Indigo Leaf Powder

Name: Indigo Leaf Powder
Brand: Spierb

Indigo Leaf Powder

Indigofera tinctoria leaf powder

Coming to the US

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Recyclable Pack

One ingredient, nothing added

No Artificial Additives

Single-Ingredient

One Ingredient

Pure Indigofera tinctoria leaf powder, with no PPD, no ammonia and no peroxide.

Brown to Black

A cool blue that can turn henna's copper brown or black. Your starting shade sets the result.

Colors Grays

With henna first, gray strands usually turn black or very dark brown. Indigo alone can leave them blue.

Triple Sifted

Finely ground and sifted three times, so it mixes smoothly and presses into roots.

Spierb Indigo Powder is pure indigo: the dried leaf of Indigofera tinctoria, finely ground and triple sifted, and nothing else. It's a plant hair dye that adds a cool blue color. In the pouch it looks green, olive or gray-green, which is normal: the blue develops only once the powder is mixed with water and meets the air. Over or mixed with henna's warm copper-red, it can give brown, dark brown and black-looking shades, which is how most people use it.

Choose your shade by method

Brown: Henna Powder and indigo mixed in one step.
Black: henna first, then indigo with a little of the saved henna, the same day.
Deeper, cooler dark hair: indigo on its own, on hair that's already dark or already hennaed.

On gray, white or light hair, indigo on its own usually looks blue or green, so henna goes on first or into the mix. Indigo doesn't lighten hair.

Key features

One ingredient: Indigofera Tinctoria (Indigo) Leaf Powder – 100%. No PPD, no ammonia, no peroxide.
Finely ground and triple sifted, so it mixes into a smooth paste that presses easily into gray roots and rinses out with less grit.
Mixed fresh, used right away: warm water and a pinch of salt, no resting, then 1 to 2 hours on your hair.
Root touch-ups: once your lengths are the shade you want, you only touch up the roots as they grow.
Works with Spierb Henna Powder for brown and black.
From India. Keeps for 2 years from the date of packaging.

Step by step: how to use indigo powder for hair, indigo for jet black hair and how to mix henna and indigo for brown hair. For the color to expect on your hair, see our indigo page.

For use as hair dye only. Patch test 24–48 hours before first use.

Before You Start

Patch test 24–48 hours before first use (see Care & Safety), and strand test a hidden lock if you're coloring gray, blonde, bleached or dyed hair. Start with clean hair with no oil or product on it. There's no set amount: use enough paste to cover every strand, and more for long or thick hair. You'll need a non-metal bowl, warm water, salt, gloves, petroleum jelly and a shower cap.

Black: Henna First, Then Indigo, the Same Day

Mix Spierb Henna Powder with warm water to a thick yogurt paste, cover it and let it rest 3 to 4 hours, ideally 8 hours. Make enough for your whole head, plus a little to save for step 2.
Put a thin layer of petroleum jelly along your hairline, ears and neck, keeping it off the hair.
Wearing gloves, color the hair with the rested henna paste first, from root to tip, working it into grays. Keep it moist with a shower cap for at least 2 hours.
Rinse with plain water only, with no shampoo or oil, and let your hair dry to damp, not soaking wet.
Then mix the indigo with warm water to a soft, smooth paste, add a pinch of salt and stir in a little of the saved henna: about 80% indigo to 20% henna. Don't let it rest.
Wearing gloves, apply it right away in small sections from root to tip, pressing it well into grays.
Keep it moist with a shower cap for 1 to 2 hours: at least 1, no more than 2.
Rinse with plenty of water, handling the hair gently. Conditioner is fine. Let the color settle for 24 hours before your first shampoo or oil.

Brown: Henna and Indigo in One Step

Rest the henna as above. When you're ready to apply, mix the indigo fresh with warm water and a pinch of salt, stir it into the henna at 70:30 henna to indigo for light brown, 50:50 for medium brown or 30:70 for dark brown, and apply it right away to clean hair. Keep it moist for 1 to 2 hours, rinse with plenty of water, and let the color settle for 24 hours before your first shampoo or oil. More in how to mix henna and indigo for brown hair.

Indigo on Its Own

Only on hair that's already dark or already hennaed. Mix it fresh with warm water and a pinch of salt, apply it right away to clean hair that's dry or damp, keep it moist for 1 to 2 hours, then rinse with plenty of water. Let the color settle for 24 hours before your first shampoo or oil.

