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naturechild
May 9th, 2008, 11:45 AM
a little over a year ago I decided to see what I would look like with dark brown hair, It looked great. I would keep it dark by dying it with natural or henna dyes every few months but didnt really have a problem with keeping it dark (no real noticable light roots) now I am missing my dark blonde hair. How can I get it back? I have tryed honey and lemon but no real effect or maybe just not fast enough.

what can I do ? I have been only henna glossing every few weeks and lemon when I go out in the sun. I am going to stop the henna gloss, while I agressivly try to get more blonde back,

any suggestions would help me so much!

iris
May 9th, 2008, 01:15 PM
What do you mean by 'natural dyes'? If they were regular oxidative dyes (but marketed as natural), you could try things like colorfix and color oops to get the dye out. It really depends on what exactly you used, though.

If colorfix/oops works, that'll leave you with brassy hair that you'll have to tone back to your dark blonde shade.

For henna removal, well, wow, that's not an easy one, and henna + indigo is even harder to get out. Have you read through the henna removal thread (http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=71635), and its continuation (http://chatter.thebeautybottle.com/showthread.php?t=1027l) on TBB? Lots and lots of helpful information and experiences there.

Iris

naturechild
May 9th, 2008, 01:18 PM
well I'll start with the Henna I dont have any red tones I was only glossing with about a teaspoon on henna to 1/2 cup of conditioner so kinds more like a conditioner then a tint.

then the natural dyes I was using are walnut, coffiee, and I know I am a bad girl but herbal essence mocha something it was quite a long time ago though. what it he time frame for a dye removal?

GlennaGirl
May 9th, 2008, 01:58 PM
Definitely check out the "Honey" threads on the Recipes board.

That said, do you have a picture of the color of your hair now?

It is NOT an easy thing to go from a dark brown to a blonde color using natural means. Ktani can probably put in her $.02 here, but I myself haven't seen anybody make that leap with natural methods. I've seen some lightening. If you look at my siggie, my hair was nearly black (but never true blue-black) from henna and indigo initially, and this is the curent result after various combinations of honey, cinnamon, tomato juice, etc. no less than 20 times (minimum 1.5 hours each time; maximum 6 hours).

I'm not complaining because my hair "matches" much better now (I'm using just henna on the roots, no more indigo), but if I were to try to go to dark blonde from here? I don't mean to disappoint you, but I just don't see how that's possible without using some sort of bleaching/peroxide agent.

I have heard Color Oops! and ColorFix don't work as well on henna because the idea is that they shrink the color molecule so that it will just wash out of the hair, but the henna constituents aren't like chemical colorants, besides which the henna may then re-oxidize and darken a day or two later.

When you lighten with "natural peroxide"-producing agents such as honey, AFAIK, you're just lightening the existing color--so in other words, if the color is predominantly henna, you'll eventually get a somewhat lighter red, but it will still be red. I know you said you don't have any red tones, but if you've been using henna, that's the part that's going to stay the longest, and as you "remove" other layers of colorants (if you're able to), that's what will remain. I don't think there's any way to lighten henna naturally and have it wind up blonde.

I'd recommend "blending" colors to grow it out, using lightening treatments described above but not expecting dark blonde, or going to a salon. :( (That personally would be my last resort because some sort of bleaching agent will almost certainly be involved; they would have to strip out all the color you have right now, then color over it with the color of your choice).

Nightshade
May 9th, 2008, 02:05 PM
Thirding the "color oops" advice. You may also want to talk to Rini as she did get back to pale ash blonde from henna red. She had trimming to do afterwards, but her hair was salvageable :)

You can also try a blend of honey and baby shampoo, the alkalinity of baby shampoo is what is reccomended for direct dyes like Manic Panic.

