Permanence of Henna

[bluesnowflake]

A couple moths a go a close freind of mine decided to henna her very curly blond hair. I didn't know much about it (still don't), but she said it would be back to its normal color in 6 weeks. It's been a couple of months and it has faded a little, but she was telling me she wants to get it out and go back to her normal blond. Is there any way to do this? As I said, I know next to nothing about its permanence. As far as I know, she only did it once.

[princessp]

As far as I know, no she will have to grow it out I believe it really is quite permanent.

[cataphract]

I've heard that some people have had some success using oils to leech out the color. I'm not sure how effective it is on lighter hair colors - or really how effective it is in general - but it was even on the box of one of the hennas I'd tried back in the day so it might be worth a shot. Probably someone more knowledgeable is hereabouts somewhere and will have a better explanation though.

[akurah]

Henna is quite permanent. It can only be removed with scissors in the majority of cases.

[little_cherry]

Some people have had success with the honey lightening (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=148). It takes a few treatments to see results though.

There have been some members here that have bleached with peroxide, but that just sounds scary to me...it also depends how resilient their hair is.

I oil regularly and never noticed my henna fading.

[natatatt]

I used body art quality henna on my virgin dark blonde hair. I only did one application, and as it was pure, I was not too worried about it interacting with bleach and dye.

Luckily my hair is pretty strong, and so I was able to bleach it (my hair turned a very pale but very, very bright orange), and then dye it back to its natural color. I had this done at an Aveda salon, so it wasn't cheap, but it was worth it.

[ddiana1979]

Henna is permanent. Even more so than most so-called "permanent hair dyes".

The honey lightening thing has worked for a few people.

If she used JUST henna and not henndigo, she may be able to get a salon to bleach it to a color lighter than her normal color & then dye it darker. If she used henndigo, she's pretty well screwed, because bleach &/or peroxide turn indigo a weird green color.

[CrisDee]

Yeah, that's one thing I always warn people about when they henna for the first time - henna is PERMANENT, much more so than regular hair dye. I chemically dyed my hair red for 20 years before discovering it, so its permanence was a plus for me - but for people who like to vary their hair color, or people who are just "trying" red, henna is NOT the way to go.

There is one girl on this board who got most of the henna out of her hair with bleach, but she admitted that this method caused a LOT of damage. And again, I say "most" of it out - her hair still had a bit of a reddish cast to it.

I wish your friend the best of luck, though - maybe she can try life as a redhead? ;)

[squiggyflop]

there isnt much she can do if it was real henna except from a full head bleaching..

henna is permanent.. though since you say its faded some it suggest to me that it was NOT real henna.. because henna doesnt fade.. like at all.. it can get sun lightened (it just turns a brighter red) but not fading.. nope..

my ends are as red today as they were 2+ years ago when they were hennaed

[spidermom]

If she really only did it once, it will continue to fade. That is what happened to me: hennaed once, hated it, let it grow out/fade. After 6 months to a year, it was hard to see where the hennaed ended and my natural color began, although I could certainly see the difference when I lifted my ends to my scalp.

[Unofficial_Rose]

If someone finds a way to get this stuff out, they should be awarded the Nobel Prize. (Yes, my henndigo has gone too dark again. And I'm stuck with it, again. Because some of us never learn. :rolleyes:)

It can be actively faded, somewhat, using yoghurt packs. Plain yoghurt on dry hair, cover in plastic wrap. Wash out after 2 hours or so. May need doing several times.

[Nightshade]

Henna will fade in time, and since she's only done it once there's a small margin of hope.

I know some people had luck with lemon juice and conditioner soaks and then a harsh shampoo to follow. Won't take it all out, but may remove some of it. Usually the sooner this is done after hennaing the better.

