An unusual problem (lack of shedding?)

[Rio040113]

I'm not 100% sure that this is the right forum for this, I was torn between here and 'Recipes, Henna and Herbal Haircare', seeing as it's sort of Henna related but that's not really the thing I need help with, I think... uh, anyway...

I've decided that I want to Henna, or at least I think I do. I want to do a strand test first to be sure, or at least as sure as I can be from a tiny sample vs what it will be like on my whole head. Now the problem is, I shed literally 5 - 10 hairs a day at the minute. I'd be thrilled, if it wasn't for the fact that I need a 'pencil sized' sample, apparently. I don't want to cut a chunk off, my hair is too thin to hide that I'm sure and I read that using drain/shower hair isn't a great option. (Not totally sure why though).

So any ideas? Should I just take 6 months to get my sample (sob) or should I forgo the strand test and live dangerously? :lol: I love red hair on me but Henna red could be a different story! If I had any Photoshop skills whatsoever I'd try doing some kind of mock Henna job on a picture with that, sigh. I'm considering Hennaing a small section of my hair (still on my head) and then doing the rest of my hair after if I like it... But I thought I'd see if anyone else had any wisdom to bestow upon me and my hair before I do anything! (My avatar is pretty colour accurate, my hair virgin if that affects anyone's advice).

Thanks :flower:

[0xalis]

I know nothing about henna, would henna even show up on hair as dark as yours? O_o [I hope that doesn't sound rude because it's not meant to, lol.]
Doing a small sample on hair still attached to your head sounds like a good idea :D

[Not Lynn Merely]

Take the five to ten hairs a day and fold/snip them in halves/thirds/quarters.

I wish I had your problem.

[Rio040113]

I know nothing about henna, would henna even show up on hair as dark as yours? O_o [I hope that doesn't sound rude because it's not meant to, lol.]
Doing a small sample on hair still attached to your head sounds like a good idea :D

Oh no no, that didn't sound rude at all! From what I gather, it'll go a dark auburn or burgundy/cherry cola kind of colour, or just appear darker and then flash red in the sun :)

Knowing my lack of coordination I'll end up with half my hair coated ;) but I think that might be the best option I have!

[Rio040113]

Take the five to ten hairs a day and fold/snip them in halves/thirds/quarters.

I wish I had your problem.

I considered folding them but a website (I forget which now) suggested doing this can give slightly inaccurate results, the whole root vs tip thing, if that makes sense? Gahh.

Haha :p it's a little different to the shedding problems most people have I must admit!

[spidermom]

Do a streak or just the ends (like a dip dye).

[renia22]

I think you can still do it. Just save your hairs for a few days. Even with a small amount you can get an idea of what color it will be, just remember it will look a lot darker when it's your whole head, and not just a few strands.

[julee]

I actually had the same problem a few months ago when I decided to henna. I'm hardly losing any hair at the minute (fingers crossed) so I ended up hennaing a small section at my nape behind my ear. I figured I wouldn't mind having a red streak if I decided not to go through with it, as I could hide it in an updo :D

[Rio040113]

Do a streak or just the ends (like a dip dye).

Good idea, I hadn't considered the dip dye option! Thank you :)


I think you can still do it. Just save your hairs for a few days. Even with a small amount you can get an idea of what color it will be, just remember it will look a lot darker when it's your whole head, and not just a few strands.

I had a grand total of 5 after 24 eagle-eyed hours, put them 'safely' on the table and DBF helpfully got rid of them, bless him :rolleyes: Back to square 1! I'm wondering if on a few strands I'll even be able to see a difference, with my hair being so fine..?


I actually had the same problem a few months ago when I decided to henna. I'm hardly losing any hair at the minute (fingers crossed) so I ended up hennaing a small section at my nape behind my ear. I figured I wouldn't mind having a red streak if I decided not to go through with it, as I could hide it in an updo :D

Glad I'm not the only one! Yeah that's exactly what I was thinking of doing, I figured even if I didn't like the colour enough to commit to a full head of it, a streak would probably be cute and pretty subtle on my hair colour anyway :D

[sumidha]

I would probably just section off a tiny lock somewhere unobtrusive on my head and test henna it.

[LauraLongLocks]

I've been saving hairs since December so I can do my strand test, for the same reason. I shed about 25ish a day, though. I have enough hair now to run several tests. I think I'm going to name my hairball "Fred."

