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whiteorchid
January 24th, 2013, 08:00 AM
When I first got interested in cassia, I had trouble finding a lot of information on people's personal experiences using cassia to cover their gray. Now that I've been trying cassia out for several months, I thought I'd share mine.

I first started getting gray hairs in my late teens, and I probably have about 20% gray hair now (I'm 36). I'd been dyeing my hair with conventional dyes for many years, and then switched to henndigo, which unfortunately wasn't quite right for me. For the past few months, I've been growing out my natural color and using cassia to cover my grays and help blend my henndigo demarcation line (the henndigo has also faded a lot, so the demarcation line thankfully isn't very noticeable anymore).

The cassia definitely covers my grays and makes them a blonde color. It's a subtle blonde color, almost a muted wheat color, which I like and works well with my natural light to med brown color. Unlike the henna and indigo, I don't have to wear gloves, so it's much easier for me to apply the cassia. Cleanup is also much easier.

There's build-up with the cassia over time, and I've found that I get better gray coverage now than when I first started using it. It needs to be applied every 3-4 weeks, but because it's a temporary vegetable dye, you dont' get that immediate demarcation root line with your new growth; the older cassia color just fades a little over the weeks, and the transition with new growth isn't noticeable.

The cassia did dry out my hair when I first started using it, but that's not the case for me anymore. My hair is soft immediately after using it. I'm on a "low poo" system now (I was WO for many months), and I wait until my hair looks like it needs a wash before applying the cassia. Most of the time, I've gotten dye release by mixing the cassia with chamomile tea for 4-5 hours, but this most recent time I was out of chamomile tea and just used hot water. The hot water seemed to work just as well for dye release (it covered my grays the same). After leaving the cassia on my hair 3-4 hours, I rinse my hair very thoroughly, but I don't use any shampoo or conditioner. After a day or two, I might do another thorough "water wash" or use a little shampoo if I'm too itchy from the cassia not being removed enough from my scalp.

Also, most of my really damaged hair (from the old conventional dyes and bleaching) is gone now because I've been keeping my hair in an angled bob until all the henndigo grows out. I think the cassia may also be less drying on healthy hair.

For someone looking for a very deep and rich blonde color, no fading in between applications, or 100% gray coverage, cassia isn't the answer. I was overdue for cassia coloring yesterday, and I asked my husband to look at my hair and tell me the percentage of gray I had. He said 10% (without cassia, I'm probably 20%). After dyeing my hair with the cassia last night, I asked him again this morning, and he said 2%. From my perspective looking in the mirror today, I actually couldn't see any gray (I definitely could the first few times I used cassia), so you do get better coverage over time, but I doubt it will ever be perfect coverage.

On an aside, one thing I've learned from growing out my natural color in a bob is that apparently all the grays are just on the top layer of my hair! My under-layer hair in the back (which can be seen because it's so short there) is all my natural color and all medium brown. That really surprised me.

I plan to let my hair go gray at some point in the future, and I like the idea that when the time comes, I can simply stop using the cassia. The cassia will fade, and I'll never have to worry about a demarcation line again.

Hope that helps someone. :)

Rosetta
January 24th, 2013, 09:11 AM
This is really interesting, as I too plan to use mainly cassia when I one day start to go grey! :) (I'm a bit older than you but no greys yet.)
One thing I didn't know though is that it fades - I thought it was like henna in its permanency... Of course I know that the strengthening effects of cassia don't last long, but I had somehow thought the colour would, don't know why. ;)

Btw, I once saw a photo of grey hair dyed with cassia alone, think it was on henna for hair, or linked from there. The colour was really lovely, pale gold! Though muted wheat sounds like it would suit me even better :) Maybe I'll try to find the photo again...
edit: Here's the photo I meant! https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4590015&id=133907238857&ref=fbx_album

Micayla47
January 24th, 2013, 09:28 AM
wow. i have almost the same hair story as you. i actually started with cassia and got impatient and switched to hendigo. now the hendigo is getting too dark, so i let the roots grow out for a few months. they are medium ash brown with 5% white/grey. i recently used cassia and henna to cover the gray. it turned out a very pretty blond on the gray hairs, but i think the henna (it was only 2 tablespoons) darkened the hendigoed section of hair and made it redder, which i wasn't looking for. anyway, after readying about your experience, i may try cassia with no henna next time. i guess i have to do it more regularly and be patient and wait for the color to accumulate.

whiteorchid
January 24th, 2013, 09:48 AM
This is really interesting, as I too plan to use mainly cassia when I one day start to go grey! :) (I'm a bit older than you but no greys yet.)
One thing I didn't know though is that it fades - I thought it was like henna in its permanency... Of course I know that the strengthening effects of cassia don't last long, but I had somehow thought the colour would, don't know why. ;)

