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India is a country known for its vibrant colors, rich culture, and timeless traditions. What many don't know, is that India has been at the center of all-natural beauty techniques that have been used for 100's of years. Below is an account of 4 of these traditional beauty methods, and their benefits.

Threading is a centuries-old technique of hair removal practiced in India, and rapidly growing in popularity across the United States. Being that it is 100% natural, it is especially recommended for sensitive skin. The beautician removes individual or rows of unwanted hair by using string or "thread", and pulling out the hairs by the follicle. Threading is better than other methods of facial hair removal including waxing, tweezing, and razors. Waxing is not as precise; it burns, peels, and scars skin, and repeated waxing on the face (especially the eyebrow area) can cause premature wrinkles. Tweezing and razors often times cut the skin and cause ingrown hairs. Unlike all 3 of the mentioned methods, threading is precise, gentle on the skin, and is actually excellent for removing ingrown hairs.

Sugaring is an all-natural method of removing unwanted hair, much like waxing. The key ingredients in sugar wax are lemon and sugar, each of which have their own benefitting properties. Lemon is known for its naturally astringent qualities, and is an excellent cleansing agent. Sugar is a natural exfoliant in beauty, ridding the skin of dead cells. Most clients say that sugaring hurts less than traditional waxing, and redness if any, fades quickly. There are absolutely no chemicals in sugar wax and is therefore suitable for all skin types, and especially ideal for sensitive skin.

Henna, also a centuries-old tradition in India, is used to create intricate hand art designs. The paste of a ground plant, naturally in a reddish-brown dye, is used to create temporary "tattoos" which last between 1-3 weeks. In India, henna has traditionally been used on women before special ocassions, holidays, and weddings. In addition to using henna on the body (usually hands and feet), henna has also been used on the hair to color gray hairs to a reddish-brown, and to deeply condition non-gray hairs. It's an excellent alternate for pregnant women who would like to maintain their appearance, but cannot use the harsh chemicals found in mainstream hair coloring kits.

Turmeric is a yellow spice used in much of Indian cooking. It has also been used as a Ayurvedic beauty agent. Turmeric not only has antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties, but also corrects hyperpigmentation and softens the skin. For these reasons, many Indian brides use a turmeric treatment to prepare for their wedding day - it leaves skin even-toned, shiny, soft, and supple.

Praba Salon has received rave reviews from the media and clients alike. Rated as one of the best new day spas by TimeOut, sugaring spa by Seventeen, and the best henna artist in NYC by Shecky's Guide.

Anu Doddapaneni, Owner
Praba Salon
1794 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10029
(212) 996-1740
(212) 996-2029
http://www.indiantreasures.us

Madonna, Sting, and Demi Moore have recently "discovered" what Hindu brides have known for centuries: henna paste decorates the body with temporary tattoos. Usually applied to the hands and feet, the body becomes a canvas for patterns of scrolls, vines, or flowers that last for a few weeks.

Henna paste, or mendhi, takes from a few minutes to a few hours to apply depending upon the bodily location and the desired detail of the design. After the drawing with cones or syringes is finished, the paste dries to allow the color to become absorbed by the skin. While this takes only 10-15 minutes, the paste should be left on the skin for another 6 hours to achieve the most lasting affect. A sugar and lemon mixture dabbed on the dried mendhi deepens the final color. When fully dry, the crust falls off on its own. Gentle toweling removes any last bits. The tattoo lasts longer with moisture but gradually lightens through natural exfoliation of the skin. Harsh soaps, chlorine and commercial exfoliation speeds the fading of the design.

Celebrations, such as childbirth and birthdays, may include mehndi, but it is Indian brides who traditionally display the most elaborate designs covering their feet and hands. Applying the paste is a celebratory pre-wedding ritual to bring love and good fortune to the couple but it has neither religious nor sacred meaning. Occasionally brides choose to mendhi much of their body and include the name of their groom amongst the designs. It is his right and duty to carefully search for it on the wedding night.
In the Middle East, mendhi days are spent getting to know women of the family as the designs are applied. Females gather to adorn skin with the more casual floral patterns inspired by Arabic art. It is a woman's day to put away household responsibilities and share a joyful activity with others of her gender.

Leaves are ground into a paste and may be mixed with other ingredients such as oil or tea. The resulting mash remains dark green or black even though the stain is consistently reddish brown. Recipes for henna mixtures are well-guarded family secrets for good reasons. Women want their family members to have a deep, rich tattoo as tradition proclaims the bride doesn't do housework as long as her design can be seen. In addition, how much your mother-in-law will love you correlates with the length of time the mendhi remains.