[Rio040113]

I've been saving hairs since December so I can do my strand test, for the same reason. I shed about 25ish a day, though. I have enough hair now to run several tests. I think I'm going to name my hairball "Fred."

I think for me to get a big enough chunk to see any colour change clearly it'd take me months :( I have a drain cover in my shower and between me and my boyfriend (who sheds a lot more than I do) we've shed a very sad little hairball indeed (his hair is short/medium, about ear length at the longest bits). I've not collected the hairs out of the cover for at least 3 weeks now (gross but I was curious if I was losing lots in the shower and not realising) but nope, I just shed like a Sphinx cat nowadays :lol:

I think mine would be a ''Steven''.

[Rio040113]

I would probably just section off a tiny lock somewhere unobtrusive on my head and test henna it.

Oops, missed your reply before!

I think this might be the easiest/quickest option for me right now, although I sense I might fluff it up a bit! Haha.

[Chromis]

I just decided to live dangerously! I did try doing a strand test, but it was hard to really get a good idea from it and in the end, it was rather different in colour than how my full head of hair turned out anyhow.

Your hair looks quite dark, so it likely will not be super dramatic for you, which makes growing it out fairly painless if you decide you don't like it or it is too much hassle. I can never really see a demarcation line on mine so I can get away with doing henna quite sporatically.

[Magalo]

Take a small section behind your ear! If you don't like it you'll only have a cool streak.

Also, I'm wondering... could you be pregnant? Shedding so little is rare, except for pregnant women. :confused:

[Rio040113]

I just decided to live dangerously! I did try doing a strand test, but it was hard to really get a good idea from it and in the end, it was rather different in colour than how my full head of hair turned out anyhow.

Your hair looks quite dark, so it likely will not be super dramatic for you, which makes growing it out fairly painless if you decide you don't like it or it is too much hassle. I can never really see a demarcation line on mine so I can get away with doing henna quite sporatically.

I figured if I wanted to grow it out I could rock the red ombre look :lol: If I truly hated growing it out I guess Directions dye might come in handy, although I've never used that either!
Now toying with the idea of trialing the whole idea with a gloss.. hm...

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Side question, I sometimes like to wear a rather bright (red, fuschia or shocking pink) lipstick, is this going to clash horribly with the Henna? :eek:

[Rio040113]

Take a small section behind your ear! If you don't like it you'll only have a cool streak.

Also, I'm wondering... could you be pregnant? Shedding so little is rare, except for pregnant women. :confused:

I'm thinking a streak is definitely the way forwards!

And oh god, don't say that :lol: I was worried I was pregnant, said as much to DBF... I am on the pill (Cerazette) but I've been feeling really tired, funky and sick for a few weeks and I did miss my last 'time of the month' (sorry for the potential tmi), sigh. We figured I wasn't because of being on the pill but maybe a test is in order after all!!

[Chromis]

I figured if I wanted to grow it out I could rock the red ombre look :lol: If I truly hated growing it out I guess Directions dye might come in handy, although I've never used that either!
Now toying with the idea of trialing the whole idea with a gloss.. hm...

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Side question, I sometimes like to wear a rather bright (red, fuschia or shocking pink) lipstick, is this going to clash horribly with the Henna? :eek:

I'm wearing a shocking pink top and I think it looks great against it! I wear lots of reds too. :D

[Magalo]

Oh gosh. :lol: Well, not to scare you out even more (!) but my cousin fell pregnant when she was taking her pill... so yes, it's possible. :p I would take a test if you have doubts!!



Side question, I sometimes like to wear a rather bright (red, fuschia or shocking pink) lipstick, is this going to clash horribly with the Henna? :eek:

I wear bright red, burgundy, dark berry pink and plum lipsticks with my hennaed hair. I think it looks great and it doesn't clash. :)

[renia22]

Wow, good luck with everything! Like others have mentioned, a small section on your head is probably your best bet, with your few loose strands disappearing and all :). Have you done henna before? Your hair looks like it's dark brown, no? The difference will be very subtle, henna darkens, so it will most likely just be a reddish or auburn tint on top of the brown when it hits the light.

[Rio040113]

I'm wearing a shocking pink top and I think it looks great against it! I wear lots of reds too. :D

Yay :) I figured since my hair will most likely go that 'cherry cola' colour it might clash a little with pinks, I'd hate to lose out on my lippies!