I also found this on the manic panic removal site


PROFESSIONAL TIPS ON REMOVAL OF COLOR FROM HAIR:
Hot Oil treatments, hairspray, shampooing and exposure to water will result in gradual fading of your MANIC PANIC Hair Color. A professional hair colorist tells us to remove the last bit of residue or stain on the hair (or to get color out immediately) make up a small batch of bleach mixture (MANIC PANIC FLASHLIGHTNING), and add it to 2 tablespoons or so of shampoo in a cup. Stir it up. Shampoo hair with this mixture, "kneading" the hair ... that means twirling the hair strand by strand in between your fingertips. Start at the root of the hair and work your way down to the end, and then back up. You should see the color disappear right before your eyes

ETA: I don't imagine you'll escape damage-free, but if you're only using a small bit, and you're applying to wet hair and rinsing out quickly, it shouldn't be hair-crushingly damaging.

Ohio Sky
May 9th, 2008, 02:17 PM
Im doing the gradual fading from black to... who knows? All I know is Im tired of the black which is bot chemical and hendigo, but am not ready to go back to my natural dark blonde. I attempted bleaching streaks the other day to help the fade, and I ended up with one very blood red streak through the back of my head, and none of the other strands took on the bleach, I guess. But I did a nice coconut oil soak afterwords and my hair feels the same as it did before.

iris
May 9th, 2008, 04:15 PM
well I'll start with the Henna I dont have any red tones I was only glossing with about a teaspoon on henna to 1/2 cup of conditioner so kinds more like a conditioner then a tint.

then the natural dyes I was using are walnut, coffiee, and I know I am a bad girl but herbal essence mocha something it was quite a long time ago though. what it he time frame for a dye removal?
OK, let's break it down and solve one problem at a time.

So you have in there:
- only very little henna - let's put that aside and forget about it for now, it's not your major problem
- walnut (this may have bound to your hair, but from what I've read it's rather difficult to get walnut to take well so let's ignore that one as well, for now)
- coffee - we can ignore that one too, it'll come out on its own over time
- Herbal essence

Would it be safe to say that the Herbal Esssence is the thing that has contributed the most to the darkness of your color now? What's the time frame - what did you use first, what is the first thing that took your hair to dark brown? The Herbal Essence, right? If so, that is good news.

IF Herbal Essence is a regular oxidative dye (I'm not in the US so I don't know, but others will), it should come out with colorfix. Make sure you shampoo with a chelating shampoo afterwards. Not a clarifying shampoo. Chelating.

Also, don't freak out if it turns out brassy, that's solvable.

I would really concentrate on getting rid of the Herbal Essence first, because that should be way easier than getting rid of walnut or henna.

And I would not do a soap cap yet (a mixture of bleach and shampoo, as Nightshade described), because that's very damaging and you have less damaging alternatives to choose from so far. If the colorfix fails, maybe, but not yet.

If the colorfix fails there are lots of things you could try, but colorfix would be my first choice in your situation. Assuming that the Herbal Essences was a regular oxidative dye.

Iris

jojo
May 9th, 2008, 08:39 PM
i dont dye no more but have done in the past head and shoulders shampoo although will not get you back to what you was will lighten your hair, as will virgin olive oil, whatever you do dont professionally strip hair, mine turned into straw.

good luck its not the end of the world, been there but it seems it at the time xx

Rini
May 10th, 2008, 04:52 AM
oh naturechild....you are not going to like what I have to say....:shake:

After a couple of years of henna use (and it was roots only), I too decided to go back to my natural colour. My roots were just too pale against the red and I was over the maintenance.

Anyway, long story short: there's nothing that will remove henna from your hair :(

I tried EVOO/amla mix, colorfix, honey, coconut oil, uncolour, peroxide, mineral oil, vinegar, ....you name it, and if it could be googled, then I tried it! In the end (and after various hair ball tests) I had to go to the serious bleaching. I lost many inches, but in the end my hair was the exact colour I wanted and in pretty darn good condition too.

There is one thing you could try (and this will only work if your shade level is still light enough): you could try putting a toner like Goldwell's mousse toner in 10V or 10P over the orangey parts. You will get more of a brown colour which may be light enough to pass for dark blonde? It's hard to tell without seeing a pic of your hair though.

Feel free to PM me and maybe I can help you further :blossom:

mommy2one05
May 10th, 2008, 07:37 AM
i dont dye no more but have done in the past head and shoulders shampoo although will not get you back to what you was will lighten your hair, as will virgin olive oil, whatever you do dont professionally strip hair, mine turned into straw.

good luck its not the end of the world, been there but it seems it at the time xx

I used to dye my hair and I used the head and shoulders brand and it never affected the color on my hair.
Try a honey mixture cause that will lighten hair considerably.

Katze
May 10th, 2008, 07:55 AM
twice I hennaed my hair...hated it...and had to go to chemical bleach. If you want aggressive, that's aggressive. :)

while some shampoos may fade color - and I suspect that's what people are seeing with honey, etc. - there isn't anything that really removes color except actual hair bleach. As far as I understand the process, henna coats your hair strands, but this coating builds up over time. Why it can't be washed away is a mystery to me - as a henna artist for over ten years, I gave up trying to understand how henna really works, as no one really knows - but as others have mentioned, it doesn't.

I've tried, unsuccessfully, to get my hair blonde without bleach. While it is lighter than I remember it, now that I am not comparing the natural color as roots to the bleached rest, I am pretty much resigned to it being the color it is, and to growing out the dye and bleach.

One of the very most difficult things about coloring your hair - all color, including henna - is stopping doing so. But if you want your hair to be healthy, that's probably the best thing to do.

sorry I can't offer you a magic bullet,

Katze

Sunderella
May 10th, 2008, 03:32 PM
Thought this may help....I got it from the Robert Craig coloring site.

Situation 5: I colored my hair with henna and now want to use Color by Robert Craig.

Solution: Henna works by coating the hair and although you may not be able to get the color/stain from the henna off the hair it is important to remove the coating as much as possible before using Color by Robert Craig. Please note that using peroxide based products can cause very severe reactions when applied over henna but we have been able to sucessfully use Color by Robert Craig over the henna with no problems. That said, we still recommend doing the strand test and allergy test according to the instructions before using it all over the hair.
How to remove the coating caused by henna.
Get mineral oil, cotton coil usually used for perming (can be purchased at the beauty supply store) a plastic cap and if possible a heat cap (available on our web site). Wrap the cotton around the hairline a few times....some hand cream rubbed on the skin first can help keep it in place. Saturate the hair with the mineral oil to the point that it is wet but not running or dripping. Place the plastic cap on the hair and then apply the heat cap or warm with a blow dryer. If you are using the heat (preferred method) then time it for 20-30 minutes. If no heat is used then leave it on the hair for at least an hour. Shampoo several times until all the mineral oil is removed from the hair. Follow with strand tests with the Color by Robert Craig. Please note that because Robert Craig uses no peroxide, ammonia, or ammonia substitute that the normal adverse reactions should not occur as with products that mix with peroxide. Strand testing is still required for timing, end result and to double check if all the coating is removed. The hair may still be red but it is the coating we are trying to remove so that the Robert Craig color can get inside the hair.

http://www.robertcraig.com/php/index.php?location=fixes

wintersun99
May 10th, 2008, 04:04 PM
How to remove the coating caused by henna. Get mineral oil, cotton coil usually used for perming (can be purchased at the beauty supply store) a plastic cap and if possible a heat cap (available on our web site). Wrap the cotton around the hairline a few times....some hand cream rubbed on the skin first can help keep it in place. Saturate the hair with the mineral oil to the point that it is wet but not running or dripping. Place the plastic cap on the hair and then apply the heat cap or warm with a blow dryer. If you are using the heat (preferred method) then time it for 20-30 minutes. If no heat is used then leave it on the hair for at least an hour. Shampoo several times until all the mineral oil is removed from the hair.

This is fiction and does not apply to henna, although (I think it may apply to compound henna, by supposedly removing the metallic salts). If you used real henna, don't bother....

Emme76
May 11th, 2008, 01:18 AM
I know this is not the healthiest - but...for a change that you can notice, I think you have to do a bigger step but then keep in mind it is more damaging to your hair. If you still kinda a like the color you have now, you can just wait it out more, and by time it will get lighter from different treatments that others suggested here. It is more healthy for your hair, but will take a lot longer.

Last summer I had brown hair and wanted to go lighter. Didnīt want to bleach my whole hair because of the damage. I did deep treatments before I went to a really good hairdresser....then I put some lighter highlights in my hair, not light blond but more close to your natural haircolor. Then went home and took good care of my hair....Then you can just stop coloring or doing highlights. As your hair grows it will show a bit of difference, but if you done it at a good hairdresser and gotten the highlights as close to your natural color as possible - the difference wonīt be that big. And by time the other color will also face...specially if you do a lot of deep treatments.

But it is not a natural way ofcause....and when I went lighter...I went darker again after just a few months...lol...because my hair tends to look more healthy darker...:)!!!

You have already gotten other GREAT tips here, many probably alot better than mine and more healthy. But this way is better than trying to bleach your whole hair lighter...
/Emme

tiny_teesha
May 11th, 2008, 02:51 AM
If i were you i would start with the least damaging option and work my way down. I would then if i wanted blonde NOW really bad, only do the canopy- not going over my roots, and even blended in some of the colour of my ends and use them as low lights on my roots and then wait it out and slowly grow it out. That way the transistion line won't be as bad, and you will cause as little damage as possible.

i dyed my hair red and chose to grow it out, i then dyed my hair black to hide the regrowth as my hair is very dark brown. I solved the transition line, but as you want to go lighter that my be difficult! Maybe you can just work on your top half of hair so at least half of your hair will be really healthy or else i fear you might need to trim a fair bit of from damage to get it blonde again. Ask Frannyg i think? She dyed her hair blonde after dyeing it brown and she trimmed 5 inches off, she did many many honey masks then went to the hair dresser to lighten it further.

justgreen
May 11th, 2008, 07:27 AM
If you want to save yourself a lot of work and grief, go to a good colorist and have heavy highlights woven in, then gradually have less as time goes on. It's not that expensive and will definitely keep you from cutting off a bunch of length.

I dyed my whole head dark brown about 4 years ago, kept it that way for almost a year. Was letting my hair rest from too many self highlightings. Then I went to a good colorist and had highlights put in all over, except for my underneath panel. That was over three years ago, right before I found LHC. I get my roots done now every 4-6 weeks. Before LHC I always had to have the ends cut 1-2" every 3-4 months. This was due to 'cones. Now I only have a slight dusting done once a year.

aisling
May 11th, 2008, 08:06 AM
I used to dye my hair and I used the head and shoulders brand and it never affected the color on my hair.
Try a honey mixture cause that will lighten hair considerably.

The effects of honey aren't conclusive, some claims they see some lightening effects, others don't. To say honey will lighten hair considerably is, in my opinion, a bit too hopeful.

justgreen
May 11th, 2008, 08:16 AM
The effects of honey aren't conclusive, some claims they see some lightening effects, others don't. To say honey will lighten hair considerably is, in my opinion, a bit too hopeful.


I have to agree here. IMHO honey only lightens if you already have light hair to begin with. Also, if you are trying to use honey for this purpose, make sure you do not heat it before applying.

Katze
May 12th, 2008, 01:44 AM
yes, in my experiments with honey on my (partially bleached) hair and BF's (virgin) hair, the only difference between the control samples and those soaked for several days in honey was that the honey samples were shinier. this shine faded after the samples had lain around for several weeks.

Many women with light brown/dark blonde hair bleach their hair, as our hair color is seen somehow as "mousey" or "boring" (there were some great threads on the old LHC about this) but for me, i am learning to love my own color and see how it turns out. Honestly, if there were a way to lighten hair "naturally" I would do it, at least for streaks, but in my 15+ years of trying everything, never found it. So I'm staying with my own hair-colored hair, because I want it to grow long.

It sounds like you are a bit on the color bandwagon, and what you need to decide is if you want to stay there. :)

good luck!

Katze

naturechild
May 13th, 2008, 11:11 AM
I am trying the honey and some lemon in my hair when I am in the yard. So far I have a little lightening.

I dont so much mind the red tones I just want my lighter hair.

ok I know the answer already but Cristy Brenkly says she uses "Sun In" that has GOT to cause all kids of havoc on her hair but it looks great and is kinda longish. what the heck is up with that?

My sister and brother have red hair so I dont mind the red it makes me feel like part of my own family.
I have been doing honey rinses and honey for a hour also with tiny affect.
before I darkened my hair I was contibuting to the honey tread pretty frequently, over a year and some ago. I did find a lightening of the bright cheap henna with honey. It just takes so long. O well I DO want healthy hair so I will be patient, and keep trying.

maybe I will check out the Color oops would you say that is my best bet?

Katze
May 14th, 2008, 03:31 AM
yes, Sun In is very damaging. Trust me - I started using it when I was 14 and kept using it.

Bleach damages hair. So if you want long hair, don't bleach. If you must bleach, it's better to have a professional do it than to do it at home.

naturechild
May 14th, 2008, 08:00 AM
That is what I thought, no bleach!!

I am trying the Honey approach, I am getting some lightening but I agree I also need to come to terms my hair is darker then I want it to be and I need to keep it healthy first and the color is just a bonus.

Dont get me wrong though I am going to keep up the lightening with honey and chamonile or anything else that I can find to lighten it safe and healthy!

naturechild
June 6th, 2008, 01:35 PM
I'm seeing progress!! weeee! people are asking me if I have lighted my hair. Its not huge I have the sun touched look now and still working on it I love the red tones I am getting too! thank you for all of your help
Say no to dye's.....(well maybe??)

Nightshade
June 6th, 2008, 02:46 PM
I'm very happy to hear that you're making progress :flowers:

Curlsgirl
June 6th, 2008, 09:11 PM
I don't think I saw it but did anyone suggest baking soda mixed with shampoo? It may feel dry at first after you do it but if you moisturize after your hair will return to normal (for most people). Baking soda takes out color better than anything else I tried when I got my hair too dark. It also fades naturally with time a little. Glad you are seeing some results just thought I might mention the baking soda in case you want to try it. :)

I mix about a teaspoon with a palmful of shampoo. That is I did when I used it. Now my hair is highlighted and it will fade any lowlights if I use the baking soda. You can even smell the color as you're rinsing the BS off.

Rini
June 7th, 2008, 03:35 AM
Say no to dye's

I'm saying "yes" these days :D

Glad it worked out for you.

naturechild
June 11th, 2008, 01:14 PM
Rini: is blonde your natural color? your hair looks so pretty and natural in the blonde pic.
How did you get that great color with dye's I always got a solid block of color instead of the natural look you have.

Rini
June 12th, 2008, 05:02 AM
Ah, well you see nature has provided me with plenty of silvers to "highlight" the blonde :D I just use a permanent dye on the roots only which lifts me a shade and the silvers do the rest. I'm guessing you could probably get really fine foils to give the same effect?

naturechild
June 12th, 2008, 07:32 AM
Rini: I spent the last 1/2 hour of work researching your sight on blondes and then went back to mine and found between the two I needed to try color opps. I had been getting a lot of lightening from honey treatments along with the lemon rinse after the poo bar, I had seen much more lightness but I KNEW I had more under their. SOOO I did the color Oops last night (BOY THAT HAS A SCENT PHEWW)

I have my blonde back!!!!

I couldent stop looking in the mirror with shock. w/o coloring it I have the blonde I had before a sunny summer.
A few questions though. Did color Oops strip natural color from my hair?or can I say this is my natural color and start from here? or is this still concidered a bottle blonde? I guess I really dont care but I eventually would like to say I am all natural?! I do condsider other conditioning aka chamomile, henna, ect. natural.
I am going to keep up the honey b/c it is so deep conditioning. I am also going to double up on the deep oil treatments for a bit, I think it took a lot of nautral oils out of my hair.
Thank you all for the ideas I am in love with my hair again!!!
I am off to join Rini's blonde thread WHAAWOOO!

