Honey, Sun-In and plain old peroxide?

[CrisDee]

I've been tweaking my henna mix for about a year now trying to get a color on my light brown hair that's closer to the chemical dye color I used for about 20 years. I realize that the henna doesn't lighten, it only imparts color. But I really want a lighter result, I don't like the dark color with my skin tone. So I know I have to lighten somehow.

I understand that both honey and Sun-In lighten with peroxide. My question is - if these other products lighten with peroxide, why not just use peroxide and be done with it? Particularly since with the Sun-In, you have to use both the Sun-In and heat to achieve the lightening? Wouldn't it be way easier to just use 40 volume peroxide developer for an hour than to sit for hours on end with sticky honey dripping all over the place, or to have to stand and blast away at the Sun-In with the blow dryer? Or is the peroxide developer somehow so more damaging than the honey or the Sun-In so as to make the mess or the heat worth it? Just trying to wrap my head around how all this works :)

Here's a compare/contrast so you have an idea of what I'm going for. I know I can't achieve the beautiful color on the left with just henna and cassia - and I'm not at all sure I can even get it with henna and peroxide. But I really don't want to go back to chemical dye if I can help it, my hair is so much healthier now. Do I really hafta settle for damaged hair just to get the color I love, or healthy hair with a color I really don't like? :(


http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n417/CrisDee1958/Hair/Short%20and%20growing%20out/old-newcolor.jpg

[Nightshade]

In my case, I tried honey for a long while, different types of honey and tried it for months, but I don't think it was strong enough to dent my henna.

I did a strand test with straight peroxide and that didn't do much, and I was reluctant to pair it with bleach.

The strand test with the Sun-In worked, ans so that's the method I went with :)

[CrisDee]

So the Sun-In actually worked better than the peroxide? Awesome, I'll have to try that - thanks! :)

[Nightshade]

For me, anyway, yes :) Also, the misting bottle makes it easier to heavily saturate the ends and then lighten it up where your line is (mine was around BSL). So it all fades and blends nicely.

[Garnett]

I'm a licensed hairstyist. Please don't use 40v peroxide for an hour. Best case scenario, your hair breaks off, worst case, you end up with chemical burns on your scalp and your hair never grows back. If you must use peroxide at all, I'd go with the 10v. Please. :)

ETA. Nightshade, I'm taking a guess here, but Imma say that Sun-In worked better than straight peroxide because the developer is probably included in the mix. Plain peroxide won't do much, it needs developer to work properly. I didn't mention it earlier, because the OP mentioned 40v specifically, so I figured she already knew this. Anyway. :)

[Nightshade]

ETA. Nightshade, I'm taking a guess here, but Imma say that Sun-In worked better than straight peroxide because the developer is probably included in the mix. Plain peroxide won't do much, it needs developer to work properly. I didn't mention it earlier, because the OP mentioned 40v specifically, so I figured she already knew this. Anyway. :)

That may be the case! Here's the ingredients in Sun-In... which of these would be a developer?

Water, Hydrogen Peroxide, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract (Matricaria), Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Linum Usitatissimum Seed Extract (Linseed), Hydroxyethyl Cetyldimonium Phosphate, Dimethicone PEG 7 Phosphate, Glycerin, Quaternium 80, Panthenol, Silk Amino Acids, Polysorbate 20, Fragrance, Benzoic Acid, Disodium EDTA

[CrisDee]

I guess I must have some pretty tough hair, cos I've put 40 vol peroxide developer on my hair for an hour, and there was no damage at all. Put 20 vol on for 2.5 hours, again, no damage - but didn't get the color I wanted either. Ugh... :(


ETA: My Pure White developer - 20 volume and 40 volume - are peroxide, plus some other ingredients. I'm in the US, would that make a difference in terminology?

[xoxophelia]

So the Sun-In actually worked better than the peroxide? Awesome, I'll have to try that - thanks! :)

With sun in, you are going to get an orange type color on your hair. Try a stand test, hold the hair against your face. It will probably be pretty brassy.

I did a method that pulled out a bit of my color in my hair but I didn't use henna. It might be too gentle for what you need.

Well here it is just in case altered for your length:

1:1 honey and conditioner
1/4 TBSP olive oil
1/2-1 tsp hydrogen peroxide (dilute ~3% store bought version)

Make the amount to form a decent glob in your palm. Leave in for 1 hour in a shower cap and apply light heat with a blow dryer occasionally.

Rinse with your strongest shampoo. Leave the shampoo sitting in your hair for about ten minutes. (it is going to feel tacky)

Put your favorite oil in your hair (evoo works), leave it in over night. The next morning shampoo it out.

This is kind of like hitting it with every fairly gentle method to draw out some of the color. I didn't see any added damage and saw a decent amount of color difference over the next two washes.



BUT, what I really suggest you do... go to a professional. If you were trying to lighten your virgin hair a tiny bit, this would be a piece of cake. But at home you aren't going to get anything but brassy. And because your hair is still on the short side, you don't have a whole lot to lose. If it damages it at all, this will be the length you cut off over time.

[xoxophelia]

^ Sorry, I didn't read through the thread.

If 20 and 40 volume straight did nothing for you, my method isn't going to do a whole lot either.

20 or 40 volume is based off of the molarity of the mix (mols/liter). Anyways, this is then calculated as a percentage. Each increment of 10=3% more of hydrogen peroxide. So 40 grade is 12% hydrogen peroxide.