Aftercare and Touch-Ups

Judge the color the next day, once your hair is dry and it has settled. Touch up roots as they grow, using the same method. Leaving indigo on for longer than 2 hours doesn't make it darker; timing and aftercare are in how to use indigo powder for hair. If the color didn't take, the usual causes are indigo mixed too early, no henna under gray hair, or oil or product on the hair; see indigo not working.

Warning + Patch Test

For external use only. Avoid contact with eyes. Not for eyelashes or eyebrows. Perform a patch test before first use. Keep out of reach of children. Discontinue use if irritation occurs.

FOR USE AS HAIR DYE ONLY

How to Patch Test

Patch test 24–48 hours before first use, with the mix you plan to use, including the henna and anything else in it. Put a little on a small area of clean, unbroken skin and leave it for 24–48 hours, then rinse it off; rinse it off straight away if it burns or itches. Don't use the product if the patch shows any irritation, such as burning, persistent or worsening itching, redness, swelling, blistering or a spreading rash. A flat blue-green mark on otherwise comfortable skin is most likely staining, not a reaction. Test again whenever you change the mix. A patch test can't rule out a reaction later.

How to Strand Test

A strand test shows you the color before you do your whole head. Take a small hidden lock, or clean hair collected from your brush, and use the exact mix, method and timing you plan to use, including the henna step. Rinse and dry it, then judge the color the next day, once it has settled. It matters most on gray, white, blonde, bleached, highlighted or previously dyed hair.

Using It Safely

Indigo is for use as hair dye only: not for eyelashes, eyebrows or near your eyes. If powder, paste or rinse water gets in your eyes, rinse straight away with plenty of clean water and don't rub them. Don't apply it over a cut, broken or irritated scalp; wait until it has healed. A plant dye isn't automatically suitable if you've reacted to a hair dye before, so take particular care and patch test first. Rinse the paste off and stop using it if it burns or the itching keeps increasing, or if you see redness, swelling, blisters or a spreading rash. If your face, lips or eyes swell, or you have trouble breathing, call 911. Indigo can temporarily stain skin blue-green; petroleum jelly along the hairline, ears and neck, kept off the hair, helps. Open the pouch gently and avoid breathing in the dry powder.

Storage

Keep the pouch sealed in a cool, dry place away from heat and direct sunlight. Use a clean, dry spoon to keep the powder fresh. It keeps for 2 years from the date of packaging. Mixed indigo paste doesn't keep: mix only what you'll use right away, and don't save it for later. Throw away powder that has gotten damp, shows mold or smells spoiled; natural variation between green and olive-brown isn't a sign it has gone off.

Questions

Questions or adverse event reports: care@spierb.com

What is the best indigo powder brand?

Look for what's in the pouch rather than a name: one ingredient, Indigofera tinctoria leaf powder, with no PPD or added dyes, sealed and in date, and realistic color guidance (brown and black with henna, never instant black on gray hair by itself). A fine powder mixes and rinses more easily. Spierb Indigo Powder is exactly that, from India, finely ground and triple sifted. Whichever you choose, patch test 24–48 hours before first use.

How do you know if indigo powder is real?

Read the label: real indigo powder lists one ingredient, Indigofera tinctoria leaf. In the pouch it looks green, olive or gray-green, not blue or black; the blue develops only when it's mixed with water. Be wary of hidden ingredients, instant-black promises for gray hair without henna, or products sold as "black henna": some "black henna" contains PPD, a synthetic dye that can cause severe allergic reactions. A strand test also tells you: pure indigo alone on gray hair usually looks blue or green, not black.

Which indigo powder is best for gray hair?

Pure indigo leaf powder that's in date and has been kept dry, used with henna: on gray hair, the method matters more than the powder. For black, apply henna first, then 80% indigo with 20% henna the same day; for brown, mix henna and indigo in one step. Mix the indigo fresh with warm water and a pinch of salt and press it well into gray roots.

Can I dye my hair with indigo only?

Only on hair that's already dark or already hennaed, where it cools and deepens the color. On gray, white or light hair, indigo on its own usually looks blue or green, so henna goes on first or into the mix. See indigo for jet black hair.

How do I know if my indigo powder has gone bad?

Throw it away if it has gotten damp and clumped, shows mold or smells spoiled. Old or badly stored powder can also color more weakly, which a strand test will show. The dry powder's shade varies naturally between green and olive-brown, so color alone doesn't tell you. Sealed and kept cool and dry, it keeps for 2 years from the date of packaging; mixed paste doesn't keep, so mix it fresh each time.