The paste that has adorned so many women comes from Lawsonia inermis, a small tree that grows in areas where the minimum temperature is usually greater than 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Lawsonia inermis is a thorny tree that needs about five years to mature and produce leaves with useful levels of tannin. It grows better in arid than in wet regions and tolerates extreme heat and long droughts. Its origins as a tattoo paste can be traced to areas of Northern Africa, the Middle East and India. Blossoms of the same tree have been used in perfumes since 1500 BCE.

The use of this abundant plant began in earnest when the desert people of India discovered its "cooling" properties. By dipping their hands and feet into the mud or paste made from the crushed leaves, they were able to keep their body temperatures low as long as some color remained. In the arid heat of their desert environment, this was indeed a fortuitous discovery!

From this general application came more specific ones. Women found that a large central dot in the palm cooled as well as staining the entire hand or foot. This rudimentary design was embellished with dots around the center which evolved into the use of increasingly pleasing designs.

In addition to being used to apply temporary tattoos, henna has been used to color wool, silk, animal skins and men's beards. Mummies dating to 1200 B.C. show evidence of henna use on hair and nails of pharaohs. Today the deep-colored paste is used by women to give luster to their hair as well as hide the grey.

When an Indian woman asks her husband if he has mendhi on his hands, it doesn't mean she really thinks he is decorated with reddish-brown body art below his wrists. She is referring to her bridal days when she wasn't expected to work while the mendhi could still be seen and is asking if this is also HIS reason for laziness.

Sandra Wilson is an author, teacher and international lecturer. While teaching in India she made several trips to the Taj Mahal, the focus of her historical novel, TAJ. For more information, visit her website at http://www.taj-womanandwonder.com

Henna tattoos are an ancient custom in India: girls and women are body painted before ceremonies, like marriage. They painted complicated patterns on their hands and feet to symbolize their fertility.

Henna (or 'Mehndi', the Indian name) is made from the henna plant (Lawsonia Inermis). The leaves of the plant are dried and ground. The powder gets mixed with water and you get a sort of green-brownish mud. If you put that mud on your skin, let it harden, and then peel it off, you will notice it has left an orange color.

You can get your henna at an eastern shop or a 'souk' in many different colors. There's orange, mahogany, brown and black. The orange one is the traditional henna. The black henna is synthetic. It contains PDD (P-phenylenediamene) and can cause allergic reactions. Even if it doesn't cause irritations, it's still unhealthy. Moreover, in the past, black henna at your wedding was considered a disgrace.

Henna Recipe

With one pack of henna, you'll have enough to body paint the entire football team. Put the henna in a bowl and gently pour some lemon juice and boiling water in the bowl. Don't use too much water, the mud has to resemble the thickness of sate sauce. The purpose of the lemon juice is to help the color hold better on your skin.

Your skin should be clean, dry and not fat. If you want to color your nails too, they shouldn't have nail polish on them. Make sure you really want this, because your nails will be orange for about 2 months. It doesn't come off! When the henna is cold, you can get to painting.

If you want to paint your foot soles, which is a traditional custom in Marokko, make sure you have a pillow of some kind to keep your feet off the floor, before you know it, the henna mud is everywhere! You can apply the henna with all sorts of instruments, what works best is a syringe (without the needle of course).

Symmetric and geometric shapes work best. Don't make the lines too thin, the color won't come on to your skin very well. The bigger the surface, the brighter the color will be.
Now: the annoying part: Waiting...

Let the henna dry in the sun, the warmth of the sun will get your color deeper into your skin. You can also use a hairdryer.

If you make a mistake in the picture your painting: ACT QUICKLY! If you wipe it off too late, the henna will leave a red spot.

After a while, the henna will start to burst. Don't peel it off yet! The henna has to stay on for at least two hours. Then you can start removing the crusts of mud.

DON'T remove the henna with water! Just scrape the crusts of your skin, you can do this with a bold knife. Don't let your body painting get in touch with water for the first couple of hours. Right after you scraped off all the crusts, rub your skin in with olive oil. It will make the color brighter and help keep the color on as long as possible. Your henna painting will survive for about a month or so.

Also nice to know: Swimming, body peeling, scrubbing your back, and bodyscrub products will make the henna tattoo deteriorate faster.

For more information, visit the authors website on body painting.