Semi-permanent haircolor in crazy shades over henna

**PixieP** · July 5th, 2015, 07:17 AM

A friend of mine has gone over too hennaing her hair too. She's going to an anime convention in august and her character she's gonna cosplay has dark purple hair, and she was wondering if it was possible to dye over henna with a blue or purple semi-permanent dye (like manic panic), or if it would ruin her henna red for good?

And if there is no problems, do you think a blue or purple would be best?

**laceyfairy** · July 5th, 2015, 07:37 AM

Probably purple because blue dye is finicky and when mixed with orange of henna might turn brown. It took my manic panic years to fade so I can't recommend it as a truly temporary measure. Honestly a wig is probably a better choice unless the character has a widow's peak or something. Fitting long hair under a wig cap is annoying but usually possible

**JellyBene** · July 7th, 2015, 07:49 AM

It definitely works! I bet purple over the henna would look really cool. It might look a little darker than she intends though because of the layering affect of the two colors.

**woodswanderer** · July 7th, 2015, 08:26 AM

I don't know if it would work out colorwise. I have a theory on this, but it is based on basic color mixing...not on hair dye experience.

Maybe it would matter if her current henna is more copper/orange or more burgundy. Purple is red+blue, so if the henna is more orange, then I would hate to add something with a blue component in case it turned brown.

I think she should strand test first. The same logic would also apply to green, which is yellow+blue.

**Horrorpops** · July 7th, 2015, 09:07 AM

Yep agree! Deposit only/ Semi permanent dyes over henna (without bleaching first) can lead to many unpredictable colours. If your friend is looking to reach a specific color for a cosplay I 100% think a wig will work better. Honestly I'd only say dye it if she didn't have a goal shade in mind, didn't mind it maybe going a funky colour and wasn't in a hurry to have her henna red back.

And even if it washes out fully, semi permanents can leave a brassiness behind from the peroxide content, which can be annoying to grow out or dye/henna over.

However if they do still want to dye, strand tests are the best way to predict what will happen

**Anje** · July 7th, 2015, 09:41 AM

Maybe a year and a half ago, I put Adore dye in Purple Rage over my (naturally medium-auburn) hennaed hair. I left it on for 3 hours, not the 15 minutes the package recommended, and got something that was closer to black with a purple sheen except in bright light. I think to get a more purpley result, you probably need to start with a lighter base color than I did, but it definitely did not mess up my hair or make the henna weird long-term. It just faded back through brown to eventually achieve its original color.

I think if she wants purple, she should definitely start with a purple or violet dye, but be forewarned that it might be very very dark if her hennaed hair isn't still a fairly light coppery shade. This is a fun thing if you're willing to deal with your hair being a different color for a few months, but a wig is a safer choice if she needs natural-color hair again within a few days.

ETA: This isn't a great representation of the color (hubby doesn't quite get the concept of trying to photograph hair, I guess), but it's something. http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...chmentid=10638

**pastina** · July 7th, 2015, 09:49 AM

There's no peroxide in semi dye. But yeah, it works like a layer of cellophane-- you'll see the base color through it. My best advice is to do strand tests.

**Horrorpops** · July 7th, 2015, 09:16 PM

Originally Posted by pastina

There's no peroxide in semi dye. But yeah, it works like a layer of cellophane-- you'll see the base color through it. My best advice is to do strand tests.

Oh really? I swear I've seen semi permanent dyes that use peroxide - not to lift colour but to open the cuticle to allow the tint to be deposited. Maybe what I've seen was mislabeled though. Interesting!

**PixieP** · July 8th, 2015, 06:09 AM

I know Manic panic at least is pure pigment, no peroxide

Thanks for the replies guys! I'll pass it onwards. I don't think she was after a specific purple shade, just a dark purple, doesnt matter if its reddish or blueish. Her hair at the moment is a strong copper, no burgundy and not dark yet (her natural hair colour is almost white!) She'd prefer to not use a wig, as she has ezcema and wigs make her break out on her face, poor thing!