wintersun99
June 12th, 2008, 08:36 AM
Hi there, I've used color oops before, multiple times - it stinks, no? Anyway, color oops supposedly does NOT affect your natural color, it only affects the oxidative dye, soooo - if you used a color that DID NOT bleach your hair and then deposit dye (a color that didn't have ammonia and peroxide) then you have your natural color back - if you used a product that had very little ammonia/and/or peroxide (like a demi-permanent) then your hair may have been "lifted" a shade, but still very close to natural... all of the shade changes came from what type of color you used (permanent, semi/ or demi permanent, etc) and what shade you used, not from the color oops. :)

p.s. - yay that you got your color back! :):)

naturechild
June 12th, 2008, 08:58 AM
Thank you wintersun99: I used a darkening dye by neutresse(the one that Sara Jessica Parker endorsed) ? in a pretty dark shade. I have a lot of red right now but from what I understand that is pretty normal and will fade. Right?
my hair was platnum(sp?) when I was very little but has steadly gone to a darker blonde. My hair lightend a lot with the sun in the past so I THINK this is my color -minus the red tones - all though my grandfather, brother ans sister have a lot of red in their hair. I never seemed to have near as much as they did, my g-dad was called red as a teen. I will get a pic and post asap.
am I right is saying the natural oils have been stripped out and I can get the moisture back with oiling?

wintersun99
June 12th, 2008, 09:21 AM
Oiling would probably be a very good idea! I'm sure your hair would really benefit :)

Blueglass
June 12th, 2008, 09:29 AM
Natureschild, is your blonde now brassy or is it ok?

naturechild
June 12th, 2008, 09:43 AM
Blueglass: I have a lot of red tones in it right, you could say it is sorta brassy. not anything I cant deal with ( and I dont like brassy) considering I just stripped mocha brown from my hair. I am hopeing it will fade with proper care and some chamomille rinses'

Rini
June 12th, 2008, 11:08 PM
Yay you!!!!:cheese:

I'm so glad it worked out for you :)

naturechild
June 13th, 2008, 08:43 AM
Is may be my imagination but I think my darkness is coming back a little. I dont have the blonde I did right after the color Oops. right after I did the color oops I washed it with Burts bees greatfruit wash but since then I have used poo bars and I oiled it. I washed last night, with karma poo bar and a lemon rinse. I still think the dark is creeping back in?
can that happen?

iris
June 13th, 2008, 11:00 AM
Yes, that can happen.

A bit of background: permanent dyes work as follows: step 1. blow holes in the hair 2.insert color molecules into the hair (these come in two parts and they are actually colorless in their disassembled state at this point) and then 3. put color molecules together. Step 3 gives the actual color - the assembling of the color molecules also prevents them from coming back out from your hair (the color molecules are too big in their combined state to fall out of the hair).

What color oops does, is undo step 3. It chemically alters the color molecules in the dye to a state where they are colorless, and smaller than in their colored state. At this point in the color oops process you should shampoo the treatment out with a chelating shampoo. Not any shampoo, not a clarifying shampoo, a chelating shampoo.

The color you are seeing return now is left-over color, that was made invisible by color oops before, but is now oxidizing back (through reacting with oxygen from the air) to its colored state.

You could try color oops again, but use a chelating shampoo this time right after the treatment.

Iris

spidermom
June 13th, 2008, 11:41 AM
I read recently in a hair feature on AOL that hot oil treatments pull dye from hair; have you tried that? It would have a conditioning benefit as well. (I think "hot" oil treatment really means "warm".)

Don't scrimp on the deep moisture treatments; I'm sure your hair needs it.

PS: I agree; just say "no" to dye.

naturechild
June 13th, 2008, 11:47 AM
I am planning on picking up some more color Oops but what chelating shampoo do you suggest?

naturechild
June 13th, 2008, 11:49 AM
spidermom: would just warm coconut oil do or do I need like a VO5?

spidermom
June 13th, 2008, 12:19 PM
Yes - just warm your coconut oil. Actually, I've heard that olive oil is best for this, but I can't remember who/where I heard this. Try what you have and like first. If that doesn't work, try the olive oil. And good luck. Blonde is fabulous!

naturechild
June 13th, 2008, 12:32 PM
spidermom do you agree too I should try the Oops again and then a chelating shampoo? I am going home soon, so can I ask you too is a good chelating shampoo?

lady_of_shallot
April 9th, 2009, 12:18 PM
I understand that I dyed my hair and i want it back. Though you said you can't see roots I am missing it! I'm not sure if I should cut it all off or just let it grow.