oiling and hair lightening

[missoj]

I had been dying my hair with box dyes and (bad) black henna (I now know to only use pure and natural ingredients if I'm going to henna my hair, wasn't on LHC back then) for years. I have been growing out my henna for about a year now and my hair has an ombre effect (thank goodness its trendy at the moment). I had always presumed that I had naturally dark brown/blackish hair, but my new growth looks medium brown and when in the sun, a lightish-medium brown. I know cinnamon lightens hair but I never used it, only castor+olive oil and more recently amla oil (on my roots) and coconut on my length (as I ran out of olive to dilute my castor oil with). Could any of these oils have lightened my hair or could my hair have naturally changed to a lighter shade? Thanks

[ktani]

I had been dying my hair with box dyes and (bad) black henna (I now know to only use pure and natural ingredients if I'm going to henna my hair, wasn't on LHC back then) for years. I have been growing out my henna for about a year now and my hair has an ombre effect (thank goodness its trendy at the moment). I had always presumed that I had naturally dark brown/blackish hair, but my new growth looks medium brown and when in the sun, a lightish-medium brown. I know cinnamon lightens hair but I never used it, only castor+olive oil and more recently amla oil (on my roots) and coconut on my length (as I ran out of olive to dilute my castor oil with). Could any of these oils have lightened my hair or could my hair have naturally changed to a lighter shade? Thanks

Oils used straight on your length? The sunlight or weathering is more probable.

Also box dye if it contained peroxide lightens even though the dye is dark and when the colour washes out you are left with a colour change from your natural colour.

The oils used straight have not been reported to lighten the hair colour of those that use them to oil the length.

Coconut oil and extra virgin olive oil are used in solution in honey lightening recipes and they boost lightening with their peroxide levels, which are lower than that of honey (most honeys).

A honey lightening recipe needs to be kept wet in order for the peroxide to stay active. If the hair dries during the treatment, no lightening.

[missoj]

Oils used straight on your length? The sunlight or weathering is more probable.

Also box dye if it contained peroxide lightens even though the dye is dark and when the colour washes out you are left with a colour change from your natural colour.

The oils used straight have not been reported to lighten the hair colour of those that use them to oil the length.

Coconut oil and extra virgin olive oil are used in solution in honey lightening recipes and they boost lightening with their peroxide levels, which are lower than that of honey (most honeys).

A honey lightening recipe needs to be kept wet in order for the peroxide to stay active. If the hair dries during the treatment, no lightening.

The lighter brown colour I'm referring to my new undyed growth. I haven't boxed dye or hennaed for over a year. Only oiling with the aforementioned oils. So it's likely to be weathering, but when I started oiling my hair it was wet oiling, I only started dry oiling with coconut oil recently, when I realised putting oil on dry hair is possible, but like you said its lightening abilities is less than honey's.

[ktani]

The lighter brown colour I'm referring to my new undyed growth. I haven't boxed dye or hennaed for over a year. Only oiling with the aforementioned oils. So it's likely to be weathering, but when I started oiling my hair it was wet oiling, I only started dry oiling with coconut oil recently, when I realised putting oil on dry hair is possible, but like you said its lightening abilities is less than honey's.

Even with wet oiling I do not think it is the oils. The hair needs to be kep fully and very wet and the peroxide level is low.

Thank you for the clarification of which hair you were referring to in your first post.