occasions. Typically this is designed on marriage function of self or some family members.
We have a separate collection of full hand mehndi design that covers variety of different designs which you may find interesting.
Like the other types, here also we have several types as below:
- Modern full hand mehndi design
- Stylish full hand mehndi design
- Front full hand mehndi design
- Full hand bridal mehndi design
- Simple full hand mehndi design
- Arabic full hand mehndi design
Mehndi Designs for Leg
Wearing mehndi on leg is not an everyday practice. Most of the leg mehndi design are done either on religious events or on some special events such as marriage, ring ceremony, etc.
More on the event based designs we will be covering in the appropriate sections later in this article but now take a look at various types of mehndi designs for leg based on the designs available:
- Stylish leg mehndi design
- Easy leg mehndi design
- Simple leg mehndi design
- Modern stylish leg mehndi design
Unlike hand mehndi we do not have front, top or bottom etc. for leg. It is only divided based on the various types of design.
Mehndi Design for Special Events
Mehndi is also applied on special events such as ring ceremony, your own marriage, your brother or sister’s marriage, or some special even is organized by your family and you want to look special etc.
On the special day the mehndi design that you wear is also special and not just having a casual or everyday look.
Of course some of the above covered topics such as full hand mehndi or full leg mehndi design etc. will apply, but still I have covered this unders a more appropriate naming as below:
- Bridal mehndi design
- Celebrity style mehndi design
Keep in mind that this is not the same as other religious events or festivals such as Diwali, Teej, Valentines’s day, etc. I have a separate category to cover all those events anyway.
Bridal Mehandi Design
As the name suggests there is a specific term among the mehndi designers which is this. This typically covers stylish, modern or gorgeous looking full hand and full leg.
As I have said earlier that this you may not use more often rather very rare and on special events.
Below are some of the example images of bridal mehndi:
Celebrity Style Mehndi Design
Celebrity style mehndi is almost same as the bridal design but the only difference is that these mehndi designs are already wore by some or other celebrities on various occasions.
These designs are again not for daily use rather can be used for special events.
Below I have a small collection of several celebrity style Mehandi designs:
Mehndi Design for Public Festivals
We have some other kinds of mehndi which is different than daily use or special use such as on common religious festivals.
For example on diwali, people use diya, flower etc., on Eid people tend to art chand or the moon, on valentine’s day the lovely girls and of course ladies tend to use heart, love etc. in the design.
This makes it a different need from the design perspective. As of now we have not covered for all such common public festivals but here is the list what we have:
- Eid mehndi design
- Diwali mehndi design
- Bajuband mehndi design
- Makar Sankranti mehndi design
- Independence mehndi design
Types of Mehendi Designs by Region
Based on geo location we have different mehndi design practices such as Indian mehndi design is different than Pakistani, similarly Arabic is different than Moroccan etc.
As of now I have covered 8 types of mehendi designs if we go by country of origin as below:
- Indian mehndi design
- Pakistani mehndi design
- Arabic mehndi design
- Moroccan mehndi design
- African mehndi design
- Western mehndi designWestern
- Indo Western mehndi design
- Indo Arabic mehndi design
Conclusion
Mehndi design as such is such a huge topic but I have covered the most commonly used designs in this article. But this list will certainly incomplete without your feedback.
Please leave a comment if you have something to tell about on this post and collection.
Keep wearing all these lovely Mehndi Designs and stay beautiful and keep smiling. Always remember that mehndi only enhances your existing beauty and you are already the most beautiful lady in the world with a smile.