Seeking advice/recommendations for a very temporary dye.

[Lunadriael]

Hello everyone, I was wondering if you could help me with a dilemma.

Background:
At the moment I have almost black henna and indigo in my hair that is pretty much impossible to remove. My natural hair colour is something which used to be blonde and now looks like a completely grey mouse, but is obviously a lot lighter than the layers of henndigo on it (enough that when the roots start coming in I kind of look like I have semi-bald patches). As much as I like having black or dark brown hair, I can't be doing with the hassle of hennaing all the time, and then using indigo, especially as I tend to miss spots and make it kind of patchy. Also, my bf has allergies and for some reason he finds the powders really hit his lungs and he can't stand the smell of my freshly hennaed hair, so he moans about it whenever I do an application. I am also wondering if the henna is the reason the ends of my hairs are getting bends in them that I keep having to chop off, as I just don't remember having so many/any before. I struggle with dry ends so I am curious whether the henna might be affecting it.

For these reasons I've been thinking seriously to grow it out lately, and see how I would look natural, but as you can imagine, the demarkation line is pretty severe. I've tried to lift some of the henndigo using colour b4, but it didn't touch anything, not even the indigo. Plus it made my hair horribly dry and split-central. Subsequently I have done a lot of S&D and used henna and indigo again to cover roots. I do have a LOT of applications, done over 2 and a half years, some of which have been with 3.4% lawsone henna content, so I am not really surprised it won't come out.

My hair is MBL atm, bordering on waist-length (pretty much how it looks in my signature picture), and there is no way on Earth I want to chop it off, because I've been stuck trying to get to waist for a very long time. Even if I was prepared to chop, it'd be months before I could even get a pixie in my natural colour, which just isn't happening.


Question:
So... my issue is, I want to grow it out, but I also have to go to job interviews. I don't want to have two-toned hair that will negatively impact my chances of getting a job. Therefore I was wondering if anyone knows of a truly *temporary* black or dark brown dye that I could just use to cover my roots and that would wash out within like 2 or 3 washes, or at least like blend them in a bit, without causing any permanent staining.

I know manic panic is not an option because of the stories I've heard about it fading. Plus I used vampire red on my hair in the past a few times and I could not get that out for the life of me. I ended up hennaing over it. I am very suspicious that a lot of temporary dyes are not really temporary. Obviously bleaching is out of the question. Also, I don't want anything that is likely to damage my very fine and split-prone hair, so veggie dye or something of that ilk is what I am hoping to use. I am based in the UK.

Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks in advance. :flower:

[WilfredAllen]

I don't have much experience or knowledge with dyes. I do know, that hair porosity will affect how well your hair initially takes to a dye, and how long it lasts for. (High porosity gets better colour after being dyed, but colour lasts longer in low porosity hair.) I have low porosity hair, and I remember that it took forever for my temporary dye to fade. Maybe determining your porosity could help you choose a dye?

good luck (:

[door72067]

you might try Fanci-Full (http://fanci-fullhair.com/) temporary rinse

it's meant for grey coverage but many years ago I used Copper Penny (bright red) to color my hair (I was in high school...a LONG time ago!! lol)

it did "stain" my hair to a degree but I would over-saturate my hair and sit under a dryer to bake it in

it would eventually wash out though

ironically, they no longer seem to have a red shade, but there are black and brunettes

[loveisdivine]

I've used an Adore dye before and it didn't last too long. I used a ginger colour and it was really lovely. Haven't used any blacks or browns though so can't comment on that aspect.

[Lunadriael]

Thanks for all the recommendations. :)

I think I have low porosity hair because I put it in a bowl of water one time and it just did not sink at all. After several hours. My hair also stays wet for hours even though it's not that long and it's not especially thick either. If I go to sleep with it wet it's still damp in the morning and if I bun it damp it stays sopping until I take it out.

I am wondering if the henna/indigo has affected my porosity though, because I have no memory of it being so bad, but that could be due to length. The indigo and henna don't fade at all, but when I used to use chemical reds they would fade out very fast so I can't be 100% sure. Then again I used chemical stuff before I went to henna/indigo, but we're talking quite a few years ago.

Do you think with the Fanci-Full stuff that the red might fade a lot faster than a brown or a black ... that's what worries me really, if I make an effort to grow it out. Then again as long as it comes out eventually I wouldn't be too upset as I do like the colour.

[fungo]

I have used the hazelnut in this range and it washed out after 2-3 washes. If you do try it make sure you get the Reflex which is temporary. The other range has more colour choices but doesn't wash out.

Good luck

http://www.naturesdream.co.uk/naturtint/reflex.php

[Firefox7275]

The UK alternative to Manic Panic is La Riche Directions, no idea how 'permanent' the black is tho. Some colours seem to be more permanent on some people than others, perhaps due to porosity. You might run strand on shed plughole hair and then a hidden spot of head hair to test. Any dye that is sold as temporary (as opposed to semi permanent) should be truly temporary, the molecules should be too large to penetrate the hair.

Colour B4 will cause hair to feel straw like it lifts the cuticle and removes build up, should not cause split ends unless you have very damaged ends to begin with. I wonder if you had something on your hair that was 'gluing' the ends together like oils or the henna.

[Lunadriael]

The UK alternative to Manic Panic is La Riche Directions, no idea how 'permanent' the black is tho. Some colours seem to be more permanent on some people than others, perhaps due to porosity. You might run strand on shed plughole hair and then a hidden spot of head hair to test. Any dye that is sold as temporary (as opposed to semi permanent) should be truly temporary, the molecules should be too large to penetrate the hair.

Colour B4 will cause hair to feel straw like it lifts the cuticle and removes build up, should not cause split ends unless you have very damaged ends to begin with. I wonder if you had something on your hair that was 'gluing' the ends together like oils or the henna.

I'm pretty sure my hair is quite damaged at the ends, but I'm not really sure why anymore. I keep holding out in the hopes that it will grow out eventually. That's why I don't really want to use any dyes, although getting a job kind of comes before split ends at this point. :/

My hair probably wouldn't be splitting so badly due to the colour b4 if it would be in good condition, but it was already too dry before I used it. As it is, I S&D quite often and my ends just re-split. :( I am hoping/trying to grow it out in a way that will make the condition improve. I think I gave up growing it out when it hit this same length as a kid, even with totally natural hair, because the same thing happened.

I really don't want to do anything more to it that might increase the damage. It's so frustrating. I use a moisturising conditioner now, well I swapped a while back away from something more protein based hoping it would help, but I've been struggling with dry ends for months, and absolutely nothing seems to help. I keep going on and off with the coconut oil because it just makes my hair crunchy, so I'm not sure if it's helping at all. CO made my hair shed like crazy and go all flat and limp... Plant based SLS free stuff that I was using coated my hair in too much oil and made it icky too. Other SLS free stuff I tried made my hair even more dry, so I don't think it's the SLS in my shampoo. Silicones tend to help to stick it together a bit and stop so much mechanical damage happening from tangles. (It gets horrendously tangled very easily anyway, lots of fairy knots) T.T I think it's slightly better since I moved, maybe the water is less hard here, but it's so disheartening. And yes, I've tried clarifying and chelating a few times and it's not just build up.

[Firefox7275]

I'm pretty sure my hair is quite damaged at the ends, but I'm not really sure why anymore. I keep holding out in the hopes that it will grow out eventually. That's why I don't really want to use any dyes, although getting a job kind of comes before split ends at this point. :/

My ends probably wouldn't be splitting so badly due to the colour b4 if it would be in good condition, but it was already too dry before I used it. As it is, I S&D quite often and my ends just re-split. :( I am hoping/trying to grow it out in a way that will make the condition improve. I think I gave up growing it out when it hit this same length as a kid, even with totally natural hair, because the same thing happened.