Oh gosh. :lol: Well, not to scare you out even more (!) but my cousin fell pregnant when she was taking her pill... so yes, it's possible. :p I would take a test if you have doubts!!
I wear bright red, burgundy, dark berry pink and plum lipsticks with my hennaed hair. I think it looks great and it doesn't clash. :)

Ah man... Guess it's time to pee on a stick :lol: Ugh.

Phew, I love my lipsticks too much to chuck them!


Wow, good luck with everything! Like others have mentioned, a small section on your head is probably your best bet, with your few loose strands disappearing and all :). Have you done henna before? Your hair looks like it's dark brown, no? The difference will be very subtle, henna darkens, so it will most likely just be a reddish or auburn tint on top of the brown when it hits the light.

Thanks :) I think you're right and nope, no henna before, only the usual box dyes and those were a good 4 or 5 years ago now. Yep it's a dark brown, no idea if it's warm or cool toned, it seems to change it's mind lol. I figured the henna would give it a warm tone and as you said, give it a red flash in the light. Is my hair too dark for it to go burgundy? Or would it still do that with repeated applications?

[renia22]

Thanks :) I think you're right and nope, no henna before, only the usual box dyes and those were a good 4 or 5 years ago now. Yep it's a dark brown, no idea if it's warm or cool toned, it seems to change it's mind lol. I figured the henna would give it a warm tone and as you said, give it a red flash in the light. Is my hair too dark for it to go burgundy? Or would it still do that with repeated applications?

I don't think it's too dark for burgundy, you just might need to play around a little bit to get the desired look. Will you be using body art quality henna? My natural color is a little lighter than yours, but the first time I did it, I didn't realize quite how dark it would get (I left BAQ henna on for 4 hours, prior to that I had only used compound/ boxed henna). It actually turned a dark eggplant color (not a good color for me) and I slept with yogurt & lemon juice on my hair for 3 nights to try to get some of the henna out before it oxidized, lol! (I don't think my husband said a word about it, haha)

But I think with henna and dark hair, less is more, especially if you don't want to go too dark. I actually cut mine with cassia now. You can always start with leaving it on for an hour or so, and do it again for longer if that's not enough. You can build up the color, but once it's in and oxidized, it's tough to get out. It does look the brightest the first couple of days, then after about 3 days it oxidizes, and it gets a lot darker, at which point it will settle into the color it will be. Good luck, hope you get the pretty burgundy!

p.s once you get the color you want, you can touch up just the roots instead of doing whole head applications. Henna builds up & this prevents you from unwittingly going darker & darker every time you need a touch up.

[Chromis]

A ratio of 3:1:1 henna:amla:cassia gave me a fantastic burgundy my last henna! Straight henna gives me a lot more red than I like. I used to do two-step henna-indigo which gave a great glossy black...until it inevitably faded, but that was twice the work. I might try one step hendigo sometime in the future, but I really liked the combo I just did.

[ErinLeigh]

I actually have this situation. Posted something in henna thread kind of similar. I don't shed a lot and it is random ...Add in fine hair and I cannot get a hairball going or a nice strip of strands. I love the idea of snipping in 3rds actually, that's a good one. I am unsure how long it would take me to find my see thru strands though. That would be our best off head option though.
I have decided if I ever do it I am going to have to test a strand on my head. For one reason the shed, and the second, I think it would be easier for me find a good piece of hair that is realistic to my color.

[renia22]

Have you guys seen this color guide on the hennaforhair.com website? It gives you a general idea of what color you will get based on your color underneath. The dye/ lawsone content & how long you leave it on will also vary the results, but it does give you some idea:

http://www.mehandi.com/shop/hairinstructions2.pdf

[Rio040113]

I don't think it's too dark for burgundy, you just might need to play around a little bit to get the desired look. Will you be using body art quality henna? My natural color is a little lighter than yours, but the first time I did it, I didn't realize quite how dark it would get (I left BAQ henna on for 4 hours, prior to that I had only used compound/ boxed henna). It actually turned a dark eggplant color (not a good color for me) and I slept with yogurt & lemon juice on my hair for 3 nights to try to get some of the henna out before it oxidized, lol! (I don't think my husband said a word about it, haha)

But I think with henna and dark hair, less is more, especially if you don't want to go too dark. I actually cut mine with cassia now. You can always start with leaving it on for an hour or so, and do it again for longer if that's not enough. You can build up the color, but once it's in and oxidized, it's tough to get out. It does look the brightest the first couple of days, then after about 3 days it oxidizes, and it gets a lot darker, at which point it will settle into the color it will be. Good luck, hope you get the pretty burgundy!

p.s once you get the color you want, you can touch up just the roots instead of doing whole head applications. Henna builds up & this prevents you from unwittingly going darker & darker every time you need a touch up.

