Uh Oh...

[Kdc0180]

Uh I dyed my hair with henna about an hour ago...with the intension of it being dark brown. But it's not...it's dark auburn brown. Is it a good idea to dye my hair again in a couple of days? :confused:

[AnnaJamila]

That depends on the henna used. If your's was the real deal (no additives) then you're golden. If the ingredients were an amalgamation of some really funky things you need to wait at least a month.

Until then, if you're finding you don't like the color on you try to find some redder shades of makeup. They can help tie it into your skintone. If you just don't like the color try rinsing in coffee which should tone it down a bit. (Don't expect miracles, though.)

That or a pretty silk scarf!

[OperaTeacherMom]

Wait a few days! The orange-y glow of henna dies down in 2-3 days, you might absolutely love it once that happens :)

[Kdc0180]

Thank you so much! Yeah the henna I got was all natural without any peroxides, parabens ect...so is that what you meant?

[Roseate]

Thank you so much! Yeah the henna I got was all natural without any peroxides, parabens ect...so is that what you meant?

The biggest potential problem in dying over "henna" color would be metallic salts, added to boost color. They can react badly with other dyes.

If it was brown, it's not 100% henna: the henna plant produces only red dye. So they have to add something; it could be indigo, amla, or other plants, in which case you're fine to re-dye when you want. Or it could be other stuff.

What brand was it? Do you have an ingredients list?

Henna does oxidize and darken over the first week, so give it some time anyway!

[Kathie]

Wait a week before you decide to do anything... the color does change.

[Gulbahar]

The colour will change, sure. But with henna you always get red tones. So if you don't like any red in your hair henna probably isn't for you...

[sedonia]

Thank you so much! Yeah the henna I got was all natural without any peroxides, parabens ect...so is that what you meant?

No. Parabens and peroxides are the least of your worries. What she's getting at is, did you use pure henna? (it doesn't sound like it if you were expecting brown, because as someone pointed out, henna is red and only red)

It is important to know if you used a compound henna. The problem is that compound hennas often do not disclose all their ingredients. Read about compound hennas here:

http://www.hennaforhair.com/science/whatsinit.html

[Kdc0180]

I used Surya Brasil henna dye in cream form. Do you have a suggestion of a brand so I can mix up my own dyes to get dark brown? I read something on other threads about indigo but I don't want blue hair. lol

[Roseate]

I used Surya Brasil henna dye in cream form.

Was it this type (http://www.amazon.com/Henna-Dark-Brown-Cream-2-31/dp/B000PV3PKG)? I've used this product, and though it is a very good deposit-only dye, it is actually not henna at all. So, good news is, this is a semi-permanent product that will wash out of your hair after about 6 weeks. I'd wait for that to happen rather than dying over it.

You can mix henna, indigo and other plants to get dark brown, but if you want no red tones at all, this may not be the best choice. Henna (lawsonia inermis), produces a blazing, permanent red. Even adding indigo, etc, you often get some red flare.

But go check out the henndigo thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=21272), the ladies over there can help you more!

[Lianna]

Hi. I'm from Brazil and have used this semi color, which has henna added to it. That will change a little, but will be red still. They say it fades, but it didn't for me. For a pure henna mix color you'd need to have in the powder form (Surya is a brand similar to lush henna, that mixes other herbs to made shades). I did a review (http://reviews.longhaircommunity.com/showproduct.php/product/714/cat/5) on the Surya powder henna a while ago.

You can dye over it, no need to wait if you don't want. I've bleached and/or dyed over this brand without problems.

[Kdc0180]

Thank ya'll so much! I appreciate it. :)

[Lollipop]

Also, if you want to tone down henna without the darkness of indigo (although I suppose you could just dilute it...) you should look int amla.

[Aredhel77]

Surya will wash out quite quickly so don't be too concerned. If you like the conditioning effect on your hair you can always use a different shade. I used to use their chocolate shade (cream colour) - it would appear dark at first and fade very quickly. I really liked the condition it left my hair in.

Oh - and expect lots of orangey-coloured rinse water in your next few washes LOL. You can literally see this product washing out .