Henna-dyed hair is a mess, what can i do?

[hellothisislune]

hi there!
i'm actually new here, so i'm hoping this is the right way to do this.

i've been dying my hair with henna, and i really loved it at first. very even and smooth cool middle-brown color. but after 4 times or so, it started getting patchy and washing out way faster. i've decided i want to stop the henna coloring, also because it's very messy and i can't get even coverage anymore. but now, as i'm washing the henna out more and more, my hair is turning a little greenish.

the weird part is, my hair is currently pretty healthy, so i don't understand where the patchiness is coming from all of the sudden. i really want to avoid having to cut it, because i'm finally starting to grow it long. i've been trying for a long time, and that's why i turned to henna as well, because it's better for the hair.

main question is: does anyone know how to get rid of this green hue and the patchiness in my hair, without cutting it?

thanksalot!

ps. my natural hair color is a dark blonde actually. but i haven't seen it in a long time, might have changed a little.

:soapbox:

[Obsidian]

If your henna colored you hair brown then it had indigo in it, pure henna is orange. The indigo is what looks green and probably causing the patchiness.

You can try a vitamin c treatment, it may lift some of the indigo. You can google instructions, there is a lot of info on it.
If you do pull out the indigo, you will probably be left with a red color.

What brand of henna were you using? Generally it doesn't fade and nothing short of bleach can get it out. You absolutely do not want to bleach, the indigo will go even more green.

[hellothisislune]

it definitely had indigo in it, yes.
i used LUSH caca brun, sometimes mixed it with caca noir even. the last one has even more indigo in it. i used it because it was easy and ready-to-use. starting to regret that, as you don't have any control over the mixing and proportions.
i'll google the vitamin c treatment, and i'll stay away from bleaching then for sure. thanks!

[Joules]

Did you use anything else on your hair color-wise? Something like Sun-In? It's unusual for herbal dyes to start going patchy and fading, they're usually adhere to hair and refuse to budge. I use Caca Rouge from Lush and I haven't done a full-on application in 10 months (I do root touch-ups only), the color stays the same.

Maybe you didn't mix the brun and noir henna well enough and it made the result patchy? Or maybe you didn't apply it evenly? How much water do you add to your henna mix, does it turn out really thick or really liquid? I've seen a lot of youtube "tutorials" with Lush henna, and almost everyone makes it waaay too thick and applies it unevenly.

[hellothisislune]

Did you use anything else on your hair color-wise? Something like Sun-In? It's unusual for herbal dyes to start going patchy and fading, they're usually adhere to hair and refuse to budge. I use Caca Rouge from Lush and I haven't done a full-on application in 10 months (I do root touch-ups only), the color stays the same.

Maybe you didn't mix the brun and noir henna well enough and it made the result patchy? Or maybe you didn't apply it evenly? How much water do you add to your henna mix, does it turn out really thick or really liquid? I've seen a lot of youtube "tutorials" with Lush henna, and almost everyone makes it waaay too thick and applies it unevenly.


no i didn't use anything else. cut my hair after i colored it chemically and then waited quite a long time before i colored with henna. you may have a point though, i mixed the henna with water until a little thicker than molten chocolate consistency, because i found it applied easier. so it was definitely more on the thick side i'd say. i think i did apply evenly, and i always ask someone to help me with the back since i have long hair. i do have really thick hair, so maybe i didn't use enough? sometimes i'd use almost 2 entire blocks. it might be an application error indeed. do you have any tips on how to apply more evenly?

thanks for your reply :)

[hellothisislune]

no i didn't use anything else. cut my hair after i colored it chemically and then waited quite a long time before i colored with henna. you may have a point though, i mixed the henna with water until a little thicker than molten chocolate consistency, because i found it applied easier. so it was definitely more on the thick side i'd say. i think i did apply evenly, and i always ask someone to help me with the back since i have long hair. i do have really thick hair, so maybe i didn't use enough? sometimes i'd use almost 2 entire blocks. it might be an application error indeed. do you have any tips on how to apply more evenly?

thanks for your reply :)



oh and i did make sure i mixed noir & brun well! so that is not the problem, i think.

[Joules]

no i didn't use anything else. cut my hair after i colored it chemically and then waited quite a long time before i colored with henna. you may have a point though, i mixed the henna with water until a little thicker than molten chocolate consistency, because i found it applied easier. so it was definitely more on the thick side i'd say. i think i did apply evenly, and i always ask someone to help me with the back since i have long hair. i do have really thick hair, so maybe i didn't use enough? sometimes i'd use almost 2 entire blocks. it might be an application error indeed. do you have any tips on how to apply more evenly?

thanks for your reply :)

I make my henna very liquid, like think of a very runny shampoo. Just a little thicker than pure water. Then I section off very small pieces starting from the front and make sure to thoroughly saturate it. I always mix a bit more henna than I need, just to be able to apply a lot of it to each piece of hair. If I have some henna left over I apply more of it to the hairline, and I might even pour the rest of it on my head, I basically bathe my hair in it (well, I did so whn I did full on applications, now I just make sure to saturate only roots).

There's been a tread here already, a lot of people noticed that making your henna more liquid makes the application easier and color ends up being brighter, since the actual pigment releases into the water and that's what colors your hair (the herb bits and pieces are useless).

[lapushka]

Maybe the chemical processing that you had before this is messing with the color.

There's only one way with indigo in the hair: growing it out. Or, putting a semi/demi on your roots from now on in the same color or a color you like if you don't like your natural color, and then seeing where that takes you.

[hellothisislune]

thanks for all the replies :)

update: i googled the vitamin c treatment and compared some of them. i followed the instructions and put the mixture in my hair, making sure to really really rinse it out. unfortunately, it worked. i say unfortunately because the pathiness and green hue showed up much more intense. my hair is a lot of different colors all of the sudden, from reddish to orange to brown to green to dark blonde (with a green hue). i don't really understand, since my hair was never so messy and patchy. i'll just keep going to get most of the color out, and maybe trying henna again, making it less thick in consistency? thanks for all the advice, i hope i can make it work without having to cut it off.

[lapushka]

I would stop using the henna!!!

Try a semi color to cover the green hue (preferably a red dye).

[illicitlizard]

At this point, I'd probably go in for a colour correction service with a professional. You could try and neutralise the green with a red dye but I feel it may still end up patchy

[lapushka]

I am with illicitlizard. I would stop the henna/indigo for good and switch back over to semis (not permanent dyes either) to try and slowly grow the hair back out. You may consider going to a professional for this as you have to know something about color. Do make sure they don't try and bleach stuff out.

You don't want to further mess up the hair! And I know it's tempting to try and want to correct it yourself. BTDT, learned the lesson the hard hard way. Unfortunately.

[Obsidian]

Yep, at this point you need a professional. I wouldn't bother with semis though, I would go with permanent to just get it done and over with.

[NovellyBella]

Sorry I'm a bit late to this conversation, but speaking from experience, please DO NOT dye you hair with anything other than henna/indigo/cassia after henna has already been used. The mixture of henna and chemical dye/peroxide creates a metallic-salt reaction in the cuticle that can literally break the protein bonds, and that causes SO much damage. My hair literally fell out. In most cases, your only option is to grow it out or use henna again.

The henna LUSH provides is often expired, since they let the bars "air out" which lessens their intensity. I recommend Henna Color Lab .com for henna-based dyes. All of their henna is fresh and ethically sourced. Also, you don't have to leave it on to process as long (like LUSH) because the henna is fresh.

Best of luck, dear!

[Cate36]

hi there!
i'm actually new here, so i'm hoping this is the right way to do this.

i've been dying my hair with henna, and i really loved it at first. very even and smooth cool middle-brown color. but after 4 times or so, it started getting patchy and washing out way faster. i've decided i want to stop the henna coloring, also because it's very messy and i can't get even coverage anymore. but now, as i'm washing the henna out more and more, my hair is turning a little greenish.

the weird part is, my hair is currently pretty healthy, so i don't understand where the patchiness is coming from all of the sudden. i really want to avoid having to cut it, because i'm finally starting to grow it long. i've been trying for a long time, and that's why i turned to henna as well, because it's better for the hair.

main question is: does anyone know how to get rid of this green hue and the patchiness in my hair, without cutting it?

thanksalot!

ps. my natural hair color is a dark blonde actually. but i haven't seen it in a long time, might have changed a little.

:soapbox:

Go onto the henna part of this forum, and read the "successful removal of Henna" thread.. there are ways to remove henna without bleach that some find successful, BUT there are harsh consequences if your hair is not in good condition.. you basically have to strip the outer layer of your hair to do it.. Vitamin C tablets or anything acidy does it with continued use.. bi carb of soda etc....the most successful being excessive use of perm hair colour removers..you need multiple applications.. if you can use natural ways to lighten the henna (with honey, camomile tea etc) and live with it until it grows out that's the best thing to do.. hair is better than massive breakage and hair loss.. which all the above harsh treatments cause..

[Cate36]

At this point, I'd probably go in for a colour correction service with a professional. You could try and neutralise the green with a red dye but I feel it may still end up patchy

Agree with this.. if you used pure henna, it is safe to use other colours over it, and if you find someone who really knows what they are doing, they can probably use a toner to get you through the period of re-growth.. Patch test first..

[Joules]

Sorry I'm a bit late to this conversation, but speaking from experience, please DO NOT dye you hair with anything other than henna/indigo/cassia after henna has already been used. The mixture of henna and chemical dye/peroxide creates a metallic-salt reaction in the cuticle that can literally break the protein bonds, and that causes SO much damage. My hair literally fell out. In most cases, your only option is to grow it out or use henna again.

The henna LUSH provides is often expired, since they let the bars "air out" which lessens their intensity. I recommend Henna Color Lab .com for henna-based dyes. All of their henna is fresh and ethically sourced. Also, you don't have to leave it on to process as long (like LUSH) because the henna is fresh.

Best of luck, dear!

Henna will cause a metallic salt reaction if you used crappy cheap henna that contained more chemicals than actual henna. Pure henna (and Lush takes pure henna and mixes it with butters) won't melt your hair. It's ok to put dye over it, multiple people have done it on youtube and their hair didn't melt off. And also, Lush bars aren't expired, their intensity is lessened by oils.

[CopperButterfly]

If you don't mind red hair, I'd go over it with pure body art quality henna. It will be a green powder that you dye release for several hours. It will give you a nice permanent even color (red).

However if you want to just be done with henna, I'd go to a salon and get professional color correction, just don't do bleach. Then if you want to give up coloring you can at least grow out nicer hair color than patchy green. You will have to grow out or cut.

[lapushka]

Henna will cause a metallic salt reaction if you used crappy cheap henna that contained more chemicals than actual henna. Pure henna (and Lush takes pure henna and mixes it with butters) won't melt your hair. It's ok to put dye over it, multiple people have done it on youtube and their hair didn't melt off. And also, Lush bars aren't expired, their intensity is lessened by oils.

I agree with this! ^^ Not all henna contains metallic salts.