Most mehendi advice focuses on aftercare - but what you do to your skin in the days before your appointment has just as much impact on how dark and even your final stain turns out. Start exfoliating 2-3 days before your appointment, not the same day. Gently scrubbing away dead skin cells gives the henna dye a cleaner surface to bind to, but exfoliating right before application (especially with a harsh scrub) can leave skin slightly irritated or oily from the product used, which actually works against a good stain. A day or two of buffer lets skin settle after exfoliating. Avoid applying any oil, lotion, sunscreen, or heavy moisturizer on the day of your appointment, at least on the areas getting mehendi. These create a barrier between the henna paste and your skin, leading to a patchier, lighter stain. If your skin tends to be dry, moisturize normally the night before instead, and let it fully absorb before the appointment. Skip waxing, threading, or any hair removal on the area for at least 24-48 hours before your appointment. These treatments leave skin slightly inflamed and open pores, which can cause henna dye to stain unevenly or bleed slightly beyond the intended lines. If you're getting bridal mehendi, plan your other beauty appointments around this - many brides get manicures, facials, or waxing done the same week, and it's worth sequencing mehendi last among these, since almost everything else (waxing, scrubs, facials with exfoliating products) works against a clean henna stain if done too close to your appointment. On the day itself, wear loose-fitting sleeves or clothing that won't need to be pulled over freshly applied paste, and eat and hydrate beforehand since a long bridal sitting means limited movement for hours afterward. A little planning in the days before your appointment does more for your final stain than any aftercare trick applied after the fact.