My hair looks lighter (more reddish and more golden) after my SMT this time?????

[StephanieB]

Has anybody ever had an SMT lighten their hair?!

I don't uderstand this...


BUT ..... after this particular SMT, both hubby and I both think my hair looks a tad lighter and redder??? :confused:

Now, my hair gets more red and gold in it, naturally, in the summertime, when I'm out in the sun a lot. I have both red and golden natural highlights in it.

But it's been cooler and quite rainy, this week - and yet my hair seems more red and lighter (more golden) than it appeared to either of us last week - last wash day - when it was very warm and I spent a lot more time outside with my old dog.

I've done SMTs before, and with the exact same ingredients and method as I used this time... and I've never had slight lightening from it before..... :confused:

The SMT was heated in the microwave for 16 or 17 seconds, in 5-second increments and then another 1- or 2-second increment after that -- as I usually do it. It's never lightened my hair before.

I've even used the exact same bottle of aloe vera gel (Fruit of the Earth crystal 100% pure aloe vera gel), and the exact same Matrix Biolage Hair Balm tub. And possibly the exact same 5-pound jar of honey - not certain of that, though. I use a lot of honey for a lot of things around the house, so it might be a different jar; don't recall exactly whn I bought my last jar of honey - if before, or after, my last SMT.

My hair looks like it usually does in September (after a whole summer) - not like it normally does in April (before the summer)!!
Lighter --- reddish (maroon red) and gold-golden on the top layer and darker brunette underneath --- as if sun-lightened with months' worth of outdoor activities!
What might have happened?!

[mintyhot]

honey lightens your hair, thats why when i used an SMT i used coconut oil, the only problem with that is, i have ti wash my hair to get it out. it also may have really cleansed your hair... :)

[Merkaba]

I second the honey. It does it to my hair too, but I dont mind.

[spidermom]

Hopefully you won't get roots.

ACV makes my hair look redder, but it's temporary.

[StephanieB]

I'm pretty sure that, once it's heated for 10-15 seconds, that the enzyme that causes lightening of color is destroyed.
That's ^ why I always heat for at least one minute longer than a clocked 15 seconds.
At least, ktani and snowymoon have said so on more than one occasion...

Besides, I've been doing the very same SMT, on occasion, for over two years and have never had this happen before.
The ONLY difference between now and any of the other times is that my hair is longer... it's never been longer than it is now, since my first haircut at about 10 or 11 years old.


As to the super-cleansing idea... it might be true of some people's hair, but not of mine. My hair is always squeaky-clean - no matter what I use or refrain from using - and that's not the problem. The only time my hair didn't end up squeaky-clean was when I tried WO washing, and that didn't work for me at all (even after months and months of trial).
If ACV doesn't over-clean my hair, I doubt that than an ounce of honey mixed in with an equal amount of aloe vera gel and four ounces of heavy-duty conditioner is going to do it.


BTW, mintyhot: If you are using food-grade 100% pure coconut oil, and can't rinse it out with 5 or more minutes of rinsing with just plain water under a shower or sink faucet - then I think you're using way too much of it. You might get better results if you use less. :)


spidermom: Even if I get darker roots... it'll just be for another few weeks. Until the weather gets hotter and I spend more and more time outdoors - gardening, walking the dog, yard work, hanging laundry on clotheslines, etc. The sumer sun will lighten and redden my hair, as always. I rarely wear hats to cover my hair as sun protection, even though I know I should. :o
ACV has never changed my hair color on iota.


Ah well. Even if no one knows why it happened - at least I'm not averse to the color change. It happens to me every year, and I don't mind that. I used to end up about 12 shades lighter of hair color, back when I used to practically live out on beaches all summer long. And then it got gradually darker as winter wore on. And lightened in the summer again. My hair was naturally an almost light brownish/'dirty' blonde when I lived in Jamaica...

[ktani]

I'm pretty sure that, once it's heated for 10-15 seconds, that the enzyme that causes lightening of color is destroyed.
That's ^ why I always heat for at least one minute longer than a clocked 15 seconds.
At least, ktani and snowymoon have said so on more than one occasion... ..

