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View Full Version : Henna After Colorfix Advice Needed



Mindy
September 4th, 2012, 08:00 AM
I've been dyeing my hair black for over a year now. My hair is about 50% gray on the top and back. The sides are closer to 80 or 90% gray. My natural color is a medium brown. I'm not ready to let my grays grow in, but I would like to stop using chemical dyes. I didn't realize how much damage they were doing to my hair until I joined here and started doing some research. I decided that henna will be the best way to go.

After extensive reading about Colorfix, I decided it would be the least damaging way to remove some of the black dye. I picked up a box and did a strand test to make sure it wouldn't cause too much damage. It turned out okay, so I did a whole head application yesterday. The top 3 inches or so are now a medium reddish brown, but the rest of my length is a very dark reddish brown.

I know that henna is going to show up a bright coppery red on my grays. Do you think it will blend okay with my darker length as my roots grow in and I continue to henna over them? My avatar picture is my current color after using Colorfix. The picture looks a shade darker than it appears in person.

I was wondering if I should try another application of the Colorfix to see if I can get any lighter before I henna. But I'm worried it won't make much difference because the strand I tested on, I then reapplyed the Colorfix to during the whole head application, and it didn't come out any lighter than the rest of my hair.

I ordered some Jamila yesterday. I'm so excited, but a little nervous to see how it will turn out, as I know there's no going back from henna.

sarelis
September 4th, 2012, 08:58 AM
Hi, just wanted to warn you that I used Colour B4 (which I believe is similar to Colorfix) to remove black permanent dye, then hennaed over it some months later. I found that the henna took very differently on the Colour B4'd lengths than it did on the hair that hadn't been stripped, the lengths were much more of a brownish red while the roots were more orange/ bright red. Even if the henna hadn't looked so awful with my skin tone, I don't think I would have been able to live with that two tone hair, it looked like I was growing out a dye job. HTH :)

Mindy
September 4th, 2012, 09:19 AM
Hi, just wanted to warn you that I used Colour B4 (which I believe is similar to Colorfix) to remove black permanent dye, then hennaed over it some months later. I found that the henna took very differently on the Colour B4'd lengths than it did on the hair that hadn't been stripped, the lengths were much more of a brownish red while the roots were more orange/ bright red. Even if the henna hadn't looked so awful with my skin tone, I don't think I would have been able to live with that two tone hair, it looked like I was growing out a dye job. HTH :)

Thank you for the advice! I am worried that the color difference between new growth and dyed/colorfixed ends will be too obvious. Not sure what I can do though, since I want to stop using chemical dyes, my only options are henna or let my natural color, grays and all, grow out.

Macaroni
September 4th, 2012, 09:50 AM
Maybe one of Mehandi's kits for gray hair would be suitable if you want to keep your dark brown color:

http://www.mehandi.com/shop/graybundles/index.html

jillosity
September 4th, 2012, 10:00 AM
Having had similar experience with color removers, the issue isn't the remover. When you used regular hair dye, it lifted the color with peroxide, then deposited the new shade. So your hair was being lightened (and damaged) as you dyed your hair each time you did it. When you used a color remover, it removed the deposited dye and revealed the lightened hair. And the 2 tone effect can happen because of any kind of hair color I think. It can also happen from using different shades of henna, I know this because it happened to me, a new shade or mix will "take" totally differently on my henna'd length of hair than on virgin growth at my roots. . I've discovered that the real question regarding henna is how can I maintain this color that I want for more than 1 or 2 applications?

That being said, grey hair is usually resistant to any kind of color, and you might have to apply several times for long periods of time to get the color you want. Mehandi has kits just for grey hair, and they have a forum too where you can get advice from the owner.

Good luck!

sarelis
September 4th, 2012, 10:40 AM
Thank you for the advice! I am worried that the color difference between new growth and dyed/colorfixed ends will be too obvious. Not sure what I can do though, since I want to stop using chemical dyes, my only options are henna or let my natural color, grays and all, grow out.

Well, since I wasn't keen on the henna colour anyways I have been using Directions semi permanent dye in dark tulip, these dyes are totally non damaging. If you wanted a more natural colour Adore do a good range.


Having had similar experience with color removers, the issue isn't the remover. When you used regular hair dye, it lifted the color with peroxide, then deposited the new shade. So your hair was being lightened (and damaged) as you dyed your hair each time you did it. When you used a color remover, it removed the deposited dye and revealed the lightened hair. And the 2 tone effect can happen because of any kind of hair color I think. It can also happen from using different shades of henna, I know this because it happened to me, a new shade or mix will "take" totally differently on my henna'd length of hair than on virgin growth at my roots.

I understand what you are saying, but in my personal experience I had colour stripped, virgin & bleached areas in my hair. The bleached areas obviously became very orange, the virgin hair more red, & the stripped areas were totally different. It took me 4 full head applications of henna of 4 hours each to get them to take the colour, and it was still far more brownish than any of the rest. Saying that though, my hair has been through the mill a bit so YMMV! :)

Mindy
September 4th, 2012, 11:39 AM
I ordered 2011 crop jamila, which has 2.64% lawsone content. The henna for hair site says that in order to get good gray coverage with a deep red color, you need henna with 2.3% lawsone or better. So hopefully the jamila will do the trick. I don't want to add any other ingredients since I want to stay away from brown and end up with a nice auburn color. Does anyone here with salt and pepper hair have experience using jamila henna?

jillosity
September 4th, 2012, 12:04 PM
<snip> I understand what you are saying, but in my personal experience I had colour stripped, virgin & bleached areas in my hair. The bleached areas obviously became very orange, the virgin hair more red, & the stripped areas were totally different. It took me 4 full head applications of henna of 4 hours each to get them to take the colour, and it was still far more brownish than any of the rest. Saying that though, my hair has been through the mill a bit so YMMV! :)

We're saying the same thing with different words I think ;) I simply wanted to make the distinction that it isn't necessarily a sulfur-based color remover that causes damage, it's all the stuff we do to our hair before using it that causes damage! And basically don't be afraid to use it again to lighten more if you want to.

My hair currently looks tie-dyed due to henna, henndigo, Effasol, hair color both permanent and temporary. I used ColorOops twice in there, it was probably the least damaging thing I did to try to remove the black band from henndigoing on virgin hair. It did stink something awful though.

Anyway, sorry to hijack this thread. I forgot to suggest doing Vitamin C treatments to remove color, not damaging but can be a bit drying, nothing a good conditioner can't fix. Ideally you use Vitamin C crystals and mix with a shampoo, I had pretty good results using John Frieda Go Blonder shampoo, it has a bit of lactic acid to lighten hair. The more vit c in your mix the better, pile it on your head, leave it an hour or so, rinse rinse rinse, and some say to use 'cone free conditioners during the quest to remove color, it couldn't hurt.

Mindy
September 4th, 2012, 12:19 PM
We're saying the same thing with different words I think ;) I simply wanted to make the distinction that it isn't necessarily a sulfur-based color remover that causes damage, it's all the stuff we do to our hair before using it that causes damage! And basically don't be afraid to use it again to lighten more if you want to.

My hair currently looks tie-dyed due to henna, henndigo, Effasol, hair color both permanent and temporary. I used ColorOops twice in there, it was probably the least damaging thing I did to try to remove the black band from henndigoing on virgin hair. It did stink something awful though.

Anyway, sorry to hijack this thread. I forgot to suggest doing Vitamin C treatments to remove color, not damaging but can be a bit drying, nothing a good conditioner can't fix. Ideally you use Vitamin C crystals and mix with a shampoo, I had pretty good results using John Frieda Go Blonder shampoo, it has a bit of lactic acid to lighten hair. The more vit c in your mix the better, pile it on your head, leave it an hour or so, rinse rinse rinse, and some say to use 'cone free conditioners during the quest to remove color, it couldn't hurt.

Yes, the smell is awful, and my hair still stinks from it. I think I will do one more round of it tomorrow in hopes of getting some more of the dye removed. I was very pleased that the colorfix didnt cause any damage, just some dryness. So you're right, it probably can't hurt to try one more round. :)

Mindy
September 6th, 2012, 06:11 AM
Just an update: 48 hours after using Colorfix, my hair re-darkened quite a bit. So last night I tried a honey lightening treatment. I mixed equal parts honey and Aussie three-minute miracle conditioner. I left the mixture on for a little over an hour. It did not make a drastic difference, but I can see that it appears a little bit lighter. As a bonus, my hair feels softer and more moisturized than it has in ages. I've tried several different conditioning treatments and oils, nothing seemed to help my dry hair until now.

My henna should be here today. I'll be using it either today or tomorrow, depending on how long dye-release takes. I'll update with before and after pictures once it's finished.