Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 23

Thread: Roots too dark, help!

Hybrid View

Previous Post Previous Post   Next Post Next Post
  1. #1
    Member Vlientje's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Dordrecht, NL
    Age
    36
    Posts
    125
    Type
    2a/M/ii

    Default Roots too dark, help!

    Hello!

    I will tell you guys everything, just so you have all information.
    I have dyed my hair for 3 years with chemical dye, at the hairdresser. This is what is looked like. But it got too expensive and I needed to find something cheaper.

    So. A month ago I tried to dye it with henna. The color on my lenght was amazing, like this. But! My roots were darker than the chemical dye, so it turned out to be something like this.

    Now, a month later.
    I wanted to see with bleeching powder and peroxide would do to my roots, but it didn't really look like it was doing something. So. I decided to do a hennagloss, hoping my lenghts wouldn't get darker, and my blonde roots would get at least a bit orange. I just left the older dark-roots for what they were. I left the gloss in for an hour, just used hot water, and some olive oil. Should also say that the henna I used is over a year old.

    So, now my hair is dry it's actually just horrible. It looks like my blonde roots got dark brown too, I don't even understand how this is possible with 100% pure henna mixed with just water. And the bleeched parts are a lot better, but I don't want to go bleeching my roots each time, + they just stayed blonde, no red there either, but at least that's not brown!

    So this is how it looks.
    On this first photo you see the bleeched parts, I just put it right on the top of my head.
    Photo 1
    Photo 2
    Photo 3
    Photo 4

    So now, I have NO IDEA what I have to do :/ Is it even possible for me to get orange/red hair? It should be, cause I just have normal darke-blonde hair, I really don't understand how it got so brown!

  2. #2
    Member theodora's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Oxford
    Age
    38
    Posts
    701
    Length
    21/18/35
    Type
    1c/F/M/iii

    Default Re: Roots too dark, help!

    Oh my gosh I have exactly the same problem!!!
    My bleached blond hair is taking the henna well and looking lovely, but my virgin roots which are a darker ashy blond will not take anything!
    It is driving me nuts as I had decided to go natural, or more precisely to stop bleaching and lightening (even with natural lightener like honey and lemon), but I do not know what to do with my roots. Or with my lengths.

    Please tell me if you find a solution to this!
    Chopped the end of the bleach damage 01/01/2013.
    No trims in 2013!
    nape ... SL ... APL ... BSL ... WL ... Hip ... TBL ...and then?

  3. #3
    2014 No trim year :) bunzfan's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    uk
    Age
    47
    Posts
    4,399
    Length
    APL/Hip +/TBL
    Type
    2b/2c/F/M/ii/iii

    Default Re: Roots too dark, help!

    Honestly it doesn't look that bad but i have had issues with two toned hair so i can understand your frustration. I was told each time you henna do a full head application and finally the colour should match, i did my second application last night and there isn't such a two toned look.
    APL 2010 BSL JUL 2010 WSL 2011 HIP 2013 Going for Tailbone December 2017


  4. #4
    Member Vlientje's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Dordrecht, NL
    Age
    36
    Posts
    125
    Type
    2a/M/ii

    Default Re: Roots too dark, help!

    But if I'd do that I would end up with dark brown hair, I don't want dark-brown hair

  5. #5
    Member Hairizona's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    SoCal for now
    Age
    69
    Posts
    338
    Length
    19.5"/Knee+/???
    Type
    1c/2a/F/M/ii/iii

    Default Re: Roots too dark, help!

    True henna is red, and will not make your hair brown. The color of your virgin hair will influence the kind of color or tone of red you do get from henna application(s). The more full-head applications you do, the redder and more intense will be the result.
    Since my original color is a medium to ash color( ash is a cool tone) I get redder colr and do not get an orange color on my hair from henna. If I continue to do whole head applications to all my hair, I will get a very dark and cool red that will look almost purple in certain light and sometimes brown(in fluorescent lighting), yet blazing red-orange to orange in sunlight. If your original hair color is a dark brown (brown is a warm tone), the henna will cover it and there will be a combination of red from the henna with brown from your hair = reddish brown to dark reddish brown; with a redder look showing up in the sunlight.
    Make sure your henna is pure, with lawsonia in it, and no other ingredients, as that could change the color on your hair.
    Hope this helps.

  6. #6
    Member diverbel's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    Pensacola, Florida
    Age
    59
    Posts
    182
    Length
    12 in/15 in/30 in
    Type
    3c/F/iii

    Default Re: Roots too dark, help!

    By no means am I an expert at henna, but from what I have learned is this.... before you henna, you need to clarify the hair or use a mineral buildup remover product. Ion sells a shampoo specifically for this, under $6 for a 16oz bottle. If you can't get these products some recommend to wash the scalp/roots with dishwashing detergent or a bakingsoda wash. Do this literally right before you apply the henna. This way all the natural oils and any product buildup will be gone. Also, use distilled water to mix the henna in case you have hard water. Another thing I have learned is to not use oils in mixing your henna. All this is supposed to help the henna attach to the hair better. I have the same issue you do, having a hard time getting it to take to parts of my hair or the white roots are flourscent orange! I hope you get it figured out, but honestly, your hair looks nice to me!

  7. #7
    Member Vlientje's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Dordrecht, NL
    Age
    36
    Posts
    125
    Type
    2a/M/ii

    Default Re: Roots too dark, help!

