How Damaging is Dye Really?

[animetor7]

Hey all,

So, my hair is, or was, naturally auburn, but in the last year or so it has changed tone and now it's pretty much all brunette. I really want my red back, and might go even redder than it was before. I like the brown color alright, but it just doesn't feel like me. So I'm wondering how damaging traditional dyes really are and trying to decide between 3 different options to get my red back.

Option 1: Use a henna/cassia mix to get my red back. This is the least damaging option, but I don't want to get cherry cola red at all. I want a more coppery tone, so I'm worried this won't give me the color I want.

Option 2: Use a store bought dye and go full redhead. I'd buy a drug store color and I'd probably want to get a very gingery copper color. I used some hair dyes in high school, but it's been a while and I wasn't really paying attention to my hair so I honestly can't remember how damaging they were. I also don't know which brands to try if I go for this option.

Option 3: See a professional and dye my hair. This would probably be a safer option in terms of getting the color I want. But it might be expensive and I don't want them cutting it at all. It also might still be damaging.

Now some pictures:

http://i.imgur.com/oYdKqHW.jpg

Please excuse the princess costume. I am a singer and was playing Cinderella in a production of Into the Woods. It's the best most recent example of my auburn. This is without any dye, my roots and brows have always been darker than my length and less auburn.

http://i.imgur.com/xQXqrtv.jpg

And a picture from today of my braid. I can take a better picture if needed.

I'd like to get at least as auburn as the bottom of my hair in the first picture and probably go even redder. So my questions are would I be able to achieve a true "ginger" tone using henna/cassia and avoid the cool red often seen on brunettes who use henna? It's a lovely color, I just want my hair to be more coppery. If I can't achieve this color with henna, how damaging would dyeing it coppery or red be? Would it be so damaging that I should just learn to love the brown it is now? It's not a bad color, it just feels weird suddenly noticing that I'm fully brunette now instead of the auburn I'd grown used to. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks guys!! :) :flower:

[akurah]

You won't get cherry cola red with henna. Those who DO get cherry cola red with henna either have an obscene amount of applications or are adulterating it with something else, and even in the sun, is stops being so cherry cola and turns very coppery. Henna's more accurately described as orange, not red.

Get a sample of henna from a seller (you may have to ask them directly) and do a strand test. Based on what you describe you want, and assuming you are ok with the color till you cut it off or it sheds out (henna doesn't budge on the vast majority of people who use it, so when using it, it's safer to assume it's truly permanent), henna is the best choice for getting the shade you most likely want, but you're gonna want to strand test.

[Neoma]

Hey all,

So, my hair is, or was, naturally auburn, but in the last year or so it has changed tone and now it's pretty much all brunette. I really want my red back, and might go even redder than it was before. I like the brown color alright, but it just doesn't feel like me. So I'm wondering how damaging traditional dyes really are and trying to decide between 3 different options to get my red back.

Option 1: Use a henna/cassia mix to get my red back. This is the least damaging option, but I don't want to get cherry cola red at all. I want a more coppery tone, so I'm worried this won't give me the color I want.

Option 2: Use a store bought dye and go full redhead. I'd buy a drug store color and I'd probably want to get a very gingery copper color. I used some hair dyes in high school, but it's been a while and I wasn't really paying attention to my hair so I honestly can't remember how damaging they were. I also don't know which brands to try if I go for this option.

Option 3: See a professional and dye my hair. This would probably be a safer option in terms of getting the color I want. But it might be expensive and I don't want them cutting it at all. It also might still be damaging.

Now some pictures:

http://i.imgur.com/oYdKqHW.jpg

Please excuse the princess costume. I am a singer and was playing Cinderella in a production of Into the Woods. It's the best most recent example of my auburn. This is without any dye, my roots and brows have always been darker than my length and less auburn.

http://i.imgur.com/xQXqrtv.jpg

And a picture from today of my braid. I can take a better picture if needed.

I'd like to get at least as auburn as the bottom of my hair in the first picture and probably go even redder. So my questions are would I be able to achieve a true "ginger" tone using henna/cassia and avoid the cool red often seen on brunettes who use henna? It's a lovely color, I just want my hair to be more coppery. If I can't achieve this color with henna, how damaging would dyeing it coppery or red be? Would it be so damaging that I should just learn to love the brown it is now? It's not a bad color, it just feels weird suddenly noticing that I'm fully brunette now instead of the auburn I'd grown used to. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks guys!! :) :flower:

My hair is cherry cola under certain light. In other light, it just looks brown. I achieved the color with henna and hibiscus flower powder. This thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=126878&highlight=cherry+cola+thread) explains how to achieve that color and has lots of pics, too.

I hope that you're happy with whatever method you choose.

[Lynn of Many]

Hello from a former dye addict ✋

Traditional box dye is terrible! I'd say don't use it even once. If you do resort to a traditional hair color, definitely do some research and do it yourself using professional products or go to a salon. Most times, box dyes use developer strengths wayyy beyond what is needed and the color is generally not right. For a little more $ you can get professional products and get exactly what you want with the least damage possible.

Obviously a temporary or non-damaging product would be a first choice. I have no henna knowledge whatsoever, so I'll leave that to the experts.

I think you have beautiful hair though! Let us know what you decide.

[Kae612]

Depends if you want permanent colour or not. I've used Arctic Fox's Poison red colour over my much darker brown hair (as well as their purple), and enjoyed a tint of colour for several weeks. It would be brighter on your lighter hair. Other deposit-only dyes like Manic Panic also might be an option? They aren't damaging, or at least not significantly more than leaving your hair in a conditioning treatment for several hours. And if the colour isn't right for you it will wash out eventually.

[Corvana]

Incredibly enough, I've got a very similar story, and I'm debating the exact same thing. The main difference (or... mane eheheheh) for me being that I'm making myself wait a year before making a decision.

But I think I'll be going with henna over regular dyes, and here's my reasons why:

Gentler on hair
So gosh darn orange that it's unlikely that I'll get "too dark" right off the bat
Seems to make a lot of peoples' strands thicker, and I wouldn't hate that at all
So permanent (although, also a con tbh) that I won't have to worry about too many touch ups


Now, I've been mostly eyeballing Nightblooming's mixes. She's got some neato color charts that give me a good idea of what my results would be (I'll still be strand testing, of course), so I can pick one that won't be too deep and I also won't have to make the mix myself. I know I'll need to add the water, but like... I won't have to worry about the ratio of this and that and what-have-you.

This is what I'm wanting to get back to, if possible, and if more red happens then awesome!

http://i.imgur.com/yhJ3uty.png

[animetor7]

You won't get cherry cola red with henna. Those who DO get cherry cola red with henna either have an obscene amount of applications or are adulterating it with something else, and even in the sun, is stops being so cherry cola and turns very coppery. Henna's more accurately described as orange, not red.

Get a sample of henna from a seller (you may have to ask them directly) and do a strand test. Based on what you describe you want, and assuming you are ok with the color till you cut it off or it sheds out (henna doesn't budge on the vast majority of people who use it, so when using it, it's safer to assume it's truly permanent), henna is the best choice for getting the shade you most likely want, but you're gonna want to strand test.

