Honey thread - from TBB and bits from old LHC

[morgwn]

morgwn, I'm so glad you got good results from the mixture!

Thanks, firebird. Is this something which you keep up monthy or bi-monthly?

[ktani]

I have edited this post to now include the updated Pictures Post.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...postcount=1096

[firebird]

morgwn, yes I try to do it roughly every 2-4 weeks. It's really good to know that it's possible to do cassia with or without a darkening effect and still get the conditioning!

[morgwn]

It's really good to know that it's possible to do cassia with or without a darkening effect and still get the conditioning!

Definitely! I will be keeping up with the cassia and honey combo at least monthly for a while yet, so I hope to have more pics to post as time goes on.

[ktani]

morgwn

I look forward to seeing more pictures.

[ktani]

A Comprehensive Summary of the newest honey lightening recommendations. Patch test any ingredient not previously used on the scalp or skin.

These recommendations are based on accredited research and successful honey lightening reports in this thread.

1. The 4 to 1 dilution is 4 parts water to 1 part honey. It is now the recommended dilution to be used for honey lightening. With this dilution, a treatment only needs to be left on the hair for 1 hour, because a honey will produce its maximum amount of peroxide in that time. The minimum amount of honey to be used is 10 grams. Here is a honey conversion table - See "Convert cup of honey into grams g, ounces oz or tablespoons." Use 4 times the amount of water by weight, e.g. 40 grams water to 10 grams of honey. You can also convert to ml, because 1 gram = 1 ml.
http://www.traditionaloven.com/conve...surements.html
According to reports posted in this thread, better results were achieved with the 4 to 1 dilution in 1 hour, than with repeated treatments using the old dilutions. Different honeys produce different levels of peroxide. Here is the Successful Honeys List - if one cannot be found - try a dark coloured honey blend - raw or pasteurized - both have been reported to work equally well.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...ount=856itamin

2. Distilled water is recommended to be used for honey lightening in place of plain water. It is a better choice, for getting the best results from a honey lightening recipe because hydrogen peroxide can decompose in contact with certain minerals. More information on distilled water can be found here.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...postcount=1173

3. The honey lightening boosters - ingredients that add extra peroxide to the recipes are; ground cardamom, ground cinnamon, coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil.
Spices can be irritating - less is more with the 4 to 1 dilution - start with 1 tablespoon after patch testing - suggested maximum - 2 tablespoons.
Oils can be difficult to wash out of the hair - suggested amount - 1 tablespoon.

4. Herbal teas if used instead of straight distilled water - chamomile - Roman chamomile is preferable but it is possible that chamomile can add a gold tone to the hair. Mullein - leaves only not flowers - the leaves are not known to add colour. The herbal tea should be brewed with distilled water.

5. Herbal tea that is used with honey lightening needs to be cooled first to room temperature before any other ingredients are added to it. Do not add spices to a recipe after you have applied the recipe to your hair - if any dry spice spills - you risk skin irritation - mix the spices into a recipe. The spices will blend better, mixed into herbal tea, when the honey is added first.

6. For blondes, lighter hair colours, and hair colours where one does not want the possibility of added colour, distilled water is better than risking added colour by using herbal tea.

7. Distilled water used with honey lightening should be room temperature only. Do not add spices to a recipe after you have applied the recipe to your hair - if any dry spice spills - you risk skin irritation - mix the spices into a recipe. The spices will blend better, mixed into water, when the honey is added first.

8. No external heat should be used with honey lightening - no blow dryers, sunlight. None of the recipe ingredients except herbal tea should be heated at any time. Heat (except body heat) can destroy hydrogen peroxide by decomposing it to water and oxygen. It depends on the degree of heat and the amount of time that it is applied. Pasteurization does not destroy the enzyme in honey that produces peroxide.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...&postcount=883

9. No ingredients that contain Vitamin C, (except ground cardamom, which has the highest peroxide value for a spice and a low Vitamin C level), should be used in the recipes. Hydrogen peroxide oxidizes Vitamin C and is depleted in doing so. Some honeys naturally contain higher levels of Vitamin C. Avoid using Anzer, buckwheat, linden flower, locust flower, mint and thyme honeys. Most honeys contain very low levels. Here is a list of ingredients that contain Vitamin C.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...&postcount=429

10. Jarrah honey, from Australia, is known for its very high peroxide value and is a good choice for honey lightening. Information on Jarrah honey and current suppliers can be found here.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...postcount=1266

11. Conditioner is no longer recommended to be included in honey lightening recipes. Conditioner can contain ingredients that interfere with honey lightening and because of its water content (most conditioners are between 70 to 90 % water), if used as part of the 4 to 1 ratio, shorten the amount of water needed for optimal honey dilution. You can use conditioner only, to wash out a honey lightening treatment, instead of using shampoo or just rinsing it out. If there is honey residue, shampoo and or a vinegar rinse is recommended and has been reported to easily resolve the problem.

12. The honey lightening recipes can be applied with a tint or blush brush for more control of placement.

13. Cover the hair during the 1 hour needed for the treatments, with plastic, a bag, wrap or shower cap, to ensure the best results. This provides a constant moisture level, and allows the honey to produce peroxide uninterrupted. If the hair starts to dry, the honey slows its production of peroxide and it will stop producing peroxide altogether, if the hair dries completely. An option is misting the hair without the use of plastic, provided that the hair is kept wet at all times during the treatment. Honey only produces peroxide when diluted and kept wet. The treatments can be left on the hair longer than 1 hour, if so desired. You can also let a recipe sit for 1 hour before applying it, to allow the honey to produce its maximum peroxide value.

14. Honey lightening has not been reported to damage hair even after repeated use, over long periods of time. What has been reported occasionally is dry hair and crunchy ends. That is a honey residue result, and can easily be resolved by shampooing and or a vinegar rinse. The effects are temporary when shampoo and or vinegar are used. Some honeys leave fewer residues than others. More on honey lightening, and research on the protective mechanisms in honey lightening recipe ingredients, can be found here.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...postcount=1035

15. This is the updated Pictures Post of some past and current Honey thread, honey lightening results.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...postcount=1095

[ktani]

I mentioned in the Comprehensive Summary, that distilled water can be used for honey lightening - See #6.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...postcount=1111

That came from this research link on testing a honey for its peroxide level. See "Technical performance"
"Distilled water .... used"
http://www.xs4all.nl/~jtemp/H2O2.html

I think that this is interesting.
"Hydrogen peroxide .... decomposes .... in contact with salts such as iron, copper, manganese, nickel, or chromium."
http://web1.caryacademy.org/chemistr...oxide/home.htm



However, honey and the other peroxide containing ingredients in honey lightening recipes, contain constituents, that chelate the free iron, that activates the formation of oxygen free radicals produced by peroxide, and further act to protect human cells from hydrogen peroxide damage.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...t=148&page=100

Successful honey lightening reports have not indicated that the water used has been an issue and no hair damage has been reported to date.

Using distilled water for honey lightening is an option IMO - but it may - unknown at this point - increase the performance of a recipe - I highly recommend trying it.



Types of purified water
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distilled_water


The following website is a gem, IMO. It is authored by Stephen Lower, "a retired faculty member of the Dept of Chemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby/Vancouver Canada" and is the opposite of complicated, difficult to read text. Straight-up science with a sense of humour!

"Junk science in the marketplace" on water and water treatments.

One example - "Oxygenated water nonsense
Unless you have gills, it's just an expensive burp!"
http://www.chem1.com/CQ/index.html

[flapjack]

I did a honey treatment last night. I used the same clover honey, with water, a bit of evoo, a bit of coconut oil and some ground cinnamon. Right now my hair is still drying from my shower this morning, but I'm hoping to get in some pictures before dusk.

[ktani]

flapjack

Thank you for your recipe.

Did you use the 4 parts water to 1 part honey?

I would love to know the recipe details, and the condition of your hair when dry.

I am looking forward to your pictures!

[Alley Cat]

I have done 2 more treatments the first one was like my 3rd one 1:4 honey to chamomile tea , 2 tab cinnamon and 1 tab of EVOO. The cinnamon mixed better in the bowl but I still had trouble washing it out . I am reluctant to use it again.
The next day I noticed my hair needed washing as the EVOO hadn't washed out well so I decided to do just a plain water and honey treatment 1:4 ratio after shampooing again.
I am thinking of looking for cardamon when I out and about and skipping the cinnamon and for now just sticking to either water/chamomile tea and honey without the extra additives as we are on tank water and rewashing isn't ideal.
My hair feels really nice and I think it is lightening a bit. I plan to do another treatment very soon , in fact I may do them almost every time I wash especially if it's just water and honey.