Dying hair red without using dyes or chemicals

[snowfaery]

If this is in the wrong spot or someone has already answered it I'm sorry.

I am trying to dye my hair a reddish tone from what a year ago was almost a black brown color. I stopped coloring my hair using chemicals when a friend of mine touched my hair and it almost broke off at the scalp. So I'm just past the one year mark and it's been agreed that my hair is healthy enough to try and put color back in on the condition it isn't a chemical dye, specifically a box dye which includes henna or something I get at the salon.

I've been bleaching my hair using honey/cinnamon for about 5 months now I think and I've gotten the color to a lighter brown tone that has some red tints to it. I had some luck with it and monistat combined until I messed up and did 2 8 hour honey cinnamon treatments in 2 days and broke off right around 3 inches of hair so I have stopped for a little bit until I re stabilize and regrow my hair out. Currently 23.25 inches, it was at just around 25 inches.

I read the articles on dying hair using powders and have been doing glosses as I couldn't find any recipes for muds. I've been using cranberry powder, beet powder, and carrot powder for about a month now on an almost daily basis and I haven't seen any color change. I'm about out of all of my powders and I'm about ready to give up even though getting a solid red color is important to me. Does anybody have any tips or suggestions on how to get this to work and stick so that the color can build?

[Amber_Maiden]

Maybe add a bit of henna?

[AdrianneJean]

You should try henna! I've heard that works really well!

[Freija]

First off, it sounds as though you really do have some major damage. The old hair won't have completely grown out yet, so that will still be really brittle, and the honey lightening seems to be putting extra strain on top of that. So I think, until you've grown out all of that, that you are right to take a big step back and try to avoid doing too much to it.

That said, henna really adds strength - it coats the hair, and can cover up the splits and hold it all together. It is also permanent; do you really and truly want a colour which can be anything from bright copper, through flame red to burgundy, but will always flash orangey in the sun? It can be utterly beautiful, but it is bright and it's not for everyone. If you do decide to go the henna or henna and indigo route, your best bet would be to buy the henna powder online and mix it up and apply it at home - it's really easy, and quite fun, to do! Depending on the colour you want from it (copper? Red? Wine? or even red-browns or cherry-cola blacks, if you use indigo and henna combined), I can help suggest a specific mix.

If you want more control over your colour, and a wider range of shades, or you want to avoid the orange altogether and go cooler or softer, you'd be better off using a deposit-only dye - like Manic Panic, Directions or Adore (Adore comes in a range of natural shades, the others not so much) - or Pravana, which is more permanent but is still non-damaging. Again, I might be able to help a bit more if I knew exactly what sort of red you want, and what your starting colour is like now. Is it all light brown, or is it darker where the dye was? How light is it, and how red? Oh - and what is your natural colour?

But whatever you do, because your hair is so damaged, it's going to drink up the dye like anything. Strand-test before you use anything on it, and leave the dye on for less time rather than more. With something like Directions or Manic Panic, I'd probably only leave it for ten minutes the first time.

[Roscata]

I'm adding another vote for henna. Make sure you get BAQ henna if you decide to use it.

Henna Sellers--BAQ
Henna sooq: hennasooq.com
Henna for hair: hennaforhair.com
Henna Boy UK henna-boy.co.uk
Castle Art Henna castleart.com

[Mesmerise]

Just so you are aware...henna itself is NOT chemical and is NOT damaging. However, henna "dyes" often do contain chemicals and metallic salts and stuff... and these can truly mess up your hair. So if you have been warned that henna is bad, then it's probably because whoever warned you only knew about the chemical dyes etc. rather than pure henna.

If you are serious about wanting chemical free red hair, then henna is the best way to go imho. It will last far longer than anything else.

I like Jamila henna, and find it's great whether BAQ or not (I got BAQ last time, not because I ordered it, just because that's what arrived in the mail lol), and whether it's "hair" or "skin" quality, it has a lovely sift and you can buy it quite cheap. I get it on ebay and even though it's shipped from the US I still pay less than $6 a box including postage.

[snowfaery]

Depending on the colour you want from it (copper? Red? Wine? or even red-browns or cherry-cola blacks, if you use indigo and henna combined), I can help suggest a specific mix.

