Indigo has a very short dye life. Once it’s been mixed as a paste, it only dyes for about 2-3 hours. So indigo does need to be used immediately after mixing, or at least within 10-15 minutes.

Please follow this important process to achieve dye release from your indigo powder for hair.

• Place your indigo powder into a bowl. Personally we use stainless steel. We don’t really like plastic bowls as they absorb the dye/stain, they are porous, and they begin to smell like the herbs. The bowl you choose should only be used for hair dyeing.
• You can also add a pinch of salt if you have concerns of it sticking to your hair, or to tough greys.
• Slowly adding warm to hot liquid (make sure it’s a bit in between, and not too warm, nor room temperature) to your indigo powder, and begin to mix it altogether really well. Don’t add too much water or it’ll be too runny. Slowly add your water so that it is a bit thick.
• Then you can add it to your henna paste either immediately or within 10-15 minutes, if you are doing a one step process. For a two step process, apply it right away (or within those 10-15 minutes) onto your newly washed, henna’ed hair (meaning your hair must have been henna’ed first, so that the indigo sticks to your hair strands to color it black tones).

The picture below shows you what indigo paste looks like when it’s dye releasing. This is a good test to do if you’re not sure if you have good quality indigo. When the blue-black dye climbs up and into the papertowel you’ll know the color is great!

I’ll be the first to say that this article, if it really means indigo and not some other plant, then I don’t agree with a lot of what is said in this article. Basma, from the indigo plant? That sounds like they are calling indigo by another name. A lot of the information in this article is not correct.

You can use commercial hair dyes, relaxers, or perms, if you use 100% pure henna and herbs. You should ALWAYS do hair strand tests first before using ANY new hair product, even natural ones. Make sure that henna, and herbs are the right choice for YOU. Remember your hair is unique, just as you are. There are many recipes, and natural regimens out there, and you have to discover which of those are right for you. We’re here for you!

Please read:

Dark Chocolate or Black Night? Your Choice is Basma!

There is another favorite hair dye besides henna in the East. It is called basma. This vegetable hair dye is environmentally friendly. It is prepared from dried leaves of tropical plant indigo, which have greenish grey color. Basma can be used only with henna or coffee, because basma itself can dye your hair in green or greenish blue. Basma has excellent cosmetology properties: it stimulates hair growth and gives it a natural shine, improves hair structure, strengthens hair roots, and eliminates dandruff.

Also as henna, basma should be prepared immediately before applying on hair; you have not to store a hair dye. Take from 20 till 100 grams of basma and henna powder depending on your hair length. The proportion is determined depending on the desired tone and hue intensity. Having dissolved a powder in proportion of 1:1 you will get a nice brown hue. If you want to get hair so black as night, the proportion should be 1:2 (henna: basma); but having changed the proportion of components (1:2 basma: henna) you will get hair of bronze color.

Apply the dye dissolved with water to cream mixture to dry or wet clean hair; it is better to start with back of the head. Then apply the dye on top of the head and on temples, and then on the entire length. For effect enhancing you should put plastic hat on your head, and then cover it with a towel. Keep the dye for 20-30 minutes (for having a light tone), or 1-3 hours (for having rich dark tone).

However, dyes from natural ingredients are not permanent as chemical dyes are. Therefore hair dyed with henna or basma should be spared; wash it with mild shampoos and rinse it with conditioners and balms of the same type (do not use deep cleaning shampoos!). Maintain the color intensity using such a rinse. Pour the mixture of 25 grams of henna and 25 grams of basma with 1.5 liters of boiling water. Filter the mixture carefully, cool it and rinse your hair with it. You have to moisturize your hair regularly and nourish it with protein masks for keeping the resulting hair shine. You can make the mask by yourself: mix 2 egg yolks, 1 teaspoon of honey, aloe leaf juice, 1 teaspoon of castor oil.

You should remember: if your hair is dyed with vegetable dye, you cannot use artificial dyes. The reaction of chemical agents with henna and basma can lead to unexpected results, including blue or green hue. Natural dye has to be completely washed off.