Indigo question

[rock007junkie]

I have read that one needs to have previously applied henna in order for the indigo to stick. This is where my confusion comes in....does that mean that you had to have applied henna at some point in your life (meaning that it would be present in your strands) or that you need to apply the henna right before you apply the indigo?
Thanks ladies :-)

[rock007junkie]

Really? Nobody uses indigo here?

[Mymagicfairy]

Right before would be best...its called two step process
Do henna for 4 hours
Wash ...apply freshly made indigo on wet hair
Leave for 2 to 4 hours
To get black jet hair

[Mymagicfairy]

Right before would be best...its called two step process
Do henna for 4 hours
Wash ...apply freshly made indigo on wet hair
Leave for 2 to 4 hours
To get black jet hair

[buttercupmcgee]

I have read that one needs to have previously applied henna in order for the indigo to stick. This is where my confusion comes in....does that mean that you had to have applied henna at some point in your life (meaning that it would be present in your strands) or that you need to apply the henna right before you apply the indigo?
Thanks ladies :-)

Hi! I just used Lush Caca Brun, which has indigo in it. I'd never used Henna before, and it had been over a year since I dyed at all. It worked like a charm. I don't know about mixing the two yourself, but this product worked great.

[NativeGirl]

For me at least, it works best if I do a henna application right before I indigo.
I've tried to just throw on the indigo, but it doesn't seem to take or last as long.

[Becky9679]

I have read that one needs to have previously applied henna in order for the indigo to stick. This is where my confusion comes in....does that mean that you had to have applied henna at some point in your life (meaning that it would be present in your strands) or that you need to apply the henna right before you apply the indigo?
Thanks ladies :-)

Yep, as a general rule henna sticks to hair and indigo sticks to henna. I have applied henna, waited a week and then applied the indigo and I've also done the indigo immediately after the henna. Doing it immediately definitely gives a much darker result (I'm assuming that's what you're after!). If you do the henna and then wait a while and do the indigo it gives a browner result. The routine I use to get my colour is here (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/blog.php?b=97499) if you're interested, at the bottom of the page :D

The exception to this is probably if you've been dyeing your hair with henna for ages and have reached your hair's natural saturation point (at which the henna makes your hair very dark in any case, there are a few threads (http://www.longhaircommunity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2554) showing this) then using henna prior to indigo probably wouldn't make much difference as there would be so much in your hair already.

[rock007junkie]

Thanks for your suggestions ladies. My hair is really black. After months of hennaing though I'm starting to see the red tinge even when I'm not in the sun (and of course in those pesky gray hairs). I may try to do a one step henndigo first and see how that holds. Then depending on how it takes I may do a 2 step later on.