no stain? first time henna head

[colormeindie]

ok so a little background on my hair in the past week or so.

i did a soap cap to get all the blue out and have a normal color to henna on. Then i did a henna gloss to get my hair to get a little strength back from the bleach. After that, i decided to do a protein treatment because my hair has become too elastic-y from past dyes.

today i did a strand test with henna to test how long i should leave it on. The first one didn't go that well. I've just washed it out a few minutes ago and its a very very dark brown, and in the light it's almost green. I used RedRaj henna from hennasooq, with chamomile tea and a touch of paprika. i let it sit for about two hours on top of my computer tower (which tends to get a little warm) until i saw the dye release. i applied to a small set of strands on my hair and waited an hour.

i'm a first time henna-head and i'm just confused. did the henna react badly because of the bleach? What did i do wrong? :confused:

[colormeindie]

no one? :(

[moxamoll]

It might be better to put this question in the Henna section.

I don't have any experience with putting henna over bleach, although I'd think it should work. My only two cents is to leave the henna on the hair longer. I did 8+ hours for my overall applications and I aim for at least 5 when I touch up my roots.

Also, check the strand test in different lights. Under florescents, my hair looks auburn at best (because the light is green) but under sunlight it's fiery red.

I hope someone else has some better ideas for you!

[sloth]

How long has it been since the bleach/protein treatment?

I've put henna over... a lot of things, but I always water-only wash my hair for a few days before to get any excess product or shampoo out before I henna my hair. You might just need to wait a few days before trying to henna again.

If you've already waited a few days, well... I'll let someone more versed in these things take that question. :)

[akilina]

Well think of the color wheel.
Henna sort of just stains your hair. If there was any trace of blue left, it will not cover it. Red+blue= purple, but it often appears to be an ugly muddy brown on hair.
I don't see where it would take badly, other than if your hair is very very porous, or if you didn't leave it on long enough,

[colormeindie]

but the color isn't ashy at all. surprisingly it came out a golden blonde. and if henna stains red/orange, wouldn't it be at least orange after only an hour?
Sloth: it was probably around 22 hours? band camp starts soon so i'm feeling a little rushed :/

Akilina: perhaps i should do henna glosses to try to get henna to build up to possibly tone down the porosity? hmm.

[puddums]

I'm no henna expert, but I don't think you left the henna on long enough. I usually leave mine on for at least 6 hours (sometimes more like 8 if I do it overnight).
I'm also pretty sure that I remember reading in the henna threads that since henna sticks to the keratin in hair, and bleaching can harm the keratin, that hennaing right after bleaching can produce ineffective results in some people.

When I'm strand testing I harvest some hair from my brush, squish on the henna, wrap the whole glop up in saran wrap and leave it overnight. That always stains quite vividly (I used red raj too), although I've never done it on bleached hair.

Hope this helps a bit! Maybe one of the henna gurus will come along soon.

[akilina]

but the color isn't ashy at all. surprisingly it came out a golden blonde. and if henna stains red/orange, wouldn't it be at least orange after only an hour?
Sloth: it was probably around 22 hours? band camp starts soon so i'm feeling a little rushed :/

Akilina: perhaps i should do henna glosses to try to get henna to build up to possibly tone down the porosity? hmm.
Henna glosses will give you even less of a color. Go find a protein filler at a place like sallys and give that a try.
All hair reacts differently.
Did you wait for dye release???

** sorry went back and read**
Perhaps it just wasn't long enough? I have had dye release after 2 hours before though :/ Hmmmm

[colormeindie]

I'm no henna expert, but I don't think you left the henna on long enough. I usually leave mine on for at least 6 hours (sometimes more like 8 if I do it overnight).
I'm also pretty sure that I remember reading in the henna threads that since henna sticks to the keratin in hair, and bleaching can harm the keratin, that hennaing right after bleaching can produce ineffective results in some people.

When I'm strand testing I harvest some hair from my brush, squish on the henna, wrap the whole glop up in saran wrap and leave it overnight. That always stains quite vividly (I used red raj too), although I've never done it on bleached hair.

Hope this helps a bit! Maybe one of the henna gurus will come along soon.

thanks :] i'll do another test overnight.

akilina: i'll try that too thanks :]

[Pierre]

Try putting the henna on the test hair immediately, then leaving it on the computer overnight. That's what I do (except I leave my hair on my head!).

[lapushka]

I don't know if you used it, but if there's even a slight bit of indigo in there, it's going to turn green over bleach.

[ladylowtide]

I used straight henna (no other plants in it) on all of my hair including my bleached to holy heck ends. At first the ends turned orange, but after three applications they look the same red they do now. Each of my applications were probably 5 hours, that was after having the dye release for anywhere between 6 and 20 hours before hand.

My mix is straight powdered henna, mixed with warm strongly brewed rooibos tea (using filtered water), and a splash of red wine vinegar (cuts through henna smell, is acidic, leaved hair shiny etc.).

Good luck. And make sure you clarify first if you are cone user.

[lmfbs]

How did you mix the henna? Did it dye release before you applied it to the hair?

[colormeindie]

yes. it was in a glass bowl so i could see it. there was a layer of bright orange above green.... at least i thought that was dye release.

[PrettyFit]

You could try clarifying your test hair and doing the henna again on your test hair. People say that henna will penetrate the hair no matter what, but starting with clarified hair will remove any potential barriers. This could make a difference.

[lmfbs]

yes. it was in a glass bowl so i could see it. there was a layer of bright orange above green.... at least i thought that was dye release.

That sounds like it. I always test it on my hand to be sure, I don't really trust my eyes!

[colormeindie]

You could try clarifying your test hair and doing the henna again on your test hair. People say that henna will penetrate the hair no matter what, but starting with clarified hair will remove any potential barriers. This could make a difference.
i'll try that as well :] so much to do!