Thank you for the reassurance that henna will not go cola red. I'll go read up on how best to achieve the color I want with it before strand testing. And yup, I'm fine with the color sticking. I've done very mild henna glosses before, but they weren't really noticeable on my previously auburn hair, so I don't know how to go about making a henna mix that will shift the color and have never done full strength henna before. Thanks


My hair is cherry cola under certain light. In other light, it just looks brown. I achieved the color with henna and hibiscus flower powder. This thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=126878&highlight=cherry+cola+thread) explains how to achieve that color and has lots of pics, too.

I hope that you're happy with whatever method you choose.

Thank you for the well wishes and the link to the thread. Even though I want to avoid the cherry cola, cool toned red that those in the thread are going after, it's still useful because it works also as a guide for what not to do as I want my henna to stay coppery. So it's still helpful. Thank you!!


Hello from a former dye addict ✋

Traditional box dye is terrible! I'd say don't use it even once. If you do resort to a traditional hair color, definitely do some research and do it yourself using professional products or go to a salon. Most times, box dyes use developer strengths wayyy beyond what is needed and the color is generally not right. For a little more $ you can get professional products and get exactly what you want with the least damage possible.

Obviously a temporary or non-damaging product would be a first choice. I have no henna knowledge whatsoever, so I'll leave that to the experts.

I think you have beautiful hair though! Let us know what you decide.

Thank you! I'm scared of damaging it, and I might be able to learn to like the browner color that's developed as I've gotten older. It's a nice brown, I just miss my auburn and am ever more tempted to just go full redhead even with my dark brows. So I might keep shifting redder and redder. :) I'll think about going to Sally's or somewhere and getting some products to go red after doing some research. But I'm a bit scared of going for chemical dyes that aren't premixed on my own. I'll think about it. And thank you for the warning to stay away from box dyes. I'll give myself a stern talking to if I'm tempted at the grocery store again. ;)


Depends if you want permanent colour or not. I've used Arctic Fox's Poison red colour over my much darker brown hair (as well as their purple), and enjoyed a tint of colour for several weeks. It would be brighter on your lighter hair. Other deposit-only dyes like Manic Panic also might be an option? They aren't damaging, or at least not significantly more than leaving your hair in a conditioning treatment for several hours. And if the colour isn't right for you it will wash out eventually.

Thank you for this suggestion! I hadn't thought of using a deposit dye like manic panic. I've used manic panic before to make my ends fire truck red, but have never tried for a more natural tone. I also looked up arctic fox. Maybe if I used mostly the orange tone and then added a bit of red? This might be a reasonable option because I only wash my hair about once a week anyway and like to do some sort of hair masque after clarifying, so I could just keep it up and it probably wouldn't ever fade too significantly. :)

[animetor7]

Incredibly enough, I've got a very similar story, and I'm debating the exact same thing. The main difference (or... mane eheheheh) for me being that I'm making myself wait a year before making a decision.

But I think I'll be going with henna over regular dyes, and here's my reasons why:

Gentler on hair
So gosh darn orange that it's unlikely that I'll get "too dark" right off the bat
Seems to make a lot of peoples' strands thicker, and I wouldn't hate that at all
So permanent (although, also a con tbh) that I won't have to worry about too many touch ups


Now, I've been mostly eyeballing Nightblooming's mixes. She's got some neato color charts that give me a good idea of what my results would be (I'll still be strand testing, of course), so I can pick one that won't be too deep and I also won't have to make the mix myself. I know I'll need to add the water, but like... I won't have to worry about the ratio of this and that and what-have-you.

This is what I'm wanting to get back to, if possible, and if more red happens then awesome!

http://i.imgur.com/yhJ3uty.png

Hey, sorry I missed you earlier. And yeah, I'm glad I'm not the only auburn-head who went browner later. I might check out nightbloomings mixes as well. Thank you for the response. :)

[Corvana]

Hey, sorry I missed you earlier. And yeah, I'm glad I'm not the only auburn-head who went browner later. I might check out nightbloomings mixes as well. Thank you for the response. :)

I thought I was alone in it, for awhile! And I noticed semi-recently that in my early twenties I'd already started to lose some of the red, as I was even more bright auburn in high school.

Her mixes seem pretty good! I'm torn between Fire Genasi and Kitsune, which is where the strand tests come in!

[animetor7]

I thought I was alone in it, for awhile! And I noticed semi-recently that in my early twenties I'd already started to lose some of the red, as I was even more bright auburn in high school.

Her mixes seem pretty good! I'm torn between Fire Genasi and Kitsune, which is where the strand tests come in!

I'm in my early twenties now and although I still have quite a warm toned brown, it's not the auburn it used to be which makes me feel odd. I've really been using red since childhood when I was a color at the exact intersection between blonde, red, and very golden brown. A sort of very light auburn. It darkened to a true auburn in high school and now here we are, brunette. And how funny, I just looked at the mixes and I'm torn between those two as well. I was also thinking of perhaps combining methods and after the initial henna mix all over to get it auburn again or even redder than I had naturally, then only henna the roots and "wake" the rest up with manic panic or something similar when I do the roots. To make it all nice and firey. :)

[Kellylee]

I think that if you went to the hairdresser, you wouldn't really notice very much damage at all. Just remember you have to upkeep your roots with any option! If it were me I'd just save up and have a hair dresser do it.

[animetor7]

I think that if you went to the hairdresser, you wouldn't really notice very much damage at all. Just remember you have to upkeep your roots with any option! If it were me I'd just save up and have a hair dresser do it.

Thank you for the reply. I'm keeping that in mind as an option. But I looked up coloring prices in my area, and it might be too expensive. I'm still deciding, but I'm leaning towards trying to find something I can do on my own that's more cost effective first. Thanks for the reassurance about damage though. :)

[meteor]

I think that if you went to the hairdresser, you wouldn't really notice very much damage at all. Just remember you have to upkeep your roots with any option! If it were me I'd just save up and have a hair dresser do it.

I'm not too sure about that. See, hairdressers like to use permanent or demi-permanent dyes, which use peroxide as developer.

I think the safest bet is actually a temporary deposit-only dye (like Manic Panic, Adore, etc) without any developer. Hairdressers rarely use them, probably because they fade fast. You'd either need to agree with the colorist what product you want them to use to be safe or just do it yourself. :)

As for henna, it's super-permanent and will massively restrict your further color experiments, so I would only recommend it to people who are either already redheads (and are simply trying to amp the shade in a specific way, without much commitment) or who are completely committed to red dye because they'd been dying it in that shade for so long and they know they won't mind the maintenance, root upkeep, messy application, etc.

As always, whatever you decide, strand-test first! ;)

[animetor7]

I'm not too sure about that. See, hairdressers like to use permanent or demi-permanent dyes, which use peroxide as developer.

I think the safest bet is actually a temporary deposit-only dye (like Manic Panic, Adore, etc) without any developer. Hairdressers rarely use them, probably because they fade fast. You'd either need to agree with the colorist what product you want them to use to be safe or just do it yourself. :)

As for henna, it's super-permanent and will massively restrict your further color experiments, so I would only recommend it to people who are either already redheads (and are simply trying to amp the shade in a specific way, without much commitment) or who are completely committed to red dye because they'd been dying it in that shade for so long and they know they won't mind the maintenance, root upkeep, messy application, etc.

