Indigo washing out

[Tsalagi_Phoenix]

I used henna and indigo to dye my hair for the first time at the beginning of this month. The henna is staying in, but a lot of the indigo has washed out.

I did a lot of reading to find out if it normal for indigo to wash out. Some people say it is and others say it is permanent like henna. I read a few people say that sometimes indigo doesn't stay the first time, but it does the second time.

Is there a way to keep the indigo in my hair from washing out? And how often is it okay to use henna and indigo to dye your hair? I was thinking of using henna and indigo sometime this week to see if the indigo will stay in after a second time.

[Dreams_in_Pink]

I don't have any experience with indigo, but from what i've read, indigo is nowhere as permanent (and beneficial) as henna. I also read somwhere that adding salt into the mixture helps indigo stay better. I don't know how much salt or whether if this is true or not :)

[Tsalagi_Phoenix]

I don't have any experience with indigo, but from what i've read, indigo is nowhere as permanent (and beneficial) as henna. I also read somwhere that adding salt into the mixture helps indigo stay better. I don't know how much salt or whether if this is true or not :)

I've read that too and might try it next time. Thanks for replying.

[MINAKO]

For me it stays, but i have black hair to begin with and only do the henna/indigo thing to keep up with the natural fading and for the contitioning effect. My end do stay a deep black at all times tho, even after like 6 moths of gong without.

[AmyBeth]

Indigo washes right out of my hair. Of course, the henna stays. Salt makes no difference to me at all. I just keep repeating indigo glosses periodically because I don't want to darken my hair and "they" say that if you want indigo to last, it washes out, if you'd like it to fade, it won't go anywhere:p.

[duchess67]

Indigo washes out of my hair, but henna remains.

[MINAKO]

One reason that it sticks for me so well could actually be that i'm using alot of keratin and silk protein in my treatments. I dunno, but myhair stopped fading a year ago and i just do it because i want to boost the shine and straght a bit. Also i don't really bother with doing the two step thing anymore, just mix both and slap it on, so the henna doesnt really have time to develop, lol. I't kinda wrong but it works.

[duchess67]

MINAKO, I too use a one step process, mix henna first and then add indigo to the henna mixture. So much easier than to follow the two step. Still I see indigo washing out for the next couple of washes. After that it stops. How often do you apply henna and indigo?

May I ask what type of keratin and silk protein do you use as treatments? You have gorgeous hair!



One reason that it sticks for me so well could actually be that i'm using alot of keratin and silk protein in my treatments. I dunno, but myhair stopped fading a year ago and i just do it because i want to boost the shine and straght a bit. Also i don't really bother with doing the two step thing anymore, just mix both and slap it on, so the henna doesnt really have time to develop, lol. I't kinda wrong but it works.

[MINAKO]

MINAKO, I too use a one step process, mix henna first and then add indigo to the henna mixture. So much easier than to follow the two step. Still I see indigo washing out for the next couple of washes. After that it stops. How often do you apply henna and indigo?

May I ask what type of keratin and silk protein do you use as treatments? You have gorgeous hair!

I will try the next time to mix the henna 12 hours before and see if there's a change in color, i wouldn't want to end up with something like a red toned black to as i'm mainly after the blueish tint. DUnno if it can change that much with one application, but the indigo really doesn't come off so far, my water is stained for some time but hair remins black. I used to do it every 6 to 8 weeks in the beginning but after a year it really didn't make a point anymore and im down to 4-6 months in between, applying a darkblue deposit dye or the color mask every now and again.

