dyeing over henna with chem dye

[abritta3]

I know I know shame on me...but I really want to go lighter again
The henna/cassia thing didn't turn out the way I would have liked and I want my blonde color back
I hennaed 3 weeks ago (give or take a couple days)
Is it safe to chem dye yet?

[missjessiecakes]

As far as I know most people can't go lighter after henna. You might be able to lighten it a smidge with sun in. It really depends on your color before and after henna are there pics somewhere. But someone else might be able to advise on this.

What I really came here to say is that as long as it was BAQ henna you can chem dye over it but strand test strand test strand test!

[Calaelen]

As a hairstylist, I can tell you there is almost nothing you can do to get it back blonde, you'd have to bleach to achieve any lightening at all, and this would have extremely sketchy results because the henna coats the hair, and bleaching will open the shaft to just let the henna sink in deeper. You might get it lighter this way, but it would likely be blotchy.

Also, you wouldn't get bleached blonde, but rather a very very orange shade, which you would then have to deposit a darker ash colour over to neutralize some of the orange tone..

How long is your hair? and How long is your goal? If you want your natural colour back you're going to have to cut, and start all over, otherwise if the shade you have now is completely unbearable, you can safely go darker over it to a brown, in which case I recommend Natural Instincts brass free collection by Clairol. It is what I've been using after I got sick of my hennaed red.

Good luck, and sorry for the bad news.

[CrisDee]

Not without completely frying your hair, I'm afraid :( :(

One thing many people don't realize about henna when they take the plunge is that it is PERMANENT. As someone else on this board always says (forgot her name), you don't date henna, you marry it. And any divorce is UGLY. There is a thread on here somewhere (tried unsucessfully to find it for you) about a member who successfully removed most of the red from her hair (it still looked a little orangey to me), but she had to admit that she did a LOT of damage to her hair in the process.

So at this point, if you really hate the red, you'll have to bleach your hair to within an inch of its life, and then resign yourself to growing out damage for the next few years.

SOOOO sorry to have such bad news! :cry:

[whichypoohs]

If you used BAQ Henna you will have NO PROBLEM AT ALL. I've stripped my own (then) black hair down to base and I've Hennaed. Then I got bored and dyed over the Henna.

It won't damage your hair as long as you've used BAQ Henna.

[Heidi_234]

Strand test to make use there would be any funky reaction. BAQ or 100% pure henna won't react and it is safe to dye over with chem dye as soon as your please. As to whether you'll be able to return to your former hair color, uh - depends on how much is already there and how much hair health you are ready to sacrifice. Good luck!

[Roseate]

Here's a link (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=55571) to shadowclaw's recent thread about henna removal.

She had decent results getting the red out, but I don't know how much luck you'll have going lighter. And especially with your curly texture, all that bleach is going to be rough on your hair! Careful!

[little_cherry]

To minimise the damage, slathering your hair with coconut oil before bleaching may help...but be careful.

[luthien_belewen]

If you used BAQ henna and cassia it is safe to dye over it. I second the recommendation for Clairol Natural Instincts. It is ammonia free, and as far as chemical dyes go, it is not damaging as it is demi-permanent. I use the shade "Spiced Tea" because it is similar to the henna red on my hair. You could also play around with darker shades too, but strand test before pouring it all over your head.

[marisa]

Hmmm...you could try dandruff shampoo to try and get it to fade a bit, get as much out as possible ahead of time.

Then lighten it, either bleach or sun-in. Or try some honey lightening sessions.

I would then do chem dye as the last step.
But that will not lighten on it's own.
I've always heard "color doesn't lift color".
Very true.

Good luck! :)

ps ~definitely do some strand testing just to be sure it's all good!!!

[Kome]

I have lightened henna before with bleach, but it still left an orange hue to it. Blonde with an orange hue... you might be able to use a toner though to get that out. I hope it turns out! :)