Honey thread - from TBB and bits from old LHC

[ktani]

I did do a soapnut shampoo the next day, but it didn't seem to make much difference. I guess I'm spoiled with the shininess and smoothness from the soapnuts, haha! :-)

It may mean that that honey does not work well on soapnut washed hair.

It used to soften and smooth your hair.

[mellie]

Yes, it worked great for shine back when I used commercial shampoo. Oh well! I will enjoy eating it too, haha! :-)

[ktani]

Yes, it worked great for shine back when I used commercial shampoo. Oh well! I will enjoy eating it too, haha! :-)

True! It is great with so may foods!

[HappyKarin]

I’ve read the firs post about Cardamom oe, butt I couldn’t find any information if it have any bleaching properties. If it have how mutch should I use in the honey mix?
I do love to use it as a fragrance in my hair oils, I think it has a cosy smell

[ktani]

I’ve read the firs post about Cardamom oe, butt I couldn’t find any information if it have any bleaching properties. If it have how mutch should I use in the honey mix?

I do love to use it as a fragrance in my hair oils, I think it has a cosy smell

For the pure essential oil, I would not veer too far off the recipe that started this change, about 2 to 3 drops per tablespoon of carrier oil and I would not use more oil than than 1 tablespoon of that. If you like you can use up to 2 tablespoons of ground cardamom instead of the essentilal oil or in addition to it wihout adding more oil but if you add ground cardamom, I suggest that you also add more water about 12 tablespoons or 6 oz or even more up to 1.5 cups, depending on how much honey you use. 1 tablespoon honey to 6 tablspoons water, 2 to 12, etc.

[ktani]

A Comprehensive Summary of the Newest Honey Lightening Recommendations.

These recommendations are based on accredited research and successful honey lightening reports in this thread. Patch test any ingredient not previously used on the scalp or skin.

1. The new dilution is 4 x the amount of water to honey, calculated by weight. It is now the recommended dilution to be used for honey lightening. The minimum amount of honey to be used is 10 grams. Here is a honey conversion link. 10 grams of honey would need 40 grams of distilled water. You can convert to ml, oz, tablespoons or cups. 2 tablespoons (1/8 cup or 1.5 oz) honey needs 6 oz distilled water or 3/4 cup US (1/2 cup Metric) or 12 tablespoons distilled water. Another way to use the new dilution is to just use tablespoons, 1 tablespoon of honey to 6 tablespoons distilled water, 2 to 12 etc. It works out to be the same as calculating by weight.

According to reports posted in this thread, better results were achieved with the new dilution in 1 hour, than with repeated treatments using other dilutions. Different honeys produce different levels of peroxide. Here is the Successful Honeys List.
If one cannot be found - try a dark coloured honey blend - raw or pasteurized - both have been reported to work equally well. Dark coloured blends were reported in research, to have higher peroxide levels than lighter coloured blends. A dark coloured, single source honey, does not necessarily have a high peroxide value - it depends on the plant source.

2. Distilled water is recommended to be used for honey lightening in place of plain water. It is a better choice, for getting the best results from a honey lightening recipe because of its pH (7) and hydrogen peroxide can decompose in contact with certain minerals. More information on distilled water can be found here.

3. The honey lightening boosters - ingredients that add extra peroxide to the recipes are; ground cardamom, ground cinnamon, coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil. Spices can be irritating - less is more with the new dilution - start with 1 tablespoon after patch testing - suggested maximum - 2 tablespoons. Information on ground cinnamon can be found here. Information on ground cardamom can be found here. Oils can be difficult to wash out of the hair - suggested amount - 1 tablespoon. None of the peroxide containing ingredients in the honey lightening recipes, including the honey and ground cinnamon, has been reported to add colour to the hair.

4. Distilled water used with honey lightening should be room temperature only. Do not add spices to a recipe after you have applied the recipe to your hair - if any dry spice spills - you risk skin irritation - mix the spices into a recipe. The spices will blend better, mixed into water, when the honey is added first.

5. No external heat should be used with honey lightening - no blow dryers, sunlight. None of the recipe ingredients should be heated at any time. Heat (except body heat) can destroy hydrogen peroxide. The peroxide can decompose into water and oxygen. It depends on the degree of heat and the amount of time that it is applied. Pasteurization does not destroy the enzyme in honey that produces peroxide. Store your honey, ground spices and oils away from heat, light and moisture, at room temperature, in a cupboard, preferably.