As always, whatever you decide, strand-test first! ;)

Thank you for the detailed response! Yeah...peroxide doesn't sound great. I'll probably avoid "traditional" dyes then. I've used manic panic to get fire engine red ends, so I have a better idea of how long it lasts on my hair. The fade out might be annoying, but I also don't wash too often, so that might be alright. A henna mix of some sort or some sort of deposit only dye are the current chief contenders. I have some time to decide. I'm thinking I want to do this after my next clarifying wash, so that's not for another 3 weeks or so. I of course don't have to do it then, but figured freshly clarified hair was probably the best to try any sort of deposit only dye on. Do you happen to know anything about deposit only dyes over henna? I was thinking that might be a way to brighten up the ends if I end up doing henna and want to avoid multiple applications over the same area. If not, I can always look it up and see what others have experienced if they've done this before. Thanks again, and yes, strand tests always!!! ;) :) :flower:

[akurah]

Thank you for the detailed response! Yeah...peroxide doesn't sound great. I'll probably avoid "traditional" dyes then. I've used manic panic to get fire engine red ends, so I have a better idea of how long it lasts on my hair. The fade out might be annoying, but I also don't wash too often, so that might be alright. A henna mix of some sort or some sort of deposit only dye are the current chief contenders. I have some time to decide. I'm thinking I want to do this after my next clarifying wash, so that's not for another 3 weeks or so. I of course don't have to do it then, but figured freshly clarified hair was probably the best to try any sort of deposit only dye on. Do you happen to know anything about deposit only dyes over henna? I was thinking that might be a way to brighten up the ends if I end up doing henna and want to avoid multiple applications over the same area. If not, I can always look it up and see what others have experienced if they've done this before. Thanks again, and yes, strand tests always!!! ;) :) :flower:

Deposit only dyes work fine with henna, but have the same limitations on henna as they do a natural color (for example, a natural redhead with hair the same shade as another person with henna would have the same color outcome as the other).

[meteor]

Thank you for the detailed response! Yeah...peroxide doesn't sound great. I'll probably avoid "traditional" dyes then. I've used manic panic to get fire engine red ends, so I have a better idea of how long it lasts on my hair. The fade out might be annoying, but I also don't wash too often, so that might be alright. A henna mix of some sort or some sort of deposit only dye are the current chief contenders. I have some time to decide. I'm thinking I want to do this after my next clarifying wash, so that's not for another 3 weeks or so. I of course don't have to do it then, but figured freshly clarified hair was probably the best to try any sort of deposit only dye on. Do you happen to know anything about deposit only dyes over henna? I was thinking that might be a way to brighten up the ends if I end up doing henna and want to avoid multiple applications over the same area. If not, I can always look it up and see what others have experienced if they've done this before. Thanks again, and yes, strand tests always!!! ;) :) :flower:

Thank you, animetor7! :) Yup, over clarified hair is always best for deposit dye uptake! :agree: And many people let it sit for longer than the product says, because it can help the uptake.

I have no personal experience of Manic Panic over henna, but I've seen some gorgeous results on the LHC, some people try to get to cooler (purpler) red with dye over henna, for example, here are some reports:

Vampire Red from Manic Panic over henna - http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=91576
Manic panic over henna? Show me your photos please :) - http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=122994
My report: Manic Panic on top of Henna - http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=53832
SFX/Manic Panic over henna thread.. *twiddles fingers* advice please? - http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=86586

Keep in mind that henna can be pretty drying, and quite a few people reported that they needed more moisturizing treatments (oiling, SMT) after henna and couldn't tolerate hydrolyzed proteins as much or at all, compared to pre-henna strands.

Oh, and when you are looking for specific dye products, keep in mind that they sometimes get mislabeled. I've seen some products claiming they were "semi-permanent" when they were actually technically "demis", because they did use some peroxide developer. A true "semi" should be developer-free. It's important to check the complete ingredients list, and check out some reviews and photos over haircolors similar to yours.

Good luck! :cheer:

[akurah]

Oh, and when you are looking for specific dye products, keep in mind that they sometimes get mislabeled. I've seen some products claiming they were "semi-permanent" when they were actually technically "demis", because they did use some peroxide developer. A true "semi" should be developer-free. It's important to check the complete ingredients list, and check out some reviews and photos over haircolors similar to yours.

Good luck! :cheer:

An easy way to tell is if it's box dye, does it have one bottle, or two bottles that require mixing. If it's the latter, return it to the store, the 2nd bottle is developer.

[animetor7]

Thank you, animetor7! :) Yup, over clarified hair is always best for deposit dye uptake! :agree: And many people let it sit for longer than the product says, because it can help the uptake.

I have no personal experience of Manic Panic over henna, but I've seen some gorgeous results on the LHC, some people try to get to cooler (purpler) red with dye over henna, for example, here are some reports:

Vampire Red from Manic Panic over henna - http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=91576
Manic panic over henna? Show me your photos please :) - http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=122994
My report: Manic Panic on top of Henna - http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=53832
SFX/Manic Panic over henna thread.. *twiddles fingers* advice please? - http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=86586

Keep in mind that henna can be pretty drying, and quite a few people reported that they needed more moisturizing treatments (oiling, SMT) after henna and couldn't tolerate hydrolyzed proteins as much or at all, compared to pre-henna strands.

Oh, and when you are looking for specific dye products, keep in mind that they sometimes get mislabeled. I've seen some products claiming they were "semi-permanent" when they were actually technically "demis", because they did use some peroxide developer. A true "semi" should be developer-free. It's important to check the complete ingredients list, and check out some reviews and photos over haircolors similar to yours.

Good luck! :cheer:

Thank you for the detailed response!! I was looking through the manic panic over henna thread and that alone has convinced me that if I go the henna route and want to "brighten up" the color, especially on the ends, without risking darkening from multiple henna applications that that's a good way to go. I'll check out the other threads as well though. :)

If I decide to go with henna and it's drying I can always just use a nice coney conditioner over it after I've rinsed it out, so that shouldn't be too much of a problem, and might actually be nice given my hair's tendency to get oily a bit easily. I'm also not too worried about protein because I don't really tend to use any in my products anyhow, but thank you for mentioning it. If I go through with henna and notice something that would be a place to start looking. :)

Thank you for the product warning, I'll be very careful if I go the traditional dye route, but I'm thinking I'll probably abandon that idea and just go with either a henna mix of some sort or a deposit only dye.

Thanks for the good luck wish. I'll have to update when I make up my mind and as I continue to research. Whatever I decide I'll provide pictures. :)


An easy way to tell is if it's box dye, does it have one bottle, or two bottles that require mixing. If it's the latter, return it to the store, the 2nd bottle is developer.

Thank you for this information!! Like I said, I'm leaning heavily away from traditional dyes, but if I later change my mind or can't achieve the color I want with henna or deposit only dyes, I'll keep this in mind. :)

[FuzzyBlackWaves]

Just be aware that when you use henna it really is like a marriage. There's no getting out of it without fighting and lots of tears. I'm learning that the hard way as I grow mine out!

[Stray_mind]

I think all dyes are damaging to certain extent. Even henna (well at least for me, it started drying out my hair after a few applications).

