Removing henna

[maegalcarwen]

Hello everyone,

I am kind of in a doubt in here. I'll make it short and descriptive.

Question: What is the best method to get rid of henna-red?

I did my research on the internet, Color B4 and the friends, bleach, bleach wash, vitC powder, help me out if I missed something.
But because of the following paragraphs, I am not entirely sure what would work the best. I'd be eternally thankful for some advices.

History:
natural hair color: dirty dark blond/light light brown
natural hair texture: 2b/2c
coloring history: virgin hair, dark brown, burgundy, purple, black & purple, lightening process ( professional ) from purple through tomato-red until golden tints but natural hair color, lightening spray-blond, middle brown, jet black, colorb4 -> auburn, bleach -> pale orange, ginger/red, henna red(for about 2 years now).
attempts to get rid of it/current situation:
vitC powder: made it lighter ginger
dying over natural dark blonde: turned my roots into blonde, did nothing to the rest
strand test natural light brown: turned the strand into almost black-brown
washing with purple shampoo, purple conditioner, and using a build-up remover ( Swiss O'Pair): nothing on earth

So the question is, what's next? I am fed up with coloring and never getting what is expected. I went to a professional where I live, they recommended to come in and get it dyed over with natural brown ( which obviously didn't work for me before), so I didn't go. I was thinking about a combination of things, like ColorB4 extra strength/bleach wash ( I vote for colorb4, because I have some roots, and I am afraid the bleach would make them blonde), and then depending on the result, dyeing over with light ash brown, or something.

http://s22.postimg.org/t6uvzood9/dark_parts.jpg (http://postimg.org/image/t6uvzood9/)
http://s22.postimg.org/nwpx8e44d/redness.jpg (http://postimg.org/image/nwpx8e44d/)
http://s22.postimg.org/wg9b65cgt/roots.jpg (http://postimg.org/image/wg9b65cgt/)
[img=http://s22.postimg.org/yyv06ty71/roots_lighter_part.jpg] (http://postimg.org/image/yyv06ty71/)


A bit clueless here.
Thanks for any advice!

[Flor]

Wow. That's a lot of color options you've gone through. So you basically want something closest to your virgin color? Considering that your natural color isn't very dark, I don't think you're gonna be able to remove/mask the henna's redness completely. Might just really damage hair in the process with all the bleaching. Going a shade darker may bring the vibrant copper red down a bit and blend it with your roots a bit more, but I'm afraid the only way to go (if don't wanna continue dying anymore) is to grow out henna completely.

[maegalcarwen]

Well, since I had it bleached before the henna, if I'd use a color remover, it' supposed to go to the bleach-color, right? Which is a pale yellow/ginger something. I could tone that and dye over.

But yeah, you have a point, it's just hard to accept.

Thanks!

[MonaMayfair]

It's really hard, if not impossible to remove henna. I'm growing mine out. I've read the henna removal threads and, actually, very few people have been able to get rid of their henna with any method (mostly those with good luck, very strong hair, or maybe, occasionally, those that have only used henna once)
If you've read the color b4 thread you'll see that a lot of people thought it had worked, only to have it re-oxidize again and end up just as red as before.
I now have about 8" of roots, and have been dyeing with semis (that wash out in 8 washes) because I don't want to use anything with peroxide, but also because I've read lots of accounts of people who have used permanent colour over henna only to have the red STILL show through.
I've been using browns to minimize the difference between my blonde roots and henna'd lengths. I also had 8" cut off last spring, but it's grown back to waist length already so I have a long way to go!
I think some people have managed to cover henna enough to look more or less ok with much darker colors of dye, but you'll almost always see the red underneath.
I hope you do have good luck if you try bleaching etc. I'm taking the view I also might bleach my lengths at some point, because if it disintegrates (which it probably will) it won't matter, as the hair with henna on it has to be cut off anyway, that's the only way you can be sure of getting rid of the color! :(

[wrh452]

I only did henna twice on blond hair. The first time it was a indigo mixed in and that came out in only like 2 weeks. This past one I did 6 weeks ago and it was straight henna. I did a lot of stuff at the beginning, color oops, crystal light treatment, harsh soaps heavy oiling, It did a lot in the first few days but things have not been as easy anymore. Color oops always went back dark on me.

2 weeks ago I started washing my hair with crystal light mixed into my clarifying shampoo and that helped for the first 2-3 days and then I felt like it was getting dark again, so I switched to vitamin C treatments and I think they have helped the most. I leave it on for as long as I can 2-3 hours at a time. I have also been doing olive oiling too, but I don't know how much that is helping.