6. No ingredients that contain Vitamin C, (except ground cardamom, which has the highest peroxide value for a spice and a low Vitamin C level), should be used in the recipes. Hydrogen peroxide oxidizes Vitamin C and is depleted in doing so. Some honeys naturally contain higher levels of Vitamin C. Avoid using Anzer, buckwheat, linden flower, locust flower, mint and thyme honeys. Most honeys contain very low levels. Here is a list of ingredients that contain Vitamin C.

7. Jarrah honey, from Australia, is known for its very high peroxide value and is a good choice for honey lightening. Information on Jarrah honey and current suppliers can be found here.

8. Conditioner is no longer recommended to be included in honey lightening recipes. Conditioner is too acidic for most honeys and the spices, (it can reduce the optimal pH needed for a honey to produce peroxide), can contain ingredients that interfere with honey lightening, and its water content (most conditioners are 70-90% water), if used as part of the new dilution, can effectively reduce the amount of water needed. The same applies to coconut cream and milk (they contain minerals, are acidic and contain Vitamin C, as well as not enough water). You can use conditioner only, to wash out a honey lightening treatment, instead of using shampoo or just rinse a treatment out. If there is honey residue, shampoo is recommended and has been reported to easily resolve the problem.

9. The honey lightening recipes can be applied with a tint or blush brush for more control of placement.

10. Mix the honey lightening recipe, at room temperature, and let the recipe sit for 1 hour, also at room temperature, to let the honey produce peroxide or use it right away and the honey will produce peroxide while on the hair. The hair should be freshly washed or rinsed first, if there is aloe gel on the hair (aloe gel contains Vitamin C), a Vitamin C containing leave-in treatment, heavy conditioner, a large amount of oil (a large amount of some types of oil will act as a barrier to the water), or styling products on the hair. If not, a honey lightening treatment can also be applied to wet or dry, unwashed hair. Apply the treatment with a tint, blush, basting brush, spray or squirt bottle, pin the hair up, cover the hair with plastic and keep the treatment on the hair for about 1 hour. The hair must be kept completely wet with the treatment both before it is covered and while the treatment is on the hair. Wearing a swim cap is recommended. Also recommened, is to use saran wrap under a lycra swim cap. It does not squeeze out too much water and the treatment does not drip as much with this method.

11. Honey lightening has not been reported to damage hair even after repeated use, over long periods of time. What has been reported occasionally is dry hair and crunchy ends. That is a honey residue result, and can easily be resolved by shampooing preferably, or a vinegar rinse. The effects are temporary when shampoo and/or vinegar are used, with shampoo being reported to work better than a vinegar rinse. Some honeys leave fewer residues than others. More on honey lightening, and research on the protective mechanisms in honey lightening recipe ingredients, can be found here.

12. This is a Pictures Post of some past and current Honey thread, honey lightening results.

[ktani]

Honey Lightening Recipe and Method Innovations

Using a swim cap rather than bagging a honey lightening treatment by kokuryu
kokuryu - on virgin, mid-blonde hair - using only tap water and honey, unmeasured - after 2 treatments,
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...postcount=1765, picture, http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...postcount=1767, no damage reported, http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...postcount=1801


Honey lightening to create hi-lights by BranwenWolf
Honey lightening hi-lights on faded strawberry blonde dyed hair
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...postcount=3504

recipe and method details
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...postcount=3506


The use of cardamom essential oil by Fethenwen
After 2 treatments, using cardamom essential oil, 1 tablespoon EVOO, 1 tsp powdered cinnamon and distilled water, using the new dilution on 2 years of hennaed hair (the last 6 months, doing roots only)
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...postcount=3528, another picture of the new hair colour, http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...postcount=3553

recipe details
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...postcount=3538

method details http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...postcount=3540

Suggestions to duplicate Fethenwen's recipe outside of Finland where SAM honey is unavailable.


