Hello-IMO you really have to love it to go thru the hassel. I do. Miss Dlewis got me so hooked on the amla oil, (Miss Honeydew got me hooked on this henna thing), that its what i mix my indigo with and abt a tablespoon of distilled water with some sea salt disovled in it. I make it pastey - about 200 grms. I like to add in a teaspoon of hibiscus powder for strenght. apply it like its perm begining in the back. What a mess. Then i sit for 4 hours and rinse out, poo, and moisturizing DC. After all that hassel I am a happy camper. The gray (really white hair) is gone. And it looks like my strands are thicker. Now I only do it once every 6-7 weeks to catch the ng. When i started out I did henna first and then put indigo on top the following week. Did that for about 4 weeks. Now I am straight indigo. But i always pre-poo overnight with amla. The indigo kills a day but its worth it to me. HTH