hendigo advice? henna not working anymore :(

[cleanbug]

Hi there, i have used henna for 10 years. over the last few years, i have started getting a lighter clown orange color in spite of using the best Red Raj high dye content henna from henna sooq. i started using jamilia, then tried many of the different hennas and settled on the red raj for the deeper burgundy red tones. im 41 and started when i was 31. as the last decade has progressed, i have gotten progressively more grey. i seem to be unable to achieve the tone i like as henna is translucent and now comes out to a very unattractive orangy tone.

i used to get beautiful auburn red (when i had more brown hair as a base color). i have tried playing around with dye release times, mix ins, freezing method, clarifying hair first etc. i finally after a year or more of feeling unattractive and embarrassed about my orange head, switched to ion hair color from sallys. i mix with 20 vol developer and the color i achieve i like but i have noticed something and i dont know if its from the hc or stress. I also started a new job 3 months ago. i feel as though the hair at my temples is thinning and my hair feels dry/damaged around the roots where i have been coloring it. i especially notice it when its wet. i love the conditioning aspect of henna and it saddens me to abandon it. its been a part of my natural haircare routine for so long i feel its a part of my identity.

the ion color i have been using is a medium brown (3/4) mixed with red (1/4) to stay close to the rest of my hennaed length (slightly more brown than henna but blends well). my hair is 22" from front hairline up and over the top of my head to the bottom of my hair. i had a bob for years and loved it but began my new job as a correctional officer in a jail and wanted to be able to put it up out of the way. so i really dont want to cut it off at this point. at 41 years old, i went through a tough 10 weeks of training, practical and written exams then started the job 3 months ago. i love the job but there was a huge adjustment period as i used to work from home and only about 28 hours a week. i now work about 44 hours a week and it took some time to get used to shift work. i know my body has gone through immense stress making a huge career change and my aunt (who is a hair dresser) said that stress can cause hair thinning. im much more comfortable in the job now and dont feel the same stress and uncertainty that i did when i started with training etc. but it takes time to grow hair back after a stressful period. i also started biotin to help with hair regrowth.

so, long story short, if i wanted to try natural hair care but am not ready to go grey, what do you all suggest?
I have tried henna mixed w indigo at 50/50 ratio. at the time, it came out as a mousy brownish red. i hated it. so i went to a 2 step which i loved (dark choc brown) but was totally unrealistic to maintain. i do my roots every 2-3 weeks as im very grey and my hair grows fast. the two step process was awful and i cant go back to that.. way too time consuming.
i feel like the hendigo may work if im willing to go a bit lighter than my current color. i know the henna releases dye slower, and indigo almost immediate. if i mix the two together after henna is dye released, and put it on for 2 hours instead of 4or more, would that give me a nicer brown? im sure there is an answer out there but i dont know enough about indigo. i also feel like im not getting all the dye out of my henna.
anyone use amla? would that help?
thx in advance.
tami

henna on my very grey hair before switching to hc ( 1 year ago)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Jd0...ew?usp=sharing


when i used the 2 step henna indigo process (2 years ago)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uGM...ew?usp=sharing

current hair now using ion from sallys
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zqw...ew?usp=sharing

color i loved (and used to achieve with just henna) over my natural base of medium brown hair and some grey scattered throughout
https://drive.google.com/file/d/15fC...ew?usp=sharing

[lapushka]

That is quite normal if you're going gray, your henna will come out much lighter and no way shape or form will that deepen much, unless you do multiple, and I mean "multiple" treatments on the same spot - and you have to be willing to do that. Indigo can't help out with that either as it will *also* come out lighter.

Unfortunately not everything is just the fault of hair dye. If you're unsure about Ion, maybe try a different brand and see if the issue persists. In the mean time, I would get a health check, because as we age, those tend to crop up from nowhere. And good health is key for good growth and hair not thinning out.

[cleanbug]

That is quite normal if you're going gray, your henna will come out much lighter and no way shape or form will that deepen much, unless you do multiple, and I mean "multiple" treatments on the same spot - and you have to be willing to do that. Indigo can't help out with that either as it will *also* come out lighter.

Unfortunately not everything is just the fault of hair dye. If you're unsure about Ion, maybe try a different brand and see if the issue persists. In the mean time, I would get a health check, because as we age, those tend to crop up from nowhere. And good health is key for good growth and hair not thinning out.

Yes. I do like the length which has had multiple “hits” of henna. But with the roots, it isn’t practical to do multiple applications as I’m already doing roots 2-3 weeks. And new growth always comes out orange even with 8 hour applications. I’m not certain that my hair is actually thinner at the temples or if it just appears that way as my hair is darker with haircolor and the scalp shows through more.
Anyway, I’ve been on multiple suppliments to support health and added a few more from a nutritional scientist I see so I’m sure if I was loosing any hair from stress , it will be on the mend. I’m just sad I haven’t been able to keep with a natural hair routine. I hate putting chemicals on my scalp.