Katam (buxus dioica) powder in Henna Mix for brown tones

Hi Ladies,

has any of you used Katam powders to lessen the red in henna or to dye your hair brown/dark brown? It's an alternative to Indigo if you don't want the jet black look. You can use it seperate or in the mix.
If you have has anyone had any problem using it especially when dealing with the scalp? I normally rub my henna/cassia/amla mix on my scalp. What was your overall experience.

Here is some information...

Mixing katam for brown hair:
-Prepare the henna paste as directed.

-Once henna is ready, mix your katam with warm water and allow to sit for 10-15 minutes. Mix these two together. The more katam you add the darker the brown.

-Apply the paste to your hair by sections starting from the back and moving forward. Make sure you wear gloves, as it will stain your hands.

-Wrap your hair and allow to sit for 1 to 6 hours.

-Rinse or wash your paste out

-This process is called a one-step process.

-Your hair’s color will settle over the next 2 days.

[b]Thank you for sharing your findings Afrolicious.

Here is a post from the Henna For Hair site that I placed back in April 2010 regarding "Indigo And Headaches", and some women who have used buxus instead of indigo. In the responses I received, I was informed that Katam (aka buxus) is a weaker version of indigo and still contains tannins. I can't use indigo due to the migraines it gives me no matter the short time I leave it on. :mad:

[url]http://www.hennaforhair.com/forum/index.php?module=phpwsbb&PHPWSBB_MAN_OP=view&PHPWS_MAN_ITEMS[]=12025[/url]

Forums : Henna For Hair :: Indigo And Headaches


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Vizion4B
Member

Posts: 22

Indigo And Headaches
Posted on: 04/05/2010 05:36 PM
I hennaed for the 2nd time on Saturday and was fine. I did an overnight treatment. After I washed out the henna, conditioned, shampooed, conditioned, I mixed the indigo with warm water and applied it only to my roots. I left it on for no more than an hour because I started to get a headache that did not go away until Sunday at 12 noon.

What is really going on with the indigo powder? The smell did not bother me this time around, but since I only applied it to my roots, it should not have given me a headache because it was not a lot of weight on my head.

I need to cover my gray hairs and next time maybe I should try henna and indigo, but 75 grams of henna and 25 grams of indigo, 2 tablespoons of Amla? Will that cover my gray roots dark brown? Can I get dark brown/black roots without using indigo? There must be an answer out there please. I like the look of henna and indigo, but I can't take the headaches.

Please help. :-(
Edited by Vizion4B on 04/05/2010 06:10 PM
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carrie
Site Admin

Posts: 7329

Re: Indigo And Headaches
Posted on: 04/06/2010 02:49 AM
I haven't ever seen an answer, or even a theory, about why some people get headaches with indigo, and I'm afraid I don't know how you can get dark brown or black without using it. Buxus/henna will give you medium brown but I haven't seen it get darker than that.

I haven't used the proportions you're thinking about but it's worth a try, since amla will enhance the darkening from indigo. You might also consider doing a 2-step, and make the 2nd step an indigo gloss in conditioner - you might tolerate it better as a gloss. Just 1 Tbsp powder per cup of conditioner applied for 45 minutes or so.
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jora (GUEST)


Re: Indigo And Headaches
Posted on: 04/06/2010 03:35 AM
I'm def. not an expert...but I used to Henna my hair years ago (over night), and then again started about a month ago...I can honestly say each and every time I've had a headache from it...I think that maybe your headache is from the effects of Hennaing over night, not indigo, and the reason you may believe it's the indigo is only because you discovered the headache after applying the indigo.

Just a thought!
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andrea_au (GUEST)


Re: Indigo And Headaches
Posted on: 04/06/2010 08:25 AM
I also had a severe headeache after using buxus. I hennaed 3 weeks before, decided I wanted brown, not red, ordered buxus - then did a very strong gloss (half full application of buxus, half conditioner).
Two days of migraine within half hour of rinsing it. Already prone to migraines, so buxus must be another trigger for me. Not sure if buxus will be better than indigo for headaches, then - but it may not be a trigger for you, you can always try and see. hth.
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Ania (GUEST)


Re: Indigo And Headaches
Posted on: 04/06/2010 10:26 AM
This happened to me too. But one of my triggers for miraines seems to be tannins. There are a lot of tannins in both henna and indigo and it does absorb into the scalp as anything you put on your head does. The smell of the indigo may have been part of it too. That was after 4 hours of mostly henna with 10% indigo. I tolerated a 5 min indigo gloss just fine. My hair grows rather slow so I don't think I will have to dye it very often so I'm not too worried about it.

Ania
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Jenianne
Site Admin

Posts: 915

Re: Indigo And Headaches
Posted on: 04/06/2010 11:00 AM
Ania (GUEST) This happened to me too. But one of my triggers for miraines seems to be tannins. There are a lot of tannins in both henna and indigo and it does absorb into the scalp as anything you put on your head does.