Again, I might be able to help a bit more if I knew exactly what sort of red you want, and what your starting colour is like now. Is it all light brown, or is it darker where the dye was? How light is it, and how red? Oh - and what is your natural colour?


I really want to go towards the red brown to start because then when it does start to fade it isn't a huge difference from what it is right now. I'll try and take a photo out in the sun of what it looks like right now. It's darker underneath and lighter on top, more of the red tints are under the first layer of hair. I honestly don't know what my natural color is anymore as I haven't seen it in at least 7 years which includes pre pregnancy.

[Ravenwind]

I would be careful about the box dyes that contain henna. Those usually contain metallic salts and can really ruin your hair. I would definitely go for 100% BAQ henna.

[the.fee.fairy]

try mixing up some henna paste with shampoo and using it to wash your hair, and then mix it with conditioner and leave on for 3 minutes or so.

If you do this every time you wash your hair, it'll start taking on red tints.

Lush used to do a shampoo called plantational, and i used it religiously in my teens and had a definite red sheen to my dark brown hair. Sadly, they don't do it anymore (they changed the formula and it started exploding). But i spoke to my wonderful hairdresser aunt who said that adding henna to shampoo and conditioner can make a difference.

Add the paste (not the powder), you can buy tubes of paste for doing henna tattoos, make sure you get the natural red. It's designed to be left on the skin for hours, so it's not harmful. Only mix the paste with the shampoo/conditioner as you wash your hair, this means that it starts curing as you're using it. Leave the conditioner on for a few minutes (or longer if you want) so that the henna cures when it's on your head.

If all fails, try a dye like Manic Panic or Directions for a while to cultivate the red and then the henna to maintain it.

[Freija]

I really want to go towards the red brown to start because then when it does start to fade it isn't a huge difference from what it is right now. I'll try and take a photo out in the sun of what it looks like right now. It's darker underneath and lighter on top, more of the red tints are under the first layer of hair. I honestly don't know what my natural color is anymore as I haven't seen it in at least 7 years which includes pre pregnancy.

Okay. Well, people have varying results with indigo - I always got it to fade back to red on me, but others found it more permanent. So strand-test like mad before you apply anything to all of your hair, and if you really want to go for a henna/indigo brown then be prepared that it's always going to look quite red, and a bit orangey in the sun. You just can't avoid that with henna.

The first thing to do would be to get a couple of hundred grammes of henna powder and a similar amount of indigo powder online (that's plenty if your hair is around shoulder-length, though you might need a bit more for the strand-testing). Roscata's given a very good list of the main suppliers used here. : )

You can choose from a number of different types of henna when you buy it: depending on where it is grown, the dye it yields will be slightly different. The two main types are Jamila and Yemeni. Basically, if you want a brighter, more coppery orange-gold base to your red-brown, use Jamila. If you'd rather a truer red base, giving you a cherry-cola shade that shines reddish in the sun, I'd go with Yemeni.

Once it's arrived, put the indigo to one side and start with the henna. Using non-metal utensils (metal interacts badly with the henna), mix up a teaspoon of henna with a couple of teaspoons of lukewarm distilled water (collecting rainwater and then boiling it to sterilise it is easiest, if you don't have a water filter). I say distilled water, as the minerals in tap water can affect the dye release. Some people add lemon juice, but I didn't ever bother, it just seemed as though it would dry out my hair. Add the water slowly, and mix until the henna is sloppy and muddy but not completely runny: most people say it should be the consistency of yoghurt. Cover the bowl with clingfilm (saran wrap!) and leave it for six to eight hours in a warm, but not hot, place - a sunny windowsil, or an airing-cupboard. Seal the rest of the henna powder back up, and store it with the indigo in a cool, dry, dark place.

You'll know that your henna mix is ready to use when it has turned darker on the top and there are little drips of dye sitting on the surface.

In the meantime, collect some hair from your hairbrush, or snip off a few strands from the back of your head (and tape them together at one end to hold them in a bunch), to test the dye on.

When everything is ready, saturate the test-strands with the henna mud, wrap them in clingfilm, and leave them out at room temperature. I'd recommend leaving the henna on for four hours for the first test.

Once the four hours is up, wash the henna carefully off the strands, using lots of conditioner, until the wash-water runs clear. Next, take about a teaspoon of indigo and mix with a little lukewarm water (careful - this stuff stains!). Again, go for a yoghurt consistency. Put it on the test-strand immediately, wrap in clingfilm, and leave for twenty minutes. Wash it off, and then put the hair out to dry.

You'll need to leave the hair alone for a couple of days after this, as henna oxidises and becomes less orange in the first 24-36 hours after dyeing. You won't get an accurate idea of the final colour until then.

Look at your test strand under daylight, lamplight, fluorescent light. Take it outside into the sun, and in the dusk. It will be slightly different under all of these lightings, so make sure you like the variations! Check that you like the way it looks against your skin, too, and how it blends with your hair. If you do like the colour, you can repeat the same process with the rest of the henna and indigo, applying it to your whole head by dividing your hair into sections and squidging the mud into it thoroughly from roots to ends, then covering it with clingfilm and a (dark!) towel to catch any drips. Wash the mud out each time by swirling your hair in a big bucket of lukewarm water placed in the bottom of your shower to loosen it up, then patiently washing it way under the shower (it will take about fifteen, maybe twenty minutes!). Saturating your hair with conditioner helps it all slide out, and should help with the damage a bit, too.

If it isn't quite right on the test-strand, come back and post a picture of it, explaining what you want - and we'll try to tweak the mix and the timings to get you there.

Good luck! : )

[Pierre]

One more vote for henna. I have never dyed my hair except with henna, so I don't know how it reacts with chemical dye, but I know it makes my hair stronger. The only henna I've seen in a box is Light Mountain (which isn't very strong), and even that is a powder. I buy henna from Catherine, who's in Ohio, which is close enough to you.

I don't wait for dye release. I mix it, apply it, and go to sleep. It releases into my hair.

[snowfaery]

The pictures requested are in my album. I found a decent picture of the red color I'd like to aim for. I have a picture of what I think my natural hair color was 10 years ago which is one of the last times I saw it natural that I have pictures of. I also have what my hair looked like a year and a half ago when it was black to hide a really bad dye job that turned my hair yellow, carrot orange, light brown, med brown, dark brown and black in that order down the hair shaft. I also have photos of what it looks like currently.

edited to change to include change about having current pictures

[Freija]

Oh, wow! I like it! Your hair is a pretty good starting colour, too, and it's not too different from your natural colour so your roots shouldn't show through the henna.

Okay, in that case, just mix up a teaspoon or so of henna (I'd probably use Yemeni to get that much red), let it dye release, glop it onto the test-strand, leave it overnight, and see what you get. Don't use any indigo at all. : )

[robey]

If this is in the wrong spot or someone has already answered it I'm sorry.

I am trying to dye my hair a reddish tone from what a year ago was almost a black brown color. I stopped coloring my hair using chemicals when a friend of mine touched my hair and it almost broke off at the scalp. So I'm just past the one year mark and it's been agreed that my hair is healthy enough to try and put color back in on the condition it isn't a chemical dye, specifically a box dye which includes henna or something I get at the salon.

I've been bleaching my hair using honey/cinnamon for about 5 months now I think and I've gotten the color to a lighter brown tone that has some red tints to it. I had some luck with it and monistat combined until I messed up and did 2 8 hour honey cinnamon treatments in 2 days and broke off right around 3 inches of hair so I have stopped for a little bit until I re stabilize and regrow my hair out. Currently 23.25 inches, it was at just around 25 inches.

I read the articles on dying hair using powders and have been doing glosses as I couldn't find any recipes for muds. I've been using cranberry powder, beet powder, and carrot powder for about a month now on an almost daily basis and I haven't seen any color change. I'm about out of all of my powders and I'm about ready to give up even though getting a solid red color is important to me. Does anybody have any tips or suggestions on how to get this to work and stick so that the color can build?
I have heard that adding a bottle or two of pure red food coloring or a couple packets of sugar-free Kool-aid to your uncolored conditioner will deposit quite a bit of natural red into your hair, it acts like Henna in ways but without the commitment and with a brighter outcome hue.
However if you have blonde hair or light brown I wouldn't try this as it will be neon red . Hope this helps a bit
:blossom: