Best advice to get a dark henna stain on skin for brides

1.start with fresh, good quality henna 2.mix your henna properly 3.add sugar to your henna paste, it will keep the henna from drying too quickly after the paste is applied to the skin. 4.terp your henna with essential oils (lavender, tea tree, and eucalyptus are the best oils) 5.allow henna to go through the dye release before using 6.Apply henna to clean skin (remove lotions, oils, or anything else that will prevent the henna from touching the skin directly). 7.Henna stains the hands and feet best. Other parts of the body do not stain as well. There is not much that can be done about that. It is just a fact of life. 8.After application allow the design to dry about 50%, then apply a sugar/lemon juice syrup on top of the design with a q tip or cotton ball. 9.If you apply the sugar/lemon syrup too soon, the design will bleed and move around. Make sure that the design is cracking a little before applying the syrup. The syrup will keep the design moist and allow more time for the paste to stain your skin. 10.Keep the henna on your skin as long as possible. 30 minutes is not enough if you want a really dark stain. At least 4 hours is needed for a dark stain, but overnight is best. 11.Do not wrap your design in plastic wrap. I used to do this, and it makes your design bleed. Instead, put on cotton gloves, or wrap your design in toilet paper. 12.Do not remove your henna paste from the skin with water!!! use olive oil, or some other type of oil, then scrape with a butter knife. 13.After the paste has been removed, apply lotion or oil to the skin. Mehndi oil from India is best for stain aftercare, but if not available, shea butter or cocoa butter is fine. 14.Try not to wash the body part with water for at least 24 hours if possible.