What is indigo powder used for?

Indigo powder is a magical substance that has been used for centuries in countries like India to dye fabrics, clothing and even hair. But there’s more to this blue-hued wonder than just color – let’s take a closer look at what exactly indigo powder is, where it comes from, its benefits and most importantly, what outrageous things people have done with it!

What is indigo powder?

At its core, indigo powder is derived from the leaves of the plant Indigofera tinctoria. This plant can be found all over the world but primarily grows in tropical regions such as India, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia.

The process of creating indigo powder starts by harvesting these leaves and then fermenting them in water for several hours. The resulting mixture will eventually produce something called ‘indigotin’ which once dried out can be grounded into a fine powder.

It’s fascinating to think about how early humans stumbled upon this complex procedure 🤔 Was someone moonlighting as an amateur chemist? Did they accidentally leave some boiled greenery lying around? We’ll never know…

Why use indigo powder?

One word: sustainability! Unlike your regular synthetic dyes that are made using harsh toxic chemicals (that end up polluting our oceans), natural dyes like indigo aren’t harmful to the environment or us!

To add another layer to why you should use naturally derived colors; unlike chemically-made shades that fade quickly after only a few washes or uses🙄 natural dyes last longer due to their composition resisting long-term wear-and-tear.
Now we aren’t suggesting blowing up your washing machine timer⏳ trying…

List

  • Natural & Sustainable✔️
  • Long-lasting Color 💪

…and those are two benefits you didn’t expect when using this old-fashioned blue wonder!

What can indigo powder dye?

One other thing that makes indigo so versatile is its ability to be used on a variety of different surfaces.

Clothing & Fabrics

We already talked about the use in clothing and fabrics☝️ but just how versatile can it get exactly?
Have you ever heard of a Tie-Dye shirt?👔 or an Ikat-patterned scarf?🧣 Both of which are made using dyeing techniques that wouldn’t be possible without indigo…Actually, there’s pretty much nothing it can’t color! From linen to silk, cotton to hemp- Indigo has got you covered😎

Hair

And if covering your body in all-blue isn’t enough😱 why not take things up a notch and dye our hair with it too?! Yes, you read that correctly 💇‍♀️💇In recent times people have been promoting this grass-root-esque style statement by incorporating natural ingredients into everyday life. As it happens 🌿 Indigo mixed with henna forms a completely plant-based substitute for more conventional hair dyes. The darker blue pigments achieved through only hard-core nature-loving preparation adds ‘Cool-factor’ too -as someone said probably at some point.

What else do people use indigo powder for?

Believe it or not, some folks even drink their way into the world of sustenance sustainability:
Indican aka 2-(8-hydroxy-1H-indol-3-il) acetic acid is found naturally in plants like Squash🥦 and Artichokes. This ingested compound will undergo bacterial fermentation inside one’s colonic tract transforming itself into something called “indole” reacting within the intestinal tract as GI regulator benefiting from anti-inflammatory properties 🩺.
Strains such as E.coli break down these tryptophan-derived molecules releasing amino acids vital for good health😍.
A shifty-like extract found in the plant kingdom that works just about as hard as many chemically derived compounds. Now before you get on a new health fad, do your research!

How to use indigo powder

Now that we know all of the reasons why indigo powder is amazing and what we can use it for, let’s talk about how to actually use it.

The process may vary depending on what you’re using it for — whether clothing or hair dyeing — but generally speaking once the powder is mixed with water (and other natural ingredients if necessary), there are three simple steps:

  1. Apply mixture directly onto material or body part being dyed
  2. Leave it on for several hours( at least 5⌛) minutes or overnight ⏰if tolerable
  3. Finally, rinse thoroughly with cold water

Remember 💬 colour-dyeing effectively takes patience & precision – rushed efforts leaden themselves into ‘unevenness’ not forgetting damages from harsh chemical products!!

Before applying anything near your skin -or feel too drunk looking over all those DIY Pinterest boards 😅 seek some advice from experts particularly when introducing any new ingredient in quantities beyond-usual threshold levels.

If clothes/items have heavy stains: Try removing stains yourself before deciding pre-indigo washes- most materials will appreciate an extra TLC step🧦✔️

Conclusion

Well… aren’t you good now? You now absolutely everything💡 great history lessons included! And of course, learn solutions to impressively damage our planet less while still getting equally beautiful results 🎨; sustainable style and tradition never felt so achievable!

Indigo may have started its journey within one traditional community decades ago✈️❤️ but today It has become a widely accepted choice among fashionistas everywhere seeking something more authentic, unique along-with-added-statement-making character!
It’s the perfect way to brighten up your wardrobe, flaunt a unique hairstyle or even treat an internal issue medically🩺. Whatever the outcome you desire, we guarantee indigo powder will become one of your go-to choices for all things colorful in no time! 🕰️

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