I really don't want to do anything more to it that might increase the damage. It's so frustrating. I use a moisturising conditioner now, well I swapped a while back away from something more protein based hoping it would help, but I've been struggling with dry ends for months, and absolutely nothing seems to help. I keep going on and off with the coconut oil because it just makes my hair crunchy, so I'm not sure if it's helping at all. CO made my hair shed like crazy and go all flat and limp... Plant based SLS free stuff that I was using coated my hair in too much oil and made it icky too. Other SLS free stuff I tried made my hair even more dry, so I don't think it's the SLS in my shampoo. Silicones tend to help to stick it together a bit and stop so much mechanical damage happening from tangles. (It gets horrendously tangled very easily anyway, lots of fairy knots) T.T I think it's slightly better since I moved, maybe the water is less hard here, but it's so disheartening. And yes, I've tried clarifying and chelating a few times and it's not just build up.

Are you sure you are trimming enough off? Split ends generally mean the entire protective cuticle is gone, so hair above the split is usually also beyond salvaging (sorry). Might you still have permanent dye damage on the ends? To some extent that loss of cuticle is a feature of ageing (hair not you!) but obviously it can be accelerated with dyes, heat styling, rough handling as no doubt you know from LHC. You might have a hair analysis when you can afford it, this service is inexpensive and the person offering it is a regular on Naturallycurly and the Wavy Hair Community
http://pedaheh.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/goosefootprints-hair-analysis-with-my.html

Could you naturally be wavier/ curlier than you realise? That would help explain the tangling, henna can pull wave out as can length and 'normal' stuff like brushing, also chemical dye damage. Porosity tests have been debunked BTW.
http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/2013/01/junk-science-hair-porosity-tests-float.html

Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS) is only one surfactant, there are many other harsh sulphates and anionic surfactants that damage skin and hair. Consider a shampoo based on a betaine or a glucoside AND at pH 4.5 to 5.5. Cocoamidopropyl betaine is as good as sulphates for clarifying.
http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/curl-products/curlchemist-porosity-and-curly-hair?page=4
http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/2012/06/sulfate-free-shampoos-genuinely-gentle.html

Protein is useful for damage and for fine hair but can be overused making hair dry and brittle, it does need to be in balance with other ingredients. Also useful for patch repairing and penetrating damaged hair are coconut oil, ceramides, 18-MEA and panthenol. I don't know how hydrolysed protein or coconut oil interact with henna tho. Other sources of the lauric acid in coconut oil are palm kernel oil, babassu oil and tucuma butter. Oleic acid can also penetrate and probably reduce porosity/ increase elasticity - rich sources include olive, avocado, sweet almond oil. The studies on oils penetrating all used it as a pre-wash not a leave in IIRC so you do remove all the surface residue.

What do you mean by a 'moisturising' conditioner, humectant laden?

[jacqueline101]

Clairol jazzing deposit only dye.

[Lunadriael]

Well, I've chopped a good deal off over the year so I've not really gained much length... and I do chop it well above the split or damaged looking part. So I guess I am cutting enough? My scissors are definitely salon quality. I thought I might have been causing my splits with blunt ones, so I bought a pair of convex blades at considerable cost (but a sensible investment compared to the price of salon haircuts). What I tend to find is my hair wraps around itself or bits of fluff, or both, then gets into a knot on one or two strands, and ends up bent even after it's been detangled. After that it is weakened, grabbing more hair and causing more tangles, eventually breaking off sooner or later if I don't chop it.

I have not 'dyed' my hair with any artificial dyes for around 3 years, I've only used henna and indigo, and a couple of times manic panic vampire red. I never heat style (never have), sporadically blow dry on cool and use a tangle teezer to detangle, which I've had for around a year and a half. I try to wear it up when I go out or work, but am guilty of sleeping with it down most of the time because it's most comfortable. I only use hair friendly toys like hair sticks, ficcares, flexi-8s and soft scrunchies.