That is correct. I have said that. It appears though and it has been reported that some honeys can require more time to destroy the enzyme. It may be differences in the distribution of the heat in a particular microwave as well.

[Katze]

wow, I wish this happened to me...! I have never been able to get honey (or anything else 'natural') to lighten my hair no matter what I do. Can we trade? :D

Are you sure your hair is not just extra shiny? Mine often looks lighter when it is freshly washed and/or deep conditioned, but the color of my hair varies quite dramatically depending on what I have done to it, how it is washed, how dirty etc. Could this be the case with you?

When I did test honey to see if it lightened my and DH's hair, on initially looking, the honey-treated samples (one from each of us) DID look lighter compared to the control samples. After a few days, however, when the shine faded, they looked the exact same color as the non treated samples...

[StephanieB]

That is correct. I have said that. It appears though and it has been reported that some honeys can require more time to destroy the enzyme. It may be differences in the distribution of the heat in a particular microwave as well.
Thank you, ktani.

Apparently this particular honey is one of those few rare honeys that might require longer heating time to kill the lightening enzyme. lol

Ironically, this is the cheapest honey I think I've ever bought... locally, on Main Street, in our produce store. It's just barely $2/lb (sold in 5-pound and 10-pound jars).
It's just labeled as "wildflower honey" (which, I know, could mean any kind of flower/s that the bees visited, and can change with each batch)... it tastes delicious, too. :D
It's a tad darker than most of the wildflower and clover honeys that I've seen/tasted/bought... but not much darker. Just a hint, one shade, darker golden than other wildflower honeys.

Ah, well... Now I know the answer to a question that I've been pondering for some time: Will honey lightening work on my hair? Yes it will! :rolleyes:

Since my regular natural summertime hair color is sun-lightened, anyhow...
and since I've been toying with the idea of lightening just a few shades with honey (if it was gonna work on me)...
Maybe this is a good time to try it. (with this batch of honey)

Ktani - is honey-lightening permanent (like, say henna is)?
Will I be able to naturally and safely and gently darken my hair again if I don't like it honey-lightened?

Hm. I gotta go find the honey-lightening threads and scour them for info.



wow, I wish this happened to me...! I have never been able to get honey (or anything else 'natural') to lighten my hair no matter what I do. Can we trade? :D

Are you sure your hair is not just extra shiny? Mine often looks lighter when it is freshly washed and/or deep conditioned, but the color of my hair varies quite dramatically depending on what I have done to it, how it is washed, how dirty etc. Could this be the case with you?
Katze --- I never thought I'd be saying this, but NO I DON'T want to trade hair with anyone. I actually am, finally, beginning to like mine... (thanks to being a part of LHC for a few years now) Although it'd be nice if it could be a litle less fine and a little thicker... say M/ii instead of F/i-ii. lol

Yeah, I'm fairly sure it's not just the extra shine... although it is indeed almost blindingly shiney today (the day after the SMT)!
It's definitely redder... and I think it's a bit more golden, too.

I wish I had the time to set up a couple of good pix of my hair (in good daylight) today... but I don't. Hubby is too busy and I'm juggling various household chores today. maybe tomorrow. No - wait - tomorrow is my birthday, so probably not. I'll be too busy enjoying a birthday brekkie at a fave local diner (the owners are expecting me), a birthday supper at a local restaurant (they too are expecting me), and an afternoon of walking door-to-door campaigning (I'm still running for election here so I gotta keep campaigining if I wanna win). Maybe this weekend I can take and post a pic of it next to a pic from 2 months ago (February), for comparison.

[ktani]

Thank you, ktani.

