How long does Henna take to 'settle'?

[theodora]

Hi guys, so I did my first henna gloss last night. As I only wanted some strawberry/coppery hints and my hair is fair, I went with a recommended proportion of 1 henna to 9 cassia.
(On my strand test of 1 henna 1 cassia the result was a bit strong).

Well my hair just looks golden blond. Not coppery at all. My question is; I've heard people say that their henna still evolved a couple days after application.

Do you think I will see the copper in a couple of days? Or was my experiment a big fail and my proportions just too weak?

[Mairéad]

Usually henna will oxidize over the course of three days to a week (for me). Though, if you don't see color at all right now I'm not certain you will in three days.

[Anje]

Honestly, I'd expect it to start more orangey and get less intense, so if you're not seeing copper now, I don't know that you'll see it later.

On me, henna seems to be settled down in about 3 days, but I've got darker hair than you. Just to be safe, I'd say you should give it a good 6-7 days before making any final judgments (and then you can re-apply on the same day of the week if you wish).

[theodora]

Thanks for the advice everyone! I shall wait a week and see if the colour changes (I had noticed it intensified on my strand test, but then again it did actually look coppery from the start).

[pixiestar]

Thanks for the advice everyone! I shall wait a week and see if the colour changes (I had noticed it intensified on my strand test, but then again it did actually look coppery from the start).

If its not brighter after a week, do a stronger mix or leave it on longer. How long did you leave it on?:D

[theodora]

If its not brighter after a week, do a stronger mix or leave it on longer. How long did you leave it on?:D

I left it for an hour, so maybe that wasn't long enough! I should have done another strand test before doing the actual gloss but it's such a faff! I guess doing a strand test for 50/50 henna/cassia with 2 hours on hair and then doing actually 90 henna/10 cassia with 1 hour on hair is fairly different :o.
I just got scared of going bright carrot orange. I need to take a picture tonight in the same condition as last night to compare the before/after colour. Maybe there has been a subtle change and I just can't see it!

[celebriangel]

I would say one hour is not long enough. I'd go at least 3, maybe with the same mix or maybe *slightly* stronger.

Also, you are putting your mix in a gloss of conditioner, correct? You might be best increasing the proportion of henna to cassia, so that you can control the coppery tones by using more or less in the conditioner.

[theodora]

Thanks for the advice, I will try again and tweak my proportions. In the meantime, here are the before and after pictures:

pre-gloss:
http://www.longhaircommunity.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=8022&pictureid=104734

(excuse the slight nakedness, I was about to put the henna on so didn't want to risk clothes!)

post-gloss:
http://www.longhaircommunity.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=8022&pictureid=104735


Even if I somehow didn't manage to have the same lighting although these were taken at the same time of the day in the same room with the same light on, it is fair to say I look a bit more golden. At least I think so, but it's very subtle.

[ifthemoonsmiled]

Honestly, I'd expect it to start more orangey and get less intense, so if you're not seeing copper now, I don't know that you'll see it later.

On me, henna seems to be settled down in about 3 days, but I've got darker hair than you. Just to be safe, I'd say you should give it a good 6-7 days before making any final judgments (and then you can re-apply on the same day of the week if you wish).

Exactly what she said. You should wait a week to see the final results, but in my experience henna will be more coppery at first and then tone down, not the other way around. And honestly, if my henna didn't come out as red as I was hoping for then I would probably do a stronger application right away. I'm not good at waiting.

ETA: I do definitely see a difference in color in your pictures. You look more golden to me. Stuff like "golden" and "copper" is a very subjective thing.

[GoatLady]

The henna, on my gray roots, starts out "Fifth Element orange" and settles down after 24 hours. I just hennaed yesterday and my hair is already nice and coppery on the new growth.

[pixiestar]

Thanks for the advice, I will try again and tweak my proportions. In the meantime, here are the before and after pictures:

pre-gloss:
http://www.longhaircommunity.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=8022&pictureid=104734

(excuse the slight nakedness, I was about to put the henna on so didn't want to risk clothes!)

post-gloss:
http://www.longhaircommunity.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=8022&pictureid=104735


Even if I somehow didn't manage to have the same lighting although these were taken at the same time of the day in the same room with the same light on, it is fair to say I look a bit more golden. At least I think so, but it's very subtle.

Its definitely more golden:) Very pretty:D
I left my last gloss on for 85mins, and used a tbsp full of henna. It was very orange on the grey and blonde bits and auburn on the brown to start. But it darkens up within 24 hours. My sig is after washing once.