Dyeing Locs Naturally With Henna and Indigo

Dyeing Locs Naturally With Henna and Indigo

We are all for embracing and owning your natural hair, from color to texture. With that said it’s also totally understandable to have that desire, that itch, that need for change. It may be a seasonal thing where you can easily blame it on the shift in temperature. Maybe you can try to rearrange your room, your apartment, your house, but maybe you’ve already done that two weeks ago and now you’re looking for something else. Something that makes you feel different. Some of us shop, some of us get our nose pierced but most of us are looking at our hair. 

So here are some tips for dyeing your hair with nature’s very own, Henna or Indigo. 

Henna Tips

When we say tips here we mean advice on how to use henna, not on where to apply the dye. If you're interested in Henna tips, that's your thing, and we fully support it but for now we’ll just cover the Henna basics. 

Henna contains Lawson which is a natural tannin dye molecule. Typically, henna needs to be mixed with something acidic, like lemon juice or tea. We recommend tea since it is more gentle for your locs. Mix the henna with the tea and leave the mixture overnight at room temperature. 

You will need to apply thick coats of this combo over your locs, so make sure to spread it evenly and generously. Try not to press the mixture too aggressively into your locs since it will be a difficult challenge to wash out. Wrap your locs with saran wrap and a towel and sit back because this may take a while depending on which shade you’re going for. Natural henna can only dye your hair red-orange, any other color marked and sold as henna is just as unnatural as the rest of ‘em. 

Let sit for 3-12 hours depending on the depth you are after. Heat will open up the pores in your hair and reduce dyeing time, so if you have a hair dryer, better make use of it. When you feel the time is right to wash, gently squeeze each loc under warm running water until water runs clear. Since henna is natural you don't have to be so strict about washing it all out. 

Indigo

Grey hair is beautiful, but not all of us are ready to join that camp yet. If you want to go from grey to black naturally, try the indigo route. Avoid using black chemical paraphenylenediamine dye since it is extremely unnatural and hazardous to your health and hair. 

First apply henna to your hair as instructed above. Then add powdered indigo leaves which will awaken the keratin in your hair and oxidize the orange to black. It may take a day or two to reach the full black you are after while indigo takes some time to reach its peak effect. Usually, over two days the indigo will darken and deepen to the black you are after. 

The advantages of using henna and indigo are, of course, that they are natural. Since they are natural you can feel safe to apply these dyes as often as you like without the fear of damaging your hair or your health. Stay tuned for some more natural tips to follow.