There is a possibility that there is some remaining dye on my ends, but there is no difference in the way the henna takes, so I would imagine if there is some it's not too much... I was hoping the condition might improve if it would be old dye damage, but my hair is just as bad (and splitting) near the top on the shorter pieces that have grown in, where it is definitely all virgin under the henna. I have no idea if my hair is not reacting well with the henna or not. I have noticed for me it's actually the indigo that makes my hair go really shiny and straight, rather than the henna on its own. Eventually it stops being so straight and becomes slightly more wavy again over time. Also, as I mentioned, when I had all natural hair it was equally tangled and ratty at this length, it just didn't have the bent ends. I'm not really sure if there were splits as I didn't pay any attention to it at that point.

I did kind of forget about my hair for an entire year between 2011-2012, because I was quite ill and had a lot of anxiety problems. All I did was wash it and henna it, and never got it cut, which might have contributed to my damage problem. I think a lot of splitting and re-splitting occurred, but I've been trimming that damage out for a long time now.

The conditioner I am using at the moment is VO5 give me moisture. It has avocado, argan, apricot, grape seed and jojoba oil in it, somewhere down a huge list of ingredients. First ingredients are: Aqua, cetearyl alcohol, cyclopentasiloxane, steramidopropyl dimethylamine, cyclohexasiloxane, and dimethicone. I have no idea if it's helping me or not. I find it hard to find moisturising conditioners in the shops I go to for some reason, and most conditioners disagree with my hair. The only other one I really liked was Elvive nutri gloss, which I was worried I'd become dependent on. My hair looks really good with Elvive shampoo and conditioner, for about a day. Then my ends get difficult.
At one stage I was using handmade naturals herbal shampoo and conditioner. The shampoo was ok, it had coco glucoside in it and was very gentle, but the conditioner made my hair quite lank and all the oils built up too much (I only condition from about the ears down). I also found that there was just not enough slip for my ends and they were even more grabby. I felt like I was causing more damage trying to detangle it with that rather than giving up and just using a brand with silicones in. Maybe if it would be in better condition I could just shampoo it with that shampoo and catnip the ends... not sure.

My hair is definitely slightly wavy and does curl up a bit when I wash it and leave it to dry, but it doesn't look 'nice'. All my miserable attempts to get it to curl more have failed. It can get nice braid waves when I plait it, that's about it. If I detangle it even with my fingers, blow dry it, or of course brush it with the tangle teezer, the 'curl' (obviously) drops out. I've tried using combs, but I just snap all my hair even when I'm being gentle. Any shower detangling is absolutely impossible. If I go to sleep with it wet it will dry in bent up rat tails, which I can brush out pretty easily. I don't have frizz though.

If it would be tangling simply because it is wavy, how can I stop the damage it causes? I can't justify spending extra money on my hair to get a diagnostic at the moment, although when I can I would like to because I basically know nothing and can't work out what I'm doing wrong. :(

Thanks for the informed help Firefox, I appreciate it a lot. :flower:

My apologies for another wall of text.

[Pixie2013]

If you are just looking for a quick fix to get you through an interview, you could try the temporary root coverups. They come in little tubes with a mascara wand type applicator (for all I know it might even be mascara, just re-branded to market it for hair). You style your hair for the interview, then paint on the color wherever it is needed. It washes right out of the hair. Of course this probably doesn't work well on really long roots. You could also play around with styles that camouflage the color difference, perhaps a wide headband with a bun? It may take some experimentation to find something that conceals the demarcation but is professional enough for an interview, but it is worth checking out. Also, it is possible that the color demarcation is not as obvious to others as it is to you, especially from a distance.

[Firefox7275]

No problem, glad I am being of some use! I like lengthy posts, the information is helpful. Sorry to hear you have had stress/ anxiety too.

I do wonder if your natural hair is wavier than you think but being hidden by the different types of dye you have used, maybe try the Curly Girl method at a later stage when the henna is more grown out? It is completely normal for weak waves to be easily pulled out so CG is a 'no touch' method.

