Henna bleeding/washing out?

**LemonadeCandy** · March 24th, 2021, 12:18 PM

I've seen a couple of old, short threads on this topic, but I'd like to revive the question.
I did my first henna about a week ago, and I washed my hair today. Now, when I did the henna I did rinse until the water running out was clear. However, today when I started washing it (before the shampoo!) it started bleeding like crazy! The colour even faded some.
I've seen there's a few people who say this is fairly common after the first application, but I didn't want to darken my colour by reapplying.
My first question would be if anyone thinks that oil I add to my hair might be pulling some of the henna out? (I only add a few drops of burdock oil on my length and ends every 2 days or so.)
My second question is related to the application method.
Last time around, I mixed henna with a dash of turmeric and cinnamon (really not enough to make any difference), with hot chamomile tea and I added unheated distilled water until I got the consistency I wanted (turned out a tiny bit too thick anyway, but eh). I kept the mixture near a radiator for 2 to 3 hours (closer to 3 I think), and kept it in my (clarified, wet) hair for 4 hours, with a plastic wrap and a beanie over it. I wouldn't want to keep it on for much longer, since the colour gets too dark for my liking.
Do you perhaps have a recommendation for a better application method?

**Obsidian** · March 24th, 2021, 06:41 PM

Its normal for the first few washes to bleed some. For some people, the color will fade a little too, especially on the first application.
I just mixed my henna with hot water and let it dye release, apply and leave on for a hour.

If your color fades to the point you want to brighten it back up, mix some prepared henna with conditioner and apply it for 30 min.

**stardust lady** · March 25th, 2021, 12:02 AM

I noticed a lot of bleeding for almost a full week when I did a full strength henna for the first time, after which my hair was quite saturated with henna. Even before that, with mild mixes, I always got some fading, which I think mostly depends on your hair type. I think some fading is normal, and of course oxidation will cause it to lose vibrancy, which might appear to be fading.

**LemonadeCandy** · March 25th, 2021, 01:48 AM

Thank you! Does this mean that the first time I do my roots they will act the same, that the henna will bleed on them too?

**Jane99** · March 25th, 2021, 04:59 AM

I’m pretty sure my henna fades over time too. Some people say oil will pull it out, others say not. I use quite a bit of coconut oil in my hair and it fades a bit. It doesn’t come *out* as in the absence of color but it fades a little. I don’t mind because then every so often I’ll do my full head rather than a roots only treatment. It fades from the roots too. Like stardust lady says, I think it depends on your hair type

**geenie** · March 26th, 2021, 01:50 AM

My hair is very, very, very fair from years of highlights. I dyed it with 100% henna (the caca rouge one from Lush). It faded more and more with each wash and bleed alot. I also noticed the ends lost colour alot faster than my roots which I think is because I oil the ends of my hair. Henna is permanent but fades after time. I actually prefer it when it faded a little and blends in nicely with your hair

**poli** · March 26th, 2021, 06:13 AM

Originally Posted by geenie

My hair is very, very, very fair from years of highlights. I dyed it with 100% henna (the caca rouge one from Lush). It faded more and more with each wash and bleed alot. I also noticed the ends lost colour alot faster than my roots which I think is because I oil the ends of my hair. Henna is permanent but fades after time. I actually prefer it when it faded a little and blends in nicely with your hair

I would rather say henna with added ingredients (exp. coca butter in Lush) will possibly fade visibly more on damaged hair. But even weak henna glosses will stain hair permanently.

This said my henna always "bled" during first few washes, never mind if it was from bleached or from virgin hair.

**LemonadeCandy** · March 26th, 2021, 08:59 AM

Originally Posted by poli

I would rather say henna with added ingredients (exp. coca butter in Lush) will possibly fade visibly more on damaged hair.

As for me, I used pure henna on virgin hair. It faded so much after only the first wash, that I think I won't be diluting it with cassia when I do my roots (I suppose they will fade as well), as I first had intended.

I was at the indigo thread today and saw that TatsuOni had problems with indigo sticking to her hair at first. If the case is similar with my henna, I'm not sure what to do, as I really wouldn't want to get it too red - I was going for the natural-ish ginger/copper colour!

I'm thinking that it might be smarter if I wait until this application stops bleeding completely before I do any touchups. My roots are already at 5mm after a week, but I'll wait and see how this goes. I'll update any news here in case anyone needs it in the future!

**captainjanuary** · March 27th, 2021, 04:11 PM

I don't think any of those particulars matter much if you have proper dye release.

I think some people might perceive a longer "fading" time with henna if they don't wash their hair often. For example, I wash my hair every other day and expect that some of the dye/henna that was not absorbed into the hair cuticle will gradually wash out over the course of about three washes. That means I can still smell the henna in my hair, particularly when wet, and I have some yellow/orange water when I shampoo that gets lighter with each wash and yellow/orange on my towels.

If you only wash your hair once a week or less, you might think that the color you have after your initial henna is the end result but there's still actual dye on your hair that hasn't been washed off. And then, when you do wash your hair a week or two later, you feel that it is the color itself that is fading, rather than the excess dye released by henna that is washing out.

**luzimerka** · March 27th, 2021, 07:29 PM

I think this can be caused by multiple things. From my observations, (and as mentioned above) Lush’s henna tends to fade quite quickly because of the oils that are part of the product. Was your hair dirty when you applied the henna? The oils in your hair could prevent the henna from penetrating the hair completely. How long did you keep the henna on for? I’ve noticed if you leave it on for longer there’s more fallout.
Overall though, I wouldn’t worry about it. My first henna application bled like crazy, up to 2 months after the first dye, and the color was still there :-)