Effasol, henna, indigo and buxus (pic heavy)

[diverbel]

Ok, I am going to try to keep this simple and not confuse anyone. I started using henna in May of this year. My first time was 50/50 henna/indigo... came out horrid, see album for pics. This was due to chemical dye with banding and the indigo only took to that, ugh.. then I went to henna and buxus and then henna buxus and amla... got one good result other times iffy and not what I was looking for. So then I did straight henna, no better! My hair was just getting darker and not looking good. Also my daughter said it was looking purple, and that was a no go with me! I absolutely love what henna has done for hair! So I am by no means giving up on it! I just was to impatient and didn't wait nor do strand tests that often. So with all of that being said, I started researching how to get all of this out of my hair and start over from scratch. So I bought six packs of effasol. Yesterday I got the nerve and decided that if my hair falls out, fine, if it is totally fried and has to be shaved, fine, I was willing to live with whatever result I got and was fully prepared to buy and wear a wig till my hair got better LOL So I mixed two packets of effasol with warm water and applied to my hair, wrapped in saran wrap and left it on for 30 minutes. Rinsed it off for about 10 minutes. Major major lightening!! It took absolutely ALL of the chemical dye off my hair!! And it took the indigo and buxus with it. I was thrilled! Hair was OMG dry dry tangly mess is putting it mildly. So, in my eagerness(stupidity) I mix another two packets of effasol with warm water and concentrate it mainly on the back center where it is the darkest. Left it on for 30 minutes under saran wrap. And it got things even lighter and I saw golden hair on the front top! Woohoo!!! Success!!! Except my hair was one huge mat ball! Seriously, it would have been easier to comb an SOS pad! So I get the heavy duty, Proclaim intense moisture packs and put two on my hair. I know, more chemicals, but hey, what did I have to lose other than my hair! By the time I got them worked in I could finger comb my hair, so I was happy! I put saran wrap around this and went under the bonnet hairdryer on low heat for 15 minutes and then no heat for 15 minutes then rinsed it out. My hair is amazingly soft!! Yes it is really frizzy, but honestly no more than it ever was before I used henna. I know my ends are parched and may lose an inch when I go to the hairdresser this coming week. I plan on letting my hair rest for a week, then using just henna on it for one full application and then root touchup from there on out with maybe glosses in between. I just don't want it to get to dark again. You can see my roots and that I have alot of gray and white to deal with along with my nautral color mixed in all over my head. I have no idea if it will redarken or not, but I am not using chemicals on it again from here on out, so I can't see why it would redarken. The pictures really don't show the true lightness of it even though tey were taken outside with me facing the cloudy sun.. In person it looks alot more orangy, but it is really pretty to me! And looking in the mirror outside, I can see the fiery orange/red strands, it is really pretty,atleast I think it is! Ok, so below the pictures go in order:
1- starting color before henna, with white roots
2- july of this year after all the "mixes" I used
3- front of my hair with roots after the effasol
4- back of my hair after effasol

Now, I am by no means recommending anyone to do what I did. It was drastic and stupid on my part, but I just couldn't take the yucky color it was!! I am posting all this to let people know that yes, you can remove chemical dye that is underneath henna and that yes you can remove indigo and buxus and lighten to dark henna.

Also I know that the pictures are taken in different lighting, but honestly there is not much difference in color in any of the light settings...

And I know I am not photgenic, for some reason I am super ugly in pictures, but in person not so bad LOL Yes I am seriously self-conscious of my appearance!



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[ktani]

I do not think it will redarken. The Effasol works differently than B4 or Color OOPs.

Glad to read that your hair recovered to the point that you think you will only lose 1 inch when trimmed.

As desperate remedies go around here, you did very well, lol.

Effasol ingredients - colour mine
http://www.amazon.com/LOREAL-Effasol.../dp/B001GENN9Y
"Ingredients
Ammonium Chloride, Cellulose Gum, Dioctyl Sodium Sulfosuccinate, EDTA, Potassium Persulfate, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Metasilicate, Sodium Persulfate, Strontium Dioxide, Ultramarines."

http://www.chemicalbook.com/Chemical..._CB6854294.htm
"Potassium persulfate is an oxidizing agent"

[diverbel]

I do not think it will redarken. The Effasol works differently than B4 or Color OOPs.

