Health vs. Length (Henna vs. Blonde) - Help Me Decide

[Atrocia]

Hey all,

If this is not an appropriate forum to talk about my dilemma, please delete. I know this place tends to speak more in generalizations than specific advice.

Several years back, I had a really traumatic haircut when I was trying to get some layers to “modernize” my look but keep the length. I was at waist and had grown out my virgin hair. I had strawberry blonde as a kid and was maybe a more butterscotch blonde with highlights at this point. I ended up with a weird extreme mullet/“scene hair.” Since she cut off all the top layers of my hair, I ended up with what I considered an undesirable color. I had very thin, transparent ends still technically WL.

I started using henna so I’d at least be happy with the color and cut it off to APL to make it thicker. The henna I used was Lush, and it made an orangey/copper color I loved. Since I’m a freckled pale person who was once strawberry blonde, it looked quite natural. It grew long and strong and I was eventually convinced through internet advice that I should switch to BAQ henna. It turned burgundy quite quickly and didn’t suit me at all. All the pictures I can find of the henna hair were when it had grown out and looked hip length when pulled in front of my shoulders.

Fast forward a few more years, I grew out the henna and cut it. I started coloring my now natural ash blonde/strawberry highlights/20% gray with permanent golden blonde color and bleached highlights. I had a balayage done last year and most of my hair is now bleached. I’m about BSL now with layers from an undesired cut but at least not as bad as my infamous “fashion mullet.”

I’m considering going back to henna, either Lush, a gloss, or a cassia/henna mix to make it a coppery color and stronger to help it grow longer. But I’m used to my current/quite blonde hair and I don’t know if it will be too much of a shock. I know I had a terrible time growing out the henna last time and I know it is very, very permanent.

What can help me decide on a course of action? I know I love the henna when it is orangey/coppery. I know it’s near impossible to change if it gets too dark. And I know it’s impossible to return to my current golden blonde/platinum balayage with henna in my hair. But I want to get at least back to WL healthy hair and I feel like henna really helped me last time.

I tried cassia a long time ago and it gave me weird dayglo yellow roots that returned to normal in a few washes. Should I try a cassia/henna mix? Should I try a gloss? Should I just use Lush again? Should I just leave it how it is and maybe transition to a golden blonde chemical color?

Help!! Any advice is appreciated.

[CopperButterfly]

So if you do decide to do generally, here's what I'd do. First use a high cassia to henna ratio for a nice coppery color, something like 75% cassia to 25% henna. Then make sure you only do your roots when you reapply. Applying quality henna over your whole length will make it darker. If you're wanting repeat treatments for your length, I'd do the henna mix on roots and then just cassia on the lengths.

I know henna will give you stronger healthier hair than bleaching, but it's up to you to decide which pros and cons you prefer. Good luck!

[_fred_]

Hi Atrocia! I'm going to second copperbutterfly's advice. It would also be worth harvesting hair from your hairbrush for a while so you can strand test various mixes in advance. In my experience Lush henna is not as effective as 100% henna powder; a henna/cassia mix should give a similar intensity to Lush and the colour you're after :)

Best of luck! I hope this works for you, and you get the long healthy hair you're after with a colour you love.

[Gabrielina]

I opt for going the natural way so I would gradually increase the cassia/henna ratio starting from 80/20. You can always go darker but it's damaging to go lighter.
Good luck with your decision! :)

[Joules]

Lush henna is nice, please don't listen to all the hate comments. I used Lush henna and loved it (my decision to grow out my natural color wasn't related to henna itself at all). It might be easier and cheaper than buying henna and cassia and figuring out the right ratio. It is pure henna mixed with oils, it's not a questionable mix with metallic salts and BPD that can harm you, it really doesn't deserve the hate it gets.

However, henna doesn't really cover gray hair. On me personally it turned them into...idk, carrot orange? How did henna behave on your grays? Did you like the look?

As for the choice between health and length, I don't think anyone can make this choice for you. If you're a person who likes to change their hair every once in a while, then henna isn't for you. If you're a person who's more comfortable in blonde, then henna isn't for you.

[Obsidian]

I have a bit of a different advice. Get some adore dye in the color french cognac or cajun spice and see how you feel about the color before committing to henna.
Adore is a non damaging semi permanent dye. It will slowly fade with each wash.

I used cajun spice on my roots between henna, it matched really well but wasn't as bright as henna. On your bleached hair, it could very well be a nice bright henna color.

[Hexana]

I second Obsidian, try a non permanent dye first. Also if you're happy with your blonde hair, changing it will probably lead to regret afterwards. How about using only cassia or really natural hairdyes with Cassia and other herbs, that don't really deposit color, only strenghten hair? I don't know about other countries but in my country we can buy dyes like that from Radico (www.radico.com). I use their Henna and Cassia.

[lapushka]

Yes, I second the idea of a non-committal chemical dye/gloss (semi-permanent).

And if you henna, I would only do glosses as BAQ might just be waaaay too strong. Lush henna is less strong of a pigment, more comparable to a gloss with BAQ. If you *do* decide to henna, I would not just put it on the head. Start collecting shed hair, and do it for about a month, or longer, depending on how much you can catch/shed. Get a few balls, and start "experimenting" on the shed hair with henna ratios, the Lush henna, whathaveyou.

A very longstanding, well-respected member (whose name I forgot, I have a lousy memory, and that's sadly true) once said, "don't use your head as a laboratory" when talking about henna and dye in general.

Very true. Don't!

Might want to test the semi that way as well before just dumping it on!

Good luck.

Is growing out your own color an option. It will save you... so much trouble!

[MusicalSpoons]

Sedr is supposed to condition without any colour deposit :) or you could try cassia, and if you're not keen on any colour it deposits then not to worry as it will wear off. The thing with henna is the structural stengthening comes from the lawsone molecule, which is what gives it the colour too, and the surface conditioning/strengthening comes from the waxy barrier the leaf uses as protection which is the same conditioning you'd get from cassia or sedr. Definitely go for one of those of you're leaning towards wanting to stay blonde.

The idea of trying out a deposit-only dye to test-drive the henna colour is great if you're undecided about the colour, and even if you like it, try imagining whether you'll still like the colour in a few years' time. Any grow-out wouldn't *have* to be really painful because you could do weaker and weaker and glosses on the roots so you end up with a graduated effect rather than just a line, but any growout in any form would still be slow, of course.

[Arciela]

I have a bit of a different advice. Get some adore dye in the color french cognac or cajun spice and see how you feel about the color before committing to henna.
Adore is a non damaging semi permanent dye. It will slowly fade with each wash.

I used cajun spice on my roots between henna, it matched really well but wasn't as bright as henna. On your bleached hair, it could very well be a nice bright henna color.

Seconding this! It is always nice to have options and non permanent dye :flower: