Henndigo and My Skintone (Pic heavy)

[Clem_Dela]

(Note; i'm posting this in two places, Herbal Haircare and Mane Forum, so more people will see it. I like to have a second opinion. Along with a third, fourth, fifth, eighteenth... :) )

I've been thinking about this for a long time. Black hair is sexy but I wouldn't want it to clash horribly with my skintone.. I don't think it will, but once again, I want your professional opinion :) pics at the end of this post for my skin tone and hair color

So questions: What are the benefits/effects of indigo? How long will it last if I use it without henna?

Is there a temporary dye I can use beforehand that doesn't last long, so I can see if I would like me with black hair?

My skintone is, supposedly, cool. My veins are green and silver jewelry looks better on me. But i'm definitely pinkish. is that weird? I don't know. You tell me. So black: Yay or nay?

So here's me in my bedroom (My room has orange walls)
http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lsghr9gqyh1r0q028o1_250.jpg

me in my bathroom (green walls)
http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lsghs2NaXC1r0q028o1_250.jpg

length/texture shot (green bathroom)
http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lsghcwZxQC1r0q028o1_250.jpg

Thanks for any and all help! You LHC ladies & gents are lovely! :bow:

[akevita2002]

I'm no expert, but it happened to me rarely to like how black hair (not virgin) looks on certain people. I think it's a very sophisticated color and many times it looks unflattering. In theory it should flatter better cool skin tones, but be careful not to make you look very pale. Another thing, your eyebrows aren't black, so again there will be a bit of discrepancy.

I hope I am not disappointing you, this is just my personal opinion, of course you should go for what you think will make you happy. Maybe you should try a semi-permanent hair dye if you aren't sure. Best of luck from me :flowers:

[Clem_Dela]

My brows and lashes are black, actually. Thank you for your opinions and well wishes :)

[sibylla]

Indigo never leaves your hair.Henna can be bleached but only by using special techniques.I´ve had henndigo before but I don´t recommend indigo because it stays on forever.

[akevita2002]

Oh, ok, my apologies then. From the pictures, they look lighter.

[aubin]

I guess I have the opposite opinion. I think jet black hair looks good on most people. But it has the most dramatic effect on very light and very dark skin.

If you just want to try out the color first, Naturtint has a good line of all natural, semi-permanent hair dyes. It's expensive but worth it if you want an all natural dye. I used their jet black dye years ago. Mine would start to fade after about three weeks -- this with washing my hair daily.

Indigo must be used with henna. Otherwise, you'll end up with blue or green hair. First apply the henna per the instructions. Then apply the indigo. The first day your hair might have a greenish tint to it. But by the second or third day it will settle into a deep rich black. After the first application, you can just mix the henna and indigo together to apply, instead of doing one first, then the other.

I henna monthly and I do a full indigo application (first henna, then indigo) twice per year. I love the jet black it gives me. My brows and lashes are also black, even though my natural hair is medium to dark brown. So, strangely, the jet black looks a bit more "natural" on me yet still quite striking in an interesting way.

Everything I read says that indigo has no effect on hair other than to color. However, my hair is noticeably fuller and softer after a full indigo application, even more dramatic than what i get from henna alone. But be sure to apply a deep conditioning treatment after the hendigo application, as it initially tends to dry the hair out, even more so than just henna alone.

Good luck! :)

[aubin]

One more thing: Indigo and henna are both permanent but they also both fade. The degree of fading depends on how often you wash your hair and how well dye "sticks" to your hair in general. When I hendigo, I really only have the deepest darkest black for about a month. Then it fades to a regular black for a while. By six months, I'm back to dark brown.

I've bleached out both henna and indigo before but I wouldn't recommend that. It takes such strong repeated bleaching that really damages the hair.

[jaine]

I'll be honest - I think it'll clash. Very few people can pull off black hair unless they were born with it.

My natural color is so dark that some people mistakenly refer to it as "black" ...but even I can't pull off truly black hair. It looked unnatural and harsh - unless I was wearing a lot of eyeliner and eyebrow powder, then it looked as I intended it to look, but still obviously unnatural.

With henndigo, you could achieve a blue-black that fades into a dark reddish brown. Of those two, I think the dark reddish brown will look better on you. But obviously it's very permanent. If you ever decide to grow it out you'll be dealing with roots that look green in comparison to your reddish hair. If you don't like it, you'll probably end up getting a major haircut at some point... I wouldn't recommend it unless you're OK with that.

[jaine]

So questions: What are the benefits/effects of indigo? How long will it last if I use it without henna?



Whoa, I almost missed that question. Please don't use indigo without henna!! Indigo is a blue/green dye. Henna is a red/orange dye. If you're using indigo by itself your hair will be blue/green. If you mix the two of them together, you can get a more natural color like dark brown or black.

[luxepiggy]

I recommend picking up a bottle of Creative Images / Adore deposit only dye to try out. It's totally non-damaging and it washes out in less than 6 weeks (^(oo)^)v

[Sookie]

I will totally agree with jaine about hendigo!

[jojo]

Well this is a hard one, normally the best colours to go are 2 colours either lighter or darker than your natural colour. You are pretty dark to start off with but I can't help thinking black will make you look a little washed out. Personally id go more a dark chocolate brown, which will compliment your skin which is absolutely beautiful by the way and will bring out your lovely eyes. Maybe try a temp colour first and then take yourself along to the henna discussions board and ask for a recipe on how to achieve this.

Indigo is a pig toget rid of if you don't like it; I was lucky i got all mine out without damage but this is rare once in its like a tattoo it can only normally be cut out, bleaching can cause it to either go frog butt green or melt your hair to the point you will need to cut it out.

As far as benefits indigo on its own as far as I know has no benefits to the hair if used on its own, used with henna it will thicken and add body and shine but thats the henna doing the work not the indigo.

Please research and even strand test with hair collected from your comb or brush to see just how this would turn out, try putting black material next to your face and see how it makes you look. But whatever you do, don't rush in and do something which later you may rely on the use of scissors to remove.

Good luck and do keep us updated with whatever you decide. :)

[Rosetta]

I totally second the suggestion of trying a temporary dye to see how it suits you! :)


Very few people can pull off black hair unless they were born with it.
I'd tend to agree; although admittedly, many don't even aim for a "natural-looking" effect, goths etc.

Also, it's not just the skintone that affects how a colour will suit you, but all of your colouring. Have you looked at the seasonal palettes thing? Especially the one with 12 divisions. If you can establish which one of those you are, that can give you a good pointer which hair colours would suit you (though admittedly it can be a bit confusing, I'm not quite sure which one I am myself :p)

[xoxophelia]

I actually think black would look good on you. However, definitely try out a less permanent method first. Even a semipermanent color will fade if you don't like it.

[pepperminttea]

I'd mess about on Taaz.com (http://www.taaz.com/) before you do anything. :) Use a picture of you outdoors, so the shade of your skintone is as true-to-life in the photo as possible.

[Aveyronnaise]

I'll be honest - I think it'll clash. Very few people can pull off black hair unless they were born with it.

My natural color is so dark that some people mistakenly refer to it as "black" ...but even I can't pull off truly black hair. It looked unnatural and harsh - unless I was wearing a lot of eyeliner and eyebrow powder, then it looked as I intended it to look, but still obviously unnatural.

With henndigo, you could achieve a blue-black that fades into a dark reddish brown. Of those two, I think the dark reddish brown will look better on you. But obviously it's very permanent. If you ever decide to grow it out you'll be dealing with roots that look green in comparison to your reddish hair. If you don't like it, you'll probably end up getting a major haircut at some point... I wouldn't recommend it unless you're OK with that.

I'm going to totally ditto this, I know there is a trend right now of lots of people going black but ... it really doesn't favor many people and looks really flat .
(Not that this applies to you ->) Around my area I have noticed especially a lot of lovely young girls doing a very chemical flat highlight free kind of black, I feel like they are dying their ash colored hair and it totally ages them 10 years. With a more natural kind of Russian blond color they have they would look very fresh and youthful , instead they look like they have a wig on.
I would definitely go way slow with hendigo also because it builds up the more times you use it , and you can find yourself with a darker color than you intended.
I would check out a temp color like the Luxpiggy suggested, to start with.

[Demetrue]

By the way - pink skin tones are considered cool, so as long as you pick a color with neutral or ashe tones, you should be fine - do what you want - it's your hair and you only live once.

[Annibelle]

I think you could look beautiful with black hair, but I think you'd look better with a very dark brown, and... even better with your current color. It looks gorgeous on you. I know black is "sophisticated," but I think your color helps to make you look sweet AND sophisticated, especially with your pretty waves. <3 I vote to not color it at all, but if you decide to, listen to all of these smart people's suggestions! :) :flower:

[Lucie159]

Oh your awesome pepperminttea! I went to that site and had so much fun playing with my hair color, I was concerned what I would look like with Henna hair, I found a color I liked that I thought would be closest to the Henna color I would get and saw how I would look "speculatively" with red hair. I LOVE IT! now I really can't wait for my Henna. Hopefully I will get the same results or better.

[racrane]

I would definitely suggest a temporary dye first. See if you like it. When I was 15, I tried a temporary strawberry blond, and while pretty, it wasn't me. Play around.

[maborosi]

I'll be honest - I think it'll clash. Very few people can pull off black hair unless they were born with it.

Yeah. I actually know some people with naturally very dark hair who do not look good with black at all. I think it depends on the tone of your skin.

Personally, I think black looks really good on me, even though it is far, far darker than what my natural color is.

~maborosi~

[PolarCathy]

I too think that black is a "dangerous" color. Your eyebrows wouldn't match and overall, I think it's a very "strong" color for your complexion.

But look who is saying that, I still don't know if my indigo black suits me, and it's only a shade darker than my natural hair, LOL.

[Lapin]

all right, so you have tons of feedback, but we have very similar coloring and man have i been where you are!

My two cents? Black is awesome, it enhances your natural features, it makes everything you wear (clothing, make-up, jewelry) more dramatic, and it's just fun. it also looks fake as heck, even with dark eyes and brows. skin as pale as yours (and mine) don't usually have hair that naturally dark, and it shows. common sense, i know, but worth pointing out.

i used to compromise by dying my hair black and getting little streaks of medium and light brown - it adds dimension and, although obviously not natural (but you're not going for a natural look i assume) it was still more flattering than a sheer black head o' hair.

post pictures of whatever you decide to do!

[Unofficial_Rose]

Skintone and eye colour matter with haircolour, but just to throw something else into the mix - so does personality.

A different hair colour can make you feel differently about yourself and affect mood. I feel (and act) more lighthearted with lighter hair. I went soft black with henndigo and it made me very introverted and pessimistic - although I did feel dramatic and glamorous on occasion. It also might need quite a bit of eyeliner to pull off - but that's not always a bad thing, right? Doesn't mean it will affect you the same way it did me, just someone else's experiences to consider. You, on the other hand, might love it and it might make you feel great. :)

I second Luxepiggy's suggestion of a temporary black. It is no joke getting rid of henndigo. That is why I have short hair this year, I had to cut it all out. :( Not a route to go down unless you are certain you want it forever. Chemicals might not be so good for the hair, but they give you choices, at least. Henndigo removes the option to change your mind. Like, at all...

[Clem_Dela]

I'd mess about on Taaz.com (http://www.taaz.com/) before you do anything. :) Use a picture of you outdoors, so the shade of your skintone is as true-to-life in the photo as possible.

WOW- I just used this website!! SO MUCH FUN!!!!!! :bounce: pics at the end of this post. and thank you!!



I think you could look beautiful with black hair, but I think you'd look better with a very dark brown, and... even better with your current color. It looks gorgeous on you. I know black is "sophisticated," but I think your color helps to make you look sweet AND sophisticated, especially with your pretty waves. <3 I vote to not color it at all, but if you decide to, listen to all of these smart people's suggestions! :) :flower:

awww- thank you for the compliments. :) :blossom:

To everyone with eyebrow comments: My brows and lashes ARE black. Maybe those photos weren't the best option. Anyway...

I chose some pics taken by my friend who is a professional photographer and used Taaz to edit them. here are the results:

http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lsiq23D9BN1r0q028o1_500.jpg
indoor lighting

http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lsivfpHhrY1r0q028o1_500.jpg
outdoor lighting

http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lsivgpIwg91r0q028o1_500.jpg
outdoor lighting

http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lsivh39z2v1r0q028o1_250.jpg
indoor lighting

[lizdini]

I think it would like nice!

ETA: didn't see your last post there, yes I think it looks good!

[McFearless]

I don't think black will be as flattering as the colour you have now. Black is a very tricky colour, and the contrast with pale skin is beautiful in many cases but in some it doesn't work. Medium dark brown would suit you even better. This is my opinion..

[Annibelle]

The black does look nice-- better than I expected it to-- but I still prefer it natural. :flower: There's something very soft and feminine about your light brown that I love.

[PinkyCat]

WOW! Beautiful. Black is such an awesome color.

[Safira]

I'd mess about on Taaz.com (http://www.taaz.com/) before you do anything. :) Use a picture of you outdoors, so the shade of your skintone is as true-to-life in the photo as possible.


I tried this and oddly, I looked best with black hair. :bigeyes:
I&#180;ve always taught that I&#180;m too pale for black.


Well. I have to say that I think that brown works with you the best. I think you would look beautiful with dark brown. Black looks harsh on you.

