If you want henna that’s easy but still looks pretty, a backhand mandala mehndi design is a great pick, and it’s the round pattern on the back of your hand that starts with one dot and grows out in petals and thin lines. You can make it as small or as big as you like. The main difference between styles is the little extra that connects the circle to your fingers or wrist, and these 7 are the ones people are choosing most right now.
1. Fingertip Mandala Keeps The Look Neat
A small circle with 3 rings in the middle of your hand, plus solid color on each fingertip and nothing in between. It’s fast, so it’s a go-to at weddings and parties where lots of people are waiting for their turn.
2. Shaded Petal Mandala Adds Depth
This one needs a steady hand. Draw a regular 3-ring circle, then in the outer ring fill in half of each petal and leave the other half open. The dark and light halves make it pop up close.
Practice on paper first. One uneven petal is easy to see.
3. Lotus Mandala Needs No Extras
The petals are pointy, like a lotus flower, with 2 rows and the back row showing between the front ones. It already looks full, so you can leave the rest of your hand bare. Add a ring of dots around the outside if you want a little more.
4. Hand Chain Mandala Looks Like Jewelry
Have you seen those hand chain bracelets with a flower on top of the hand and rings on the fingers? This is that same look in henna, and it might be the most popular backhand style out there right now. The mandala is the flower, and then you add:
- A bracelet line around your wrist.
- Thin rings on your fingers (all 5, or the middle 3).
- Dotted chains from each ring down to the circle.
Leave the rest of the skin empty. If you fill in the spaces, it stops looking like jewelry.
5. Mandala With An Arabic Vine Covers More Skin
Move the circle toward the pinky side near your wrist, then draw a leafy vine from it up to your index finger at a slant. You get 2 popular styles in one and it covers more of your hand without taking much longer. Keep the vine thin so the circle still stands out.
6. Mandala With Netted Fingers Suits Weddings
The fingers get a tiny checkered or net pattern, the kind you see on brides. Draw the circle first, then fill each finger up to the second knuckle with small diamonds and color the tip solid. With fingers this busy, 2 rings in the center is enough.
7. Double Mandala Fills Out The Hand
Draw one big circle in the center of your hand and a smaller one up near the base of your middle finger, then link the 2 with a short vine or a line of dots. The bigger one carries the look and the small one makes the design feel longer, so it covers more of your hand without getting crowded. Keep both circles to 2 or 3 rings.
Leave The Paste On Overnight If You Can
Henna stains lighter on the back of the hand than on the palm because the skin is thinner, so leave it on at least 6 hours and scrape it off dry. It’ll look orange at first and get darker over about 2 days. Scrubbing fades it fast, so if you have a manicure or one of our Hand Care services coming up, book it a day or 2 before your henna. Dabbing on a little lemon juice mixed with sugar while it dries also helps the paste stay put.