That makes an awful lot of sense! AND a lot of other common migraine triggers contain tannins. I imagine that a lot of people are misunderstanding their triggers as being cigarette smoke and caffeine, for example, when the more broad description "tannins" would be more accurate! Excellent point!

An article about tannins as a migraine trigger
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Vizion4B
Member

Posts: 22

Re: Indigo And Headaches
Posted on: 04/06/2010 11:38 AM
carrie I haven't ever seen an answer, or even a theory, about why some people get headaches with indigo, and I'm afraid I don't know how you can get dark brown or black without using it. Buxus/henna will give you medium brown but I haven't seen it get darker than that.

I haven't used the proportions you're thinking about but it's worth a try, since amla will enhance the darkening from indigo. You might also consider doing a 2-step, and make the 2nd step an indigo gloss in conditioner - you might tolerate it better as a gloss. Just 1 Tbsp powder per cup of conditioner applied for 45 minutes or so.


Thanks Carrie, I'll give the gloss a try. I need a darker brown, so Buxus is not for me.

How can I achieve a dark auburn for my grays using the Jamila and Amla or is that even possible?

Thanks again. :-)
Edited by Vizion4B on 04/06/2010 11:46 AM
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Vizion4B
Member

Posts: 22

Re: Indigo And Headaches
Posted on: 04/06/2010 11:44 AM
jora (GUEST) I'm def. not an expert...but I used to Henna my hair years ago (over night), and then again started about a month ago...I can honestly say each and every time I've had a headache from it...I think that maybe your headache is from the effects of Hennaing over night, not indigo, and the reason you may believe it's the indigo is only because you discovered the headache after applying the indigo.

Just a thought!

This is my second henna and indigo treatment. The first time I did the treatment was in February and I didn't do an overnight with the henna. I had only left on the henna for 4 hours with an electric heating cap and then after washing out the henna, I towel dried my hair and mixed up 100 grams of indigo and packed it on. I left on the indigo in the 2-step process for 2 hours with an electric heating cap on and had an intense migraine.

This time around I didn't use an electric heating cap.
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ACWN
Member

Posts: 1860

Re: Indigo And Headaches
Posted on: 04/06/2010 12:01 PM
The tannins thing explains why I get headaches when I drink too much caffeine - like soda or energy drinks like Monster. Thankfully I dont get bad ones with henna.

Any way, Vizion... if you're prone to headaches or migraines, then I think Ania has explained why you get them with indigo.

My best suggestion is to drink plenty of fluids, take something for the headache at the tail end of your henna as a preventative measure (so when the indigo is on, the meds will have kicked in) and try to relax as much as possible - lay down, take a nap if you can.

If you take steps to prevent a headache, it might help a great deal.
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Vizion4B
Member

Posts: 22

Re: Indigo And Headaches
Posted on: 04/06/2010 12:04 PM
Ania (GUEST) This happened to me too. But one of my triggers for miraines seems to be tannins. There are a lot of tannins in both henna and indigo and it does absorb into the scalp as anything you put on your head does. The smell of the indigo may have been part of it too. That was after 4 hours of mostly henna with 10% indigo. I tolerated a 5 min indigo gloss just fine. My hair grows rather slow so I don't think I will have to dye it very often so I'm not too worried about it.

Ania

Thanks Ania, this is very interesting.
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Vizion4B
Member

Posts: 22

Re: Indigo And Headaches
Posted on: 04/06/2010 12:14 PM
ACWN The tannins thing explains why I get headaches when I drink too much caffeine - like soda or energy drinks like Monster. Thankfully I dont get bad ones with henna.

Any way, Vizion... if you're prone to headaches or migraines, then I think Ania has explained why you get them with indigo.

My best suggestion is to drink plenty of fluids, take something for the headache at the tail end of your henna as a preventative measure (so when the indigo is on, the meds will have kicked in) and try to relax as much as possible - lay down, take a nap if you can.

If you take steps to prevent a headache, it might help a great deal.


Thanks for the tips. I'll definitely take Advil or Tylenol before doing the indigo. So you are saying I should not do the henna/indigo overnight?! Is that correct? I was thinking 75 grams of henna, 25 grams of indigo, 2 tablespoons of Amla in a one step versus the 2 step where henna is applied alone. I was thinking maybe the henna would dilute the indigo somewhat to stop the tannins from working full force. But maybe it is not wise to keep indigo in my hair overnight at all. :-(

If I do the 2 step, I really can't take a nap with indigo on my head if I'm trying to achieve dark auburn roots (covering grays). If I take a nap or lie down, I will end up with jet black roots. :0)
Edited by Vizion4B on 04/06/2010 12:15 PM
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ACWN
Member

Posts: 1860

Re: Indigo And Headaches
Posted on: 04/06/2010 12:20 PM
I never said dont do overnight.

Henna also has tannins in it, according to Ania, so you may want to take something before you henna and again at the end of the henna if you leave the henna on a long time.


If you change your mix, strand test.
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Vizion4B
Member

Posts: 22

Re: Indigo And Headaches
Posted on: 04/06/2010 12:28 PM
ACWN I never said dont do overnight.

Henna also has tannins in it, according to Ania, so you may want to take something before you henna and again at the end of the henna if you leave the henna on a long time.


If you change your mix, strand test.


The henna tannins don't bother me.

This is funny in a way that some of us have to take medication in order to avoid discomfort, while enduring the benefits of beautifying our hair naturally. :-)
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andrea_au (GUEST)


Re: Indigo And Headaches
Posted on: 04/06/2010 01:26 PM
I had the same thought during my buxus-induced migraine! I had no issues with henna and headaches, just the buxus, which is odd - and it was on less time, only 40 minutes. Maybe just particularly sensitive to it - and I was thinking, jeepers, this is "safer" and "more natural"? with *this* headache?

it's the reduction of PPDs in the environment, rather than on me, that's keeping me with the plant dyes now!
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carrie
Site Admin

Posts: 7329

Re: Indigo And Headaches
Posted on: 04/06/2010 01:51 PM
Vizion4B
How can I achieve a dark auburn for my grays using the Jamila and Amla or is that even possible?

Thanks again. :-)


Well, I think with one application of Jamila (frozen/thawed) and amla, you can get a deep orangey red. Two or three apps will get you auburn. A higher dye content henna like Yemen will give you auburn color much faster.

Amla really doesn't brown the color from henna as much as some people have reported, in *my own* experience with it. Perhaps you'll have better luck with it than I did, though, it's worth experimenting with.

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PocoLoco (GUEST)


Re: Indigo And Headaches
Posted on: 04/07/2010 02:07 PM
FWIW, I get a migraine from using indigo in my mix and leave it on for longer than 1 hr, and I have no sense of smell. I am fine if I use just henna, or henna + buxus. My personal opinion is that there is something in indigo that gets into the bloodstream via the scalp pores and this chemical gives some people headaches.
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Ania1 (GUEST)


Re: Indigo And Headaches
Posted on: 04/07/2010 02:27 PM
PocoLoco (GUEST) FWIW, I get a migraine from using indigo in my mix and leave it on for longer than 1 hr, and I have no sense of smell. I am fine if I use just henna, or henna + buxus. My personal opinion is that there is something in indigo that gets into the bloodstream via the scalp pores and this chemical gives some people headaches.


Interesting theory. I'm likely going to do henna only on my next application so I will have to report back on if I get a migraine from that.

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Marianne (GUEST)


Re: Indigo And Headaches
Posted on: 05/16/2010 01:40 AM
Last time I used indigo I also got a tremendous headache. I used it in hendigo. Since then I've hennaed twice without the indigo and haven't had the headache again. I wondered though if maybe it wasn't really the indigo and maybe I just wrapped my head too tight. I had run out of saran wrap so I used plastic grocery bags and I tied them tightly around my head. It could have been that. Maybe I irritated a nerve.
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Vin (GUEST)


Re: Indigo And Headaches
Posted on: 05/17/2010 12:09 AM
I've gotten bad headaches every time I've used LM cover the gray. It may be the indigo? Also, someone reported that LM didn't last long. Is there a way to darken without indigo?
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carrie
Site Admin

Posts: 7329

Re: Indigo And Headaches
Posted on: 05/17/2010 12:43 PM
Buxus is another blue/green dye like indigo, but not as strong and dark. It's used similarly to combine with henna (either mixed together applied sequentially) to get shades of brown. It won't go quite as dark as indigo so you won't get black hair using buxus.
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Jass (GUEST)


Re: Indigo And Headaches
Posted on: 08/09/2010 03:20 PM
Hi,
i used indigo for the first time yesterday, and i had a really bad headache after. i wanted to know if it is safe to continue to use it.
and also my husband and i are planning to have a baby, will it be safe to use indigo during pregnancy?
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carrie
Site Admin

Posts: 7329

Re: Indigo And Headaches
Posted on: 08/09/2010 06:16 PM

Please join us on the new forum as this one is closed and in the process of being archived.

http://forums.hennapage.com/
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Wow thanks for this info I just saw some info posted on why Indigo causes headaches, but I didn't realize that Buxus may cause the same thing? I'm wondering if it's better to do a Buxus gloss instead?

Well, I can 't thank you enough for the best and superb post. It is best suggestion for the Indigo causes headaches. I am really wondering to reading this post.