Some refer to it as a new trend, while others consider it a cross-cultural exchange. Either way, henna staining is a unique body art that has grown in popularity among students at Iowa State.

Mehndi, otherwise known as henna staining, is an all-natural process used to create temporary designs, usually on the hands and feet.

The art of Mehndi is prevalent in India, the Middle East and parts of Africa, where it is used traditionally for weddings and other celebrations, said Jehan Faisal, a henna artist and senior in English and women’s studies.

Recently, henna has been introduced in the United States and has proven to be a beautiful way for people to express themselves, she said.

Faisal described henna as “a Middle Eastern equivalent of nail polish.”

“It is just a beautiful, festive practice,” she said.

Faisal grew up in Saudi Arabia, where as a girl, she learned Mehndi from her grandmother and aunt.

Henna powder, made from crushed henna plants, serves as a base for the staining paste, said Cherie Riesberg, a Mehndi artist and graduate student in English.

Aside from the powder, the mixture consists of one or more ingredients, ranging from tea and coffee to lemon oil and yogurt, Riesberg said.

The smoother the consistency, the easier it is to apply the paste — allowing the artist to include intricate detail.

Using the henna dye, a design is then painted on the skin.

Riesberg said she chooses to use a small applicator bottle that has a fine metal tip.

“Some people paint it on with a brush, some use a stick, some a small applicator that is much like what you would use when decorating a cake,” she said.

Once her design is complete, Riesberg applies a lemon juice and sugar mixture with a cotton ball several times. This keeps the henna moist on the skin.

The paste should set for at least an hour and up to overnight — depending on the desired depth of color.

The paste is then scraped off, and the area should not be washed for six to 24 hours as the dye continues to soak into the skin.

In order to prevent the stained area from fading, the skin should not be exposed to any harsh soaps or chemicals, Faisal said.

She recommended tying a plastic bag around the stained hand or misting the henna with a spray bottle.

“Make your roommates do the dishes, so it will last longer,” she joked.

Riesberg said henna permanently stains the top layer of skin, and it flakes off after one to three weeks.

She said several factors determine how long the stains last, including how well the skin was exfoliated, how dry the skin is (moisturized skin holds the stain longer), how often the area is washed and what part of the body is stained.

“Palms and the soles of the feet get the darkest stains and tend to hold them the longest,” she said.

The henna colors are basically neutral, as the dye is derived from nature. Most Mehndi colors range from orange and red to maroon and black, Faisal said.

She also said adding lemon juice will lighten the color, and coffee will make it darker.

As an organic art, the colors are limited unless the artist chooses to use artificial colors or chemicals. Riesberg said most of the chemicals can be harmful to the skin.

“Most are proven carcinogens,” Riesberg said. “I won’t use them.”

Although colors are few, designs are unlimited.

Tuhina Dayal, an artist who learned henna in Udaipur, a city in west India, said there “are many different styles of henna, just like there are different styles of any other art form.”

“Some of these are rajasthani style, mumbai [bombay] style and Middle-eastern style,” she said.

She also noted that she has seen thousands of designs that “are all beautiful in their own way.”

Riesberg learned Middle-eastern henna designs from a friend who lived in Yemen.

Since then, she has experimented with a variety of designs, such as American Indian and Native Mexican designs.

Currently, Riesberg is henna staining from her front porch, but she will be henna staining each Sunday at Dharma Records, 2514 Lincoln Way, only by appointment.

Faisal has experimented with cutting designs out of contact paper and using them as stencils.

For her own stains, she applies the henna onto her hands and balls them up over night.

Most often, henna is applied to the hands and feet.

Dayal, junior in biochemistry, said the modern art can be applied to “most anywhere on the body, but the color doesn’t seem to darken as much as it would on the hands.”

Just like a tattoo, prices vary with the size of the design and the length of time it requires to create it.

Dayal said that her costs range from $5 to $10 for a bracelet/anklet. Single hands cost $7 to $12, and two hands cost from $12 to $22.