Wavies and curlies often don't focus on keeping hair tangle free because our hair doesn't really do that naturally - we tend to end up with poof/ fluff/ frizz and then it tangles up again, some report that too much combing/ brushing worsens tangles presumably due to damage or changes in electrical charge. We detangle primarily in the shower when slathered in a slippy conditioner. Those with a lot of hair tend to work in small sections. Mostly I finger detangle but this is the comb I have
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DIMPLES-MOUSSE-DETANGLING-COMB-IDEAL-FOR-SALON-USE-/320884610331

The published research links wet combing to mid shaft breaks, dry combing to end breakage. Ideally try not to brush out 'bends' that can cause damage if the hair wraps around the teeth.
http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=679723
http://journal.scconline.org//pdf/cc2007/cc058n04/p00477-p00484.pdf
http://journal.scconline.org//pdf/cc2007/cc058n06/p00629-p00636.pdf

That conditioner doesn't look at all 'moisturising', it's loaded with silicones and some protein. According to these sources it also contains a sulphate surfactant, is that correct??? I have heard of some claim that they do better with one protein source over another, not sure if I am imagining it but I think my hair does behave differently with wheat over keratin. Protein can build up tho and one clarify is not always enough to shift that.
http://groceries.iceland.co.uk/alberto-vo5-give-me-moisture-conditioner-250ml/p/54630
http://www.lloydspharmacy.com/en/alberto-vo5-give-me-moisture-conditioner-250ml-162228

Whilst I'm not the biggest fan of silicones (Curly Girl method) they absolutely do have their place when hair is very tangly or damaged. When I quit using silicones (I was conditioning with nothing but spray silicones!) I was shocked by the true condition of my hair, but that also freed me from harsh shampoos so over time my hair has gotten much healthier and so more 'slippy' of its own accord. You can avoid build up by focussing on silicones that are water soluble (prefix PEG-) or amine ones (eg. amodimethicone), you then wouldn't need a harsh shampoo to prevent or remove build up. It occurs to me that hair from root to ears is getting damaged every time you wash but never conditioned, which could mean you are starting out with a worn cuticle before you gain any length.

I'm currently testing L'Oreal Elvive Full Restore 5 repairing conditioner, that has ceramides, hydrolysed wheat protein, a water soluble silicone, a little palm oil which IMO gives slip (in the adored Triple Nutrition/ Repair & Shine before it was reformulated). I've even used the Elvive as a leave in - it pulls my waves out but you might like that effect. I recommend trying wash out conditioners as a leave in, even if you dilute with water for your fine hair, it's a money saver and might help the effect last?
"Water, cetyl alcohol, PEG-180, palm oil, hydroxy-ethylcellulose, dodecene, hydroxypropyltrimonium hydrolyzed wheat protein, arginine, chlorhexidine digluconate, poloxamer 407, linalool, isopropyl myristate, 2-Oleamido-1,3-Octadecanediol, myristyl alcohol, serine, cetrimonium chloride, cetyl esters, BHT, citric acid, butylphenyl methylpropional, lauryl PEG-PPG-18/18 methicone, glutamic acid, hexyl cinnamal, glyceryl linoleate, glyceryl oleate, glyceryl linolenate, fragrance."

Hope something there helps you!

[Komao]

Hi Firefox7275, I was just searching different threads and ran across this one. I really appreciate all your advice, too. Your like a personal hair guru:). Jaqueline101 told me about the Clairol jazzing line. I'm getting some of that.
I did pick up a bottle of Fanci Full. It says it has no peroxide and no ammonia.
I only want something for special occasions. It says it covers gray. Washes out next shampoo. I have medium brown hair and wash once a week. I just have a few grays @ this time. Do you know anything about this product, Fanci Full and if you think it sounds okay. There is some alcohol but I always moisturize and condition. Thanks:)

[FireFromWithin]

Does anyone know if the products mentioned here would be able to dye blonde hair auburn and then wash out in a couple of washes? It's for a fancy dress costume so I don't want it to dye my hair permanently at all.

[rose313]

I've heard great things about Adore and Directions, their line of colors, and the fact that they are veggie dyes, deposit only. However, they're going to stay in your hair longer than 2 or 3 washes. They will fade eventually though.