Using only indigo as gloss, no henna?

[joiekimochi]

I have 3 inches of virgin black hair with blue undertones and the rest of the length is a very dark brown shade with red undertones and when the sun hits it, my length turns ORANGE! while my roots stay black.

IT IS DRIVING ME CRAZY!

I've been considering doing henna and indigo for all black hair, but I've read that indigo fades, leaving the red henna behind, which is something I really, REALLY don't want because it will just be the same problem all over again, plus the extra muddy mess.

So I was thinking if it's possible to just mix indigo and conditioner and apply it as an indigo gloss to my length, skipping the henna step altogether? And then just keep doing the length until I've grown out the dyed bits? Or will it not stick to my hair at all and just stain every other thing blue?

[Themyst]

I'm wondering about this, too. I did a hendigo (100g henna + 300g indigo) and will need a redo soon since the red is starting to show through. I'd like to use only indigo, but don't know if it will 'take' without a recent henna application. :hmm:

[Anje]

My main concern is that I'm not sure how well the indigo would stick without henna. Usually, there's also the fact that indigo alone will be grayish-blue and not very nice on brownish hair. But if you've got hair that's nearly black anyway, I can't see this being much of an issue.

Give it a shot and let us know what happens! Just don't bleach it later.

[Artsy]

Perhaps if you clarify just before indigo it might stick. I am not sure if mixing with conditioner is a good idea for indigo.

[KarenSJ]

I have 3 inches of virgin black hair with blue undertones and the rest of the length is a very dark brown shade with red undertones and when the sun hits it, my length turns ORANGE! while my roots stay black.

IT IS DRIVING ME CRAZY!

I've been considering doing henna and indigo for all black hair, but I've read that indigo fades, leaving the red henna behind, which is something I really, REALLY don't want because it will just be the same problem all over again, plus the extra muddy mess.

So I was thinking if it's possible to just mix indigo and conditioner and apply it as an indigo gloss to my length, skipping the henna step altogether? And then just keep doing the length until I've grown out the dyed bits? Or will it not stick to my hair at all and just stain every other thing blue?


Henna is *supposed* to help indigo stick- that is why many people who dye their hair black use a two-step process. First henna, then indigo. If your hair is naturally black, I can't see where doing just an indigo gloss would hurt the color, just probably give it more shine. Have you thought of just doing straight indigo over your length? Try a strand test first, and when you rinse, be sure to not use shampoo, just conditioner. If you currently have henna on your length, an all over indigo application should push it to black. A gloss will help tone down the orange to, but I have found it doesn't last very long. I think the conditioner inhibits the binding effect of the indigo. You may want to pose this question to the Henna for Hair forums- they have a lot of great experienced posters on there that could also give you suggestions. Good Luck! :)

Karen

[dropinthebucket]

I did several indigo "glosses" trying to tone down my henna. In my experience, the indigo continued to take well up to six months after the original henna. It did not take at all on virgin hair that had not been hennaed.

I didn't use conditioner, though, as I got no stain this way. So I just mixed up the indigo to be very, very runny and watery in a large bowl, and then dipped my head in, rustling the hair around so it would all get saturated. Left it in 5 min. at a time, doing it again if needed to darken. Didn't want to leave it too long and have it get too dark, but if you're matching black, that won't be an issue for you, maybe - you could perhaps leave it longer?

[caribou55313]

Some people use flaxseed gel or xanthan gum for the base of their indigo gloss instead of conditioner. Perhaps that would inhibit uptake or permanence less than conditioner, I don't know.

[Tsopana]

I have the same problem, only my roots are hennaed and therefore have an auburn colour, while my ends are very coppery red.. Would an indigo gloss work for me?