Henndigo...it's never coming out

[GlennaGirl]

Hey all...some of you remember me...certainly kitani does! :) (waving)

I had hennaed my hair, then done indigo over it to get a dark brown. The indigo never stayed, so I started with henna/indigo combo treatments. Then I did one or two just-indigo treatments.

All in all, I did four full-head hennas, two full-head henndigos and two just-indigos.

This was over about a six-month period.

Well, the last indigo treatment left my hair seriously dark. Dark-dark. Nearly black. This was something of a shock. It happened very suddenly.

With all the different processes, I knew I could never repeat it all as roots came in, so I decided I would just grow it out, but the difference was staggering. I tried a few honey treatments, etc. and got a smidgen of lightening. Just recently I realized I really must henna the top or do something, anyway. So I did the roots and the difference in colors is ridiculous. I tried watered lemon the other day, but nothing happened.

Last night I slept with honey, olive oil and tomato sauce on my head. It was on for ELEVEN hours. Nothing really happened. :(

Here's how my hair looks. My head is tilted back so you can see the inches that are just henna (3 hours).

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v115/Melsie/IMG_1439.jpg


It's crazy. But this stuff is just NOT coming out. Ever. So I will have to be two-toned for a year or two until it all grows out to just-henna.

Just figured I'd report back. Maybe this should have gone on the honey thread, but I know henndigo is a little different from just henna so I thought it should go here. I'm a little disappointed by this but what can one do?

[akurah]

I think the two tone is pretty. But I'm weird, so.

[wintersun99]

oh boy, do I feel for you, I am in the same predicament and my hair color looks just like yours, (only shorter) and from my experience, the Indigo is NOT coming out, nor budging in darkness.

[ktani]

GlennaGirl

Of course I remember you. Hi back at you!

I am so sorry that you are so unhappy with your hair.

You have a lot of henna on your hair right now, IMO.

Honey lightening treatments can lighten henna indigoed hair but it can take time and results do vary.

It has been done.

Most recently reported - here.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=53395&postcount=215

[Euphony]

Oooooooh my, I think it's very pretty - but I'm with akurah with being a bit odd that way :wink: I can see however how it would be bothersome. I have no suggestions, I'm indigo clueless. But after seeing your beautiful hair I'm wondering if I should start dabbling...

[Ohio Sky]

My hair looks just like yours! :D
I cant make up my mind on what color hair I want, I was chemical black, and started hennaing and when the color difference was just too drastic, I indigoed my whole head. Its fading a llittle bit to where my roots are a very very dark red. It looks pretty cool but it still looks black indoors.
My only suggestion is what Im planning on doing: Henna on the new growth, and occasionally indigo streaks or gloss to help blend the colors. If youre planning on continuing to henna, th henna will build up and get pretty dark to where it will blend nicely with the black.

[Rain]

I'm in kind of the same boat! Funny how I quit indigo because I was frustrated that it never seemed to stick. Now it won't seem to go away. I have a pretty obvious two-tone thing going but thankfully, it's only outdoors or with camera flash. Just commiserating. :grouphug:

[prosperina]

Hi Glenna. Glad you're back. :waving:

Sorry to hear your hair is bothering you. There was a thread recently about cinnamon recently and how that can lighten. Don't know if you've seen it. That might do something, but I'd strand test it first. I could never get anything with tomato, honey and EVOO mixed when I tried it on my henna.

[GlennaGirl]

I knew I could count on you girls!

((akurah)), thank you so much. Weird or not. I'm weird too so I'll take it!

Wintersun, how long is your hair now? What's your plan--will you trim until it's gone or just grow and leave it, etc.?

ktani, I'm going to check that out--thank you! You are always helpful on this issue. You should write a book about it!

Oh ((Euphony)), thank you. I think your color is absolutely gorgeous. Wow.

Ohio Sky, what a great idea. Thanks so much.

Rain, exactly. You indigo and indigo and think, "D*mn. I can't get this to stick!" but when you want to go back you go, "D*mn. This won't go out!" The Indigo Paradox.

Prosperina, cinnamon...hmmmmmmm. I have some of that in the house...........(wheels turning)

[spidermom]

OMG! GG, I am so jealous! Your hair is shiny and sleek and the colors are gorgeous. That is really really pretty, but if you don't like a sharp line of demarcation, you might try a little indigo finger-painting in only a few surface places. I am seriously tempted to paint myself a few henndigo low-lights.

[khyricat]

Glenna, I remember you.. and I second spidermoms suggestion.. that is basically my plan for when I decide to stop hennaing and go grey gracefully (once there isn't enough that it doesn't look as odd as it does now with stark white sections and stark dark sections)

I refuse to cut just because I want to stop the henna, and knowing that BEFORE I started hennaing again, made plans for what I'd do when the time came to stop...

