Fix it

Indigo Not Working on Grey Hair? Seven Reasons, and the Fix

When indigo doesn't take on grey, it's usually a missing henna base or a paste that was mixed too early. The seven causes, how to tell which one you had, and the fix.

By Imran N. 3 min read

The short answer: don't panic. When indigo doesn't take on grey hair, the usual reason is a missing or weak henna base, closely followed by a paste that was mixed too early. Both are easy to put right at your next colouring. Work through the seven causes below, decide which one fits, then fix that one rather than repeating the whole routine blindly.

Why is indigo powder not working on my grey hair?

Because grey strands have almost no pigment of their own, so cool blue indigo has nothing warm to work against. Without henna underneath, grey can come out weak, patchy, blue or green rather than brown or black.

Henna is what changes that. For brown, henna and indigo go on together at 70:30, 50:50 or 30:70. For black, henna goes first as its own step, then a fresh 80:20 indigo to henna mix in the same session. That isn't an extra step for the sake of it: it's what makes indigo show up on grey.

Seven reasons indigo didn't take

  1. No henna base, or a weak, patchy one. The most common cause by far on grey and white hair.
  2. The indigo was mixed too early. Indigo has a short working window: mix it with warm water and a pinch of salt only when you're ready, and apply it straight away.
  3. Your hair was oily or product-coated. An oily film keeps the paste off the hair, so colour only clean, product-free hair and skip the pre-colour oiling.
  4. The roots were skimmed rather than saturated. Grey roots need paste pressed around them, in small sections, not brushed over the surface.
  5. The contact time was too short, or the paste dried out. Any indigo colour wants 1–2 hours under a cap, staying moist the whole time.
  6. Step 2 went onto soaking-wet hair. After rinsing the henna, let your hair come down to damp so surface water doesn't dilute the fresh paste.
  7. The powder was old or badly stored. Keep it sealed, cool and dry, use a dry spoon, and use it within 2 years of the packaging date.

How do I fix it?

Let the colour settle first, then work out which part of the system was weak. Colour that looks disappointing on the day often looks better once it has dried and settled.

  • If your greys came out orange or copper, the henna worked and the indigo didn't. Check the freshness, saturation and timing of the indigo step, and repeat that step.
  • If your greys came out blue, green or barely coloured, the warm base was the problem. Rebuild it with henna before adding more cool colour.
  • If only some greys took, it's a coverage problem. Work in finer sections next time and be generous with the paste.

Strand test the correction on a few hidden hairs before you commit to a full head, and patch test again if you're changing what's in the mixture.

How do I stop it happening next time?

  • Use henna with indigo on grey or light hair, every time.
  • Mix the indigo last, with warm water and a pinch of salt, and apply it immediately.
  • Start at the grey root line so it gets the freshest paste.
  • Cover your hair, and keep to the 1–2 hour window.
  • Rinse with water only, and leave shampoo and oil for 24 hours so the colour can settle.

The full handling is in how to use indigo powder, the black routine is in henna first, then indigo, and the brown ratios are in mixing henna and indigo for brown.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does indigo dye grey hair?

With henna, yes. A henna and indigo mix gives brown on grey, and henna followed by the 80:20 indigo step gives black to very dark brown. Indigo on its own over grey is the version that disappoints.

Does hard water stop indigo working?

It gets blamed more often than it deserves. The seven causes above account for nearly all the cases we see, and the henna base accounts for most of those, so we'd check those before spending money on bottled or distilled water.

Can I colour again straight away?

You can, once you've worked out what went wrong and strand-tested the correction. Colour builds, so a second, better-prepared application usually gets you closer rather than undoing the first.

Does indigo fade from hair?

Yes, more than henna does. Expect around four to six weeks before it needs refreshing, and expect grey roots to warm up first as the cool layer softens.

Where can I buy indigo powder for hair?

Here: Spierb Indigo Powder is Indigofera Tinctoria Leaf Powder (100%), triple sifted, with nothing else in the pack.

Related reading

Guides Where to Buy Ayurvedic Hair Powders in the UK: What to Check Before You Buy Supermarkets, health shops, Asian grocers and online specialists don't stock the same kind of herbal powder... Guides Chemical-Free Hair Dye: What Plant Hair Colour Can and Can't Do "Chemical-free" is not a thing any hair colour can be, but the question underneath it is a fair one. Here i... How-to Adding Aloe Vera Powder to Henna: Softer Hair, Same Colour 2 tablespoons of Aloe Vera Powder per 100 g of Henna, whisked into the dry powder before any liquid. It lea... How-to Henna, Indigo and Amla: The Soft Black Method Amla goes in the henna, never in the indigo. The 5–20% range, why there's no separate soft-black ratio, and... Myths Can Grey Hair Turn Black Again Naturally? What Amla, Bhringraj and Indigo Really Do Colouring grey hair and reversing grey hair are two different things, and only one of them is possible. Her... Myths Is Henna Bad for Your Hair? The Honest Answer Pure henna isn't bad for hair, but it is a commitment. The real drawbacks, why hairdressers are wary of it,...