Re: Mineral Oil
Posted by Amy C on July 28, 1999 at 19:19:58:
In Reply to: Re: Mineral Oil posted by SeeSee on July 28, 1999 at 18:42:46:
After my paste is off, I do not wash the area. I keep it oiled with a small amount of clove oil diluted in olive oil for the 1st 24 hours or so. It darkens nicely & does not seem to lose any definition. After that, I usually oil it once a day BEFORE my shower, not after. I do this to keep my epidermal cells from absorbing water. Dead skin cells which are wet will slough off more easily when you dry off with a towel. In fact, I usually never wash my mehndi at all until it stops looking good. Then I scrub it all away at once with a wash cloth or other exfoliator. This still leaves an orange shadow of the design behind, but avoids that patchy brown skin-disease look that occurs when it exfoliates naturally. Of course, I usually do my feet, so I can get away with only rinsing & not washing them for a few days. It is debatable whether the clove oil in my mix actually enhances the darkening of my design, or only protects it.