Removing Mehendi

It is Shrawan here in Nepal and the hands and feet of many women and men are coloured beautifully in the colours of Mehendi. The dye, prepared from the dried powdered leaves of the henna plant, leaves a strong dark print on the skin which is extremely exquisite and attractive – as long as it stays on the skin. Because if it gets on the clothes, then it loses all its charm and prettiness and becomes an ugly stain that is very difficult to remove.

But no need to worry. There are ways to get it off. The best thing to do is to wipe off the Mehendi as soon as it gets on your clothes with a clean cloth. But if you were not able to clean it immediately for a variety of reasons, then you will need to take some additional steps and perhaps get detergent involved.

Let’s say that a few drops of Mehendi got on your clothes and you did not notice it. You only saw the stains hours later after they had already dried. So, what to do now? Well, wash it. An easy way to remove dried Mehendi is to soak the garment in detergent water and gently scrub it. 

If that does not work, then you might need to call in some muscle which in this case will be baking soda. Mix baking soda with a little water to make a paste and apply on stain. 

After drying it for 10 to 15 minutes, rinse with cold water. If the stain still persists, mix some vinegar with the baking soda and put it on the stain. Again, leave it to dry and then wash with water.

If nothing else works then you will need to think out of the box, like way out of the box, and bring in a bucket of milk. Literally, bring a bucket of milk, warm it and soak the stained dress in it for 30 to 60 minutes. 

This should lighten the stain enough to be washed off by cold water and detergent.

Remember one crucial thing though. Use only cold water to wash Mehendi-stained clothes. Using warm water can actually darken the colour and make it harder to remove.

But Mehendi does not only become undesirable when it lands on clothes. 

Once it gets old, it becomes unattractive on your hands and legs too. It turns jaundice yellow and makes the limbs look unhealthy and dirty. However, despite wanting it gone, many are forced to just leave it on because normal soap and water do not remove it quickly. But fret no more because there are easy ways to get stubborn Mehendi off your skin too and one of the easiest ways is to use toothpaste. 

Yes, use toothpaste on the surface you applied Mehendi to. Rub it all over and once it dries, wash it off with cold water while rubbing your hands together. Toothpaste that helps whiten your teeth is also able to lighten henna. 

If this does not work or if you do not want to waste toothpaste (after all, it is expensive), you can try soaking your hands or feet (wherever you applied Mehendi) in warm salt water. Take a good quantity of warm water, add salt, and soak your limbs until the water cools. Repeat this a few times every day and see the Mehendi fade.

Using salt water too many times though dries out the skin and makes it crack. So, some may want to try the gentler alternative of using olive oil mixed with salt. The oil keeps the skin from drying while the salt removes the colour. For best results, apply salty olive oil on the parts of your body where you have applied Mehendi and leave for 10 to 20 minutes.

There are stronger alternatives that get rid of dark colours swiftly such as applying a thick paste of baking soda made with lemon juice and washing it off after drying or using skin-friendly bleach. 

However, they can be harsh and cause complications to those who have sensitive skin so they are options best not explored unless in absolutely urgent situations.

If you are in no hurry though then the best thing to do is to just wash your limbs more frequently. Soap helps lighten henna, albeit very slowly, and washing your hands and feet 10-11 times a day with soap and water will cause the Mehendi to fade gradually.