I'm using Goldwell Kerasilk Ultrarich Treatment and also pure silk protein to mix into other stuff at random, for the Keratin there are the straightening kind (anything completely formaldehyde free of course), that i either use as supposed to with an iron or simply Leave on for an hour with A shower cap and then gently seal it with an ultrasonic iron. There are a few leave ins also, the keratin complex infusion, 10in1 by Syoss, Aphogee Reconstructor, Chi Keratin Mist, another Spray by Swiss O Par and one by Gliss Kur, L'Oreal Pro Keratin Refill, some cheap german drugstore brands... really anything. I often overdo it, but my hair seems to only take as much as it needs to be smooth and the rest washes right away, i never get the crunchyness on protein overload like i've been reading from other people. Probably heavy oiling plays a part in preventing that too.

[duchess67]

Thank you so much, MINAKO for the detail information on your hair care.

My hair too remains dark, not like it is turning red or anything. Water turns black for the first couple of washes, that's all. You are very young, so no need to use this to cover grey hairs like the way I have to.

So these are the protein treatments you use, nice. I often use its a 10 miracle plus Keratin, love how my hair feels after I using it. Recently I bought Colorful Neutral Protein filler after reading about it here on this forum. I like it so far, haven't used it for long though. I am going to save your post and read more about all these different products you mentioned. Thanks again.

[MINAKO]

Thank you so much, MINAKO for the detail information on your hair care.

My hair too remains dark, not like it is turning red or anything. Water turns black for the first couple of washes, that's all. You are very young, so no need to use this to cover grey hairs like the way I have to.

So these are the protein treatments you use, nice. I often use its a 10 miracle plus Keratin, love how my hair feels after I using it. Recently I bought Colorful Neutral Protein filler after reading about it here on this forum. I like it so far, haven't used it for long though. I am going to save your post and read more about all these different products you mentioned. Thanks again.

My water rinses kind of greyish green and i have to use an old pillowcase that gets darkblue stains everytime for about a few days.
I'm a CO washer tho, maybe shampoo or other method turn the water a bit differently. I have hair that grows overall pitchblack, but fades quickly to a dull brown although i avoid the sun, so i'm really sloppy with my applications as i would only have to catch what's going on in the lower two thirds.

Oh, i would love to try the 10miracle Products, but they are hard to find in germany, ebay would probably be the only way.
The Colorful Neutral Protein Filler is by Sally's as i see, it sounds interesting and we actually had Sally stores over here two, they were renamed but still carry a wide range of the same products, so i'll see if i find this there. Sure worth a try. Thank you!

[Beborani]

I am thinking of jumping on the indigo bandwagon for a few grey hair that have been popping up--I want to try it now before I get too many to see if I would like the process. I played with semi-permanent dyes but even black stains my white hair red, so I feel I am better off trying henna with indigo. Thanks to everyone posting about their experiences. I have a question. Can you mix indigo or henna+indigo with conditioners and oils as you would just henna before application?

[MINAKO]

Quoting myself from another thread, it actually was 200g indigo in the beginning and then i started to add one more pack of another shade of the same brand that actually cotains henna, cassia as well as walnut. So the amount of henna is pretty low in my mix. Yet i don't want to mess with contitioner during the prosses, as i have it on my hair more often than i probably need anyways. A few spoons full of oil is ok tho i guess.

I should probably mention that i have a few hairs that just naturally lack pigment and are completely white, they don't turn out black but a muddy brown with a greenish/blueish whatsoever tint. But this could also be due to stretching my applycation to no end as the rest of the hair keeps its color well.


I mix my indigo with an ultra strong combination of black coffee and tea, plus a small can of coconut milk, 2 tbsp sesame oil, 1tsp cinnamon, 2tsp of black pepper and 2 drops of cinnamon bark oil. God knows if it's any better then using water, but it works for me and also gets the consistency right. I simply refuse to use more than 300gr. But my hair is already black to begin with and i just have to keep up with the fading.

[jeanniet]

My experience with indigo (both hendigo and two-step) was that it didn't stick to my grays and faded very quickly otherwise. If you have dark hair and grays, just be aware that you may end up with copper hairs for a long time! It took about three years for my copper hairs to grow out, although I did cover them for part of that time with Elumen after I gave up on indigo. Indigo seems to be something that sticks very well for some people and very poorly for others. I tried all the tricks, and still couldn't get it to stick for more than 2-3 weeks, and ultimately it just wasn't worth the effort.

[Beborani]

Thnks Minako and Jeannie. Yes I have seen copper strands on others though I didn't think much of it one way or another--figured they were coloring their grays. Minako that's quite a concoction. I am most likely to just add conditioner for ease of application and rinse off (and moisture rentention during dye transfer period). I found during search that some poeple do use conditioner (call it gloss). Well looks like I have to experiment a bit.

[MINAKO]

Yepp, i sure went a bit crazy on the recipe, but it does the job well and the coconut milk conditions on helps with the rinsing too, of course you can go without all this and still have a good color payoff. Test strands collected from the brush would help to fugure out the covare question and if one step is enough or the two step requiered. Actually it's said that henna should be mixed with some slightly acidic and indigo slightly alkaline, so mixing it both together it's according to this to begin with, but hey thats the good thing about herbal dye and black hair, you have as many tries as you like without the possibility of wrecking it.

[duchess67]

I have read people mixing henna with conditioner as they call it gloss, but don't think they were mixing indigo with conditioner. I am not sure. I've never tried it myself. Washing henna out would be a breeze if mixed with conditioner. I cannot use conditioner on my scalp, makes me shed like crazy.


I am thinking of jumping on the indigo bandwagon for a few grey hair that have been popping up--I want to try it now before I get too many to see if I would like the process. I played with semi-permanent dyes but even black stains my white hair red, so I feel I am better off trying henna with indigo. Thanks to everyone posting about their experiences. I have a question. Can you mix indigo or henna+indigo with conditioners and oils as you would just henna before application?

Your concoction sounds awesome ;) I always mix a tablespoon of oil in the henndigo mix just before applying it on my head. I also oil my hair thoroughly before I apply henna to avoid the dryness and also for ease of washing.


Quoting myself from another thread, it actually was 200g indigo in the beginning and then i started to add one more pack of another shade of the same brand that actually cotains henna, cassia as well as walnut. So the amount of henna is pretty low in my mix. Yet i don't want to mess with contitioner during the prosses, as i have it on my hair more often than i probably need anyways. A few spoons full of oil is ok tho i guess.

I should probably mention that i have a few hairs that just naturally lack pigment and are completely white, they don't turn out black but a muddy brown with a greenish/blueish whatsoever tint. But this could also be due to stretching my applycation to no end as the rest of the hair keeps its color well.


On me too Indigo washes out in 2 to 3 weeks. But then it's time for another application. Maximum I can stretch is a month. After that my greys roots will be more noticeable.


My experience with indigo (both hendigo and two-step) was that it didn't stick to my grays and faded very quickly otherwise. If you have dark hair and grays, just be aware that you may end up with copper hairs for a long time! It took about three years for my copper hairs to grow out, although I did cover them for part of that time with Elumen after I gave up on indigo. Indigo seems to be something that sticks very well for some people and very poorly for others. I tried all the tricks, and still couldn't get it to stick for more than 2-3 weeks, and ultimately it just wasn't worth the effort.


Mixing conditioner with henna will certainly help with the dryness we feel after washing out henna. There is a lot we learn thru trial and error when using henna and indigo. I always use a one step process, never bothered with two step, which is time consuming. In fact I don't have the patience to sit with all that on my head. The max time I sit with henna is 2 hours.


Thnks Minako and Jeannie. Yes I have seen copper strands on others though I didn't think much of it one way or another--figured they were coloring their grays. Minako that's quite a concoction. I am most likely to just add conditioner for ease of application and rinse off (and moisture rentention during dye transfer period). I found during search that some poeple do use conditioner (call it gloss). Well looks like I have to experiment a bit.


Yes, having dark hair is a good thing when it comes to experimenting with henna.


Yepp, i sure went a bit crazy on the recipe, but it does the job well and the coconut milk conditions on helps with the rinsing too, of course you can go without all this and still have a good color payoff. Test strands collected from the brush would help to fugure out the covare question and if one step is enough or the two step requiered. Actually it's said that henna should be mixed with some slightly acidic and indigo slightly alkaline, so mixing it both together it's according to this to begin with, but hey thats the good thing about herbal dye and black hair, you have as many tries as you like without the possibility of wrecking it.

[Beborani]

Thanks duchess! I co-wash so throwing in extra conditioner can't hurt and should make rinsing easier. Last time I tried henna my mom made a paste from leaves plucked from someone's backyard--decades ago. It was fun summer project for a day with no discernible result. Now, I picked up godrej nupur as it was the only 'name' brand I recognize. They have all kinds of other things, beats Minako's list! But methi sticks out--That should make it smooth and gooey. Perhaps you can throw that in duchess. I may add extra methi as I doubt their amounts are significant.

[duchess67]

I checked online, godrej nupur has got all the right ingredients. Once all the henna I have is over I will order nupur henna online. There are no Indian grocery stores in our area, which is sad. Methi does wonders to our hair, I have used it several years ago. It's a good idea to mix methi with henna, will definitely get the slip and the condition we are looking for.

[MINAKO]

I just ran off to check what methi actually was, i think im throwing that in as well the next time. Cinnamon in my mix is minly for the smell and to boost the circulation in the scalp. I have been reading about black pepper having the ability to stain hair too, but i don't think it does something with any effect.

[duchess67]

Tomorrow morning plan to do henna + indigo. Going to add some cinnamon in the mix like you do MINAKO.

[Beborani]

Godrej henna turned out to be nice--smooth (I did not add anything extra first time except oil and conditioner)-- I left the color on my hand and nail for a while to see if it was real henna or dyes--it was real. My few white hair sparkle more (orangish red and better than I expected)--I realized I had more of those hidden in there--interesting. This was only partial head application--next time I will do full head as i feel more confident. The black may have some glint. Indigo may not be needed yet but I will try that next time to see if my whites will hold color or not.

[duchess67]

I'm glad your first experience with henna went well. If you have only a few greys henna will show up as highlights, which is great. You may not need to use Indigo at all if that is the case. Henna will hold colour, only the roots will be show after a couple of weeks. Mine usually starts to show after about 2 weeks.

[Beborani]

Yes duchess--it seems like I wont need indigo at this time but I'll put it one temple which is hidden to see if the color holds.

[tbonita]

I am thinking of jumping on the indigo bandwagon for a few grey hair that have been popping up--I want to try it now before I get too many to see if I would like the process. I played with semi-permanent dyes but even black stains my white hair red, so I feel I am better off trying henna with indigo. Thanks to everyone posting about their experiences. I have a question. Can you mix indigo or henna+indigo with conditioners and oils as you would just henna before application?

I've just darkened up my hair (and have done this same method before) with a very indigo-heavy hendigo gloss (I already have a good bed of henna to which it can stick). I made the mostly indigo/tiny bit of henna paste with some salt, squirted in some condish and left covered.y hair turned a very dark brown/soft black. I'm one of the ones that indigo seems to like. I've since put after midnight blue manic panic on top and achieved a blue black without a hint of redness or warmth. The first time I did the glosses I mentioned above, I did many small ones in very short increments (10,20 min) so as not to go too dark. Although of course now I'm going to the dark side :luke:

[Beborani]

So I was wondering if my henna would flare red in the sun and took some pics. i was really surprised to see yellow. That is over my black hair--the white is orange as expected but what is that yellow glint? I haven't indigoed yet. This is just the henna plus herbs (godrej nupur). It is fine indoors and not sure what it looks like in mirror outdoors but camera sure picks up weird colors!
Edited: removed the pictures as picture with better camera did not give me those yellow glints.