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Thread: yet ANOTHER natural lightening question...forgive me i'm new :)

  1. #1

    Default yet ANOTHER natural lightening question...forgive me i'm new :)

    I am in the process of removing probably 3 or 4 indigo dye jobs from my hair. I used the henna+indigo mix from Lush, caca noir. I'm not upset with the color of my hair, I'm just ready for a change. This stuff is incredibly stubborn; and I know that henna and indigo are more or less permanent, I knew that when I started dyeing my hair...but recently I've heard more and more stories of people removing it. My hair is naturally a medium brown, but I haven't seen my natural hair color in ages. I'm growing it out from half an inch (head was shaved in the hospital!) but I used to dye it frequently to convince myself to keep growing it and not just chop it off out of frustration. It's making progress! My intent is to get some of the indigo out (maybe within one shade of my natural hair color) and then use plain old red henna to get my hair sort of auburn, like it turns in the summer.

    my main question is: I have tried honey lightening, to no avail. I don't know if I'm doing it right, I dilute some honey in water, let it sit for an hour, and glop the whole mixture onto my hair. I let it stay for an hour or two on my hair, keeping it wrapped. Am I only supposed to use the watery part when the mixture settles? The result tends to be that my roots get lighter, but the henndigo doesn't budge. I've tried lemon juice, Sun In (after checking for metallic salts) and honey so far. Are there any other methods out there? Am I making a huge obvious mistake, or is my hair just stubborn and porous? Thanks for helping if you can, and I'm REALLY sorry if my questions have been answered already. I'm new to this

  2. #2
    Member kdaniels8811's Avatar
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    Default Re: yet ANOTHER natural lightening question...forgive me i'm new :)

    Henna is pretty permanent. The only way I have heard of to get rid of it is cut it off. Nightshade lightened her henna to a more coppery red color but getting rid of the henna is pretty much impossible.

    Please do not bleach, there have been horror stories about hair turning green, yes, bright green! or just breaking off at the root. You are probably stuck with it unless you just use a chemical dye over it to take it back to your natural shade. I found the chemical dye to fade really quickly, though, right back to the shade I was trying to get rid of.
    AKA MotoGirl... August 2014 - WAIST! Four years after growing out from bald due to chemo.

  3. #3

    Default Re: yet ANOTHER natural lightening question...forgive me i'm new :)

    No worries, I have absolutely no intentions of bleaching my hair! I had a friend who did that, and I saw the moss-green results. I don't have enough hair at the moment to risk cutting the henndigo off. So I might have to be patient and just let it fade out...which could be a long time because it's been this color for 3 months with no sign of fading (except for the growing out roots). Or, I could go the impatient route and just dye over it all with red henna to get the cherry-coke color. Suggestions?

  4. #4

    Default Re: yet ANOTHER natural lightening question...forgive me i'm new :)

    - oh and I should have clarified: I'm not going to use any kind of bleach powder on my hair ever again. It caused a lot of my hair to break and fall out last time I used a chemical dye. It has been over a year since I used bleach powder/developer. The 'lightening' that I had seen done (with some success) by others was through peroxide/natural products containing or releasing peroxide (cinnamon, honey, etc). Supposedly there were no green-hair horror stories from peroxide alone, just from commercially used bleach powder

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    Karma Guru sibylla's Avatar
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    Default Re: yet ANOTHER natural lightening question...forgive me i'm new :)

    I used yogurt to lighten my henndigo hair.. but it took 2 years to get the black out. If you like red hair you can add yogurt (any kind) to your henna mixture. Skip the lemon and honney I think it darkens the indigo.
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    A redhead brunette Heidi_234's Avatar
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    Default Re: yet ANOTHER natural lightening question...forgive me i'm new :)

    Honey lightening did nothing for me too. Henna and henndigo might be too permanent, but if you try to bleach it out you might end with less than desirable haircolor. I don't think that there's any natural method to lighten it. And natural doesn't always means safer anyway.

    My suggestion is to bear the roots. Your dyed length is not that long if I understand correctly, so it would start looking okay rather fast (in my eyes grown out color doesn't look awkward or anything when the new color has grown halfway in). If coloring over it with henna makes it easier for you, then by all means do it.

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    Hiding in plain sight spidermom's Avatar
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    Default Re: yet ANOTHER natural lightening question...forgive me i'm new :)

    Warm oil treatments are supposed to pull color somewhat, although I think they're better with chemical dyes than henna/indigo. But they'll leave your hair shiny and silky, so nothing lost for trying.

  8. #8

    Default Re: yet ANOTHER natural lightening question...forgive me i'm new :)

    I read something online about oil treatments on henna...the procedure was to coat your hair in (eek) rubbing alcohol, attack it with a blow dryer, and then put mineral oil on it, cover your head and let it sit for a good long time. I tried it, not a lot of success. I thought it looked lighter at first but i think it was because I brushed it back and my roots showed a bit more. Oh well I have also heard that Lush sells a hair mask called H'Suan Wen Hua which *might* remove henna. I heard a few employees and a customer talking about how it lightens/removes henna when I last went into the store months ago. It's quite expensive and I'm not sure it's worth the cost when i could try to be patient and let it grow.


    I heard that baking soda and molasses could remove henna. I did a test strand and nothing happened. Is there any science behind this at all?

  9. #9
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    Default Re: yet ANOTHER natural lightening question...forgive me i'm new :)

    Quote Originally Posted by pumori View Post
    I read something online about oil treatments on henna...the procedure was to coat your hair in (eek) rubbing alcohol, attack it with a blow dryer, and then put mineral oil on it, cover your head and let it sit for a good long time. I tried it, not a lot of success. I thought it looked lighter at first but i think it was because I brushed it back and my roots showed a bit more. Oh well I have also heard that Lush sells a hair mask called H'Suan Wen Hua which *might* remove henna. I heard a few employees and a customer talking about how it lightens/removes henna when I last went into the store months ago. It's quite expensive and I'm not sure it's worth the cost when i could try to be patient and let it grow.


    I heard that baking soda and molasses could remove henna. I did a test strand and nothing happened. Is there any science behind this at all?
    Oh good gravy! Do not do this. Henna is permenant. You must either grow it out or chop it off. In my experience, oils dont work, bleach kills your hair, and no mask on this earth will get completely rid of it either. Even if you dye over it chemically it will reoxidize and come back with a vengance. Baking Soda can be damaging for some people, but i have never heard of someone using it to get rid of henna. I think you could attempt to lighten the henna using Sun In like Nightshade did.
    http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...ghtening+henna
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  10. #10
    Can't keep away, it seems Unofficial_Rose's Avatar
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    Default Re: yet ANOTHER natural lightening question...forgive me i'm new :)

    OK, I've lightened indigo - first I used natural methods like yoghurt, also a heavy overnight oiling with EVOO before every wash.

    I got enough out so it was back to a copper colour. You certainly couldn't see it anymore.

    Unfortunately when I highlighted my hair, it still went green, which is why it's so short - but you won't be doing that so this method could get your hair to a colour your happier with. It also is non-damaging.

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