Bleach bath made hair *darker*??

[turpz]

I have had hennaed hair for years now, occasionally use a dark brown normal hair dye over the top for a change, then strip it out using a colour remover when I want to go back to the henna.

Have done this recently, removed the dye last week and my hair was still a bit dark. I sometimes use a bleach spray (Sun-in or similar) to lift my roots a shade before henna anyway, but know this are quite damaging, I thought I'd try a very dilute bleach bath instead. My hair is now darker?? Could the bleach have somehow caused the color remover to reverse/reoxidise? I did that last week so would've expected the colour to be settled by now.

Now not sure whether to have another go with the colour remover, try more bleach (not sure this is wise now) or just apply henna and live with whatever result i get. Any ideas?

[pastina]

Yep. That's exactly what happened. If you use a color remover and then peroxide, your color will reoxidize.

You can always try another round of color remover, but make sure you use lots of conditioner afterwards. <3

[akurah]

I am not a scientist, but it is my understanding that if the color is temporarily gone or otherwise lighter, it's because the molecules are smaller. While this may not work, it might be worthwhile to rinse your hair an obscene amount, and when you think you've rinsed enough, rinse that same duration again. It might (but also possibly not) budge the smaller molecules from your hair.

[Robot Ninja]

I am not a scientist, but it is my understanding that if the color is temporarily gone or otherwise lighter, it's because the molecules are smaller. While this may not work, it might be worthwhile to rinse your hair an obscene amount, and when you think you've rinsed enough, rinse that same duration again. It might (but also possibly not) budge the smaller molecules from your hair.

This is exactly what you are supposed to do with color removers. The problem is that people don't rinse enough, because rinsing your hair an obscene amount is incredibly boring so you think you've rinsed an obscene amount when it's only been like five minutes. So the color re-oxidizes. Which is why they tell you to wait a few weeks before using anything with peroxide; the theory is that with all the washes in the intervening time, you'll have rinsed enough. I have also read that, if you don't want to wait, it helps to rinse a lot, dry your hair, then go rinse some more.

[meteor]

This is exactly what you are supposed to do with color removers. The problem is that people don't rinse enough, because rinsing your hair an obscene amount is incredibly boring so you think you've rinsed an obscene amount when it's only been like five minutes. So the color re-oxidizes. Which is why they tell you to wait a few weeks before using anything with peroxide; the theory is that with all the washes in the intervening time, you'll have rinsed enough. I have also read that, if you don't want to wait, it helps to rinse a lot, dry your hair, then go rinse some more.

Exactly this. :agree: At least if we are talking about color removers like Color Oops/Color B4, since they work by shrinking dye molecules with sodium hydrosulfite and the rinsing needs to be *really* abundant (as their instructions repeatedly state). Obviously, the thicker and longer the hair is, the harder it is to rinse it all out completely. So the best way to go is to put hair through multiple wash cycles (e.g. by waiting a few weeks) before even considering using anything with peroxide again.

[akurah]

So maybe rinse on the order of hours. Wasteful, but... might be what you need to do. Might be some water friendly alternatives if you keep dumping the same bucket of water over your head, but that would get exhausting quick.

[turpz]

Thanks all, will have another go with colour b4 and rinse rinse rinse. I can skip peroxide entirely, I don't use it often. Seems a bit counterintuitive to use natural hair dye for healthy hair then bleach it hehe, just occasionally want to brighten it a touch. But will skip straight back to the henna this time :)

[Obsidian]

So maybe rinse on the order of hours. Wasteful, but... might be what you need to do. Might be some water friendly alternatives if you keep dumping the same bucket of water over your head, but that would get exhausting quick.

When I use color oops, I rinse for about 5 minutes in the shower then wash a couple times. After that, I fill the bathtub and mermaid rinse for another 20 minutes or so before switching back to the shower for a final wash and condition.
Not really water conservative but it is less boring and easier than standing in a shower for such a long time.