Apparently this particular honey is one of those few rare honeys that might require longer heating time to kill the lightening enzyme. lol

Ironically, this is the cheapest honey I think I've ever bought... locally, on Main Street, in our produce store. It's just barely $2/lb (sold in 5-pound and 10-pound jars).
It's just labeled as "wildflower honey" (which, I know, could mean any kind of flower/s that the bees visited, and can change with each batch)... it tastes delicious, too. :D
It's a tad darker than most of the wildflower and clover honeys that I've seen/tasted/bought... but not much darker. Just a hint, one shade, darker golden than other wildflower honeys.

Ah, well... Now I know the answer to a question that I've been pondering for some time: Will honey lightening work on my hair? Yes it will! :rolleyes:

Since my regular natural summertime hair color is sun-lightened, anyhow...
and since I've been toying with the idea of lightening just a few shades with honey (if it was gonna work on me)...
Maybe this is a good time to try it. (with this batch of honey)

Ktani - is honey-lightening permanent (like, say henna is)?
Will I be able to naturally and safely and gently darken my hair again if I don't like it honey-lightened?

Hm. I gotta go find the honey-lightening threads and scour them for info.

Wildflower honey is one of those on the Successful Honeys List and your blend is on the darker side, perfect for honey lightening, lol.

Yes, I'm afraid the results will be permanent. That said though you can darken the colour with things like cassia and acv which can add golden, red tones. For the cassia to darken hair, you can add orange juice and undiluted honey. If you do not like the colour result, honey lightening can help remove it.

You can control the lightening with timing, less time less lightening has been reported.

[StephanieB]

Wildflower honey is one of those on the Successful Honeys List and your blend is on the darker side, perfect for honey lightening, lol.

Yes, I'm afraid the results will be permanent. That said though you can darken the colour with things like cassia and acv which can add golden, red tones. For the cassia to darken hair, you can add orange juice and undiluted honey. If you do not like the colour result, honey lightening can help remove it.

You can control the lightening with timing, less time less lightening has been reported.
Ooooooooooooooooh.

I don't know what to do.

I've been bottle-blonde - platinum - (and various shades of redhead before that) before (it destroyed my hair, though)... and I've always sworn not to do anything at all to my hair color ever again, after that fiasco.

I never considered non-chemical natural things like honey, though, when I took that oath. Didn't know about such processses back then...

Since honey lightening is also permanent... dunno... what if I regret it later?

Although... it won't damage my hair's good health... just change my coloring.

I just don't know... hmm

Will lighter brown (in my own eyes/mind) translate to less 'interesting' - ie neither blonde nor dark brunette, neither really light nor very dark, just middle-of-the-road blah? Will I be sorry and hate it, when it's too late and I can't undo it? (as usual)

[sibiryachka]

Okay, I've been waiting to chime in here until I had tried a couple of different things. So far, every approach I've tried has resulted in lightening!! The first time, I figured I just must not have heated the honey long enough (30 seconds) so the second time, I heated it (same honey) for twice as long. When that made no difference, I tried it with corn syrup in place of honey. Same lovely moisturizing, but sadly, same lightening too. At least now I know that the much-cheaper corn syrup works equally well for me :)
I mixed some up with molasses, but it was so nasty-runny that I honestly couldn't bring myself to use it. I even let it sit in the fridge a couple of days, in hopes that either it would thicken up a bit or I'd get over my (very out-of-character) squeamishness, but tossed it out unused :( I hate wasting!
A possible x-factor in my case is that I use amla in my henna mix; it may be that the amla is what's being removed by the SMT, no? I'm beginning to understand that I probably need to refresh that about twice as often as the henna anyway. So maybe the trick is to time my SMTs right before amla boosts.... Or maybe even combine them?! :hmm: I may be onto something here...

[Holly9192]

[quote=sibiryachka;1108898]
I mixed some up with molasses, but it was so nasty-runny that I honestly couldn't bring myself to use it. I even let it sit in the fridge a couple of days, in hopes that either it would thicken up a bit or I'd get over my (very out-of-character) squeamishness, but tossed it out unused :( I hate wasting!
quote]

i tried using molassas once as well. it was so disgusting! and i put a lot of stuff in my hair. the smell and the texture...blechhh.:puke: