Henna & Indigo upkeep..

So, I did my first henna & indigo treatment almost 2 weeks ago. Loved it! I had some old color from about halfway my strands on down to the end. After the henna that portion was a little more red than my uncolored black hair that has grown out. I didnt make a big deal cause I followed it up with indigo for a lovely natural black color! Nice!...
Anywho- I did a 2nd treatment of henna yesterday & it still came out reddish , not just in the sun either. Good thing I had some more indigo on hand. I did another 2 step by finishing it up with indigo for the black color that I really want all over. Looks great. Back to black
But....if I have to do the 2 step of henna & indigo every time I do henna, this is kind of a pain in the rear! Does anyone else have this problem? Is it just the way it is? I know Nikki says the henna will darken hair over time as well, so should I just forget about the indigo for awhile & sport the reddish locks till it darkens up on its own? I really want to keep my hair black, which is my natural color & I want the benefits of henna too! dang

The henna indigo will oxidize in a few days, but one beauty of henna and indigo is that they don't fade like chemical dyes. Henna benefits are permanent. You can henna and indigo just your new growth. You don't have to do your whole head each time.You won't have a demarcation line because you can easily overlap with no bad side effects.

Hmm... I'm not sure still . I shouldn't hate to do just new growth cause my hair is naturally black. I just would rather not have to do the 2 step process each time I henna. I was looking around and wonder if the henna gloss or conditioning treatment might give the henna benefits but not so much color?

You could do a hendigo gloss if color is not your primary concern. Mix henna and indigo into your choice of conditioner (use a thick one) and apply immediately. Let it sit about an hour or two, or maybe 15 - 30 minutes under a bonnet dryer for heat like a deep conditioner and rinse. You'll get the benefits of henna and a little color deposit but it will build over time without a dramatic change. You also save because you don't have to use a lot of henna or indigo for a gloss.

Yeah.. I think I will try a gloss next. My only color concern is that I wanted to keep the black that I got from the indigo.... But hey, it's worth a try and can't hurt, right? Thanks:-)

I used a 2/3 indigo 1/3 henna mix with 1 heaping tablespoon of amla and got deep chocolate brown. I mixed the indigo with warm water into a paste as directed. Then added my 1/3 henna (that was previously mixed with green tea liquid..I had frozen this batch and defrosted it before mixing in). I added the amla as an afterthought. I loved the results. I was a victim of the bozo-orange hair around my hairline due to my grays. The orange is now a subdued amber and looks great. I do have some amber red strands throughout my hair but I love it.

From what i've read around the henna boards, the true blue-black hair color is derived from the two step process (henna first, then indigo)

Well I read that if you put a oil in your mix before you let it sit overnight it will hinder the release of the dye. So I used half a cup of vatika oil and amla and the red was very, very light. After a week there was hardly any red to even be seen. So I was very happy with my results and my hair is its natural color

@tpayne22- Did u feel that you still got the benefits of henna with using the oil?

Oh yes! I am 6+ transitioning and since doing it I have had such easier detangling sessions and I find less hair in my comb.

@tpayne22. Awesome. I've done the henna & indigo twice already and like it for sure. So, u added the oil & amla when u mixed up the henna and it sit? Or did u add & mix in right before u applied the henna? Thanks!

I mixed it before I let it sit.

a-ha... thanks!

I usually get the Regular Henna. But I recently changed to the Henna/Indigo. I like it, but my hair like the regular henna better. The Indigo is little drying.