Henndigo -->> Coconut Oil + Bleach -->> Henna (??)

[C_Bookworm]

A number of threads on the use coconut oil to protect hair got this entire thing going. I've spent years with henna'd hair. Since my natural hair color is a medium to dark brown, this always worked out to a brown with just hints of red.


A couple of years ago, I got tired of henna, so I tried henndigo. Two step henndigo faded very quickly. I tried a one-step henndigo once, and haven't been able to remove the indigo. Colorfix pulled it from some of my hair, but the ends still remained dark, and in general, my hair has had more of a cool cast.


My dream hair color is a much lighter red, but I've been afraid I'll irreparably damage my hair trying to lighten it. Or end up with some bleached green sections from leftover indigo. After experimenting on hairballs, I bleached tonight! eek

The good news:
1. My hair feels awesome. It is still shiny and smooth and doesn't feel damaged at all.
2. The leftover henndigo didn't go green.
3. My hair is definitely lighter.

The bad news
1. My roots are yellow. You can really, really see the growth since I last henna'd. It has only been a month, so I was hoping there wouldn't be much. I was wrong.



2. The henndigo didn't budge at all. My tips are way darker and a cooler shade than the rest of my hair.




So here's the current plan:

I have coconut oil on my hair. I'm planning another bleach bath, this one just on the length to try to even out the color more. I don't want all my hair the exact same shade, I just don't want a huge difference between my roots and my tips.

I also have a batch of henna going. The henna is going on my yellow roots, and also as a backup plan if the second bleach bath makes my henndigo go green.

If anyone would like to offer any suggestions, tips, etc, I would greatly appreciate it! I feel like I'm close to having my dream color, I just need to work out some kinks first.

[allycat]

Good luck! It's looking good. Looks like only an inch maybe of indigo on the very ends of your layers? You could probably have that trimmed off within a month or two. Are you aiming for your natural color with just henna?

Don't forget to post after pics

[kellinaturalmom]

Just be careful, many times I've bleached and not noticed the damage until days or weeks later.

[spidermom]

Just be careful, many times I've bleached and not noticed the damage until days or weeks later.

Exactly! I've seen this so many times here over the years. It goes from "I bleached my hair and it still feels fantastic/good/silky/shiny" to (a month or two later) "my hair is dull and tangly and dry; it breaks off every time I touch it; what should I do?"

[strangenurse]

You might consider a protein treatment, like Emergencee by Nexxus (or Aloxxi Polymeric Reconstructor, same thing), or a protein filler, before applying the henna, to fill in the protein gaps, for more even coverage. Give it a good deep conditioning treatment after the henna, too. Protein doesn't moisturize.

-D

[C_Bookworm]

Thanks for the tips! I'm off to pick up another bleaching kit. I already have a good deep moisturizing conditioner for after, but I'll pick up a protein treatment for in between the bleach and the henna.

[jillosity]

The henndigo areas could still have a greenish murky cast in some lights, but it looks like it's just at the last few inches of your hair, so it might not be as painful to lose it if (when....sorry! but most likely it will go green unless you only used henndigo once or twice tops) you have to. Yellow plus blue always equals green. Better at the bottom of your hair than at the root!

eta I remember bleach damage showing up later too, no fix except cutting off the damage, but I was bleaching with ridiculous regularity to get my hair purple, blue, etc. Twice shouldn't be too damaging, but it was after 2 applications of Effasol (which is essentially bleach) last year that my henndigo areas went really green.

[red-again]

Thudding the damage appearing later. I bleach bathed my hair once, not light enough so bb again a week later
Hair fine both times. A couple of months later not so good....at all! Still have four/ five inches of hair that is like dry straw. Despite henna and babying.
You could lift the colour with something that only has peroxide and not ammonia, like a hi-lift tint. It will be mush less damaging. Wish I'd gone that route!

[C_Bookworm]

So bleach bath 2 done, followed by protein treatment, and now half henna/half conditioner is on my hair. Leaving it on probably 3 or 4 hours, I don't want a lot of color deposited. I didn't get a greenish cast to the ends, so it looks like having only one 1-step henndigo didn't leave behind too much indigo.

I just did an s&d a week ago, so it should be easy to see immediate damage. I only trim every 4 months or so, so I'll periodically update as to what condition my hair is in or any damage.

[C_Bookworm]

Final result. I'm sooo in love with the color