[lapushka]

I'd go for the darkest, deepest brown shade there is instead of black. In my experience black hair dye is very unnatural and looks as if your hair's been colored. I'd also stay away from (pure) indigo. In that case also, try a mixture with at least some henna in it.

I agree with those who've said that trying temporary dye first is a *very* good idea, esp. with long hair!

[gibsongirl71]

Go try on some black wigs to see how it would look. It is costume season so there are a lot of them out there. I too find black a bit harsh unless you were born with it or have pure porcelain skin tone. Some people who dye their hair black (like goths) tend to whiten their skin. My old hairdresser colored her hair black but she was also 1/2 Spanish and had medium golden skin color. Looked great on her but it was also her original hair color before she started to go gray.

[luxepiggy]

Based on the simulation photos, I think that you'd be better off opting for a very dark brown/soft black rather than jet black, which seems likely to wash out your complexion.

[jaine]

I get a "leave me alone, I'll mess you up" vibe from the simulation photos with dark hair... Is that the effect you're going for? I don't get this vibe from your original photos.


ETA: I hope it doesn't sound like I'm judging dark hair. :) I like dark hair. I have dark hair.

[Clem_Dela]

jaine, maybe it would be nice to look more intimidating. I've always been the meek, quiet one; i go pretty unnoticed. This would be a pretty badass change in my opinion.

what does looking "washed out" even mean? people say it all the time and it doesn't really make sense to me. does it mean pale? Cause I actually like pale. it's at least more definitive than "sort of pale but not really" kind of tone.

Black hair would open up lots of makeup opportunities, would it not? and clothes?

Anyway, I think it's time to look for deposit-only temp dyes. Any recommendations? Something that would last anywhere from 1-3 weeks?

[luxepiggy]

jaine, maybe it would be nice to look more intimidating. I've always been the meek, quiet one; i go pretty unnoticed. This would be a pretty badass change in my opinion.

what does looking "washed out" even mean? people say it all the time and it doesn't really make sense to me. does it mean pale? Cause I actually like pale. it's at least more definitive than "sort of pale but not really" kind of tone.

Black hair would open up lots of makeup opportunities, would it not? and clothes?

Anyway, I think it's time to look for deposit-only temp dyes. Any recommendations? Something that would last anywhere from 1-3 weeks?

"Washed out" does not mean pale, IPHO. When I think of "pale" what comes to mind is luminous, porcelainlike skin (http://cdnimg.visualizeus.com/thumbs/e0/3a/beauty,du,juan,face,model-e03a2b25d5107ac4c9afa2b03e626572_i.jpg). Although there is very little pigment to the complexion, it retains a healthy glow and radiance. Washed out means the complexion is drained of colour (http://www.fashionfame.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/lily-cole-at-groucho-club-in-london.jpeg). The skin appears clammy, as if the person has suffered severe blood loss. I'm a huge fan of pale skin - it's what I strive for. But I definitely would not want to look washed out.

Regarding makeup - if black hair washes out someone's complexion, adding dramatic makeup actually worsens the effect. The makeup looks garish and heavy-handed (http://blog.makeupbymario.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/jm-fab2.jpg), the skin looks chalky, and the overall effect is very clownlike; all the pigment just appears to be sitting on top of the skin. If you compare this image to the first link, you can see the difference. In the first photo, the strong colours don't overwhelm the face the way they clearly do in the third image.

For deposit-only dye, I highly recommend Creative Image's Adore (http://creativeimagesystems.com/adore/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=48&Itemid=60) brand. It's inexpensive, leaves my hair super-shiny, and is available in a variety of black shades, from off black to blue black.

[jaine]

I vote for a warm black in a temporary color. Black because it sounds like you're dying to try it, warm because I think you'll be more likely to like the result considering your skin tone, and temporary so you don't have to get a pixie cut if you don't like it. :) although...pixie cuts are pretty badass too, but it's nice to have multiple options.

Piggy, that hair color looks very tempting, does it have PPD?

[luxepiggy]

Piggy, that hair color looks very tempting, does it have PPD?

I don't believe so - here's the ingredients listed on the bottles I have: deionized water, aloe vera, citric acid, hydrolized collagen, octoxynol-9, hydroxypropylmethocellulose, ppg-1 peg-9 lauryl glycol ether, methylchoroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, propylene glycol, sodium citrate, fragrance (parfum)

[Clem_Dela]

what is PPG exactly? i'm not superinformed on the synthetic dye subject. :)

[Clem_Dela]

another question: how is adore plus different from just adore?