Btw, I once saw a photo of grey hair dyed with cassia alone, think it was on henna for hair, or linked from there. The colour was really lovely, pale gold! Though muted wheat sounds like it would suit me even better :) Maybe I'll try to find the photo again...
edit: Here's the photo I meant! https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4590015&id=133907238857&ref=fbx_album

The color probably looks different depending on the light. I'm always examining it indoors (with window light), and I'm reminded of wheat, but I bet it has a more gold color in direct sunlight. Also, there' still a fair amount of henndigo left in the front of my hair, which has a lot more orange to it, so the cassia-only part probably looks more muted in comparison. It's definitely a pretty color. I feel like it's very natural-looking on me.

whiteorchid
January 24th, 2013, 10:02 AM
wow. i have almost the same hair story as you. i actually started with cassia and got impatient and switched to hendigo. now the hendigo is getting too dark, so i let the roots grow out for a few months. they are medium ash brown with 5% white/grey. i recently used cassia and henna to cover the gray. it turned out a very pretty blond on the gray hairs, but i think the henna (it was only 2 tablespoons) darkened the hendigoed section of hair and made it redder, which i wasn't looking for. anyway, after readying about your experience, i may try cassia with no henna next time. i guess i have to do it more regularly and be patient and wait for the color to accumulate.

Yeah, henna is very red. It's a gorgeous red, but I didn't have the skin tone to pull off such a vibrant color, and the henndigo was making my hair too dark. My henndigo has faded quite a lot, though, so yours may, too. Using natural hair dyes definitely takes a lot patience to figure out what works best for you!

Mischamiu
January 24th, 2013, 10:11 AM
That 's really nice of you to share, I've been wanting for my mum to give up dying but she is a brunette and wants to keep this colour? Do you guys know how to do it?

Mesmerise
January 24th, 2013, 01:18 PM
This is useful information! It's something I'd vaguely considered but not tried. A month or so ago I decided to stop hennaing my hair... not because I don't love the colour, because I DO, but because as I get older my regrowth is only going to get worse, and the henna grow out will be worse as well! I'm not sure what % gray I am as I've never let it grow enough! I seem to have quite a bit at the sides, and sprinkled through on the top (maybe 20% give or take a few percent), and I like the idea of having some option whereby I don't HAVE to always show off my gray hairs, but which will eventually just wash out (and which is natural). I'm probably going to play with Manic Panic or something as well... but I like the idea of cassia just to give some blondish highlights to my hair.

Vrindi
January 24th, 2013, 03:50 PM
I'm so glad you posted this! I'd been considering using cassia to tint the incoming grey hairs (not many yet) and keep them more blond until there was enough grey for it to look good. Your story is encouraging, especially knowing that it isn't permanent like henna is. Thanks!

Brandi Kadir
June 13th, 2015, 10:17 PM
When I first got interested in cassia, I had trouble finding a lot of information on people's personal experiences using cassia to cover their gray. Now that I've been trying cassia out for several months, I thought I'd share mine.

I first started getting gray hairs in my late teens, and I probably have about 20% gray hair now (I'm 36). I'd been dyeing my hair with conventional dyes for many years, and then switched to henndigo, which unfortunately wasn't quite right for me. For the past few months, I've been growing out my natural color and using cassia to cover my grays and help blend my henndigo demarcation line (the henndigo has also faded a lot, so the demarcation line thankfully isn't very noticeable anymore).

The cassia definitely covers my grays and makes them a blonde color. It's a subtle blonde color, almost a muted wheat color, which I like and works well with my natural light to med brown color. Unlike the henna and indigo, I don't have to wear gloves, so it's much easier for me to apply the cassia. Cleanup is also much easier.

There's build-up with the cassia over time, and I've found that I get better gray coverage now than when I first started using it. It needs to be applied every 3-4 weeks, but because it's a temporary vegetable dye, you dont' get that immediate demarcation root line with your new growth; the older cassia color just fades a little over the weeks, and the transition with new growth isn't noticeable.

The cassia did dry out my hair when I first started using it, but that's not the case for me anymore. My hair is soft immediately after using it. I'm on a "low poo" system now (I was WO for many months), and I wait until my hair looks like it needs a wash before applying the cassia. Most of the time, I've gotten dye release by mixing the cassia with chamomile tea for 4-5 hours, but this most recent time I was out of chamomile tea and just used hot water. The hot water seemed to work just as well for dye release (it covered my grays the same). After leaving the cassia on my hair 3-4 hours, I rinse my hair very thoroughly, but I don't use any shampoo or conditioner. After a day or two, I might do another thorough "water wash" or use a little shampoo if I'm too itchy from the cassia not being removed enough from my scalp.

Also, most of my really damaged hair (from the old conventional dyes and bleaching) is gone now because I've been keeping my hair in an angled bob until all the henndigo grows out. I think the cassia may also be less drying on healthy hair.

