The answer is yes and for a number of reasons as well. Indigo powder is a temporary hair dye when used alone and a semi permanent hair dye when used together with Henna powder. It also has a few benefits that you may want to know about. However, before we get into that, What is Indigo powder?
What is Indigo powder
Indigo Powder
Indigo powder is a natural dye that comes from the dried leaves of an Indigo plant also known as Indigofera tinctoria. The plant is a small shrub that grows to at most, 2 meters high which has small green leaves and produces small pink flowers.
Indigofera Tinctoria should not be mistaken with False indigo, botanically known as Baptisia australis which has the same small green flowers but it produces blue flowers. As much as False Indigo has a tonne of medicinal benefits and is a great plant, as it’s name suggests, false Indigo does not dye your hair blue black. The one you need to dye your hair is Indigofera Tinctoria. This one
Real Indigo for dying hair or cloth
Not this one
False Indigo – Not for dying hair
They are both medicinal with the False Indigo having more medicinal benefits but is different from the one used to dye hair.
Did you know,
Indigo leaves or powder can also be infused in an oil to produce indigo oil? Yes, darling. It can and it has a number of benefits for your hair and scalp too. These are;
- Treats and prevents premature greying of the hair when applied regularly on the scalp.
- Stimulates hair growth and treats baldness by helping with scalp infections and giving you a healthier scalp that grows healthier hair. .
- Helps with dandruff and other scalp infections.
- make your hair shiny and silky while also soothing your scalp.
How is the oil able to do this?
Indigo leaves have Indigotin, a dark blue crystalline compound which is also reputed for antisceptic and antioxidant properties.
Indigo powder for dying hair
Indigo when used alone, dyes dark hair black and lighter hair, for example grey hair, blue. Therefore, to dye grey hair black or rather a dark brown, Indigo powder is used together with Henna powder to dye the hair. You can read more on how to use Indigo and Henna to dye hair dark brown here.
Why should I be using Indigo powder to dye hair instead of other commercial hair dyes?
Well as we all know, commercial dyes contain ammonia and PPD which makes dying hair much quicker and the colour to stay longer but that comes with some damage on the hair. Especially if you dye your hair a lot which is the case when covering greys because new hair keeps growing and before you know it, your hair needs another touch of hair dye. Besides some people being allergic to Ammonia or PPD, studies have revealed that frequent use of chemical hair dyes causes damage to the hair.
Using Indigo powder allows you to cover your greys in a healthier way using an all natural hair dye and is also beneficial for your hair. It thickens the hair which reduces breakage plus the many benefits discussed earlier.
Where can I get good quality, natural pure Indigo powder?
Natural Moisture sells pure natural Indigo powder in 100g packs that can be used on its own or together with Henna powder which is also available at Natural Moisture.
I hope this article is helpful. Want to know more or you have any questions, comment below and I will meet you there. In the comments.
Blessings to you and yours.