The different plants used in plant coloring
As its name suggests, plant-based coloring uses plants to color the hair. But did you know there are dozens of different dye plants? Henna, indigo, amla, turmeric… Let’s zoom in on the most effective ones and those we prioritize at Hairborist.
Henna
The henna molecule comes from a thorny shrub that can grow several meters high. It thrives in tropical or subtropical regions, especially in Africa, Australasia and South Asia. Its coloring properties are used to dye hair, but also skin and fabrics.
The star of herbal coloring, henna is essential for a successful natural coloring: once reduced to powder and sun-dried, its coloring pigments have the ability to attach durably to the hair fiber. Lawsonia Inermis, its scientific name, therefore has excellent durability and provides exceptional coverage: thanks to it, goodbye white hair!
We can summarize henna’s action like this: it attaches around the cuticle and gives warm highlights ranging from golden to intense red. If this matches the desired result, henna can be used pure, without mixing. However, if you want a more neutral or darker tone (brown, black…), other dye plants are added to complement henna. Henna acts as a binder: henna attaches to the hair, while the other plants attach to the henna, neutralizing or darkening it. A real team effort!
Madder root
Madder is mainly cultivated in India, and its coloring power lies in its roots. Just like henna, madder attaches to the hair and does not come off. However, its pigmentation is less strong than henna’s, so its use is mostly reserved for people allergic to henna.
Indigo
The large indigo family (about 350 species in all warm regions of the globe) provides numerous dye plants. Probably native to India, it is mostly found in tropical Asia in the wild, but it is now cultivated worldwide, giving rise to a wide variety of indigos.
Here, it’s the leaves of the plant that matter: only this part contains indican, which, when exposed to air, transforms into indigotin, a natural blue dye. Thus, only indigo leaves have coloring properties.
Indigo offers a color range from brown to black. But it cannot be used alone for two reasons:
- its bluish undertones would create unsightly false highlights,
- it cannot attach durably to the hair fiber.
As explained earlier, this is where henna comes in: when combined with indigo, you get a stable, long-lasting blend, more or less neutral and/or dark, depending on the recipe.
Spices and barks
Henna and indigo form the base of herbal coloring and are sufficient on their own. However, to go further in highlights and coverage, they can be combined with spices or barks reduced to powders.
Some of them have strong coloring power, which enhances the effect of coloring. For example, the henna–turmeric mix: a golden henna with blonde undertones is boosted by the presence of turmeric, an intense yellow spice. This plant, mainly from India, China and Indonesia, uses its roots to color hair. Turmeric is a prime dye plant: it easily attaches to the hair and provides very luminous shades. Used alone, turmeric would produce a too flashy color, but combined with henna, it enhances its effect.
Henna and turmeric together form a powerful duo for blonde tones!
Ayurvedic plants
Ayurveda is a traditional Indian medicine system, recognized by the World Health Organization. This ancestral practice relies on plants to restore balance between body and mind. Popularized by stress management practices such as yoga and meditation, Ayurveda is a precious asset for daily self-care.
We sometimes enrich our henna with amla, an extraordinary Ayurvedic plant. Amla has no coloring power but enhances the color of brown and black hair, and improves the durability of indigo. It also has remarkable healing properties: henna with amla is a powerful regenerator that stimulates hair roots, promotes growth and slows hair loss. Extremely rich in antioxidants, amla helps maintain the youth and vitality of your hair.
Other Ayurvedic plants we use in our herbal colorings include shikakai, brahmi and cutch acacia: each with specific virtues that enhance hair.
Henna–indigo, henna–amla, henna–turmeric… As you can see, the combinations are endless. That’s what makes herbal coloring powerful and beautiful: there are hundreds of possible blends, perfectly adaptable to your hair and your desires.
To learn more about our range of herbal coloring and consult the full compositions of our natural pigments, click here.
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