Auburn hair without henna?

[katieing]

I'm not sure where to put this so sorry if this doesn't really fit

I've been wanting auburn hair for a while, but after reading about how permanent henna is and some of the outcomes people have had that they regret, I'm not sure I want to henna right now. I don't want a huge change in color, just a slightly redder color to my medium brown hair. Is there any way to do this without henna that isn't permanent? Or are there some good non-permanent hair dyes that won't cause too much damage to my hair?

Thanks!! :)

[rohirrrims]

There are plenty of deposit only dyes like Adore and Manic Panic that have red colours. I think Adore does more natural shades. These don't cause any damage because they just sit colour on top of your hair (as henna would) and they wash out (lasting time depends on your hair condition).
You can also use a semi or demi permanent colour, but demi has some lift to it so if you want completely non damaging just to try having redder hair I'd go for an Adore shade. It will just add a red tint, but with medium brown hair you can't get anything else more red without some lift from peroxide.

[MINAKO]

I'm always confused about the term auburn itself. In german there is no term for it and most of the shades popping up in my search would be decribed as natural looking reds. It's not exactly chestnut either, but then what the heck is red hair if theres auburn for dark shades and strawberry blonde for light shades??? I'm not asking because i wan't to be anal about the description, but seriously feel like i don't understand/see a difference, especially when using google images for reference.
However, i guess the choice on deposit dyes one could use are all based on reddish orange. I would recommend pravana. They have an awesome shade of coral and also a deeply intense red which could both be mixed with any blonde or brown base to achieve the desired intensity.

[katieing]

Auburn is a pretty general term, sorry for the confusion.

I love this color but am not sure if I can get it without peroxide: http://1-ps.googleusercontent.com/x/www.becomegorgeous.com/static.becomegorgeous.com/img/arts/2013/10/winter-hair-color-ideas-2013/gallery_big_Auburn_Brown_Hair_Color.jpg
or this: http://www.besthairstyles2013.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/2-auburn-hair-color.jpg

Thanks for your help :)

[MINAKO]

Oh, i see. I've been stumbling across the term pretty often in here and was always wondering about the differences, because i think taking this in consideration brings true redhead down to a minimum.

The colors you've chosen are very pretty, it depends on your virgin hair, if you're a medium bron i don't think it would take any peroxide at all. The pravana colors i mentioned are pretty permanent on prebleached hair tho or at least take a really long tme to completel wash out, while on virgin hair the coor is fading much faster, keep that in mind. I think mixing coral and red would be needed to achieve this, maybe a touch of wild orchid with that if you want to keep it intense and dark with not to much orange tones.

[katieing]

I've never dyed my hair so it's virgin hair, and I actually like the fact that the pravana colors would fade fast on unbleached hair, because I may not like how it looks and I wouldn't want it to stay in my hair for a long time if I didn't. Thank you for the advice too on mixing the colors!

[suckubism]

If you want just a slight tinge of red while maintaining healthy hair (and adding some thickness and gloss!) I think henna is the way to go. There are certain additives you can use with it to increase the copper color or turn your hair a richer red. I used paprika and saffron along with my henna because I wanted to add more copper to my light to medium brown hair. You can also fiddle with the time! I leave mine on for about an hour and half and my hair is a rich deep copper inside and really bright outside. Start out leaving yours on for a half hour, wait a few days, and go from there if you want to adjust. Commercial hair dyes will damage your hair no matter what, so I would stay away from those!

[katieing]

I think I will eventually henna, but I am afraid of what my hair will look like and if I will like it, and due to it being permanent I want to just see what it would look like with some red in it before I commit to henna :) But if I do start to henna, I will keep your advice in mind!

[MINAKO]

If you want just a slight tinge of red while maintaining healthy hair (and adding some thickness and gloss!) I think henna is the way to go. There are certain additives you can use with it to increase the copper color or turn your hair a richer red. I used paprika and saffron along with my henna because I wanted to add more copper to my light to medium brown hair. You can also fiddle with the time! I leave mine on for about an hour and half and my hair is a rich deep copper inside and really bright outside. Start out leaving yours on for a half hour, wait a few days, and go from there if you want to adjust. Commercial hair dyes will damage your hair no matter what, so I would stay away from those!

She wanted something nonpermanent. Pravana is a deposit dye with deep conditioning properties, it will maintain healthy hair and might even make it feel better.
Nothing against henna, i'm using it myself along with indigo, but once it sticks there's a big chance it will never fade no matter what you do.

[suckubism]

Has anyone experimented with spices like paprika or cloves for enhancing red tones? I have never tried them apart from henna, but from what I have heard, they do not stick like henna because they don't bind or penetrate the hair shaft and quickly fade! I think this is why my henna'd hair looked way redder the first few days and has faded into a more subtle shade now. Worth a try if you can't get your hands on Pravana!

[MINAKO]

I never tried paprika or cloves, but i mixed an ultra strong food coloring powder from the asian grocery with conditioner once, i went for green and it was intensely shimmering but faded super fast. I suppose it's pretty much working in the same way as koolaid.

Tumeric powder makes a crazy intense yellow stain, but is used in certain natural hair removal recipes, so i wouldn't want to try that, lol!

[meteor]

I highly recommend reading this excellent, detailed article by Nightshade on herbal coloring and plant-based dyes. Nightshade goes into great detail there, and hopefully she will see this thread and maybe post her advice.

http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=51646

"Copper Red Enhancers - Most effective on blondes through medium brown starting colors

Alder Bark: coppery orange
Bloodroot: orange to reddish orange color.
Brazilwood Dust: Reds to orangish/reds
Carrot Juice/ Carrot EO
Giant Coreopsis (Coreopsis gigantea): bright orange
Hibiscus
Paprika Powder: Deep orangish red
Red Rooibos Tea
Rosehips
Saffron
Tomato Extract


True Red Enhancers - Most effective on blonde through brown starting colors.

Alkanet root- releases its dye in oil (not in water) so it's a little unusual in that way,
Beet Juice
Beets Root Powder: True (cool) red
Buckeye husks: Reddish Brown
Chokecherries
Cranberry Juice
Henna
Madder Root: Red to Red/Browns sometimes oranges (Do not boil. Soak instead)
Red Wine (warning-can be drying)
Red Wine Vinegar
Rose (hips)
Wild Cherry Bark"

[MINAKO]

Interesting article, thank you meteor! :flower:
And of course also a big thank you to nightshade in case she drops by here.
I never knew there was a different japanese type of indigo, :confused: lol. Will have to do my research on that and also the greens.

[katieing]

Thank you for all your information and advice!! This is all so helpful :)

[Nightshade]

I'm glad you ladies enjoyed the article :flowers: