Here are some simple recipes for mixing your natural hair products. Please visit www.forums.longhaircommunity.com and www.longhaircareforum.com as you will find a wealth of information, along with techniques and various recipes. You can even ask questions on their forum! Please remember when using any new hair product it is always recommended that you do hair strand tests first!
Important: Please keep in mind that everyone has their own unique hair texture. Herbal treatments can be drying for some, and it is recommended that you add hair oil to your recipe, or deep condition your hair afterwards. We recommend that everyone keep an open mind when using henna and natural herbs on their hair, and use the recipe that works best for you!
Henna, also known as lawsonia inermis
Mixing henna for healthy hair and beautiful red tones:
-Mix henna with warm water, or warm lemon juice, and allow the paste to sit from 2-12 hours (as this depends on the dye release of your henna powder chosen). Add enough liquid to make a paste the consistency of pancake batter.
-After dye release has been achieved, then apply the henna paste to your (damp or dry) hair by sections starting from the back and moving forward. Make sure you wear gloves when applying henna, as it will stain your hands.
-Wrap your hair and allow to sit from 1 to 6 hours. The longer you leave the henna in, the more dye will penetrate your hair.
-Rinse or wash the paste out.
-Your hair’s color will settle over the next 2 days.
Optional
- For redder tones you may add hibiscus or paprika.
- For browner tones you may add coffee, black tea, or even amla powder (this will tone down the red dye and give you great volume all at the same time).
- You may also try out a henna gloss. You can do this by adding some henna powder to your conditioner and let it sit in your hair for 30 minutes as a deep conditioning treatment and be able to achieve a less amount of dyeing.
- Feel free to add orange blossom water, rose water or essential oils to leave your hair smelling great!
How to store your powder: freezer.
How to store your henna paste: freezer.
Indigo, also known as indigofera tinctoria
Mixing indigo for jet-black hair:
-Follow the instructions on how to henna your hair first, then you will indigo your hair as soon as you have rinsed/washed the henna out of your hair.
-Mix indigo with warm water and allow to sit for 10-15 minutes. Add enough water to make the paste the consistency of pancake batter. Optional, add some salt (1 tsp per 100 grams of powder) to help darken the indigo or add CMC to thicken up your paste.
-Apply the indigo paste to your hair be sections starting from the back and moving forward. Make sure you wear gloves when applying indigo, as it will stain your hands.
-Wrap your hair and allow to sit for 1-2 hours.
-Rinse or wash the paste out. Some prefer to use only conditioner when washing the paste out.
-Your hair’s color will settle over the next 2 days.
-This method is called a two-step process.
How to store your powder: fridge, or cool dark place.
How to store your paste: throw leftovers away as indigo paste does not freeze or keep well.
Mixing indigo for brown hair:
-Prepare the henna paste as directed.
-Once henna is ready, mix your indigo as directed (with warm water and allow to sit for 10-15 minutes). Mix these two together. The more indigo you add the darker the brown.
-Apply the paste to your hair by sections starting from the back and moving forward. Make sure you wear gloves, as it will stain your hands.
-Wrap your hair and allow to sit for 1 to 6 hours.
-Rinse or wash your paste out
-This process is called a one-step process.
-Your hair’s color will settle over the next 2 days.
Optional: You can also add CMC (Carboxyl Methyl Cellulose) to your indigo paste as it tends to be drippy. This will thicken your paste up, and is used to thicken up store-bought salad dressing and in the making of silk paper. You only need 1 gram per 100 grams of indigo.
How to store your powder: henna in your freezer and indigo in your fridge or cool dark place
How to store your paste: throw leftovers away as the paste does not freeze or keep well.
My hair is natural 4b. The front comes to my top lip and my back almost reaches my collar bone.
I also wanted to know if I went to a dark chocolate brown/black would I be able to just do henna if I ever wanted to go to more reddish tones?
Shamika, yes that would be fine as the red will eventually build up onto the darker tones
Hi Lydia, thanks for your post.
It sounds like a bit too much powder. Usually for your hair and thickness you might use 150 grams to 175 grams about of total powder. So for example I’d recommend for you to use 70% indigo, 30% henna, and at least 3-4 tbsp of amla powder (which will be about 30-40 grams).
Thank you so much! I am glad we are on the right path with giving every that confidence to get started naturally with henna and natural herbs for their hair.