It also depends on your hair and what you do to protect it and nourish it. I started dying my hair at a salon, at my trusted hairdresser. She recommended me a semi permanent hair dye. I go back to dye my hair every two months, but i'm planning to do only roots when my hair gets longer. My hair doesn't seem very damaged, at least not yet, but beside the dye i do weekly oilings and take some supplements. My hair itself is pretty strong now. It takes certain ammount of force to snap one hair in half.

I think you could do a strand test with henna if you're afraid of how the color will turn out. And yeah, Henna is Very permanent.

[MidnightMoon]

I'd see two issues with using box dye.
1. it is damaging, I have dyed my own hair a lot of times, and I can tell there is a difference
2. you'd have to deal with roots, which I'm not sure to which extent you care about, but back when I dyed my hair orange/ginger it really bothered me
a lot of people thought it was my colour, and I couldn't stand the colour difference and thinking someone will notice xD

About henna, I'm not a user, but from seeing other people's hair in my vast (not :p) LHC experience, I'd think your hair is too dark to get a true copper in all lights.
Lighter hair seems to have a certain transparency, I don't know, light just hits it differently, so putting henna on it would darken it, but still allow for a lighter colour to show. On darker hair, it's as if putting something on top, and it will most definitely have a copper shine in the sun, because even my own very dark hair looks a golden brown when hit directly, but indoors and artificial light, it will probably look darker.
Again, I'm not expert, just my observations from people's hair, using deposit dyes, etc.

[Kae612]

Thank you for this suggestion! I hadn't thought of using a deposit dye like manic panic. I've used manic panic before to make my ends fire truck red, but have never tried for a more natural tone. I also looked up arctic fox. Maybe if I used mostly the orange tone and then added a bit of red? This might be a reasonable option because I only wash my hair about once a week anyway and like to do some sort of hair masque after clarifying, so I could just keep it up and it probably wouldn't ever fade too significantly. :)

Yeah you might have to play with the mixture a bit, but It isn't too difficult or damaging to keep up. Arctic Fox used to sell a "auburn bundle" that was Purple Rain and Poison together, but I think that achieved auburn on very pale hair so they needed to create the brown too. There are several videos about how people mix colours to create the colour they want, but you also take into consideration your natural light brown colour too. :)

[FuzzyBlackWaves]

Also, box dyes are incredibly damaging. I only did my roots once a month with a lavish coconut oil application before hand and my dyed ends are still breaking and thin at waist length.

[lapushka]

Option 1: Use a henna/cassia mix to get my red back. This is the least damaging option, but I don't want to get cherry cola red at all. I want a more coppery tone, so I'm worried this won't give me the color I want.

Option 2: Use a store bought dye and go full redhead. I'd buy a drug store color and I'd probably want to get a very gingery copper color. I used some hair dyes in high school, but it's been a while and I wasn't really paying attention to my hair so I honestly can't remember how damaging they were. I also don't know which brands to try if I go for this option.

Option 3: See a professional and dye my hair. This would probably be a safer option in terms of getting the color I want. But it might be expensive and I don't want them cutting it at all. It also might still be damaging.

I wouldn't use henna, it is dead permanent and you can't get it out of the hair easily. So I would rule that out. If you do want to go the henna route: strand test.

I would strand test the regular dye as well, and see what appeals to you most.

A professional, I would have to be sure it was someone who knows color, and those are far and few inbetween!

[Alibran]

I've had experience of all 3 methods, so here's my take on it (based on personal experience only!):

Henna
Pros: The results can be beautiful, if unpredictable. Henna isn't damaging for most people. The colour you want should be pretty easy to achieve.
Cons: Henna is a pain. If you want a good deposit, you can spend a whole weekend mixing it, waiting for dye release, applying it, sitting (or sleeping) with the mud pie on your head, and rinsing it out. It's messy, the bath (and much of the bathroom) ends up orange, and your OH hates you. It's permanent ... really permanent.

Store/box dye
Pros: It's cheap-ish, and you can do it when it's convenient. It doesn't have to be particularly damaging, although it can be.
Cons: Results can vary from one application to the next, depending on how well you've been caring for your hair, whether you've clarified immediately before, etc. If you lose track of time/get distracted, it can go disastrously wrong. Manufacturers change ingredients from time to time, or discontinue certain colours. It can be messy, although likely not as messy as henna.

Salon
Pros: You get the colour you want. Someone else does it ... at a salon. You don't have to clear up the mess
Cons: It's damaging (but as long as you only get the roots done as they grow out, it's one-time damage). It's probably more expensive than either of the other options (although I found quality henna was more expensive than salon prices here). You have to learn to be assertive: "No silicones, no dryer, don't even think about coming near me with those straightening irons, and yes, I probably should look after the scissors for the duration of my appointment ... just in case, you know?"

Personally, I prefer the salon option. I'd trust someone else to dye my hair long before I'd trust them to come near me with scissors, and I actually go to salons to get my roots done as a way to hang out there for a while and assess their stylists.

Having said that, I am going from 70% grey/30% light brown to dark brown (in colour terms probably 5 or lighter to 3), which means there's no 'lift' needed and I can get away with the weakest developer - 1% peroxide. Obviously, a stronger developer will cause more damage.

[2gaits]

I would get it professionally done. Henna sounds like a pain to do and box dye will damage and not turn out right. I would probably only have some red highlights added. It will last longer, not be damaging to your whole head of hair and if you decide to just embrace your natural color at some point, it will be much easier to grow out.

[animetor7]

Just be aware that when you use henna it really is like a marriage. There's no getting out of it without fighting and lots of tears. I'm learning that the hard way as I grow mine out!

Thank you for the reply. Yeah, I've been reading on the henna thread, and I know it's really permanent. I'm not too concerned about permanence, if I can be somewhat coppery again I'd be happy. Worst comes worst I can always tone the red down some with amla if I decide I want to grow it out I can gradually reduce the henna in my mixture or replace it with amla so that it's more ombre rather than just roots. And I'm okay with growing it out, I did have to grow out the fire engine red and microtrim, so that's fine. :)


I think all dyes are damaging to certain extent. Even henna (well at least for me, it started drying out my hair after a few applications).

It also depends on your hair and what you do to protect it and nourish it. I started dying my hair at a salon, at my trusted hairdresser. She recommended me a semi permanent hair dye. I go back to dye my hair every two months, but i'm planning to do only roots when my hair gets longer. My hair doesn't seem very damaged, at least not yet, but beside the dye i do weekly oilings and take some supplements. My hair itself is pretty strong now. It takes certain ammount of force to snap one hair in half.

I think you could do a strand test with henna if you're afraid of how the color will turn out. And yeah, Henna is Very permanent.

Thank you for the reply. I'm definitely going to strand test. And I think I'm leaning much more towards henna or vegetable dye at this point, but I'm glad you've found a hairdresser that works so well with you!! :)


I'd see two issues with using box dye.
1. it is damaging, I have dyed my own hair a lot of times, and I can tell there is a difference
2. you'd have to deal with roots, which I'm not sure to which extent you care about, but back when I dyed my hair orange/ginger it really bothered me
a lot of people thought it was my colour, and I couldn't stand the colour difference and thinking someone will notice xD

About henna, I'm not a user, but from seeing other people's hair in my vast (not :p) LHC experience, I'd think your hair is too dark to get a true copper in all lights.
Lighter hair seems to have a certain transparency, I don't know, light just hits it differently, so putting henna on it would darken it, but still allow for a lighter colour to show. On darker hair, it's as if putting something on top, and it will most definitely have a copper shine in the sun, because even my own very dark hair looks a golden brown when hit directly, but indoors and artificial light, it will probably look darker.
Again, I'm not expert, just my observations from people's hair, using deposit dyes, etc.

