faqs

Mehndi (also known as Henna) is a plant which is used to produce a paste to temporarily stain the skin. The paste is now commonly filled into henna cones with a fine tip and applied onto skin. Mehndi is a form of natural body art which has been around for thousands of years. It is very popular worldwide especially among Asian and Egyptian cultures. Mehndi is widely used during wedding celebrations and many more occasions to adorn a bride. Over time the traditions have grown for both men and women to enjoy mehndi.

The Mehndi paste consists of the dried and powdered leaves from the henna plant and is typically mixed with lemon juice, water, sugar, and essential oils such as Cajeput, Eucalyptus & Lavender. Please inform Gurps if you have any allergies to any of the above mentioned ingredients.

Please do not use 'Black Henna'! Paraphenylenediamine (PPD) is an ingredient in hair dye but is ILLEGALY used to make “Black Henna”. Other mass-produced cones contain other chemicals, dyes and preservatives that should NOT be used on your skin. This fake henna can be very toxic and can cause chemical burns, severe allergic reactions and permanent scarring on your skin. When applying this fake henna to your skin, there is a real risk of becoming sensitised to PPD. This means that if you come in contact with PPD again in the future, even years later, you can suffer very serious allergic reactions. For more information: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hair-dye-reactions/

'Black Henna' is toxic to your skin. Please avoid using it. Gurps will only use her own supply of 100% natural mehndi.

Gurps recommends applying your mehndi 2-3 days before your main event. The mehndi stain darkens gradually and takes 2-3 days to mature. The staining process will begin with a bright orange colour which will turn to a brown and eventually a deep mahogany brown. Click here for aftercare tips.

Henna is a lovely way to celebrate your pregnancy and adorn your baby bump! It is essential to ensure to check all ingredients. Henna paste for Pregnant women should be 100% natural containing natural henna powder, water, sugar and lavender essential oil. Please ensure you let Gurps know as this is the only essential oil that is recommended to use during pregnancy. Please note that mehndi paste containing a blend of the other essential oils can bring on early labour.

Mehndi is quite therapeutic and can be booked for so many occasions! To list a few, Gurps can cover the following type of events: Bridal Mehndi (Fixed price quote) Group Bookings (charged on an hourly basis only) Party / Engagement / Anniversary Corporate events – Team building / Office parties Diwali events and celebrations Karva Chauth Baby Showers Hen Parties Spa & Pamper days Birthday Parties Eid Celebrations

Yes - Gurps resigned from her full-time job in Finance in 2021 to do Mehndi full time due to high demand! This means you can book as early as you'd like if she is available!

Bridal mehndi application time can take as long as 5 - 10 hours depending on how much coverage you’d like done, and how intricate the mehndi is. The more intricate the mehndi, the longer it can take as Gurps does not like to rush bridal work!

Since Gurps would require you to sit still for 5+ hours, it's highly recommend to avoid doing your bridal mehndi during any large pre wedding events with lots of guests. If you do your bridal mehndi separately, you can properly greet/hug, dance, clap, join pictures and actually spend time with your guests when you have your actual sangeet event. Gurps would love for you to really enjoy your larger event that you have spent many months/years planning!

CLEANSE YOUR SKIN - Shower as per your usual routine however only exfoliate up until the day before your bridal mehndi application. Mehndi works by staining the top few layers of your skin, so after you’ve applied mehndi, you’ll want to protect the stain as much as possible. In the days leading up to your main event, you’ll want to avoid any scrubbing or exfoliation of your skin. It’s best to get the exfoliation process out of the way before mehndi application for the best outcome.

For those who wish to remove their hair in the areas where mehndi is being applied, please do so before application. It would be best to avoid waxing or shaving after mehndi application, as the upper layer of the skin will start scraping off and the mehndi stain will start fading much quicker. Please allow some time for your skin to calm down after hair removal, before applying mehndi to your skin. Although the mehndi paste Gurps uses is 100% natural, if after waxing your skin is irritated, we don't want the mehndi to cause further irritation. For those who do not wish to remove their hair, it's no problem and should not affect your overall mehndi stain.

It is definitely preferred to get your nails done before applying mehndi. The chemicals used can potentially affect your skin and cause the mehndi stain to start fading. In some cultures such as Punjabi culture, brides are traditionally not meant to leave their house after their first Maiyaan (Haldi/Pithi) so all beauty treatments should be done before hand.

Please shower as normal on the day and wash your hair before mehndi application. Gurps recommends to wait as long as you can before showering, after having mehndi applied. Try to wait 24 hours if you can allow it. The longer you keep away from water, the darker it will be. If you need to wash your hair the morning after mehndi application, please try to get someone to wash it for you or carefully remove your mehndi and protect your stain before allowing contact with water. Please refer to the aftercare page for guidance on how to remove and protect your stain. For example, if you start your mehndi application at 1:00PM, try to shower as early as 1:00PM the following day. If you have ceremonies or events the day after the mehndi, it is inevitable to have to shower sooner and so it is crucial to follow the aftercare tips at this stage.

The hourly rate is a benchmark of how much mehndi Gurps can do in one hour. So whether you want simple strips per guest, or heavier designs, the hourly rate will remain the same. It’s totally up to you how many strips you’d like to have per person. On average, most guests will have 1 or 2 mehndi strips per person. Please inform Gurps how many designs per person you would like.

The hourly rate increases during unsocial hours (12AM – 9AM). Please contact Gurps for more information regarding the rates.