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Thread: the cons of henna/indigo

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    Member jadelouise's Avatar
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    Default the cons of henna/indigo

    i have been chemically dying my hair black for around 5 years now, i love the colour but hate the fact i use chemicals. my roots are starting to come through now and im seriously considering using indigo.

    however, i understand it doesnt kill your hair like chemical dyes, i just wanted to know, other than being super permanent, are there any other pros/cons to using henna/indigo?

    how will it affect my hair in other ways, etc? & photos of resulting colour would be helpful as well.

    thankyou x

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    Member jadelouise's Avatar
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    Default Re: the cons of henna/indigo

    oh and how tricky is the procedure/how long does it take? and how badly does the colour run afterwards? x

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    I will eat all your tofu maborosi's Avatar
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    Default Re: the cons of henna/indigo

    I did a two step process several times. If you're completely sure you want black hair, this is a great way to do it. The only cons for me:

    -It didin't smell too good
    -Indigo had a harder time sticking to my hair than henna
    -If I didn't oil my hair beforehand, it tended to dry my hair

    But it's overall a good option. Make sure you rinse really really well, otherwise it will stain everything for several days- it'd be a good idea to sleep with a towel underneath you those first few times ^^

    ~maborosi~

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    Member jadelouise's Avatar
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    Default Re: the cons of henna/indigo

    Quote Originally Posted by maborosi View Post
    I did a two step process several times. If you're completely sure you want black hair, this is a great way to do it. The only cons for me:

    -It didin't smell too good
    -Indigo had a harder time sticking to my hair than henna
    -If I didn't oil my hair beforehand, it tended to dry my hair

    But it's overall a good option. Make sure you rinse really really well, otherwise it will stain everything for several days- it'd be a good idea to sleep with a towel underneath you those first few times ^^

    ~maborosi~
    awesome thankyou, sounds good to me!

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    I will eat all your tofu maborosi's Avatar
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    Default Re: the cons of henna/indigo

    No problem! ^^

    ~maborosi~

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    Member jadelouise's Avatar
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    Default Re: the cons of henna/indigo

    oh and how long did you leave it to develop for? x

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    Technicolour Pug Lover pink.sara's Avatar
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    Default Re: the cons of henna/indigo

    It's more expensive than box dye, it can be really drying, I had to leave the henna for about 6 hours then the indigo for the same time to work so it takes a whole day.
    It didn't stick until the 4th full head application.
    Then it wouldn't come back out without lots of colour B4 and several bleachings. It's left a tiny green tinge that mean Ill never be able to get back to blonde.

    I won't go there again. Even though henna is strengthening.

    Brand New Redhead

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    Default Re: the cons of henna/indigo

    How light is your natural hair color? From my own experience, I can say that on my light/medium auburn hair (that had been hennaed using Lush Caca in Marron) it took several very long applications to get somewhere even close to black. The water is very very hard here and I think that contributed some to the ever present greenish tint I always had. I had to apply for 4 hours at least (sometimes as long as 6 hours) , and the smell was sometimes not so pleasant. I used Light Mountain Black (which I don't recommend!) and over the course of 5 months I did about 8 applications.

    I didn't mind the long application time or the smell so much when it finally got black. And while I knew it was really permanent, what I didn't know until it was too late was that my new growth would take the henndigo completely differently than my hennaed hair. I ended up with a very stark band of jet black hair and then the hennaed length would be black for about a week then fade to very dark ashy brown, with a bit of greenness.

    I think 2 stepping might take care of that issue, but it is really really hard to remove if you change your mind about black hair, or get tired of the upkeep. I found that I could not remove it, and I tried near everything multiple times! I think removal is easier if you've used some conventional dyes, but it's just a theory of mine. There are lots of henndigo removal threads, so you might read a few of those to get an idea of what people do to try and remove it.

    I did find it a tad drying, moreso than the henna I had been using, but Lush Cacas are practically a gloss. I think it seemed more drying simply because it sat on my head so long and required long rinsing.

    Ironically, I used henndigo because I wanted to avoid chemical dyes too, and honestly I wish I'd used Manic Panic or something like that! But, YMMV!

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    Nutty neurology nurse!!! jojo's Avatar
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    Default Re: the cons of henna/indigo

    I have used hendigo twice in my life ( I also had chemical dyes and henna on) and using indigo is my worst ever mistake, it stuck to my hair like glue. It did make my hair feel and look nice but getting it out, self surgery for removing a kidney would have been easier. I did manage eventually but I'd never recommend indigo unless you have naturally dark hair to start with!

    Grab a dye box much less hassle and you have more chance of removing it should you want to!
    Buzz October 2015 to get rid of bendigo and lots of other damage, now Al natural and loving it....where will my journey end? I will tell you when I get there. Lifelong Co washer and LOC method currentl approaching curly hip

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    Hair Dresser akilina's Avatar
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    Default Re: the cons of henna/indigo

    I cant even really read your post. Its small and the font is weird :/

    I love using henna. It is about the same price for me.

    A box of the hair dye I use is 8 dollars, then the developer can range from 3 to 8.
    One bag of henna is about 8 or 9 and lasts me two applications.
    The "developer" is just water.
    Doing a two step henna then indigo would take up a lot of time in a day.
    And, you have to use henna for the indigo to stick.
    I think you will find lots of luck in the henna and herbal hair care sub forum.
    Taking an LHC break.

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