Thank you for the reply! Especially about the damage of traditional dyes. I'm definitely leaning more towards henna at the moment, I've done glosses before to "amp up" my auburn, but have never gone whole hog as it were. Even so, my ends were pretty gingery even without any cassia at all, so I'm hopeful that I'll be able to achieve at least my natural auburn again. It's okay if it's a bit darker, I just want more red tones back and don't want to go burgundy. So if I can have those two things I'll be happy. Thank you for sharing your experience with chemical dye. :)


Yeah you might have to play with the mixture a bit, but It isn't too difficult or damaging to keep up. Arctic Fox used to sell a "auburn bundle" that was Purple Rain and Poison together, but I think that achieved auburn on very pale hair so they needed to create the brown too. There are several videos about how people mix colours to create the colour they want, but you also take into consideration your natural light brown colour too. :)

Thanks for the reply! I'l check out some videos. I think if I just got a very orangey color and added the slightest bit of orange-based red on it, I might be able to get the color I want. We'll see. :)


Also, box dyes are incredibly damaging. I only did my roots once a month with a lavish coconut oil application before hand and my dyed ends are still breaking and thin at waist length.

Thank you for the reply! I think I'm going to avoid box dyes, I'm too worried about damaging them. :)


I wouldn't use henna, it is dead permanent and you can't get it out of the hair easily. So I would rule that out. If you do want to go the henna route: strand test.

I would strand test the regular dye as well, and see what appeals to you most.

A professional, I would have to be sure it was someone who knows color, and those are far and few inbetween!

Thank you for your reply! I appreciate how permanent henna is, but I'm less worried about permanence and more worried about potential damage. I think I'm probably going to go the henna route because this way I avoid damage and get my red tones back which will make me happy. I just don't like being fully brunette, I liked the red in my hair and am sad that it's gone. I'm thinking I'll avoid chemical dyes right now because of the potential for damage. If I have to choose, I think I'd rather get an imperfect color with henna/cassia than lose length. :)

[animetor7]

I've had experience of all 3 methods, so here's my take on it (based on personal experience only!):

Henna
Pros: The results can be beautiful, if unpredictable. Henna isn't damaging for most people. The colour you want should be pretty easy to achieve.
Cons: Henna is a pain. If you want a good deposit, you can spend a whole weekend mixing it, waiting for dye release, applying it, sitting (or sleeping) with the mud pie on your head, and rinsing it out. It's messy, the bath (and much of the bathroom) ends up orange, and your OH hates you. It's permanent ... really permanent.

Store/box dye
Pros: It's cheap-ish, and you can do it when it's convenient. It doesn't have to be particularly damaging, although it can be.
Cons: Results can vary from one application to the next, depending on how well you've been caring for your hair, whether you've clarified immediately before, etc. If you lose track of time/get distracted, it can go disastrously wrong. Manufacturers change ingredients from time to time, or discontinue certain colours. It can be messy, although likely not as messy as henna.

Salon
Pros: You get the colour you want. Someone else does it ... at a salon. You don't have to clear up the mess
Cons: It's damaging (but as long as you only get the roots done as they grow out, it's one-time damage). It's probably more expensive than either of the other options (although I found quality henna was more expensive than salon prices here). You have to learn to be assertive: "No silicones, no dryer, don't even think about coming near me with those straightening irons, and yes, I probably should look after the scissors for the duration of my appointment ... just in case, you know?"

Personally, I prefer the salon option. I'd trust someone else to dye my hair long before I'd trust them to come near me with scissors, and I actually go to salons to get my roots done as a way to hang out there for a while and assess their stylists.

Having said that, I am going from 70% grey/30% light brown to dark brown (in colour terms probably 5 or lighter to 3), which means there's no 'lift' needed and I can get away with the weakest developer - 1% peroxide. Obviously, a stronger developer will cause more damage.

Thank you so much for your very thorough reply!! I'm leaning heavily towards henna/cassia. I figure I can try it and as I wouldn't want to completely remove it, just perhaps lighten it some, I think I'm in the clear in terms of henna being permanent. You can lighten it using Sun in if necessary, just not lift it completely. :) I don't know that I'd want to get my hair done at a stylist's thinking about it because of the cost, the risk for damage, and them not listening to what I want, which is what usually happens when I see stylists. "One inch? Sure, let me cut off five and also add layers, that's what you wanted right?" Oy gevalt!! I'm okay with spending a weekend to henna all of it, root touch ups will probably be quicker. :)


I would get it professionally done. Henna sounds like a pain to do and box dye will damage and not turn out right. I would probably only have some red highlights added. It will last longer, not be damaging to your whole head of hair and if you decide to just embrace your natural color at some point, it will be much easier to grow out.

Thank you for your reply! I don't think I'm going to get it dyed at a salon because of the cost, risk of damage, and not getting what I want. I also don't want red highlights, I want the whole thing toned more coppery/auburn. I think I'm okay with the permanence of henna for two reasons. I think if I'm careful with my mix, it won't be too extreme and I've done more extreme things to my hair such as fire engine red ends, and was fine. I also think from reading about different natural hair dyes over the last couple of days, that if I absolutely need to, I can tone down some of the red in the henna using amla and gradually shift back to my natural color if I like. I'd still have to grow it out, but it wouldn't have to be with stark roots.

Thank you all for your help, I think I got everyone individually, but if I missed you, I do still really appreciate your contributions. I think I'm going to go for a henna/cassia mixture over the whole thing after strand testing and then keep up with the color by doing roots only applications to avoid darkening due to repeated henna applications. If I want to touch up the color in between or make it even more orange/copper I'm also thinking I can use a vegetable deposit only dye to achieve this over the henna. Thanks again!! Now to wait for my next clarifying session and sit on this decision to be sure it's what I want. But I'm pretty sure, I've missed my auburn since I noticed it starting to go more brown.

[Lynn of Many]

I know! Those grocery dyes lure people in like crazy! Its all the beautiful hair in the pictures, I like looking at them. It would be great if they'd put pictures of what those boxes actually do to your hair. I'm guessing they'd be out of business then... 😊

[MidnightMoon]

No problem.
If you're more interested in redness (I thought having it a true copper colour was as important), and don't mind it will stick forever, then definitely try henna. My advise was given taking into account henna doesn't lighten hair, so brown +henna on top would result in a shade just as, if not darker than your own, only now with orange tones. Your pictures and siggy show a dark brown, but you know better what it's like in real life.
Reading now you don't mind the colour level, involving any bleach makes no sense. Even if done in a salon, it will damage hair. It'll be better than using a box dye, but it's still damaging, and you can't really tell what will be the end result.
Imagine you end up lighter than expected, prepare to deal with ugly brassy ends and accentuated contrast. But that's me, I don't really dare go to a salon unless prepared for things to get serious lol.

