First time Cassia Treatment, what went wrong?

[whit3c00ki3]

I feel a little discouraged. I tried my first cassia treatment and I was really excited. I was picturing silky, soft, lighter, and shiney hair but that is not what i have right now. So I get started and I mix a little over half of my 100g cassia mix with some chammomile tea i brewed and a dash of ACV. Stirred it up and let it sit for 25 minutes. Well I put it on and i was just short of having enough so i rushed and made some more without letting it sit (Ive read other ppl only using 50 grams). I kept it in my hair for 2 hours and washed it out with warmish hot water and lots of conditioner, no shampoo. I did a cold rinse at the end, dried, put a coconut and olive oil mixture to the ends and that's it. My hair is now sticky, coarse, darker, and not at all shiney.....so what did i do wrong? Btw this is my first post, yay!

[Jeni]

Could be a few things...

Your hair could just not like cassia.

Your hair could be throwing a temper tantrum, which sometimes happens. My hair usually is a bit...crazy for a day or 2 after cassia. I have noticed that that I can lesson this when I shampoo the cassia out. I think some people have problems with getting all the cassia out of their hair which will make your hair grabby and not real nice. I cant get everything out with just conditioner but ymmv.

I dont use acv in my mix so maybe that could be an issue? I use warm water, honey, evoo, fenugreek and sometimes some conditioner in my mix.

One thing- Why did you expect lighter hair? Cassia wont lighten your hair. It does have a slight yellow dye which can make light hair look more golden but it doesn't lighten hair. What color do you have?

[Blond On Blond]

Keep in mind I'm writing below about MY hair, it may not be the best recipe for everyone. It took me a while to get to the point where I know what works for me, but it may not work for you.

1. I always clarify before cassia.

2. I use a 50/50 mix of cassia (mixed with distilled water only + a dash of ACV) and conditioner. I use any conditioner, as long as it's the type that doesn't leave a waxy buildup, most often Matrix Biolage Conditioning Balm or Suave Naturals Coconut. If I feel I could use a protein treatment, I'll use the Henna'n Placenta treatment in place of the conditioner. The end mixture should be runny, because I apply it to partially dried hair to better control even distribution.

3. Chamomile tea leaves my hair a tangled, brittle and dry mess, I stopped using it for cassia, rinses, or whatever.

4. I apply cassia as soon as I mix it up. I leave it on my head for about 2 hours.

5. The "mermaid soak" works best IMO for the initial rinse. Afterward, I use lots of conditioner and rinse til no cassia bits are left in my hair.

6. My hair never looks great straight after a cassia treatment. It's kinda stiff, regardless if I used it solo, with conditioner or a protein treatment. I use a lot of leave in conditioner (always cone free) and wear my hair up for at least 2 days after cassia, then use a gentle shampoo to get rid of the resin (or whatever it is that makes my hair stiff).

Cassia is the best thing I've ever used. The result is shiny, manageable hair. In my case, the effects last 2 to 3 weeks.

[whit3c00ki3]

Well I have dish water blonde hair so I was expecting the cassia to do no color or make it slightly lighter not make it darker. I was reading some articles last night and found out the conditioner i was using leaves a waxy buildup so I took another shower today with different conditioner and shampoo. I have one more packet so I'll try your guy's recipes. May I ask what a mermaid wash is and what does "ymmv" mean?

[Nightshade]

A mermaid soak is to let your hair soak in a tub or bucket of water, free-floating. Then you can ease the mud out with your fingers and it isn't being flattened by streaming water and gravity.

YMMV= Your mileage may vary :)

[Delila]

You don't mention your hair type in your profile, in my experience, the thicker and longer your hair, the more cassia you'll need. My hair is quite fine, so I seem to be able to use a fairly small amount of cassia even though my length is now past classic. (i.e., I've been using about 50 g with a cup of water, letting it sit til cool enough to handle.)

When I need to expand the amount of cassia I've made, I tend to add more water instead of mixing up more cassia. My hair tends to soak up the water as it sits. I've noticed that if I don't add enough water, it's harder to apply, and harder to remove.

I don't use vinegar or anything acidic in my cassia obovata, and I don't oil my hair, especially not with coconut or olive oil.

I do condition my hair after a cassia treatment, lately I've been putting on some Paul Mitchell Super Charged Moisturizer and letting it sit a while before rinsing. Seems to help with the 'immediate aftermath of a cassia treatment' dryness issues.

[celebriangel]

My hair was a bit strange for a few days after a henna/cassia mix; I did an SMT which fixed it (I find SMTs both very moisturising and very cleansing. I think it got out both the remainder of the resin, and also gave my hair that post-protein-treatment conditioning that it seems to like).

Many people find this. There's someone on here who does a deep treatment directly after she does a cassia treatment. I am sure cassia will work for you - you just need to find a good mix.

I would not recommend the acid; most people do not need it, and leaving acidic things on your hair can dry it out (a rinse is obviously a different matter). A lot of people are fine, but since you seem to have problems it might be worth trying to leave it out.

My hair is quite but not very thick; I expected to mix 150g and have some left for a root touchup, but I ended up needing a whole 200g (and were I to do it over again I'd use more, as I was scraping the very bottom of the bowl by the end). My hair is only BSL, so. It's always worth buying more just in case, IMHO.

Your hair should, in any case, settle down within the next few washes.

[Mesmerise]

Bear in mind that I use henna rather than cassia but... I don't think cassia requires any acid like ACV. It tends to be used in henna to help color and dye release, but that's not relevant to cassia.

Also, don't expect lighter hair from cassia! It doesn't bleach hair or remove color in any way. It may simply impart more "golden tones" to hair, which won't generally show up on hair that's not naturally blonde or light brown anyway. If you've got darker hair, think of cassia as a conditioning treatment rather than a color.

[whit3c00ki3]

next time i will:
-leave the ACV out
-add more water to extend cassia
-Do a mermaid wash
-deep condition afterwards
-Dont expect any color
Gotcha, but...
How do i figure out my hair type?

[Blond On Blond]

Bear in mind that I use henna rather than cassia but... I don't think cassia requires any acid like ACV. It tends to be used in henna to help color and dye release, but that's not relevant to cassia.

I use a dash because I've noticed it make my hair more shiny afterward. Yet strangely enough, ACV rinses are a disaster for me. Using it as an additive to cassia is the only way I get any positive effects from ACV.

[Blond On Blond]

How do i figure out my hair type?

http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=8954

[whitestiletto]

Is it recommended to shampoo when you rinse out cassia or cassia/henna blend? Or should you condition it out and shampoo a few days later to get the "resin" out?

[Jeni]

Is it recommended to shampoo when you rinse out cassia or cassia/henna blend? Or should you condition it out and shampoo a few days later to get the "resin" out?

Depends on the person. Most people I have seen on here just use conditioner to get everything out. I use shampoo, it works better for me. I use a crap ton of conditioner to get most of the crud out then shampoo and lather like crazy (I'm a sulfate girl) rinse then do a heavy conditioning. I cannot get all the cassia bits out with conditioner alone.

My advice is to try both, see what works better for you.

[Delila]

I usually shampoo before I cassia, conditioner to follow.

Massaging a good bit of conditioner throughout my hair and all over my scalp does a good job of removing the excess cassia obovata.