Thank you for purchasing a henna hands kit. Your kit has plaster strips, vaseline, ultra fine tip marker, how to design drawing sheet, tips for plaster casting hand (see videos below) and a couple of coloring/design sheets.

Mehndi Design

Mehndi is a form of body art featuring decorative designs created on a person’s body using a paste created from the henna plant. Mehndi has its origins in ancient India, but is still a popular art form among women today in India, parts of Africa and the Middle East.

There are many variations and designs, from simple to complex. Most henna art is done on the face and feet and are used for weddings, festivals and other celebrations.

In traditional Mehndi designs, henna paste is applied to the skin using a paintbrush or stick. The mud dries on the skin for several minutes until it begins to crack. The henna mud is then remoistened with lemon juice and white sugar to help it stain darker. The painted area is then wrapped and sealed with plastic or medical tape to lock in body heat, creating an even more intense color.

Mehndi decorations became popular in the West in the late 1990s, where they are called henna tattoos.

Our design will be much easier! Your plaster cast will only have to dry about 30 minutes before you remove it and your “henna” will be an ultra fine tip marker that you’ll use to apply your own designs.

Project Tips

• Apply your vaseline liberally to the hand/wrist.  If you have hairy arms, you may want to wrap a piece of plastic wrap around the lower arm to prevent plaster from sticking and pulling out any arm hairs when you remove your hand cast.  
• Plaster strips of varying sizes are in your kit.  You can use scissors to cut strips smaller when needed. 
• You only need to do the top half of your hand and wrist.  Don’t go all the way around.  
• Fill a plastic bowl with warm water to dip your plaster strips in.  
• Hold the hand steady throughout.  It will take about 30 minutes to harden, so it may be a good idea to have some entertainment nearby.  
• Dip one plaster strip at a time to wet it.  Shake off excess water and then apply and smooth the strip onto the hand.  Continue working your way up the hand and over the fingers/thumb.  Each strip should cover a bit of the last one.  
• Add water to your fingers as needed to rub onto the strips to make them as smooth as you can. 
• Sit still while the cast dries and give it 30 minutes or so.  When you remove it, it will feel quite solid. If you have some breaks use additional small pieces of plaster to patch/smooth them.  
• Once you remove the cast, let it sit several hours or overnight before you draw on it. 
• There is a sheet in your kit with designs drawn out step by step that you can practice. 

Plaster Casting The Hand

The video below shows the process of plaster casting the hand in detail.

Removing the Plaster Cast

Once you’ve removed your cast it needs to sit for several hours to completely harden. Take some time to practice drawing your Mendhi inspired designs with pencil. When your cast has dried all the way through, then you can use your included marker to “tattoo” your piece.

Here’s the plaster cast from the videos where I’ve started to draw a design. I’ll post another pic when it’s finished, but this will give you the idea:

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact us or comment below. We can’t wait to see what you make!

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