[Corvana]

I think I'm going to go for a henna/cassia mixture over the whole thing after strand testing and then keep up with the color by doing roots only applications to avoid darkening due to repeated henna applications. If I want to touch up the color in between or make it even more orange/copper I'm also thinking I can use a vegetable deposit only dye to achieve this over the henna. Thanks again!! Now to wait for my next clarifying session and sit on this decision to be sure it's what I want. But I'm pretty sure, I've missed my auburn since I noticed it starting to go more brown.

Please keep me updated (if you don't mind)! Your current color is close to mine (mine seems much darker, but it's poor lighting in most of my photos. If you look at my first length shot taken in the bathroom it's much closer), and I'm very curious to see how henna turns out for you! I also don't mind if I go a bit darker if that means I get back that coppery fire in the sun and warm lighting. I actually used to dye my hair black, but that fire was so strong it'd push straight through and I loved it, so how dark it gets doesn't matter! But like you'd I'd like to avoid too much cherry cola (I wouldn't hate it, but it's not my preference).

[lapushka]

Thank you for your reply! I appreciate how permanent henna is, but I'm less worried about permanence and more worried about potential damage. I think I'm probably going to go the henna route because this way I avoid damage and get my red tones back which will make me happy. I just don't like being fully brunette, I liked the red in my hair and am sad that it's gone. I'm thinking I'll avoid chemical dyes right now because of the potential for damage. If I have to choose, I think I'd rather get an imperfect color with henna/cassia than lose length. :)

Have you thought about maybe going for a thick streak maybe underneath your hair, like torrinpaige has done with the pink streak in her hair. It is pretty neat.

[Dark40]

I'm a typical box dye addict. I don't have any problems with any damage from box dye. I've been using box dye since my last year in high school, and I would say the best box dye I would recommend anyone to use that is trying to grow their hair out is, "Clairol Nice N Easy." To me, this is the best box dye I have ever used on the market! It doesn't break my hair off or dry it out or anything. Especially, with it's new formula, and my hair length is between MBL and WL.

[akurah]

I'm a typical box dye addict. I don't have any problems with any damage from box dye. I've been using box dye since my last year in high school, and I would say the best box dye I would recommend anyone to use that is trying to grow their hair out is, "Clairol Nice N Easy." To me, this is the best box dye I have ever used on the market! It doesn't break my hair off or dry it out or anything. Especially, with it's new formula, and my hair length is between MBL and WL.

"Last year in high school" isn't a good timescale without an age modifier. My "last year in high school" was 15 years and some months ago, and I guarantee if I had been using box dye THAT long, even my rather durable hair would be in tatters at it's current length.

[Kellylee]

You could always try a beauty school. What you are looking to do wouldn't be very hard for the students to do. But hey as long as you have someone to help you you should be fine. I'm just unsure if a deposit only will give you the color your looking for. Are you looking to go a little lighter with a more neutral red or like a red red that clearly not natural?

[lapushka]

"Last year in high school" isn't a good timescale without an age modifier. My "last year in high school" was 15 years and some months ago, and I guarantee if I had been using box dye THAT long, even my rather durable hair would be in tatters at it's current length.

IDK. My mom has been using box dye since her 30s. She's 70 now. Her hair has gotten thinner, but that was due to hormonal changes. But the quality of the hair is still nice. She has used many brands, L'Oréal, Garnier, and now Syoss these last couple of years because it's an easy dye to use.

[Arciela]

I have had pretty nice luck with using Madder Root Aveda conditioner :)

My hair is some kind of auburn red though but somedays it looks really brunette...its weird to me hehe. I also notice ACV rinses help bring out the red a lot!

Here is my hair in indoor lighting:

https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/10409363_10155048662050604_918547018310176718_n.jp g?oh=25347cfa1ab2f8815a1a6f9f474c05a2&oe=5A37EFF7

Sunlight :) First two are with only ACV rinses...last one was with the Madder Root condish!

https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/20915343_10159330846695604_2388004336415084765_n.j pg?oh=ac9be85baafc0622cc053f859015f801&oe=5A1D6B07

https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/10665766_10154787793000604_8574866990082500009_n.j pg?oh=4cee23af716c29b25dbcf8eeef663a8d&oe=5A27C3EB


https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/20031774_10159134950650604_4225480369385080781_n.j pg?oh=2b2f06ef61204a2556f390cfad94f091&oe=5A1EA319

The madder root is temporary and I would just use it now and then...it was a little drying but after cowashing and leave ins...I don't notice it anymore :) The ACV seemed like the best though..made it shiny and stuff!! YMMV :flower:

[animetor7]

I know! Those grocery dyes lure people in like crazy! Its all the beautiful hair in the pictures, I like looking at them. It would be great if they'd put pictures of what those boxes actually do to your hair. I'm guessing they'd be out of business then... ��

No kidding!!! Yeah, I think I'll be steering clear of them. :)


No problem.
If you're more interested in redness (I thought having it a true copper colour was as important), and don't mind it will stick forever, then definitely try henna. My advise was given taking into account henna doesn't lighten hair, so brown +henna on top would result in a shade just as, if not darker than your own, only now with orange tones. Your pictures and siggy show a dark brown, but you know better what it's like in real life.
Reading now you don't mind the colour level, involving any bleach makes no sense. Even if done in a salon, it will damage hair. It'll be better than using a box dye, but it's still damaging, and you can't really tell what will be the end result.
Imagine you end up lighter than expected, prepare to deal with ugly brassy ends and accentuated contrast. But that's me, I don't really dare go to a salon unless prepared for things to get serious lol.

Oh I'm there with salons too!! I'm too nervous that they're going to do something I hate. At least if I mess up my hair, I did it to myself and I didn't have to pay someone a lot of money to do something I hate. And yeah, my avatar and siggy pictures are pretty weird lighting, I just liked that my siggy pic showed a hairstyle I like even if it looks dark due to lighting and being drenched in coconut oil...:whistle: I think at this point I'm just going to try a cassia/henna blend and see what that gets me. If I decide I want to go a bit lighter I've been reading on this forum a bit about Sun-In and bleach baths, which are still a bit damaging, but not as much as straight bleach or a box dye. Thank you for the response!!


Please keep me updated (if you don't mind)! Your current color is close to mine (mine seems much darker, but it's poor lighting in most of my photos. If you look at my first length shot taken in the bathroom it's much closer), and I'm very curious to see how henna turns out for you! I also don't mind if I go a bit darker if that means I get back that coppery fire in the sun and warm lighting. I actually used to dye my hair black, but that fire was so strong it'd push straight through and I loved it, so how dark it gets doesn't matter! But like you'd I'd like to avoid too much cherry cola (I wouldn't hate it, but it's not my preference).

Oh I know, I miss the fire, even if my hair is darker now, I want that back. I also tried dyeing my hair black in high school and even permanent black dye faded back to auburn within a month or so. Stubborn I guess. :shrug:

[animetor7]

Have you thought about maybe going for a thick streak maybe underneath your hair, like torrinpaige has done with the pink streak in her hair. It is pretty neat.

