Please note, these tips only apply if you have used pure natural henna, or pure natural henna mixed with other plant products. They do not apply if you have used henna which is not pure and has artificial chemicals mixed with it. Putting a brown or black natural hair colour on top Dyes that are natural and contain indigo include It's Pure Organics Natural Brown or Dark Brown or Very Dark Brown. The Logona browns do not contain a lot of indigo and are not very dark. The It's Pure Organics Dark Brown contains a lot of indigo so this will a darker shade. Any of these would help to darken your too-bright henna colour, but if none of these are sufficient to tone down the red, or if you have already used one of the brown shades, then you could try 100% pure indigo. There is no fixed rule about how long to leave indigo on for – the timings given above are very approximate. It depends on how porous or how resistant to dye your hair is. The only way to tell before putting it all over your hair is to do a STRAND TEST FIRST (if you like you can buy a tester sized packet to strand test before you even buy a whole packet). One way of helping to ensure the indigo does not go too dark is to dilute it with cassia powder about 20% to 25% indigo powder to 80% to 75% cassia powder. If mixed with water the cassia is colourless and so dilutes the colour of the indigo. Again STRAND TEST FIRST to avoid an unwanted result. Other ways to cope with henna that is too orange, red or brassy: The golden rule to avoid all hair dye mistakes is to STRAND TEST FIRST. Different hennas will have slightly different qualities - some more red, or more orange, some deeper, some more burgundy. You can ask your supplier about the quality of the henna you buy. Soaking the pure henna in something acidic overnight facilitates the maximum dye release. This generally makes the colour deeper, more red and less orange. (This applies to pure henna only, not henna mixtures such as Logona dyes). Be cautious when putting pure red henna on hair which is very light coloured. Generally henna will be much more brassy/orange when you put it on its own directly on to white or very light grey or light blonde hair. If you put it onto brown hair it is much less red/orange; the darker brown your hair is the less red/orange it will be. Mix a little indigo with the henna - not enough indigo to make it go brown, but just a little to tone down the red/copper. If you are very fair and want a more strawberry blonde, not bright ginger, colour, mix a little henna with a lot of cassia (which is a leaf powder that gives a golden colour on its own). I can’t guarantee any of the above will be right for you because there are so many variables (for example, your starting colour, your hair chemistry – how porous or resistant your hair is). For these reasons, the same product will be different on different people’s hair. Don’t be put off by being afraid of a disaster. Without experimenting you will never know if it will work. If you’re worried, just experiment on a little bit of your hair – STRAND TEST FIRST! Notes about differences between the products we sell: The It's Pure Organics Dark Brown and Very Dark Brown Shades are the coolest and least red browns we sell. The Logona Herbal Hair Colour Powders are not as dark and cool coloured as the It's Pure Organics. Out of the Logona range the least red are Brown Umber, Natural Brown, Coffee Brown, Chocolate and Henna Black. The Logona Herbal Hair Colours with more henna in them that tend to be brassy when you put them directly on to white hair are the Henna Red, Flame Red and Mahogany. The Logona Colour Cream with the least red in it is the Nougat Brown (though this is not very dark, more of a blondish beige on grey hair). Because the Nougat is not very dark and it does not contain any Indigo it will not seriously tone down a colour that is too red. The Its Pure Organics Body Art Quality Henna, as hennas go, is a little more red and less brassy orange on white hair. Some cheaper, poorer-quality henna tends to be a lighter orange and less of a rich red colour. Remember, pure henna doesn’t have to be red/orange/copper - you can mix it with indigo to get different shades of red brown, brown or black, or with cassia to get strawberry blonde shades. Ask Tricia a Hair Dye Question here See all the natural hair dyes we sell here |
|
![]()
|
I wanted to dye my 90% grey hair with pure henna to make it red but it has gone too brassy orange. If I use indigo on top of it to tone it down I am afraid it will go too dark.
Try a strand test first before putting it all over your hair. I would suggest leaving the indigo on for about 5 minutes and see what happens. If it is not strong enough then try it for a little longer.
Hi Tricia, I just wanted to get back in touch and say a big thank you! I have been experimenting over the last week and finally have a lovely rich brown all over my grey roots, and my hair is in lovely condition! Can't believe it!! I used the Lagona Natural Brown first, but my grey went copper. So I did a strand test with a little pure indigo - it went green!!! So then I mixed 1 part henna with 2 parts indigo and it covered all the grey but left a few around the temples and sides a bit too red. So, I then put pure Indigo on these bits for 10 minutes only and bingo - the perfect colour. I know what to do next time. One question though - next time to avoid the henna/indigo mix making my grey roots go too red, should I mix in amla or simply add more indigo?
Many thanks for all your advice and for this website, I've used chemical dye for years and loath using it, so to finally find a natural effective alternative is amazing!
Jane
hi Tricia i have white hair roots on my front head used to dye my hair for years but it has ruined my scalp so i applied henna soaked in coffee n tea water in iron pot and my white hair turned red orange which i hate. I've been hearing about INDIGO tell me about it? I am in Pakistan where can i get it here coz ordering from other country would be too costly. please help me Thanks
You can mix indigo with henna to get a brown shade. For dark brown we recommend about 1 part henna to 2 parts indigo. If you want black you would need to do 2 separate applications, first henna and then indigo. You can read more about it here: https://www.suvarna.co.uk/pure-henna-indigo/organic-indigo-powder.html and you may find out good henna guide interesting here: https://www.suvarna.co.uk/free-good-henna-guide.html
I have been using Surya Brasil Dark Brown Creme on my 50%gray/50% black Asian hair. The gray turns brassy (yellow tone) after 2 washes which the product's representative told me occurs on some people. She said to try mixing the dark brown henna with black henna to tone down the yellow undertone it is fading to. I am scared to make matters worst. Any suggestions you can offer to remedy things would be much appreciated. Thx you. Karen
Hello, I died my natural (ashy dark blonde) hair with lush caca rouge and the first two times when using it I managed to achieve a bright ginger/copper colour (which is what I want ) but now after half a year and numerous reapplication the colour has turned dark, very dark brown ginger with no golden tones to it. I was wondering if there is anything I can do to make it more golden again ?
I was considering trying to strip some of the henna with oils for few weeks and then buying cassia and a different henna. Would that work and do you have any suggestions ?
Thank you
I've been on many henna sites and just wanted to say that you have conveyed a lot of great info here that is not readily available elsewhere. Extremely helpful. Thanks!!!
Can I use henna as a toner? I want to bleach my hair and then apply henna! Will henna work as a toner? I don't even know what toner is?? This will be the first time I've ever bleached my hair
I am not sure what you mean by toner? Do you mean conditioner?
Hey your suggest for organic indigo over henna hair really worked wonders. Am so glad I visited this blog.
Thanks so much