Making your own henna paste

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Here we go, to make your henna paste, you first need to get your ingredients right. There are a number of things that can be added to the henna powder to make a paste that will stain your skin. Most people follow a trial and error method and finally come up with a recipe that suits their needs. Given below is a basic henna paste recipe, you can try it out and add to it to suit your needs. To make henna paste or mehendi you will need:

• 1 cup boiling water
• 2 tablespoons black tea or coffee
• 3 tablespoons of sifted henna powder (make sure you sift the powder before making a paste)
• 1 teaspoon eucalyptus oil

Lemon-Sugar Glaze

• Strained juice of ½ lemon
• 1 teaspoon sugar

1. Boil a cup of water and make tea or coffee.
2. Let it steep for a few hours. 
3. Strain to remove any particles or tea material. 
4. Put henna powder into a plastic or glass bowl and add eucalyptus oil, BUT DO NOT STIR IT YET! Slowly add the tea/coffee about 3 teaspoons at a time to the powder and stir with a small spoon.
5. Use the spoon to press the powder and water together. 
6. Do not worry about lumps. 
7. Allow the mixture to sit for  6 and 12 hours.The longer you let it sit, the smoother the mixture will be.
8. If you are impatient, after six hours you can smooth out any remaining lumps with a spoon.

what some people prefer to do is to buy the ready made henna in the cone. it saves time and all the hassle of making the paste.

References:

1. Schwarz, R. (n.d.). Making your own henna paste. Retrieved March 2011, from http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art4639.asp
2. Beauty. (n.d.). Retrieved March 2011, from Henna Paste:       http://beauty.iloveindia.com/henna/making-paste.html