For someone looking for a very deep and rich blonde color, no fading in between applications, or 100% gray coverage, cassia isn't the answer. I was overdue for cassia coloring yesterday, and I asked my husband to look at my hair and tell me the percentage of gray I had. He said 10% (without cassia, I'm probably 20%). After dyeing my hair with the cassia last night, I asked him again this morning, and he said 2%. From my perspective looking in the mirror today, I actually couldn't see any gray (I definitely could the first few times I used cassia), so you do get better coverage over time, but I doubt it will ever be perfect coverage.

On an aside, one thing I've learned from growing out my natural color in a bob is that apparently all the grays are just on the top layer of my hair! My under-layer hair in the back (which can be seen because it's so short there) is all my natural color and all medium brown. That really surprised me.

I plan to let my hair go gray at some point in the future, and I like the idea that when the time comes, I can simply stop using the cassia. The cassia will fade, and I'll never have to worry about a demarcation line again.

Hope that helps someone. :)


Hi, I am so glad to find this post! I have long hair that is naturally a medium brown. I started using Morrocco Method products 3 months ago, no more shampoo for me. My detox is finally over. I've been using their henna/indigo hair color and it's pretty but it's becoming too dark and I want to let it grow out. I contacted Morrocco Method about applying their cassia on my roots to cover grey. I know it won't cover the greys like the henna/indigo does and I'm ok with that. My concern is applying cassia on top of my henna/indigo hair!
i don't know what to expect. When I use their combination of henna/indigo for medium brown my hair has a red tint, of course, but maybe more than others? They said I should let it fade first, maybe wait 8 weeks and apply with caution because if my hair tints red/pulls red or whatever, then I may end up with a reddish orange look if the cassia gets on my henna/indigo hair. Those were not their exact words but after answering all my questions that is the answer I came up with from the info they provided. Did you experience any weird orange or red at the roots or on the areas of your hair that were growing out with the henna/indigo? I feel like I have said henna/ indigo way too many times, yikes
It don't want to put chemicals in my hair anymore after all my hard work and great results but I can't be happy at all with gray hairs everywhere. When I am 55 I may not care anymore, but at 39, it bothers me. Anything you could offer to advise me would be so wonderful!!! Thank you!

flickm
June 14th, 2015, 12:22 AM
I used cassia for a year to blend my blonde and grey hair together. It worked well and looked really natural. The only problem I had was that the non chemical, coconut oil based shampoo I sometimes use stripped it right out of my hair again. I henna now, but cassia was definitely good when I was blonde.

Brandi Kadir
June 16th, 2015, 12:18 PM
I used cassia for a year to blend my blonde and grey hair together. It worked well and looked really natural. The only problem I had was that the non chemical, coconut oil based shampoo I sometimes use stripped it right out of my hair again. I henna now, but cassia was definitely good when I was blonde.



flickm,
your henna hair is so pretty! The blonde photo is mostly cassia? My hair is medium, reddish brown at the moment. I did another application of henna/indigo on the 7th. I wish I had not. It's darker now and I'm not happy with it. Before I did it again it had already faded so much. I should have applied cassia over it all instead. I didn't though because half of my hair had chemical highlights underneath this hendigo hair of mine and in worried about it turning orange. Would this happen? Does anyone know? I use Morrocco Method henna/indigo color and I also use their haircare products. I love my hair! Just not the color. I'm naturally a brunette but not this dark and the rent tint doesn't go with my super black eyebrows and complexion. I'll have gray roots around my face soon and I'm going out of town and will be meeting some of my husband's new friends, yikes :-(

Belgrade Beauty
June 4th, 2020, 11:16 AM
Can cassia cover greys in dark brown hair? I want virgin hair with no dye, but greys started popping up...So I would like them to be less white and not change the rest of my color. So henna and indigo are out of question...Can cassia help?

hipretty
January 7th, 2021, 11:21 PM
I used cassia for a year to blend my blonde and grey hair together. It worked well and looked really natural. The only problem I had was that the non chemical, coconut oil based shampoo I sometimes use stripped it right out of my hair again. I henna now, but cassia was definitely good when I was blonde.

Oh wow flickm, Are you blending your henna with cassia at all? Your color is so lovely...like rose gold! From what I know straight henna on grey produces this type of result:
https://jclements.photoshelter.com/image/I0000RahZn83QG4c

Yours is so lovely it reminds me of my fave redhead color Charlotte Tilbury. https://www.trbusiness.com/regional-news/international/puig-to-acquire-majority-stake-in-charlotte-tilbury-makeup-skincare-brand/189900
I was auburn, but I am so grey / white in the roots now, I don't use anything. It seems such a cruel trick that brunettes can become a gorgeous natural looking red with henna, but redheads end up using dye, because henna looks so garish on grey (usually). What is your trick? Enjoy! ☺️