How to Dye Your Hair With Indigo

Co-authored by Moushami Iyer

Last Updated: February 13, 2023 Approved

Dyeing your hair is a fun way to make your hair the color that you want. Unfortunately, this can involve putting chemicals in your hair that irritate your scalp and skin. Dyeing your hair with indigo powder is a way to avoid this. Indigo powder is produced by grinding the leaves of the indigo plant, which means that indigo powder is completely natural. With indigo powder, you can make your hair as dark as you want without using chemicals. Generally, to do this, people with light-colored hair need a henna base, and those with darker hair can use indigo powder without a henna base.^{[1]
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Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Using Henna as a Base

1
Buy or make henna. You can make your own henna, or you can save yourself time by getting some at a Middle Eastern or Indian grocery stores. But enough henna to cover your hair. 200g is usually enough for shoulder-length hair. If you want specialty henna, you may have to visit a henna artist.
- If you buy henna, make sure it’s made of all-natural ingredients, as some companies may use artificial products that can damage your hair.
2
Prepare the henna. If you have light-colored hair, then you will need to use henna as a base. You should put a small amount of henna in a bowl. Pour a small amount of hot water into the bowl. Then, mix in some lemon juice or vinegar. Stir this mixture till it gets thick. Keep adding liquid until it has a creamy type of thickness to it. Once it’s thick enough, you should wrap the bowl with plastic wrap.

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3
Let the henna cool for a few minutes before you use it. You want the henna to be warm when you apply it to your hair, but not hot. After several minutes, take the plastic wrap off the bowl and test to make sure the henna is no longer hot.
4
Put a cream on your ears and hairline to protect your skin from stains. You don't want any of the henna to get on your face or ears while you're dying your hair. Any kind of thick cream or conditioner will work.
5
Apply henna to your hair.Do this in sections by parting your hair into three even chunks. You want to place a large amount of henna paste on your hair. It should be so thick that it goes down to your scalp.
- If you accidentally get henna on your skin, immediately wash it off with soap and water so it doesn’t stain.
6
Cover your head. Once you’ve placed a substantial amount of henna on each section of your hair, wrap plastic around your head. You should not remove this wrap for two to four hours. Doing this will make sure that your hair absorbs the henna completely.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Preparing to Dye With Indigo

1
Purchase indigo. You can generally find indigo at big retailers and beauty supply stores. You can also purchase high-quality indigo on websites like Amazon. Buy 100g of indigo for every six inches of hair.
2
Get your space ready. If you have any old newspapers or towels, you should put them on the floor of the space that you intend to use. Henna may be dripping and you won’t want to clear the sticky substance off of the floor. If your bathroom is big enough, you might want to consider dyeing your hair there. Indigo will permanently stain clothes, carpets, pets, and furniture, so be careful.
- You can dye your hair in the shower so you have an easier cleanup.
3
Clean your hair. Wash your hair thoroughly, then dry it naturally or with a blow dryer. You can use your regular shampoo and conditioner. You just want to make sure that you get rid of any excess dirt and henna, if you applied any. This will make the dyeing process easier. Your hair can be a little damp; in fact, a little dampness is good for the dyeing process.
4
Section your hair. Comb your hair and aim to get rid of any tangles or knots. After you do this, you will want to section your hair into a few different parts. This will make dyeing your hair less difficult. The most common way to section hair is to create four different quadrants. To do this, create two divides. First, you should divide your front and back hair. Then, you should part your hair into a left section and a right section. This will give you four separate parts.^{[2]
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- Use bobby pins or hair clips to hold each section in place.
5
Put on gloves. Your hands might get dirty and end up looking blue from the indigo. To avoid this, put on a pair of rubber gloves prior to applying indigo. Latex, kitchen, or gardening gloves will do.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Applying Indigo

1
Prepare the indigo. It’s best to do this once you are ready to start the dyeing process. Pour warm water into a medium-sized bowl. Sprinkle in the indigo powder. Wait for about ten to fifteen minutes. You will want to mix this until you create a textured sort of paste.
2
Apply indigo to your hair. You should now have a prepared indigo mixture. Spoon this on your hair using your hands. You should place indigo on all parts of your hair that you want to be darkened.
3
Wrap your hair. You want to make sure the indigo stays warm and seeps into your hairs. Therefore, once you have covered your hair with indigo, you should put a plastic wrap or a shower cap on your head. You will want to leave your hair covered for about an hour.
4
Rinse off the paste.Take the wrap off. Using cool water, you should rinse out all of the paste that is in your hair.
- Do not use shampoo for the next two to three days.
- It will take a couple of days for the indigo to oxidize. Once it does, then you will see the actual color it was supposed to produce.

Expert Q&A

Question

Is Indigo harmful to hair?

Laura Martin
Licensed Cosmetologist
Laura Martin is a Licensed Cosmetologist in Georgia. She has been a hair stylist since 2007 and a cosmetology teacher since 2013.

Laura Martin

Licensed Cosmetologist

Expert Answer

Indigo is safe to use on your hair and much less likely to trigger an allergic reaction than permanent hair dye.
Question

What colors to mix for Indigo?

Laura Martin
Licensed Cosmetologist
Laura Martin is a Licensed Cosmetologist in Georgia. She has been a hair stylist since 2007 and a cosmetology teacher since 2013.

Laura Martin

Licensed Cosmetologist

Expert Answer

You can apply indigo by itself for a deep blue-black hue. For a softer color, you can mix it with henna, or you can apply over henna to increase its staying power.
Question

Is Indigo natural?

Laura Martin
Licensed Cosmetologist
Laura Martin is a Licensed Cosmetologist in Georgia. She has been a hair stylist since 2007 and a cosmetology teacher since 2013.

Laura Martin

Licensed Cosmetologist

Expert Answer

Yes, Indigo is a natural dye made from a powdered crystal. It is the same dye used on jeans.

Warnings

If you have any gray hairs, the indigo dye may show up differently on them.

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Helpful 33 Not Helpful 7
Indigo is permanent. You have to wait for it to grow out.

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Indigo will permanently stain clothes, carpets, pets, and furniture, so be careful.

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Helpful 64 Not Helpful 32
Avoid using indigo if you're worried about your hair being too dark.

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Indigo may slightly dry your hair. Frequent indigo users should alternate between indigo and henna. Henna conditions your hair and won't lighten the black.

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If your hair was recently dyed or lightened, indigo may not give you an even coverage.

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