Just tried my free samples,this is whatt Idid.I watched your videos,first!!I mixed the Indian Henna and let it sit almost 4 hours, then I mixed indigo and let it sit 15 min,and I had applied salt.I mixed them together and appolied to those white hairs, the roots, which is my issue right now. Left that on for four hours. Took it, off , they were a bright orange. This hjas been my problem with every company I’ve tried. Like the indigo does nothing with the henna as a 1-step. Any insight on this, I would so love to get away with the one step.
Hi Andrea. Thank you for letting us know and for giving it your best and most trying effort!
I really feel that the non-organic indigo will work much better for you, as if someone is having any trouble with indigo powder, our non-organic is better then our organic indigo as it clings better to the hair strand. It’s better for resistant hair and for deep rich black tones. Can we send you a sample directly? Email us so we can prepare that for you so you can give that non-organic indigo a try and see, at no cost to you. We’ll send it for free.
Hey I am dying my hair black and I followed the instructions for the 2step jet black hair. I left the henna over night to maximize its potential and then I left it in my hair for 5 hours. Now I have the indigo in my hair after I washed out the henna. I added salt to the indigo to make it darker and it is now slightly burning my skin. Is that normal? should I be worried?
Hi Chanel, thank you for your post. Some people about 5% of clients I’ve come across in my years doing this, are allergic to indigo. So is it your skin, or scalp? I’d be concerned with the burning. What happened as of now?
Hi Khadija,
My hair is of black tone.I have many strands of gray hair but still black hair is dominant.I use henna for dyeing my hair,sometimes my hair gets the light orange shade or sometimes red or sometimes brown depending on the henna I get in the Indian stores/or from the beauty parlour.
I want my gray hair to get black again and blend in with rest of the hair.My hair is waist length.Can you suggest me how much of henna and indigo will I be needing?What kind of Henna will be good to get the black tone?How do I use the indigo?Should I apply the herbs separately to the hair or mix them and apply to the hair to get the black tone?
For how long will the black color stay in the hair?Will it be permanent or temporary?
Please let me know.
Thanks for your post gkmai. For black tones you need to do henna first and then indigo. This is called a 2 step process. If your hair is average thickness then you can use at least 250-200 grams of powder per application.
The color is permanent but make sure to use indigo for hair that we have (not the organic one) as this one clings better to grey hair especially and more resistant hair. It’d be a good choice for your first time. I hope this helps!
Hi Khadija,
Thank you for the quick reply.
Should I apply the herbs to oily hair or washed hair?
What is the difference between non-organic indigo and the organic indigo?
My hair was very thick before but nowadays it is not very thick but not thin either,it is almost hip length.
I have been observing that in the paste few months I am loosing lot of hair everytime I comb.It’s like 100 strands every time I comb or hair wash.I comb hair twice a day.
What should I do to keep my scalp and hair strong and from hair fall?Please give some suggestions for hair care.
My hair gets oily naturally within 3 to 4 days of hair wash even though I don’t apply oil.My hair is little rough but not coarse,so any suggestions that I need to follow while applying the herbs so that my hair stays conditioned.
Also let me know how much time it will take for the shipment to arrive eastcoast in USA.
Hello GKMAI, when you do any henna and ayurvedic hair treatment your hair should be clean not oily or have any build up. Organic is general is when the standards of organic farming, nutrients etc are all followed. So if you want a more pure and natural product then organic is the way to go. It’s that they follow those strict standards.
For hair loss you can use herbs like amla, bhringraj and brahmi. Henna and cassia both thicken up the hair strands as well. But if you are going through changes or just had a baby this may affect it as well.
Some people’s hair gets more oily then others, so in that case it’s probably better if you wash your hair every 2 days at least. I am on the east coast in Maryland so it’d take anywhere from 2-3 days.
I did my big chop seven months ago at a hair dresser and I got my hair dyed, then about four months ago the hair dresser decided to do a keratin treatment on my hair to make it more manageable
I went to a hair dresser about 7 months ago to get all the relaxer cut out of my hair and I got my jet black hair dye a brown color. Then 4 months ago the hair dresser put a keratin treatment in my hair to make it more manageable but my hair still feel brittle to me. I was wondering about henna and what exact product would I need to purchase. Thank you in advance
Thanks for your post Kenyata. With henna and ayurvedic herbs you can’t go lighter but need to work with your natural hair color, and/or greys if they apply. What tone would you like? A red tone, brown, or black tones? In betweens? It’ll definitely help and especially our Cocoveda hair oil which is amazing for hair strengthening.
I want the brown color darker because my hair looks really dry. And I want my hair to feel softer it has a brittle feel to it.
Kenyata, even if you color it darker it may still look or be dry if you don’t make sure to moisturize. Is that already part of your regimen? I just want to make sure, as then I could recommend some hair oils. Our shampoo bars are also very moisturizing. Dark brown would be 60% indigo and 40% henna. You definitely can use hair oils as herbal hair treatments can be drying.
Hi there,
I just stumbled on this site and I am so grateful to have found such a responsive expert. I do hope you will be able to help me!
I have black natural 4a hair with about 10% grey, especially in the front. I did a henna application about 2 weeks ago and did not really like the bright orange result that I got on my grey hairs so I put my hair into braids. However, I was very impressed with the way my hair felt after the treatment. I have had serious shedding issues for years and years but after the henna treatment, this seemed to improve.
I have the following questions:
– Is it safe to do another henna/indigo treatment now to colour the orange strands brown? How often can I do the henna treatments?
– What would you recommend to strengthen my hair and prevent shedding? Is the henna enough or are there other herbs/treatments that I can use?
– I have heard about the benefits of amla but have also read that it prevents the curl loosening that can sometimes occur with henna and this is something I definitely want to explore. Will amla really prevent the curl loosening effect of henna?
Hello Kokes, thank you for posting. Yes you can use henna and indigo to tone down that red/orange that the henna left on your grey hairs. You can do this every 4-6 weeks but if you’re hair grows faster and like for root touch ups it can be every 2-3 weeks if you need to.
The henna is about the only coloring herb that will help loosen curl patterns, but it doesn’t straighten.
Yes amla prevents loosening of curls and will tighten the curl. I hope this helps!
Hi Hennablog! I’m looking to dye my hair a bright red for summer using henna and hibiscus petal powder. The problem I’m having is that I don’t know how much hibiscus petal powder to mix with the henna paste and hair oil. Can you help me out? Thanks!
Mercedes, thanks for posting!
You can add at least 3-4 tbsp of hibiscus powder per 100 grams that you use. The hair oil you can add about the same amount as well per 100 gram so as to not dilute it too much. I hope this helps! Also do let the first few applications take time to build up and get vibrant. Yemeni is your best choice for rich reds.
Hey, great post. I was just curious, will combining the indigo and henna in one batch make a difference? My hair is medium brown right now, I’m aiming for jet-black hair. See, I got Light Mountain hair dye, in black. The ingredients are henna and indigo, in one bag. Is this a good idea? What kind of henna are you talking about, like, what color?
Thanks a ton.
Autumn, thank you for posting. If you combine henna and indigo together this is called a one step process and is used for brown tones. For black tones you have to do a two step process. First henna and then indigo separately. You can try what you have as you’ve already boughten it and it won’t be harmful but for darker results using the indigo separately gives you the best results. We have our own product line at http://www.hennasooq.com and you can view our shop there by clicking shop
How long can you safely store unused indigo powder?
Ms.D, you can safely store your indigo powder for up to 2-3 years. It’s best that this storage place for your herbs is the freezer, fridge or at a minimum a cool, dark place.
I use a two step process because of white hair that I am trying to cover to get a dark brown colour. I am wondering if after applying the Indigo and waiting for a couple of hours do I only rinse my hair out or is it okay colour-wise to wash it out with Shampoo. Should I not be washing my hair for a couple of days while it settles?
Zen, If you apply the indigo seperately as a second step it makes black tones. You mentionned wanting brown tones though. Dark brown is 60-70% indigo and 30-40% henna. But yes you should let it settle and you can cowash. Which means you can wash it out with conditioner so as to not strip your hair. It’ll take 2 days to settle.
I (very foolishly) applied a permanent color to my hair 5 months ago. Is it safe to apply the Lush Brown kit to my hair now? I have natural afro-textured hair.
Janelle, thank you for posting on our blog. We’ve all done that or something else with chemicals at some point in our lives 🙂 Yes it is safe to use our Lush Brown Hair Kit on your hair. Enjoy! Let us know how it turns out
Hi! I was looking for a natural hair color and stumbled upon your site. This is great! I have curly dark brown hair with a few greys. I would like to color it black or black brown and cover the greys as well. Reading other comments I see that I should be using the 2 step process. Mixing 50% henna and 50% Indigo in the step 1 and then just indigo in step 2. Is that the right way for me? Also which henna would you recommend? Should I add anything else to the henna mixture? My hair falls to the mid of my back. How much henna and indigo should I use?
Thanks!
Thank you for your comment Rim. If you want black tones then yes you’d do a two step process. You could get a dark chocolate brown if you mixed 70% indigo and 30% henna as well as a 1 step process. If you want it to be really dark, dark black then yes you can use that recipe you just told me about, or do the above recipes.
