Indigo Powder

What is indigo powder?

Indigo powder is the dried leaf of the indigo plant, Indigofera tinctoria, milled to a fine green powder. Mixed with warm water, it gives hair a cool blue colour, and that cool blue is what turns henna's warm copper into brown or black-looking hair. Spierb Indigo Powder is Indigofera Tinctoria Leaf Powder (100%), grown in India and triple sifted, with nothing else added.

Henna and indigo are a pair. Henna supplies the warm foundation; indigo cools and deepens it.

Where does indigo come from?

Indigo is a shrub in the pea and bean family, grown for centuries as a source of blue colour. Most of that history is textile history, which is why the word "indigo" also describes the pigment cake used to dye cloth and the synthetic indigo in denim. Those are different materials. Spierb Indigo is the leaf itself, dried, finely ground and triple sifted for hair colouring.

Why is my indigo powder green?

Because the leaf is green, and the blue hasn't formed yet. The leaf holds a colourless starting material, and when you mix the powder with water and the paste meets the air, it turns into blue indigo pigment on your hair.

So green powder is exactly what you want to see. A powder that's already deep blue or black in the pack isn't milled leaf. Green hair, on the other hand, is a colour-balance problem, and the green-hair page explains how to correct it.

How does indigo colour hair?

Water starts the colour and air finishes it, so indigo has a short working window. Mix it fresh with warm water and a pinch of salt, and get it straight onto the hair: unlike henna, it is never rested or soaked overnight. Any indigo-containing paste stays on for at least 1 hour and no more than 2, then you rinse with water and leave shampoo and oil for 24 hours while the colour settles.

What colour does indigo powder give to hair?

Cool, dark tones, and with henna underneath or in the mix, brown through black-looking colour. Indigo never lightens hair, so your starting shade shapes the result.

For brown, the ratios are 70:30 henna to indigo for light brown, 50:50 for medium and 30:70 for dark. For black, henna goes on first as its own step, then a fresh mix of 80% indigo to 20% henna. The methods are in mixing henna and indigo for brown and the two-step method for black.

What happens if I use indigo without henna?

It depends on what's underneath. On white, grey, blonde or bleached hair there's no warmth for the blue to balance against, so indigo alone can look blue, green or uneven. On naturally dark hair it usually cools and deepens the shade a little, and on hair that already carries henna it works well, because the warm base is there.

Which is better, indigo or henna?

Neither: they do different jobs. Henna gives copper, red and auburn on its own. Indigo gives the cool depth that makes brown and black possible. For copper, use henna alone. For brown or black, you'll use both.

What is indigo powder used for?

Colouring hair, as the cool half of the henna and indigo system: brown in one step, black or very dark brown in two, grey coverage, root touch-ups, and beard colour with its own shorter timings. It isn't a skin powder or a conditioning treatment. It's a colour, and it does that job well.

What should I expect from it?

Expect a colour that builds. Indigo can't lighten hair or remove old colour, and nobody can promise an exact shade, so strand test a few hidden hairs first. The dark result usually holds for around four to six weeks, and it fades faster than henna, so grey roots can look warmer as the cool layer softens. Once your lengths are dark enough, colour the roots and leave the rest, or the ends slowly get darker than you wanted.

Is indigo safe to use?

For most people, pure indigo leaf powder used as directed is a comfortable hair colour. A small number of people react to it, as with any hair colour, which is what the patch test is for.

• Indigo is for the hair on your head. Don't swallow it, and don't use it on eyebrows or eyelashes.
• Keep it away from your eyes, and rinse straight away with plenty of clean water if any gets in.
• Don't colour over cuts, weeping skin or a scalp that's sore or inflamed.
• Rinse it off and stop for strong burning, swelling, blistering or a spreading rash. Facial swelling or difficulty breathing needs urgent medical help.
• Pour gently so you don't raise dust, and keep the powder out of reach of children.
• Store it sealed, cool and dry, and use it within 2 years of the packaging date on the pack.

Purity and toxicity questions are answered in is indigo powder safe, and what indigo does to your hair in indigo powder side effects. The powder is on the Spierb Indigo Powder page.