Using indigo on previously dyed hair

[websofsilk]

Tried to Google this, but you know how inaccurate Google results can be sometimes. I've heard it discussed before in this community a long time ago, but can't remember what the consensus was

Comments

[lupinelullaby]

Apparently my last comment was marked as spam due to the links I provided, so I'll try this one more time:

The only time henna or indigo reacts badly to hair that has been previously dyed with chemical dyes is when you use 'boxed henna' or 'boxed indigo' (sometimes labeled as 'black henna') which contains metallic salts or PPD. Body art quality henna and indigo should not have a reaction, as it's just the plant material with no added chemicals.

However, it is my understanding that indigo needs a binder to stick to your hair. Everything I've read recommends using henna first and then indigo over it to get the best results. If you're going for jet black, using henna first will help you achieve this.

I highly recommend the resources on hennaforhair dot com. The website helps explain the process much better than I can and also has recipes for getting exactly the color you want. It has a page dedicated to indigo, specifically: hennaforhair dot com /indigo/index dot html

I hope that helps!

[natsukaze]

Seconding Henna for Hair, and especially their Facebook page, Ancient Sunrise (https://www.facebook.com/groups/ancient.sunrise/) - they are extremely helpful and responsive to questions like these!

[websofsilk]

Thank you! That's pretty much what I thought, but needed someone to confirm/second the opinion.

I actually buy my products from Henna for Hair / Mehandi.com, so I'm familiar with them, but didn't know how to find this information on their site. Also didn't know about their Facebook page, so thanks for the link.

I know they say indigo needs a binding agent, but I've used it by itself before, and I liked the result, aside from a little frizziness right after, which I want to attempt to combat in my next experiment by using more vinegar and moisturizers afterward. Although the color has faded slightly, which is to be expected in more than 6 months, the part that was colored with indigo back in September is still more or less the same color, so it didn't seem to need a binding agent at all! The color difference is very obvious between it and the new growth -- my hair is fairly dark as it is, but has a golden hue. After indigo, it was an almost-black with a teal tint. I was actually really fond of the color result.