    @ Hairizona: I know henna can only color red, that's why I am SOHOHOHOOOO confused right now. My roots are also ashy blonde, so them getting brown is just so weird. Especially cause I only did a gloss for only 30minutes!! Howhowhow is this possible! I did use 100% pure henna, it was Al Yamana henna powder.

    @ diverbel: Thanks for your tips!! I hanvn't done any of that. I have clarified it before, but not right before henna. And hum, I did put oil in it.. Ok noted, if it makes it attach better and so will darken it, I'll leave it out.. Glad you like my hair, I like it too, but not the roots, haha!

  8. #8
    Account Closed by Member Request
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Posts
    631
    Length
    APL/APL/trmnl
    Type
    2c/M/ii

    Default Re: Roots too dark, help!

    I have a two-toned problem right now as well, except my roots are medium/dark brown and my length is bleached and dyed light copper. I've hennaed over it 3 times and the difference has decreased a bit but is still pretty obvious. I'm going to try an indigo gloss, I tentatively recommend it to you but you probably don't want very much since your hair is blonde. But something like 1 teaspoon or 1 tablespoon mixed into conditioner and left on for 30 mins to 1 hr MIGHT darken the rest to match the roots. You should read up about indigo a bunch before you do it though. I have considered doing a honey lightening treatment on my roots to help them lighten and have a more gradual difference between the lighter ends and the darker roots coming out, to transition to my natural color, in an ombre fashion. However remember the reality -- you were bleaching your hair for years and you just bleached it again. Your roots of course are different. If you want your hair to be all one color, you need to either dye the whole length your closest guess to natural color, or just start leaving it alone and endure the couple years of growing out. There is a support thread for that (google longhaircommunity support growing out natural if curious). I'm about 4 months into what will probably take 2 years to grow out. And also maybe you aren't hennaing 'enough' to catch on the virgin hair... For example maybe you didn't let the henna dye release long enough, or stay on top of your head long enough. Also a few people have difficulty gettng henna to stick to the roots, but it will go on the length fine. So basically you will have to wait for the natural hair to grow out a bit, and when you henna that there won't be a noticeable line like you are seeing right now. I think you're seeing a bleach line and blaming it on the henna, so to speak, when if you had all natural hair and hennaed it you wouldn't see a line at all and your hair would be strawberry blonde.

    ETA: I think your natural hair color is actually brown, not blonde? Can you clarify? On the pictures you have showing your hennaed roots, especially 'Photo 4' I can see the henna tone. It's just not as obvious since the hair is so dark. I think that's a pretty normal result, where the hair has a little more burgundy tone.
    Last edited by whitestiletto; July 21st, 2011 at 07:54 PM.

  9. #9
    Member Vlientje's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Dordrecht, NL
    Age
    36
    Posts
    125
    Type
    2a/M/ii

    Default Re: Roots too dark, help!

    Thanks for your tips! I'm not going to match my lengths with my roots, then I'll just end up with a very dark color, and well, I'd rather go back to chemical dye than to have dark hair :P But first, I will try all that I can to save this with henna!

    Growing it out would be a plan, or dye it as close to my natural color & then henna over it again, that's going to be my plan B!

    On all those pics I don't think you can see my real natural color. Here you can see it
    (The redder part on my hair was a little henna-test piece, and as you can see, the roots are just orange! But when I did it for real; BROWN! :/)

  10. #10
    Member Hairizona's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    SoCal for now
    Age
    69
    Posts
    338
    Length
    19.5"/Knee+/???
    Type
    1c/2a/F/M/ii/iii

    Default Re: Roots too dark, help!

    Gosh, I just looked at this thread again and saw the photo of your hair....that is quite a difference! The things that come to mind are: 1. The chemical dyes have stripped your individual hairs to the extent that the henna has little to nothing to grab onto, ESPECIALLY in just one application. 2. The quality of the henna you used 3. The % of lawsonia in the particular henna that would determine how much red dye molecules are actually deposited in one application.4. The amount of time you left the henna on your hair; this will make a difference in the amount of color deposited.
    Since you did only one application, my thought is that you would need to do multiple applications for the hair to be pretty much the same tone of red. And, you would really have to like red. There are some other things that you might be able to do, such as what shampoo you use on your hair before applying henna, as well as some other type of henna pretreatments that I never used, therefore am unqualified to suggest.
    When I began to use henna years back, my hair was highly damaged from use of blonding accomplished with the use of bleach-peroxides by hairdressers; my hair went from medium/ light ash to white-blond, then I had extensions in my hair, which, as I began to remove them, had already done damage at the roots. Then, a hairdresser applied a brown to my hair in an attemt to bring the color back to the ash color. It still looked like crap, so then I went back and had "auburn" color applied a month later. Within two weeks that had faded to "strawberry blond", and thankfully, I found henna. My first application gave me the "Bozo neon orange" so dreaded by first time henna users, because of all the chemical damage done. I kept doing whole head applications with quality BAQ henna; leaving it on overnight, and after 4 to 5 whole head applications, my hair became a beautiful rich red. To emphasize the amount of damage at that time; I currently do an hour of application with a BAQ henna, and I get the same amount of deposit on my hair.
    I am definitely not the expert here on henna, so these are just thoughts that occur to me reading your posts. I would suggest that henna sooq or nightshade have the knowledge to assist should you pose a question to them, or perhaps they will see and respond to this thread. There are others also that are knowledgeable about the use of henna to deal with chemical damage to the hair vs. the virgin hair growing out. Just make sure you like red hair! All I know is that the use of henna saved my hair, and I LOVE red hair anyway.
    Good luck to you!

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •