Some brides take the cloth off after a day, but in the old country they leave it on for the wedding ceremony. The groom's pinky fingernail is covered with henna. The henna ritual is done for blessings of health, luck, and wealth. Carine Fabius, owner of Gallery Lakye and Lakye Mehndi Studio in Los Angeles, has been getting calls from as far away as Japan for orders of her henna kit, which she has just sold to both Nordstrom's and Neiman-Marcus. This summer will be even hotter than last summer.
Companies buying kits are the cosmetics industry, stylists, and manicurists.
It will include the history of Mehndi, its contemporary use, recipes, tips, designs and photos. Fabius says 80 percent of her customers are women who most frequently request bracelets and anklets, while men usually want henna armbands. Traditional designs for hands and feet are not as popular. Stomachs are the hardest to paint. You have to work with the breathing to get the design right.