It is a very pretty look, but I don't want a streak or layer, I want to go full auburn again. Thank you for the suggestion anyway though. :) :flower:


You could always try a beauty school. What you are looking to do wouldn't be very hard for the students to do. But hey as long as you have someone to help you you should be fine. I'm just unsure if a deposit only will give you the color your looking for. Are you looking to go a little lighter with a more neutral red or like a red red that clearly not natural?

I want to go redder. Not really an unnatural red, I wouldn't mind going more coppery, but I don't want it to be firetruck red or anything. :) I don't think I'm going to go the beauty school route, although that is a good suggestion. Mainly because I think I'm going to go for a henna/cassia mix rather than using "traditional" dyes, and that isn't really what beauty schools do. I might try to go a little lighter later with either a gentle bleach bath or some Sun In. But we'll see what I get with the henna/cassia first. :) Thank you for your suggestion though, and the deposit only dye would probably be over whatever henna I do on my lengths just to brighten them up when I do my roots, depending on how visible the roots are and how often they might need to be done.


I have had pretty nice luck with using Madder Root Aveda conditioner :)

My hair is some kind of auburn red though but somedays it looks really brunette...its weird to me hehe. I also notice ACV rinses help bring out the red a lot!

The madder root is temporary and I would just use it now and then...it was a little drying but after cowashing and leave ins...I don't notice it anymore :) The ACV seemed like the best though..made it shiny and stuff!! YMMV :flower:

I will definitely look into that if I want to try something other than the henna/cassia once it's done. Or if I'm too lazy to do roots. ;) I'm going to switch to ACV once my current white vinegar runs out though since I do a vinegar rinse with every full wash anyway. Might as well bring out those red highlights!!! Thank you for the suggestions and the pictures. Mine is a similar color, but without the curls. And yeah, it's strange how brunette auburn hair can go in some light!! :)

Thanks for all the replies everyone!! As I said in some posts earlier, I've decided I'm going to try henna/cassia with potential deposit dye "refreshers" for my length if I want to brighten them while doing my roots. I may also lighten my hair a bit to make it more coppery using either bleach baths or Sun In if I feel like I want it to be brighter. Thanks for all the suggestions, and helping me figure out and decide what to do. :) I'll update this thread with before/after pictures and the process of everything when I get around to doing it. Probably next Friday, but it might be another time. Thanks again!! I really appreciate all the different suggestions and perspectives. It helped me determine what I think is my best course.

[lapushka]

It is a very pretty look, but I don't want a streak or layer, I want to go full auburn again. Thank you for the suggestion anyway though. :) :flower:

Just a thought. :o I hope you find something that works! :D

[animetor7]

Today's the day guys!! Well tomorrow was going to be, but I got rained on and my hair needed a wash today, so today it is! My hair is currently soaking in coconut oil as per usual before my clarifying wash, then in about two hours after I wash it I'll apply the henna mixture. My henna mix is made of 1 packet (100g) of henna maiden color mix in the color "copper" which also has red clay and amla in it, and a henna/cassia mixture of 50g henna and 100g cassia. The henna maiden dye was a gift that I'm trying to use up, if I like this color I'll keep it in, if I decide I don't i'll leave it out next time, even though henna is permanent I'm expecting it to take some tweaking before I get the color I want, I'll just grow the rest out and make small adjustments so that there isn't a harsh demarcation line. I mixed this into a mud using chamomile tea and am only going to wait about two hours for dye release. I was going to wait four, but I got some of the mix on me while stirring and it dyed my skin, so I don't think I need to wait as long. I'm planning on adding in a bit of conditioner to aid with applying and then leave it to sit for at least 2 hours. Here's to hoping guys, I'll update when I actually have it sitting on my head and add some before/after pics after everything is over. Thanks again for all the suggestions along the way that helped me decide which route to try. Unfortunately the before pic is on day 7.5 hair so it's a bit darker than it usually is, but it will serve. Wish me luck!!

[Corvana]

Good luck!! I can't wait to see hehehe

[animetor7]

I've just applied the paste, now to wait for three hours with my hair double bagged and under an old t-shirt. I upped the sitting time because after doing some reading on the LHC I'm re-thinking my 2 hour plan, at least for this first dye. So, I'll check in again in 3 hours after the rinse out. :) It's going to be a late night, but I think it will be worth it. Lucky that I don't have to go anywhere tomorrow, the palms of my hands are orange because I wanted to contain my mess as much as possible and needed my hands to be as dexterous as possible, so I skipped on the gloves. I definitely got a lighter orange stain than when a friend did henna on my hands for the Summer, but a large part of that could be due to not letting it sit on my hands really.

[animetor7]

Okay, so far it seems VERY red and deeper than I'd hoped for. But it's still drying and then we'll see. I'm tempted to try blow drying it just to see the result sooner. If it really is more maroon or red than I'd like, then I guess I'll give it a few days for the henna to do what it's going to do and if I really hate it, then I can follow Nightshade's lightening henna with Sun-In procedure or a mild bleach cap. I might wait until my next clarifying wash though. Anyway, we'll find out soon guys. :)

ETA: Well, I just blow dried it and I ended up with maroon hair. Like red priestess of R'hllor red. It's kind of a cool color, but not what I was going for. I will be throwing out this mix and giving the hair a few days to figure out what it's going to do. Then I'll decide what to do about the maroon, I'll probably try to lighten it with either Sun-In or a bleach cap.

ETA2: On the upside, I'd forgotten how much any shade of red makes my eyes really pop unlike even my natural auburn could. They mostly look like they're just brown even though they're actually hazel because they are a dark hazel with an olive green rather than a bright one. This makes that more visible. I"m still not sure if I want to look like a red priestess though, even if the night is dark and full of terrors. ;)

[Corvana]

Okay, so far it seems VERY red and deeper than I'd hoped for. But it's still drying and then we'll see. I'm tempted to try blow drying it just to see the result sooner. If it really is more maroon or red than I'd like, then I guess I'll give it a few days for the henna to do what it's going to do and if I really hate it, then I can follow Nightshade's lightening henna with Sun-In procedure or a mild bleach cap. I might wait until my next clarifying wash though. Anyway, we'll find out soon guys. :)

ETA: Well, I just blow dried it and I ended up with maroon hair. Like red priestess of R'hllor red. It's kind of a cool color, but not what I was going for. I will be throwing out this mix and giving the hair a few days to figure out what it's going to do. Then I'll decide what to do about the maroon, I'll probably try to lighten it with either Sun-In or a bleach cap.

ETA2: On the upside, I'd forgotten how much any shade of red makes my eyes really pop unlike even my natural auburn could. They mostly look like they're just brown even though they're actually hazel because they are a dark hazel with an olive green rather than a bright one. This makes that more visible. I"m still not sure if I want to look like a red priestess though, even if the night is dark and full of terrors. ;)

Well do make sure you wait, of course! And see the color in the sun, as well. I don't know if the oxidization makes it more or less orange, so give it the days for that to finish either way. I've also read that amla will make henna darker, so if your henna blend had that in there that could be why?

[animetor7]

Well do make sure you wait, of course! And see the color in the sun, as well. I don't know if the oxidization makes it more or less orange, so give it the days for that to finish either way. I've also read that amla will make henna darker, so if your henna blend had that in there that could be why?

It might be. I'm thinking that definitely something in the mix was a mistake to have in there and will not be continuing with it. I think I'm probably going to try the Sun-In method first in a couple of days and see what results that gets me. and will save the bleach wash for my next clarifying wash which won't be for a bit yet. I'll also add some pictures tomorrow of both before and after when it's fully dry to give an idea of the color this mixture gives in case someone who is going for a cool-toned henna with similar starting hair wants to be a red priestess. Or priest. ;)

[MidnightMoon]

I'm curious to see what you ended up with :p
I've also heard henna changes colour days after you've applied it, so maybe give it a few?

[LadyCelestina]

I'm sorry that you ended with a colour you don't like :( (on the other side, lucky you, many want that colour with little success :) ) To me it sounds like you used quite a lot of henna and left it for quite a long time. Maybe just a very weak gloss would suffice next time, like a tablespoon for 1-1,5 hour in conditioner or yogurt?

[animetor7]

Okay, so I'm back with pictures and an update. First, the before picture:

http://i.imgur.com/bcZkycD.jpg

This is on day 7.5 hair that's been oiled so it's a bit darker than my natural color, but fairly representative of what it was before.

Now for the red priestess of R'hllor hair. :)

http://i.imgur.com/LFvCeBL.jpg

In the Sun

http://i.imgur.com/JQtZaHq.jpg

Indoor lighting

These both look a bit more gingery than it does in person. It's much more cool toned and deeper than these pictures really show. Much more like Melisandre in this picture: http://i.lv3.hbo.com/assets/images/series/game-of-thrones/character/s3/melisandre-300.jpg

Or Jean Grey in this picture: http://digitalspyuk.cdnds.net/17/10/980x490/landscape-1489151230-famke-janssen-jean-grey-x-men.jpg

Now, for the update. My hair is currently soaking, and yes I mean soaking as in if I squeezed it I'd get drops, in coconut and olive oil. I was doing some research last night and this morning about how to lift henna dye to the extent that's possible, and read a lot about using a 50:50 coconut and olive oil mix heavily on the hair to lift recent henna dye. This might not work and I'd normally wait before trying anything else on my hair like this, but I decided to go forward with this method today for two reasons.

1) Everything I read says this method works best the closer you use it to the time you dyed your hair with henna so I didn't want it to "lock in" as it were before I could lift it with this method.

2) Even if it doesn't work, I can hardly damage my hair by letting it soak in oil for a few hours, so I'm not too concerned with that.

This may not work, I'll update again when I CO the oil out and my hair has started to dry. If that's the case I'll just rock red priestess hair for a bit while doing more research to figure out my next step and have fun telling people that the night is dark and full of terrors. :) Wish me luck y'all! :)

[animetor7]

I'm curious to see what you ended up with :p
I've also heard henna changes colour days after you've applied it, so maybe give it a few?

That was the original plan before hearing about the oil method I describe in my update. :)


I'm sorry that you ended with a colour you don't like :( (on the other side, lucky you, many want that colour with little success :) ) To me it sounds like you used quite a lot of henna and left it for quite a long time. Maybe just a very weak gloss would suffice next time, like a tablespoon for 1-1,5 hour in conditioner or yogurt?

It's alright, it's just not what I wanted, but I'm not devastated or anything, more amused by how very red it got. And I agree there was too much henna and I left it on too long, so I'm trying to lift a bit of the stain. I don't think I'm going to try glossing after this because I've used it in the past and it made little to no discernible color difference to my already auburn hair and this time I do want some color payoff. And in any case, I'm glad I documented everything so that if someone does want this color then they'll know exactly how to achieve it. :)

[Corvana]

Well it's certainly very shiny and looks super soft!!

[animetor7]

Well it's certainly very shiny and looks super soft!!

Thank you, it is that. The henna mixture delivered on that promise at least. :) And like I said earlier, I'm not devastated or anything, I knew this was a risk when I decided to do it and so was prepared to be a red priestess for a while as I worked on fading the henna or brightening it if that was necessary. I hoped to get the color right on the first go, but didn't entirely expect to. :)

[Stray_mind]

So i assume you want to be more like catelyn Stark rather than Melissandre then?

The recent color looks very lovely and your hair looks great, but i wish you to achieve the color you want so you can be really happy with your hair :)

[lapushka]

I like it, but it's up to you, of course. Maybe next time do do a strand test. :o You'll avoid things like this if you premix a few different mixes and test them on balls of shed hair. I hope you can achieve the color you want in the end, with the least amount of damage. Because once you get on that road, it's a rocky one.

[animetor7]

So i assume you want to be more like catelyn Stark rather than Melissandre then?

The recent color looks very lovely and your hair looks great, but i wish you to achieve the color you want so you can be really happy with your hair :)

Thank you, yes I'm going at least more for a Catelyn color and eventually maybe lighter, but since that will involve bleaching of some sort (with Sun-In, lemon, honey, or actual bleach), I'm fine with that being a very gradual process. I was able to lift a significant amount of the henna with the oil soak, I'll take pictures again the next time we have sunlight. Right now it's overcast and rainy, so I can't get a good comparison shot. But this color doesn't look quite so unnaturally cool and red, so progress. :) And no damage, as like I said it was just an oil soak followed by a conditioner soak to get the oil out.


I like it, but it's up to you, of course. Maybe next time do do a strand test. :o You'll avoid things like this if you premix a few different mixes and test them on balls of shed hair. I hope you can achieve the color you want in the end, with the least amount of damage. Because once you get on that road, it's a rocky one.

Thank you. Yup, I should have done a strand test. I don't really shed enough to gather up shed balls of a large enough size to see a color difference between two mixes, or if I did it would take years to do so. If I decide to do anything more drastic to lift/fade the henna than the oil/conditioner soak, I will be strand testing. but so far, this seems to have lifted an appreciable amount of the henna and I expect it to lift some more the next time I do it, especially if I can leave it on for longer. It's definitely a slow process and more of a fade than a lift using the oil soaks, but it also doesn't damage my hair at all. In fact my ends feel nicer than they have in years. And I was able to get a color I can live with pretty happily and that will give me some time and patience to work on oil soaking some more before trying anything drastic.

[Dendra]

Just popping in to say the colour and shine that mix gave you is quite amazing, though of course colour preference is a very personal thing. Also, I've noticed massive amounts of hendigo lifting out of my hair when I do oil treatments. As in, my sheets are stained with it in the morning. And the hendigo is 1.5/2 years old! I think the lifting really started when I was doing SMTs over oil treatments, so maybe you could give that a whirl.

[ShahMat]

Hi there !
I would exclude the box dye option, it can be very damaging even if used only once because the developer usually contains a lot of hydrogen peroxide (otherwise, people with natural hair color ranging from blonde to dark brown wouldn't be able to get the same shade you see on the box!)
If you decide to go for henna anyway, make one or more strand test to see which mix will give you the auburn color you want
Good luck (and nice costume anyway) !

[Dark40]

animetor7, To me, box dyes can be damaging if you use them throughout the year too often. But if you spread out your treatments when doing them they won't damaging at all. I've been dyeing or coloring my hair since I was 18 years old, and now I'm 46 and I haven't had any issues with damage throughout the years. That's because I've taken extra care of my hair, and I'm doing so.