Glad to read that your hair recovered to the point that you think you will only lose 1 inch when trimmed.

As desperate remedies go around here, you did very well, lol.

Effasol ingredients - colour mine
http://www.amazon.com/LOREAL-Effasol.../dp/B001GENN9Y
"Ingredients
Ammonium Chloride, Cellulose Gum, Dioctyl Sodium Sulfosuccinate, EDTA, Potassium Persulfate, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Metasilicate, Sodium Persulfate, Strontium Dioxide, Ultramarines."

http://www.chemicalbook.com/Chemical..._CB6854294.htm
"Potassium persulfate is an oxidizing agent"

Ktani, I have read so much of what you have written on LHC, and your opinion means the world to me! Thank you! And thank you for the info on effasol! I read them before buying them and was really terrified to use them! Especially since Ammonium Chloride was the first ingredient listed! When I mixed it up with just the warm water the bleach smell was over whelming! Atleast that is what I remember bleach smelling like. My husband had to run in the barthroom and open the window for me as it was kinda hard to breathe!

[ktani]

Ktani, I have read so much of what you have written on LHC, and your opinion means the world to me! Thank you! And thank you for the info on effasol! I read them before buying them and was really terrified to use them! Especially since Ammonium Chloride was the first ingredient listed! When I mixed it up with just the warm water the bleach smell was over whelming! Atleast that is what I remember bleach smelling like. My husband had to run in the barthroom and open the window for me as it was kinda hard to breathe!

Thank you so much!

Ammonium chloride is used in shampoos as a thickener.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammonium_chloride
"In hair shampoo, it is used as a thickening agent in ammonium-based surfactant systems, such as ammonium lauryl sulfate."

http://www.cosmeticsinfo.org/ingredi...edient_id=1845
"Ammonium Chloride is used as a viscosity increasing agent – aqueous."

It is the potassium persulfate that did the lightening.

ETA: My bad - I missed one - there is also sodium persulfate in Effasol
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_persulfate
'It is used as a bleach, both standalone (particularly in hair cosmetics)"

[diverbel]

I am totally clueless on chemicals, only know that I don't like them, they scare me and I don't want to use them! I know it took me a few weeks of surfing the internet to find a webstore that didn't require a cosmotology license to purchase it and had a reasonable price. Chemicals is what led me to henna, shampoo bars and oils to begin with. I had such a bad reaction after 28 years of frying my hair! It started with itchy scalp, went to open raw bleeding sores then went to my scalp weeping this yellow stuff! That is when I said I am done with chemicals! And after I was done with the effasol and proclaim moisture pack, my scalp was burning and itching and I was terrified it was starting all over again! I can't wait to put some henna on it next week so it will feel normal again! Now my only decision is which henna! I want to stay as close to color in the last pictures as possible. I have one pack of indian henna from hennasooq, five packs of 2011 jamilla and nine packs of yemeni henna all in the freezer! And also what conditioner could I use for glosses that hopefully won't make my scalp itch or burn!

[ktani]

I am totally clueless on chemicals, only know that I don't like them, they scare me and I don't want to use them! I know it took me a few weeks of surfing the internet to find a webstore that didn't require a cosmotology license to purchase it and had a reasonable price. Chemicals is what led me to henna, shampoo bars and oils to begin with. I had such a bad reaction after 28 years of frying my hair! It started with itchy scalp, went to open raw bleeding sores then went to my scalp weeping this yellow stuff! That is when I said I am done with chemicals! And after I was done with the effasol and proclaim moisture pack, my scalp was burning and itching and I was terrified it was starting all over again! I can't wait to put some henna on it next week so it will feel normal again! Now my only decision is which henna! I want to stay as close to color in the last pictures as possible. I have one pack of indian henna from hennasooq, five packs of 2011 jamilla and nine packs of yemeni henna all in the freezer! And also what conditioner could I use for glosses that hopefully won't make my scalp itch or burn!

I hear you and understand how you feel but do not be afraid of chemicals.

There are loads of chemicals in natural products too and not all by any means are benign.

When it comes to any product, try getting used to looking up ingredients and what they are used for in products. It can be daunting but people often make the mistake of believing that all natural means all better.

This is completely untrue.

Go with mainstream cosmetic companies like you did with Effasol if you are unsure of the quality of products manufactured by smaller companies because larger ones do their research and follow regulations and industry recommendations.

Can large companies make mistakes? Yes. Are they both accountable and liable? Yes, depending on whether the product was used as directed and specified.

All cosmetic companies are or should be both accountable and liable in my opinion, depending on separate circumstances. There is too much at stake if something major goes wrong if they are not.

ETA: If I lived in the U.S. I would do everything I could to support this.
http://safecosmetics.org/article.php?id=695#testing
"Will the bill require cosmetics companies to test every product?

The Safe Cosmetics Act requires cosmetic products be substantiated for safety. However, it allows manufacturers to use supplier safety assessments to certify ingredient safety and asserts if every ingredient in a product has been substantiated for safety, a product is "assumed safe." The FDA has authority to require product testing if there is reason to believe the combination of ingredients poses a health concern.

Health endpoints and testing protocols are to be defined by the FDA. Food-grade ingredients are to be prioritized for safety assessment by the agency."

[diverbel]

I have been trying to learn about things, and OMG I read all labels! When my eyes start to cross and I can't pronounce the ingredient, I usually put it back on the shelf! LOL I need to start printing out a list of commonly used chemicals with what they are and what they do, that way I can make an informed decision on buying things. And I understand what you are saying, just because it is all natural, doesn't always mean better, safer or even good for you! I keep a little notebook in my purse, and I am going to start writing down product names and the chemicals/ingredients that I have questions about and researching them online Then I will make notations in my notebook for reference when out and about looking.
thank you again for all the knowledge you have passed on here! It is deeply appreciated!

[ktani]

I have been trying to learn about things, and OMG I read all labels! When my eyes start to cross and I can't pronounce the ingredient, I usually put it back on the shelf! LOL I need to start printing out a list of commonly used chemicals with what they are and what they do, that way I can make an informed decision on buying things. And I understand what you are saying, just because it is all natural, doesn't always mean better, safer or even good for you! I keep a little notebook in my purse, and I am going to start writing down product names and the chemicals/ingredients that I have questions about and researching them online Then I will make notations in my notebook for reference when out and about looking.
thank you again for all the knowledge you have passed on here! It is deeply appreciated!

You are very welcome.

I highly recommend Ruth Winter's Cosmetic Dictionary. New versions are avalable that have been updated as new ingredients come out.

Healthline often has peer-reviewed information, the best kind to rely on.

Cosmeticsinfo.org is good.

The Mayo Clinic and and other cancer websites that are recognized and authentic, not Bob's Cancer blog unless Bob did his research and can offer links and sources are great too.

What never works for me alone is "my mother's cousin's sister's uncle said so" information.

Reviews of products help too and some list ingredients when they cannot be found elsewhere.

Make it easy on yourself. Create Word or other files and store information there or on paper in one place where you can find it.

[moxamoll]

I've said before that it's not the be all and end all, but I find the Environmental Working Group Cosmetics database to be a handy tool. You can plug in most ingredients and it will give you basic info about it's use, alternate names and their rating of it's safety for use. They link to the studies they are pulling to make their rating and tell you how that ingredient is listed in several international policies for usage. You can also try putting in a particular product, but that side of the database isn't as up to date.

http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/

[ktani]

I've said before that it's not the be all and end all, but I find the Environmental Working Group Cosmetics database to be a handy tool. You can plug in most ingredients and it will give you basic info about it's use, alternate names and their rating of it's safety for use. They link to the studies they are pulling to make their rating and tell you how that ingredient is listed in several international policies for usage. You can also try putting in a particular product, but that side of the database isn't as up to date.

http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/

It is better than it used to be but I still find it lacking sometimes and it does not have that great a reputation among scientists and scholars or the press, who dig deeper into what goes on behind the scenes with it.