The Quest for Raven Hair - my first attempt at 2-step Henndigo

Up until just a couple of years ago, I'd always dyed my hair black or dark brown - and had done so for about 10 years. My hair had suffered as a result. I'd known it was bad, but I'd tried henna and hated the orange sheen it gave my hair - and I tried the slightly less toxic alternatives, and hadn't liked the results. I have never felt comfortable with my natural shade which is light-medium brown - and I wasn't willing to compromise on having dark hair, so I had to find another way.

My hair pre-Henndigo - weird colours left
from veg dyes. Very dry and unhappy!

This led to a brief love affair with Vegetable Dyes such as Directions and Manic Panic. They worked well but washed out quickly, and I found the upkeep very tedious. (Knowing what I do now, I would not recommend the use of these veg dyes due to them including Ceteareth-20 and other questionable ingredients).

I had started to realise that my hair dyeing practices were making me sad - I wanted luscious raven locks but I didn't want to be flushing chemicals into the waterways, nor damaging my hair and potentially my body through the absorption of toxins. In acknowledging this, I knew there would be no going back to box dyes - so I started doing more research into natural dyes.

To my utter delight, I found that Henna and Indigo can be used together to achieve a range of brunette shades, through to blue-black and in some cases a purple-black. The mystical combo is affectionately known as 'henndigo', and I wanted to try it out on my dull and messed up hair immediately!

There are two ways to use Henna & Indigo

1. Single application - or 1 step - this is where you combine the Henna & Indigo together and apply at the same time, achieving a range of warm brunette colours, depending on your base.

2. Double application - or 2 step - this involves applying the Henna first, washing out, then applying the Indigo - this has a layering effect which can create dark brown to black shades. This is the one I decided to try. 

What you'll need

☾ Water

☾ 100g+ Body Art Quality Henna

☾ 100g+ Body Art Quality Indigo

☾ Apple Cider Vinegar or Lemon Juice

☾ Some decent reusable gloves

☾ Old clothes and towels

☾ A very helpful and patient assistant!

Buying the powder

Make sure you source Body Art Quality Henna and Indigo. I wanted to buy organic, and initially found a seller on eBay but sadly they no longer trade. I can recommend Suvarna - they have beautiful organic powders, and you can expect to pay around £11 for 100g of each powder.

I also bought some Amla powder, which can be added to the henna as a conditioner, as well as helping to relax frizz-prone hair.

Below shows the colours of the Amla, Indigo and Henna from left to right:

Mixing the Henna

I put 200g of Henna powder into a glass bowl. For shoulder length hair, you'll need around 120-150g of each powder. For mid-back length like mine, you'll need 200-250g of each (it can get a bit expensive!).

For info on mixes and suggested ratios for your hair length, have a look at this PDF Guide from Mehandi.com.

Don't use a metal bowl or spoon - it is said the metal upsets the mix. (I forgot this, and used a metal spoon, and nothing terrible happened - but I've remembered not to do it since.. just in case)

I mixed some Apple Cider Vinegar (acidic - helps with dye release) with warm water (not too hot, as this degrades the pigments) in a jug, and slowly poured onto the henna, mixing as I went. You can use lemon juice if you prefer.

The desired paste should be smooth and have a yoghurty consistency. 

Henna before dye release

Henna after dye release

Now you have to wait while the Henna releases it's dye. This can take a while, and most people recommend leaving your bowl overnight, covered in plastic, at room temp. I put my bowl in the room where we had an open fire - I kept it away from the direct heat, but with the ambient temperature, I had dye release after about an hour. 

The images (left) show the colour of the paste before and after dye release.

I then added some Amla powder to the Henna mix, and added a tiny bit more water to keep the consistency. (I didn't measure this - sorry - just a handful or so!)

Applying the Henna

This is where you will need your willing helper and the gloves - definitely don't forget the gloves.

Apply cream, aloe vera gel or similar to your hairline and ears to try and prevent staining of the skin. Wear old clothes and put an old towel around your shoulders and on the floor to catch drips!

My mum was kind enough to apply my Henna for me. She put my hair up and let it down in sections, allowing her to get the Henna right to the roots. You will quickly find that the Henna can be gritty, difficult to squish into all the strands, and that it dries quickly turning your hair to stone. It's not the easiest process, but hopefully worth the fuss. 

Once you are happy that you have covered all of the hairs on your head, you can wrap your whole head in plastic. This is both to stop drips/dried bits of Henna from escaping and making a mess, and to keep the heat and moisture in, which helps with the colour. Just wrapping in a towel would soak up too much moisture - you need it to stay as wet as possible.

Cling film is the most convenient thing to use, but please try to avoid this if you can - I tend to use several old carrier bags tied in a knot around my head, and wear a shower cap over the top!

I then put a towel over my pillows just in case, and went to bed! If you can leave your henna on overnight, the colour will be more intense. If you can't do it overnight, just leave it on as long as possible - a few hours should do it.

[Note: the towels over my pillows were absolutely CRUCIAL. This stuff sneaks out no matter what, so be careful - unless you like little orange dots on everything.]

Washing off the Henna

This took me a good 40 minutes. It is difficult to wash off, and your bath will probably be orange by the end of it. However, the marks came off with a bit of elbow grease, and didn't stain like other dyes I've used in the past. 

Don't shampoo or condition the hair, just dry it (preferably air dry!) before moving onto the Indigo.

This is my air-dried hair after Hennaing:

It felt so much better than before (although it does still look a bit mad). It felt smoother, stronger and actually had a nice shine. The colour was a mix of burnt orange and dark burgundy shades. Not something I'd want to keep, but I liked that the different tones were retained.

Mixing the Indigo

Indigo before mixing

Indigo after mixing

I put 220g of Indigo powder into the bowl. I used a bit more than with the Henna, because I'd used a bit of Amla in the Henna mix and we started to run a bit low towards the end.


I then added water and mixed until the consistency was yoghurty and as smooth as I could get it. Indigo needs to be used immediately - there is no need to wait for dye release. Work as quickly as you can, as it starts to demise after around 30 minutes.

Applying the Indigo

As before, I put some cream around my hairline and ears for protection.

Next, my Mum applied the Indigo in the same way as the Henna - be thorough and give everything a thick coating.

Then, I wrapped my hair in my lovely plastic bags and went about my business for about 3.5 hours while the Indigo was working it's magic.

Leave it on your hair for at least 2 - 4 hours.

Washing off the Indigo

This is a bit easier than washing off the Henna, because you can now use conditioner which helps a lot!

Once my hair was dry, I was a very happy girl! It was a lot darker, and it felt amazing - fuller and stronger. It looked shiny and healthy and lovely. I managed to achieve this colour which I loved:

Apologies for the photos - I should have made more effort and taken them in similar lighting. From left to right shows the progression of colour over several weeks. It was a dark, rich brown which was almost black in some lights, fading to a medium/dark brown with orange tones and sometimes a slight tinge of green - but it wasn't too bad. I'd have preferred a darker blue-black like I've seen some people achieve - but that's something to work towards!

Don't be alarmed if you see a green hue at first - everywhere I've looked suggests that it takes a couple of days for the colour to oxidise and settle down. I didn't get one at first but I noticed a slight green hue after the third week.

There are quite a few variations on this process, and some ways of possibly enhancing the colour through adding coffee, salt and walnut powder - but I've not tried these yet.

Thoughts

Overall I was really very happy with the end result. My hair felt nourished and was much darker than my natural hair colour. I would recommend it for anyone looking to darken and enhance their brown hair.

However, I recognise that this isn't a very 'thrifty' process, with the whole treatment costing £25+. It's not something I can afford to do often, and in the past year I've only done it three times. I tend to think of it as a treat now rather than a 3 weekly necessity.

The colour does fade, and unfortunately this is usually to brown with orange hues. But, my way of thinking has changed, and I don't mind it so much. I love that this process is kind to my hair, and kind to the environment. It's also nicer to have the colour fade naturally as it doesn't leave an obvious stripe of regrowth!

The amount of time and extra expense that Henndigo requires over conventional box dyes makes it feel more special, and it's a process I look forward to.

I'd love to know if anyone has any tips for further darkening the colour!

Thriftmaiden
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