Whatever she does, she'll have to keep in mind that to get back to blonde she is most likely going to have to bleach the hell out of her hair and try to dye it to her natural color. Odds of her doing this and keeping all her hair are slim to none :(

[SwordWomanRiona]

All your comments about the permanence of henna have befuddled me a bit! I have always read (well, until now) that henna acts as a semi-permanent hair dye, and that the colour fades in three months or so. To talk of the experience I have, I first hennaed at the beginning of this past May, and at the end of July my hair had practically gone back to its usual colour...

[Dolly]

All your comments about the permanence of henna have befuddled me a bit! I have always read (well, until now) that henna acts as a semi-permanent hair dye, and that the colour fades in three months or so. To talk of the experience I have, I first hennaed at the beginning of this past May, and at the end of July my hair had practically gone back to its usual colour...


I have always read exactly what the members here are saying. One of the only way to get rid of it is to cut it off.

If yours was gone that quickly, it is possible that you used one of those dyes claiming to be henna, and in reality they only have a teensy bit of henna in them.

[Nightshade]

All your comments about the permanence of henna have befuddled me a bit! I have always read (well, until now) that henna acts as a semi-permanent hair dye, and that the colour fades in three months or so. To talk of the experience I have, I first hennaed at the beginning of this past May, and at the end of July my hair had practically gone back to its usual colour...


Another possibility is that it was boxed henna, which is often times very, very old and the dye is pretty much dead so it fades. Most people here use BAQ henna to be sure they're not getting other funky crap mixed in with the henna, and that stuff has dye potency off the charts.

[CaityBear]

Since she's blonde I highly doubt she'll be able to get back to that without damaging her hair a lot. There is hope of stripping some of the henna out but going back to blonde will be the hard part.


All your comments about the permanence of henna have befuddled me a bit! I have always read (well, until now) that henna acts as a semi-permanent hair dye, and that the colour fades in three months or so. To talk of the experience I have, I first hennaed at the beginning of this past May, and at the end of July my hair had practically gone back to its usual colour...

Lush henna can fade somewhat. Wasn't as noticeable on me (naturally dirty blonde), but with my mom (who has darker hair) you could see hers fade over time.

[SwordWomanRiona]

I have always read exactly what the members here are saying. One of the only way to get rid of it is to cut it off.

If yours was gone that quickly, it is possible that you used one of those dyes claiming to be henna, and in reality they only have a teensy bit of henna in them.

Hi, Dolly, thanks for answering. I used the Radhe Shyam Mahogany Henna (the ingredients of the Natural Copper shade, which I have not used yet, are Lawsonia Inermis (henna), Acacia Concinna, Phyllanthus Emblica, Sapindus Trifoliatus). So it's supposed to be "real powdered henna"...
I've been researching a bit, and I'm still confused, some say it is a permanent hair dye, and others say it is semi-permanent. But Wikipedia says that it is "considered permanent to semi-permanent, depending on a person's hair type." So maybe my hair type considers henna as more semi-permanent than permanent (that would be great!)...Or maybe the colour seemed to fade more swiftly because I only henna'ed once...
I had scheduled to dye my hair with the Natural Copper henna during the holidays, but I'm a bit apprehensive now - I'm also fond of my natural colour, I would just want to reinforce the red in it or try a new shade for a period of time.

[SwordWomanRiona]

Another possibility is that it was boxed henna, which is often times very, very old and the dye is pretty much dead so it fades. Most people here use BAQ henna to be sure they're not getting other funky crap mixed in with the henna, and that stuff has dye potency off the charts.

Thanks for your reply, Nightshade. What is 'boxed henna', any henna that isn't BAQ? I'm only familiar with Radhe Shyam henna for the time being, but I think it can also be used as body art henna, so I'm not sure if it could be considered as BAQ...It has seemed to fade though. My hair is naturally a reddish medium brown which turns more sort of blondish at the temples and the ends. After henna'ing, these light hairs at my temples were a bright red colour, and now they are as blondish as they seemed to be before (maybe with the slightest reddish tinge to them).