I can't decide if a more subtle auburn/truer red 'glow' would suit my skin tone better than the deeper burgundy, i.e if I should cut my henna with cassia/just do a gloss then top up my roots as needed... I'm very pale, pretty ghostly in person, no idea if I'm warm or cool though... (Okay here's a colour accurate picture of me (https://scontent-b-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/t1/1238025_10202109682602818_651212271_n.jpg), please ignore the silly face and enjoy the bonus Chihuahua and boyfriend haha). Ugh, it's all so complicated! Yup, BAQ henna, most likely from mehandi.com/hennasooq/hennaboy, I've seen those toted as reputable sellers on here many times. I see Yemeni and Red Raj are the most recommended henna strains(?). Haha, your husband sounds like a saint :p I think for the first time leaving it on for 2 - 3 hours might be good for me, I'd rather the result turn out too subtle and be able to build it up :D

I'm not too worried about my hair being dark, I dyed my hair raven black for years and loved it, it's more the tone of the red I'm being (maybe slightly overly) cautious about. Yeah I think that would be the way to go with it :)

I think roots then once or twice a year a light gloss just to refresh the length would be my long term plan, if I liked it of course :rolleyes: Thank you for all your advice!! :flower:


A ratio of 3:1:1 henna:amla:cassia gave me a fantastic burgundy my last henna! Straight henna gives me a lot more red than I like. I used to do two-step henna-indigo which gave a great glossy black...until it inevitably faded, but that was twice the work. I might try one step hendigo sometime in the future, but I really liked the combo I just did.

I was rather enamored with the idea of henndigo, as I love black hair on me but I read that indigo is a rather fickle beast :lol: it's made me wary of it. I think a henna/cassia mix is going to be the way forwards for me, at least this first time. My hair does come off as having a red glow in bright sunlight anyway despite how dark it is, so I'm thinking a henna/cassia mix would probably just enhance the colour I already have, rather than straight up change it completely..?


I actually have this situation. Posted something in henna thread kind of similar. I don't shed a lot and it is random ...Add in fine hair and I cannot get a hairball going or a nice strip of strands. I love the idea of snipping in 3rds actually, that's a good one. I am unsure how long it would take me to find my see thru strands though. That would be our best off head option though.
I have decided if I ever do it I am going to have to test a strand on my head. For one reason the shed, and the second, I think it would be easier for me find a good piece of hair that is realistic to my color.

Yay, another low shedder :D haha. I do think the test strand on the head idea is the best bet for people who have low shed rates. Ah the grass is always greener isn't it, I'd love to shed 40-50 hairs a day right now.


Have you guys seen this color guide on the hennaforhair.com website? It gives you a general idea of what color you will get based on your color underneath. The dye/ lawsone content & how long you leave it on will also vary the results, but it does give you some idea:

http://www.mehandi.com/shop/hairinstructions2.pdf

I've seen something similar but not that exact one, thank you for the link! I think I'm going to head for a subtle (dark) auburn tint and reevaluate from there :)

[renia22]

What a great picture! Of all 3 of you!

Oh, and I forgot to say, if you can go black, then the darkening/ auburn from straight henna probably would be fine. The only problem I could foresee is the color probably won't really show up unless you are looking at it in direct sunlight (of course henna changes depending on the light you are in anyways). If you want a slightly brighter tint, your best bet would probably be to go with the cassia/ henna mix.

[Rio040113]

Thank you! I wish I had one with a slightly better face (mine) but my webcam isn't a fan of being terribly colour accurate, so I went with it :lol:

I'm fine with a subtle result, I'd love super bright red hair but I know I won't get it without bleaching and I learned the hard way how bad bleaching is years ago lol, so subtle is gooood.

I think I might do something like a 25/75 mix cassia to henna and see how that goes, if I want it darker I figure I can do a full henna over it and if I'm not loving the red tone I get, I'll do a mix with amla and see how that tones it down :D Oh if only I could strand test, this would be so much simpler!

[Rio040113]

Aha, now I have a poll as well! - Clickity click (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=119918).