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Thread: Preparing for henna... is a little coconut oil on the hair OK?

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    Default Preparing for henna... is a little coconut oil on the hair OK?

    And will the traces of conditioner used to remove it hinder the dye uptake?

    Thanks
    [SIGP

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    Default Re: Preparing for henna... is a little coconut oil on the hair OK?

    I wouldn't worry too much about it. If you were gung-ho for max dye uptake I'd say wash it out, but as you can see here (Experiment 6) , Lexie added oil to her mix and it stained just fine.

    Sixth Experiment

    So, I realized that I'd forgotten two very important things I wanted to try. First, I wanted to test the addition of oil to the henna paste.

    So I grabbed some mohair, worked it into a strand, secured it, and set it aside.

    Then I got a plastic bag and mixed 1t. henna with 2t. cold, filtered water. Then I added 1/8t. coconut oil. I chose this amount because this is the ratio I use in my own hair--1/8 as much oil as henna powder. So anyway, I mixed it well again, and I must say the consistency of the henna was just lovely and silken at this point.

    So I washed the strand with cold, filtered water and baking soda, rinsed it in cold, filtered water, squeezed out most of the excess water, and put it in the bag. I then sealed the bag and worked the paste into the strand.

    I put the bag between 8 layers of a folded sheet of Bounty, and set it on the PC's system unit (which is still just barely warmer than lukewarm).

    I left it for 6 hours, then rinsed it. The color looks like that of the strand from the first experiment. I see absolutely no difference.

    So I conclude that coconut oil, at least in this ratio, has no effect on dye uptake.


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    Member Rainbow2911's Avatar
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    Default Re: Preparing for henna... is a little coconut oil on the hair OK?

    I add oil to my mix and have no problems with it. Hope that helps!
    Ruth

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    Default Re: Preparing for henna... is a little coconut oil on the hair OK?

    I think adding oil to the mix and having your hair pre-oiled won't have the same effects at all, and that having already oiled your hair will seal the cuticle far more than having a little oil in the mix applied to freshly shampooed hair. So I'd wash it out.
    I have opted out of the "friends" system. Please do not send me any friending requests.

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    Default Re: Preparing for henna... is a little coconut oil on the hair OK?

    Well, I hennaed unwashed, and therefore coconut oiled hair before, couldn't see any difference. Henna tends to suck oils and moisture out of hair, so go figure. and IIRC, I hennaed over washed hair too, when wash hair for me necessarily means conditioner too.

    Soft hair that is nice to sit on - now I'm bragging!

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    Default Re: Preparing for henna... is a little coconut oil on the hair OK?

    Anocdote time! I've been experimenting with using more oils in my (fine) hair lately, because I work in a VERY dry environment, but my hair started to seem ALWAYS dirty, or rather, oily, even though I shampoo everyday (atm w/ Biolage).
    But after I henna-ed this time, it has taken out all the excess oil that had been lingering in my hair, and made it seem clean and fresh again! I usually henna/henndigo at night, so it'll have been 12+hrs since I'll have washed (and conditioned) my hair, and I have never felt that the henna was hindered at all in its uptake, due to either oily and/or dirty hair.
    I have also never experienced any of the dryness people sometimes complain about after henna. Even though I use amla, which is so said to be drying...I DO use a small can of coconut milk in my mix every time though... So, I personally think that as long as your hair isn't literally drenched in oil, the henna will absorb a lot of it (being a mud-like substance that it is), and let the dye soak into the hair....Not so sure about the indigo though....


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    Default Re: Preparing for henna... is a little coconut oil on the hair OK?

    Someone else tried coconut oil before henna and also reported no dye uptake problems (see page 3 on my profile page comments).

    Coconut oil, even heavy a one has not been reported to hinder dye uptake in the peroxide thread, (see the link in my siggie).

    Other oils may do so because they do not penetrate hair well. Both coconut and argan oils have not been reported to cause any problems in that area.

    P&G attributes better dye uptake to chelating copper, for their synthesized copper chelant, when it is used with a peroxide containing conventional dye. Both coconut and more so argan oil, chelate copper as well as iron.

    Iron and copper are found in hair. They are absorbed by hair from water (copper pipes) in particular or just the water itself and also from cosmetics (many conditioners contain iron and copper for cosmetic purposes.
    Last edited by ktani; October 3rd, 2009 at 09:40 PM. Reason: spelling

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    Default Re: Preparing for henna... is a little coconut oil on the hair OK?

    Wow, ktani, you just entirely made me realize how the hard water here affects, in maybe both positive, and negative ways, my henna/henndigo...Never really thought about the copper and iron before...


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    Default Re: Preparing for henna... is a little coconut oil on the hair OK?

    Quote Originally Posted by tooqute2nv View Post
    Wow, ktani, you just entirely made me realize how the hard water here affects, in maybe both positive, and negative ways, my henna/henndigo...Never really thought about the copper and iron before...
    It can. In the Honey thread some people found that their tap water was just fine for honey lightening but that is rare. Water quality varies from place to place.

    With the P&G research it was about copper in particular, reacting with hydrogen peroxide to create damaging free radicals. Using a copper chelant minimized damage. One of the other major benefits was better dye uptake. That was also reported in the peroxide thread, with heavy coconut oilings in particular minimizing damage and dyness (no damage was reported in the overwhelming majority of reports) and better dye uptake, even on grey hair. Argan oil added to a coconut oiling was reported to reduce pre-treatment time and still yield great dye uptake, no damage and minimize dryness and frizz.
    Last edited by ktani; October 3rd, 2009 at 10:34 PM. Reason: clarification

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    Default Re: Preparing for henna... is a little coconut oil on the hair OK?

    Well I'm thinking I may do a regular wash the night before with shampoo and conditioner, just because my hair sans conditioner is a tangled mess, and tangled messes + henna = shedding disaster.

    But then again this is the special Indian henna I just got, and I want to soak up every bit I can... thoughts?
    [SIGP

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