[maegalcarwen]

It's really hard, if not impossible to remove henna. I'm growing mine out. I've read the henna removal threads and, actually, very few people have been able to get rid of their henna with any method (mostly those with good luck, very strong hair, or maybe, occasionally, those that have only used henna once)
If you've read the color b4 thread you'll see that a lot of people thought it had worked, only to have it re-oxidize again and end up just as red as before.
I now have about 8" of roots, and have been dyeing with semis (that wash out in 8 washes) because I don't want to use anything with peroxide, but also because I've read lots of accounts of people who have used permanent colour over henna only to have the red STILL show through.
I've been using browns to minimize the difference between my blonde roots and henna'd lengths. I also had 8" cut off last spring, but it's grown back to waist length already so I have a long way to go!
I think some people have managed to cover henna enough to look more or less ok with much darker colors of dye, but you'll almost always see the red underneath.
I hope you do have good luck if you try bleaching etc. I'm taking the view I also might bleach my lengths at some point, because if it disintegrates (which it probably will) it won't matter, as the hair with henna on it has to be cut off anyway, that's the only way you can be sure of getting rid of the color! :(

The most painful part is, that after that bleach in my haircolor history, I straightened my hair so much, that it needed the big chop. I looked like a grandma ( no offense, I love grandmas, but I am not willing to be one just yet) for 3 years with that short cut. I hated it so much, but it was needed. That's why I started henna. So I don't think I can grow it out and then cut it off.

Maybe I'll give some 'lighter on the hair' methods a try.

I am happy that your hair is growing back nicely though! Be careful with the bleaching, try the "bleach wash" or "bleach bathing", its diluted version of bleaching. Good luck!

[maegalcarwen]

I only did henna twice on blond hair. The first time it was a indigo mixed in and that came out in only like 2 weeks. This past one I did 6 weeks ago and it was straight henna. I did a lot of stuff at the beginning, color oops, crystal light treatment, harsh soaps heavy oiling, It did a lot in the first few days but things have not been as easy anymore. Color oops always went back dark on me.

2 weeks ago I started washing my hair with crystal light mixed into my clarifying shampoo and that helped for the first 2-3 days and then I felt like it was getting dark again, so I switched to vitamin C treatments and I think they have helped the most. I leave it on for as long as I can 2-3 hours at a time. I have also been doing olive oiling too, but I don't know how much that is helping.

I am so not familiar with Cristal Light! What is it?

I tried VitC, but it really made my hair all stretchy and weak, I guess it is just nor for my hair ( her Majesty has quite special preferences). I only left in on for an hour, but it didn't do much, and I could already feel the damage. How did it effect yours?

Are you sure you rinsed long enough with Color Oops? I tried it once on black hair, and then it made it a nice auburn brown. So I guess that worked then.

[Firefox7275]

If you have previously bleached hair on your head I would not bleach that again unless you are willing to lose the hair. I would try a peroxide free colour remover but do strand tests on shed plughole hair instead of using your head as a laboratory.

[wrh452]

I used the color oops 3 times and rinsed for 30-45 mins each time and made sure not to use cones in anything and it still darkened.

I am going to post pictures in my thread called "removing fresh henna from blonde hair"

The vitamin c didn't bother my hair at all other than making it a little dry, but my hair is very sturdy. Its been bothering my scalp more than anything. I just made sure to use a strong coconut oil conditioner afterwards and the olive oil has also helped my scalp and the dryness.

Crystal light is a sugar free lemon flavored drink mix. It has a lot of citric acid in it.

[wrh452]

I used the color oops 3 times and rinsed for 30-45 mins each time and made sure not to use cones in anything and it still darkened.

I am going to post pictures in my thread called "removing fresh henna from blonde hair"

The vitamin c didn't bother my hair at all other than making it a little dry, but my hair is very sturdy. Its been bothering my scalp more than anything. I just made sure to use a strong coconut oil conditioner afterwards and the olive oil has also helped my scalp and the dryness.

Crystal light is a sugar free lemon flavored drink mix. It has a lot of citric acid in it.

[wrh452]

This is what it looked like 2 weeks ago before starting the crystal light or vitamin c
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n28/crying_in_the_corner/DSCN0668_zps79ef9add.jpg

This is what it looks like today
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n28/crying_in_the_corner/DSCN0699_zps95cbd726.jpg

[MonaMayfair]

The most painful part is, that after that bleach in my haircolor history, I straightened my hair so much, that it needed the big chop. I looked like a grandma ( no offense, I love grandmas, but I am not willing to be one just yet) for 3 years with that short cut. I hated it so much, but it was needed. That's why I started henna. So I don't think I can grow it out and then cut it off.

Maybe I'll give some 'lighter on the hair' methods a try.

I am happy that your hair is growing back nicely though! Be careful with the bleaching, try the "bleach wash" or "bleach bathing", its diluted version of bleaching. Good luck!

Thanks! I know about bleach baths, never done one though. If I did do it, it would be when my hair's grown out enough that I won't mind if I have to cut off the bits I've tried to lighten. I like mid back length best, but I could live with bsl, in fact I've been admiring hair a bit shorter than that recently. The color's more important than the length to me.

[maegalcarwen]

This is what it looked like 2 weeks ago before starting the crystal light or vitamin c
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n28/crying_in_the_corner/DSCN0668_zps79ef9add.jpg

This is what it looks like today
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n28/crying_in_the_corner/DSCN0699_zps95cbd726.jpg


Really nice! But you know, still Gingery. I adore the color, but all the dying... I am just done. Looks nice though!
Thank you for posting!

[maegalcarwen]

Thanks! I know about bleach baths, never done one though. If I did do it, it would be when my hair's grown out enough that I won't mind if I have to cut off the bits I've tried to lighten. I like mid back length best, but I could live with bsl, in fact I've been admiring hair a bit shorter than that recently. The color's more important than the length to me.

For me it's more the length, but if it looks like ****... yeah.I'd rather have it short, but never shorter than what I have now. Just soooo hard to handle and I always oversleep it. Dunno why people say short hair is easier. Ah well.

[wrh452]

I'm trying to get rid of the gingery color. I just wanted to show you how much has changed in just 2 weeks.

[freznow]

I was reading a few old threads the other day that said tea tree oil helps fade it. I've noticed the same thing (I have a Yes to Carrots! Tea Tree oil shampoo, and the henna at my ends has faded to being quite unnoticable, though I haven't been using it for that purpose.

It might help fade it at least a little.

[maegalcarwen]

Progress report.

Step 1: SOS color remover. Made it ginger blond. ( 1,5 hours)
[img=http://s6.postimg.org/xw963sul9/IMG_0251.jpg] (http://postimg.org/image/xw963sul9/)

Step 2: Dark blonde (natural) ( 40 min)
[img=http://s6.postimg.org/nkwtb52vx/result.jpg] (http://postimg.org/image/nkwtb52vx/)
[img=http://s6.postimg.org/4rb0e54nx/result2.jpg] (http://postimg.org/image/4rb0e54nx/)

All in all, nothing drastic, but definitely less red, blends so nicely together!
What do you guys think?

[annabellle]

Hi maegalcarwen,
I've just come across this thread digging around for henna removal ideas and your results look nice! So did you dye it 'dark blonde' after using SOS? What hair color did you use for that?

[Althea1984]

I'm not sure if this was already suggested on here but there's a lady who removed years worth of henna/indigo with citric acid

here is the link to the blog

http://gallimaufrygrove.blogspot.ca/2014/09/how-to-remove-indigo-dye-from-hair.html

[Amber_Maiden]

You are not going to be able to remove the henna red. Take it from me- I used it for 6 years straight.

The red is there to stay. The only thing you can really do is dye it brown, and even then, the red will show through and people will tell you you have auburn hair... or you could dye it black, and then you won't see the red at all...

Either way, you'll have to grow it out, and that will take a while.

I wouldn't recommend bleaching- it will destroy your hair and just make your hair orange.... without removing the henna.

If you want to Colour Opps it out, that won't work either, the henna won't budge.

If you use the vitamin C treatment it won't work either- it will dry out your hair eventually, and just lighten your hair, and you'll still have henna.

If you use the honey treatment the same thing will happen.

Seriously, henna is more permanent than hair dye. It is there to stay until you grow it out, whether you chose to mask it or not. (sorry for the bluntness, I have been there before... and have been through it all).

[cleanbug]

Hi there, i'm a henna user as well as you were. I've been using it for 7-8 years...not sure exactly how long now..you mentioned that you used to use it. i see your profile pic is dark almost black hair. did you switch to hair dye? if so, what kind and are you happy with it? i tried indigo about a year ago and currently have a reverse ombre (red at top, black at bottom). i have toyed with the idea of using professional dark brown hair dye as i get tired of the all evening henna jobs but then i always come back to that i switched to henna for a reason (more natural) and end up sticking with red. i have so much grey however that im pretty bright red in the crown/temple area. indigo didn't work for me as i have to leave henna on for 5 hours at least for proper grey coverage and then i meant washing that out and applying indigo after as a 2 step application. too time consuming.
thanks!
tami




Seriously, henna is more permanent than hair dye. It is there to stay until you grow it out, whether you chose to mask it or not. (sorry for the bluntness, I have been there before... and have been through it all).

[Janja]

https://i0.wp.com/bella.in.rs/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/decolortime2.jpg?fit=600%2C706&ssl=1 Anyone tried this to remove or to lighten henna and indigo?

[lapushka]

https://i0.wp.com/bella.in.rs/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/decolortime2.jpg?fit=600%2C706&ssl=1 Anyone tried this to remove or to lighten henna and indigo?

See my answer in the other thread. ;)