A new method for applying a honey lightening treatment by Shikyo
Honey lightening on a mix of virgin and previously dyed hair (previously dyed 3 years ago), recipe and first results, using various coverings, from a plastic bag to a swim cap, and apple cider vinegar, which darkened the hair, adding a red tint
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...postcount=3901, new recipe and innovative new method of application- http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...postcount=3912, new method details -http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...postcount=3914, complete method details - http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...postcount=3920


A new method for applying a honey lightening treatment, including the use of a moist towel for containing drips by lilravendark
on previously henndigoed hair, after 4 treatments, with 50:50 honey and boiled tap water
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...postcount=4319, details, recipe, method and honey used and using a moist towel, to contain drips
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...postcount=4321, the condition of her hair following honey lightening - http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...postcount=4323

A new method to wash out a honey lightening recipe with ground cinnamon and ground cardamom, using an egg wash to emulsify it out by Mandybeth
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...postcount=4389, honey lightening recipe details - http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...postcount=4391, egg wash reipe details - http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...postcount=4393, more details on the honey lightening and egg wash recipes - http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...postcount=4395

Filtering a honey lightening recipe idea by Tapioca, http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...postcount=4671.
Since there can be other variables as to results, this is worth trying.

Bagging a honey lightening recipe to control drips by Zenity,
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...postcount=4691 and http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...postcount=4692 and http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...postcount=4695 and http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...postcount=4697 and http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...postcount=4698

[ktani]

Honey lightgening and cassia.

[MeMyselfandI]

What is the reason for adding honey to henna treatment? Is it to condition and no henna colour given off?

Or

Is honey added to henna so that the henna colour does not get darker and darker on the hair? If that is the case what colour would grey hair become. What about virgin hair? Will it get hennaed and look like hair hennaed without honey?

Adding honey to a henna treatment has come up, recently.

The new dilution has been reported to work so well for a few reasons.

There are 3 key ones, for a honey lightening treatment to work as well as it can.

1. A good peroxide producing honey

2. The right water (distilled) or tap water with a pH of 7 and no minerals

3. The right dilution, basic, 1 tablespoon of honey to 6 tablespoons of distilled water

Then there is the method. The hair must be kept very evenly wet, which is not the same as dripping, throughout the time that the treatment is on the hair, either covered, or constantly misted.

I do not know how much water is used to how much henna, but I understand that it is a thick paste. That means not too much water. Adding honey to a thick paste with water in it will dilute the honey and if it is straight distilled water (no added Vitamin C, like lemon juice in the mix), it should not have too low a pH but honey needs to be pH 6, for optimal peroxide production. Henna is about pH 4.5 and most honey is that or lower. Put it altogether and the conditions are not ideal for much in the way of lightening to happen. It may but slight, IMO, at best.

There one way this may work to prevent henna from going darker. It is an unknown, and I cannot predict results or go by reports.

Mix a honey lightening treatment first, with honey lightening boosters, 3 of them if you can, 1 tablespoon each of ground cinnamon, ground cardamom and evoo, to 2 tablespoons honey and 6 oz of distilled water and let that sit for 2 hours (you can also use 2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon or ground cardamom). Use that mix only to dilute the henna powder, for dye release, or better yet, mix distilled water only with the henna first (you will have more distilled water in the mix), then add the honey lightening treatment, but you will not need the full amount. The treatment will already have produced peroxide. Once you add the honey lightening treatment to the henna, it will not produce much if any more peroxide. It may help prevent the henna from darkening.

[MeMyselfandI]

I do not remember if I ever posted this or if others have posted the same method. Here is my easy way of measuring out the honey and water.

I know the density of water : 1 gram (g) is equal to 1 millileter (mL).

I use:
a Small kitchen scale with gram (g) markings. (My scale is a 9 oz. scale (250 g) with 2g divisions, and
a 1 cup measuring cup with millileter (mL) marking with 10 mL divisions on it.

I put a plastic tumbler (about 10 oz size (300mL) on the kitchen scale.

I look at how much the tumbler weighs, to that number I added the amount of honey I want (30, 35, 40, 50 g etc.

I take the plastic tumbler off the kitchen scale.

Whatever amount of honey I added in grams, I multiply that number by 4. I measure this amount of deionized water in millileters in the 1 cup measuring cup. Mix the water with the honey.

I find this method less messy then using measuring spoons for the honey

***

Example:

35 g of honey needs 140 ml of water
50 g of honey needs 200 ml of water