[ktani]

Glenna

5 threads including the Honey Article, which is now part of the new thread - I think I have written a book on it, lol.

However, I could not have learned what I have without all of the feedback and recipes from everyone who tries a honey lightening recipe and shares the results and pictures if possible, with everyone else in the thread.

Some recipes work better than others for people and posters keep getting innovative - they come up with their own version of a honey lightening recipe.

[DolphinPrincess]

Oh man, I'm another one of those. I was doing a 2-step henna/indigo to get black, but it was never black enough. Now I've been using honey treatments to try to lighten instead, but it just won't budge! I have about and inch or so of growout that is dark auburn, and its only going to become moreso! :p

[cutenappygrl]

Are you opposed to just going to the hair salon and getting a colorist to give you the color you want. I know keeping it all natural is best but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

[iris]

GlennaGirl, IIRC the lemon juice didn't do much over hendigo. It works to some extent on plain henna, but I remember there was at least one person who tried lemon juice on indigo and didn't get results.

Has anybody already tried plain hydrogen peroxide on hendigo? (The henna removal thread is not yet back in the archives and I just can't remember).

I got my henna to lighten enough with just peroxide so that I could tone it back to something vaguely resembling my natural color (dark blond/light brown depending on your cultural surroundings). I was hennaed to a very dark red - much much darker than my natural color.

Again, I used the peroxide on just henna, no indigo. We did find, several of us, that bleach is hardly any use on henna - the hair will disintegrate before the henna really starts to lighten. (And we know that bleach is even more lousy at getting out indigo - green hair). Simple hydrogen peroxide did much better on henna than bleach. Less damage and more lightening.

All my details are unaccessible in the archives, but IIRC, it took about 36 hours of plain household peroxide (3%/10vol) to lighten to a shade of orange/yellow that was light enough for me to tone over.

It's easy to overdo it. I did more peroxide on a few strands, which didn't take them all that much lighter (just to a slightly less orangey yellow) and those strands I've since had to cut out, because they turned to chewing gum. Shermie Girl had to chop all her length because of the same. It seems to be a tricky thing to get right. It'll be fine one treatment and the next one your hair turns to chewing gum.

The parts of my hair that got less peroxide though (the 36 hours or so), no problem. I have no visible damage there. Not more split ends than usual, nothing, it's in fine condition. It's the one thing I would do again if I had to start all over with the whole henna removal ordeal. It's the one thing that actually got me somewhere.

Again, I did it on just henna, no indigo. Has someone tried plain peroxide on indigo?

Iris

[wintersun99]

Are you opposed to just going to the hair salon and getting a colorist to give you the color you want. I know keeping it all natural is best but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

The catch is that when one has done henna+indigo in the 2-step fashion, it sometimes functions much differently then henna'indigo in the 1-step fashion. 1-steppers have often had success in lightening (and/or fading) some of their indigo, but for those of us who did the 2-step process and got to a dark brown/black - fading/lightening indigo is difficult, if not impossible.

At the salon the only options are bleach/peroxide/or both (assuming the colorist will even attempt it once it's known that you have henna and indigo in your hair.) In my own experience, neither bleach nor peroxide will make any difference to the indigo color and in fact, extremely damaged my hair. Soooo (I am speaking for myself) but I have yet to find anything natural/or unnatural that will lighten the 2-step color.

ETA: peroxide on (henna only) does work to lighten henna - I have experimented with this, following Iris' experiences, but again - I would caution anyone trying to use it for indigo (beating a dead horse, I know) I'll stop now. :)

[Delilah]

Your hair is very pretty and shiny though :)

I wish I could get indigo to stick. Even 1-hour applications every 2 weeks wouldn't get my roots black.

[tiny_teesha]

I agree with spidermom....lessen the demarkation!
maybe apply a henndigo ir indigo session- only shortly to just darken the roots , but not as dark as the ends, then on your next session lessen the amount of indigo and etc, so that the line slowly fades lighter to your roots, ALSO adding in some indigo "lowlights" - you can finger paint them or measure them perfectly like streaks. Or tip cap your hair and indigo them. That will help heaps. i also am in processes of ashing up my henna ends, i am going to put some indigo lowlights through- even though that is more a black. I added amla to my henna which also made it more golden, not red. So it is getting there!

[mellie]

You could try an amla-only treatment. When I did this, it knocked out quite a bit of the indigo (in my case, it was an accident!).

[mellie]

Oh, Ktani just reminded me - when I did my "Mellie's Mix" honey treatment on my hennindigoed ahir, it lightened it a lot. Look under recent postings in the Honey thread.

[ktani]

I was not sure if mellie used her mix on henndigoed hair - I had to check with her - melllie originally posted in Honey II - the old Honey thread I cannot recover, yet.

Here they are - the pictures and recipe, thoughtfully reposted by mellie in the current Honey thread - page 23. Mellie later posted that the chamomile used was Anthemis nobilis - Roman chamomile. I have seen references to mullein lightening hair on the net, with no specifics.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=57442&postcount=224

[sibylla]

It will go away eventually. I had your color a year ago but now its only red. You just have to keep on doing henna (glosses count too) and in a year you´ll have my color.

[GlennaGirl]

SPIDERMOM, I missed ya, sista! Oh please don't you dare do anything to that hair. You know how jealous I have always been of your hair.

Sibylla, that's the best news I've heard in a long time. Your hair color is to die for. Dang, why didn't I just stick with henna? I wasn't brave enough to try a real red...

Oh, flark...the little one is screaming...be right back to answer everybody.

[sibylla]

http://sc.groups.msn.com/tn/32/90/2j0e8db0dhhbiga0ngu6iogkd1/1/1.jpg (javascript:tn_click_pic(1, 360, 480))Glennagirl,
This is my hair exactly one year ago.
Thank for the compliment!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Celebrian]

Hmmm - I might try an Amla/Honey/Chamomile/possibly some lemon juice pack, before I resort to more desperate means!

[ktani]

Celebrian

Since you are already thinking of trying a mix with honey, why not try one of these?
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=61811&postcount=262

[Celebrian]

Thanks Ktani. :D

[GlennaGirl]

Cutenappy, how did I miss your post? Yep, I've considered getting it done professionally. I'm putting that off for now since I know how fragile my hair can be, and I know that salon stuff would involve chemicals that would probably ruin my hair. That's definitely not true of everyone's hair--just mine.

I actually think I'm going to try coconut milk, raw honey and conditioner tonight--I'm tempted by Mellie's mix but I don't have alfalfa or any of that great stuff.

But I've been hearing so much about coconut lately that I'm going to just give it a shot.

Wish me luck...I'll post results................

[Loviatar]

Glenna!! Good to see you again. I am in the same boat as you. You can take a look at my avatar to see the difference between my henna crown and indigo black ends! Sigh.

However I have had some fading. I use honey in every conditioner only on the length and the ends, leave it on for 5 minutes and then rinse out. I've also done some honey+coconut cream (not coconut milk in cans - the blocks of creamed coconut).

Your colour change doesn't look that different from how mine was. Do you remember the ultra-tiger striped hair I had a while back? This is how it was from the back last autumn

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j47/Kate_Blacksmith/DSCF0482.jpg

Unimpressed with the two-tone.
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j47/Kate_Blacksmith/DSCF0468.jpg

Compared to my avatar, it's faded a lot. I only have one henna application on the roots-to-ear tips area, and the rest is indigo'd about as much as yours, with various one-steps and two-steps.

Good luck with the honey and coconut.

[mooglewoo]

What if I add amla to honey to fade hendigo build up on the ends?

[Kirin]

Whatever you do........... no matter HOW desperate you get, do NOT bleach. Please, pretty please? Insert begging and all that.

I did that to get henna out of my hair, twice, ended up with breaking falling out hair AND........ still had flaming red hair ugh. Be very delicate in what you try. I resorted to cutting my hair to an inch all around to get rid of it.

I feel your pain.

[mooglewoo]

NONO, I will not touch bleach. Nor will I touch anything else chemical.

I just want to lighten it a tad to match my roots/new growth.

[Unofficial_Rose]

Colorfix followed by some really aggressive shampooing might lighten it a bit. Skip the Processing lotion though as it has peroxide.

I've just spent two months trying to remove my henndigo, because I'm fed up with being too dark, too. It was a nice colour but it never felt like "me", so I know where you're coming from.

Yoghurt, coconut milk and daily shampooing have faded it a LOT. This might work for you? It's all painfully slow, that's the trouble.

I've just broken out the Colorfix because I've cut most of it off, and I'm off to the hairdresser for highlights on Saturday. Anything that goes green, well they can just jolly well cut it off with my blessing. :)

[ademtce]

well they can just jolly well cut it off with my blessing. :)


you may regret those words...
but i hope for you & your hair's sake your turns out great.

[Unofficial_Rose]

you may regret those words...
but i hope for you & your hair's sake your turns out great.

Did it today! Hairdressers were great. The guy who did the colour had seen green highlights before on a former hennahead up in Scotland. He was even OK about me fibbing to him and saying I'd just used box colour, then having to admit afterwards that it had been henna + indigo. The lovely stylist cut the khaki bits out and I'm a very happy Rose. :D

It is very short - you can see how short in my profile pic.

But at least I can retouch the roots every two months rather than every two weeks. (I'm very grey these days).

Short blonde hair is more flattering on me than long, dark hair (although I love long dark hair). I care more about the colour than the length - heresy around here, I know. ;) I'm growing, it back, though...