If you wanted no red tones to come through then I’d recommend Moroccan henna. It’s about to come back in stock within a day or so as it just came in fresh from Morocco.
Just make sure to moisturize as well, it’s very important when using herbs for hair. You would use a total of at least 150 grams of total powder. The amount of each depends on the recipe you choose.
Hello, My hair is dark brown and i want to dye it jet black, will it turn jet black more easily because my hair is already dark brown? and I didnt know you had to henna your hair first then put indigo on in another sitting, does this make a difference or can you mix the henna and indigo together?
Thank you for your post Chaya. Yes it makes a difference in color results based on the recipe you use. Putting the two herbs together is more for browner tones, but doing a 2 step (first henna, and then second indigo) it’ll give you black tones. Yes this will make your hair black. Thank you!
Thanks for your reply Khadija. If I wanted burgundy reddish color which henna should I use? Not too red though…I don’t want the greys to look that red. And would indigo be mixed in that case too? Also I want to pick it up from mississauga. I emailed Fatma but didn’t hear back so just wanted to confirm if the location is mississauga flea market and if I order today would I be able to pick it up on sunday? Thanks!
Hi Khadija, I got in touch with Fatma so please ignore my previous question regarding location. 🙂
Perfect Rim. Thank you!
Hi, I have very dark hair and i’m starting to gray. I would like to lighten my hair with some reddish tones. Can Henna help and if so what kind?
Thank you for your post Cyndi. For some reddish tones using Jamila henna would be a good start. Enjoy!
Hi. I would like to start using henna for the first time. I am afro american with no chemicals in my hair. My hair is dark brown almost black. I want to use henna to condition my hair and give my hair a “red tint” in the sun. I have read that since my hair is already dark this would happen, which is what I want. Which henna should I buy?
Thank you for your post Anissa. For rich red tones to come through and keep in mind that as you do several applications the color deepens and darkens so the red tones will stand out more so you can see that hint of red more. Jamila 2011 would be a good choice. It will be coming out this week, and next Friday is our new site launch celebration. We will be giving those away for free with orders 🙂 you’re the first to know!
Great! I am excited and looking forward to my first purchase.
Great website and all the info on henna products. I would like share my experience, I actually bought a henna tattoo kit which i personally liked..it is all natural and powder is also very organic unlike many other kit i have tried in the past. When I receive the kit i made a cute tattoo than used the rest on my hair which worked wonders for me.
Thank you Anissa.
Payal, thank you so much! Appreciate your post. We don’t allow advertising on our blog unfortunately since it’s our personal space, and we don’t have ads running on here for that reason. So we had to edit your post. Thank you for your understanding!
Great informative website! I’m happy to find an alternative to harsh,toxic hair color- so my situation is this: my natural roots are ash brown, and currently I have highlights and low lights growing out. I’d like to cover my highlights to obtain an all over a brown color (without stripping the cuticle more), but am afraid that the highlights will be glaringly orange. Should I do a single process with a mix of moroccan henna powder & indigo, or just use moroccan henna powder?
Thank you for your post Lisbeth. Welcome! I’d recommend for brown tones for sure you’ll need at least 50/50 of each. This would be best. I hope this helps
AssalaamAlaikum
I have 50% grey hairs. For sometime I was using commercial hair Dyes, which makes me allergic to them. Then I decided to go for natural henna, when i applied my grey hairs turn into reddish colour. So i am not happly with the colour. I want my hair to be black. Kindly suggest.
Rehman
Assalaamu Alaikum Rehman
If you want black tones, then please use our indigo to your henna recipe. You can also email us at customer service at info@hennasooq.com for more help. Thank you!
Hi
i want to dye my hair using indigo but i want to avoid using henna because i don’t like the smell and it hangs around. Can i use indigo on its own or mix it with other herbs besides henna?
thanking you in advance
Thank you for your post Cesur. Unfortunately you can’t use indigo without henna as you need henna to help the indigo cling to your hair strands and you also need the henna so the indigo doesn’t turn your hair green.
As for the scent, I’m surprised you prefer indigo over henna. Indigo has a stronger frozen peas scent which I don’t like as much as henna. But have you tried adding essential oils to your recipe to change the scent? We usually use sweet orange oil as I really don’t like the scent of indigo. I hope this helps.
Thank you very much for your prompt response sister Khadija. i have never actually tried indigo so i will take on board your advice and add an essential oil into the mix. the last time i tried henna the smell wouldn’t go away for weeks.
Cesur, you’re welcome. Oh no! Really weeks? That is really long. The essential oils will make a big difference 🙂