[SwordWomanRiona]

Since she's blonde I highly doubt she'll be able to get back to that without damaging her hair a lot. There is hope of stripping some of the henna out but going back to blonde will be the hard part.



Lush henna can fade somewhat. Wasn't as noticeable on me (naturally dirty blonde), but with my mom (who has darker hair) you could see hers fade over time.

Yes, I suppose that the lighter one's hair is the longer it takes for the colouring to "fade" (and yet, my golden highlights seemed to come back after three months!). I'm still pondering all this over, maybe saying that henna is permanent means that the colour does not "go away by continuous rinsing", but rather fades steadily and darkens, mingling with the natural hair colour, if one does not henna regularly?

[fairystar32]

my henna faded really quickly in a few months as i applied streaks and you cannot see them really now. My hair is dark though.
In my past experience henna is VERY permanent so no idea what happened to mine?
I hope she finds a way to live with it, or remove it with not too much damage x

[Nightshade]

Thanks for your reply, Nightshade. What is 'boxed henna', any henna that isn't BAQ? I'm only familiar with Radhe Shyam henna for the time being, but I think it can also be used as body art henna, so I'm not sure if it could be considered as BAQ...It has seemed to fade though. My hair is naturally a reddish medium brown which turns more sort of blondish at the temples and the ends. After henna'ing, these light hairs at my temples were a bright red colour, and now they are as blondish as they seemed to be before (maybe with the slightest reddish tinge to them).


Boxed henna is just a generic hair for a lot of the "henna hair dyes" you see sold in health food stores :)

[Dolly]

Hi, Dolly, thanks for answering. I used the Radhe Shyam Mahogany Henna (the ingredients of the Natural Copper shade, which I have not used yet, are Lawsonia Inermis (henna), Acacia Concinna, Phyllanthus Emblica, Sapindus Trifoliatus). So it's supposed to be "real powdered henna"...
I've been researching a bit, and I'm still confused, some say it is a permanent hair dye, and others say it is semi-permanent. But Wikipedia says that it is "considered permanent to semi-permanent, depending on a person's hair type." So maybe my hair type considers henna as more semi-permanent than permanent (that would be great!)...Or maybe the colour seemed to fade more swiftly because I only henna'ed once...
I had scheduled to dye my hair with the Natural Copper henna during the holidays, but I'm a bit apprehensive now - I'm also fond of my natural colour, I would just want to reinforce the red in it or try a new shade for a period of time.


Well, I think you may be better off going with a "traditional" semi-permanent color then.

OH, and WELCOME TO THE LHC!

[SwordWomanRiona]

Well, what I really think your friend should do is wait another month. Judging on my experience and that of other people I know, the henna colouring quite faded after three-four months. I suppose the amount of fading depends on the kind of henna, and the type and colour of hair too, and the number of applications and the time one had it on, but I think that in the end it does fade. Of course, if one henna'es repeatedly, every two months, for example, the permanence will be much longer (three-four months for each application), so that the colouring would seem to be practically permanent.
Judging on the 'controversy' that the permanence of henna seems to be generating, though, this is my 'hypothesis' as yet: that the colouring fades in time (if one does not pile layer after layer of henna, which would increment the permanence as there are more layers). What does not fade is the 'actual henna', so one's hair could still interact with chemical dyes even if the colour has really faded.
Be it how it may be, I would sooner wait another month or so, to see how much it fades. Bleaching could really damage her hair.

[SwordWomanRiona]

Well, I think you may be better off going with a "traditional" semi-permanent color then.

OH, and WELCOME TO THE LHC!

Yes, maybe I will think about them. But I think I will 'test my hypothesis' that it does fade with time and henna again before. :scared: After all, the best way to get out of the controversy is to 'make the experiment', as we Physics students know.:)

[akuamoonmaui]

Someone had decent luck using sun-in, I'm not sure if it was an article or thread. Although, if she had indigo in her mix it isn't a good idea because she may get green results.