Henna is a natural dye and an herbal remedy that has many practical uses known since ancient times. But as the medium used in mehendi, henna has also had an important artistic and cultural role for centuries.

Mehendi is the practice of painting temporary decorative designs on the skin with a paste made from henna. The paste is drawn in a pattern onto the skin, usually on the hands and/or feet. This drawing in henna paste is left on the skin, ideally for four or more hours, and when the paste is washed away, the skin is temporarily stained with the pattern, which has a reddish-brown hue. The longer the paste is left on the skin, the richer and darker the color will be. Usually, the henna stain will fade in about a week and a half.

The modern method for applying mehendi uses a small flexible plastic cone filled with henna paste. The mehendi artist draws the pattern by squeezing thin lines or dots of henna paste onto the skin through a small hole at the cone's point.

Mehendi has a long history of use in cultures throughout Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Archaeological evidence indicates that henna was used in ancient Egypt to decorate the hands and feet of bodies before mummification. Traditional motifs in Indian and Pakistani mehendi designs include lines and paisley shapes, while Middle Eastern cultures favor floral patterns. African mehendi often features geometric floral designs.

In India, mehendi is traditionally used at special events like weddings, and other celebrations that mark transformations. Bridal mehendi is especially detailed, with elaborate designs that often extend from the hands and feet onto the wrists and lower calves. These designs can take hours to apply. Usually a few days before the wedding, a bride will have her mehendi applied at a small celebration with female friends and family. Sometimes the mehendi artist will conceal the groom's name within the intricate pattern of the bride's mehendi. If the groom can spot his name, it's considered good luck.