Please help! Roots won`t tyke dye anymore!

[ViVi]

Hello everyone,

I`ve been dying my hair with henna for about 5 years now.
Was originally a copper baby, hair turned then slowly to a light-to-medium brown with golden and copper highlights (quite visible under the summer sun). I have fine, straight hair, a lot of it, no grays, no whites, and henna provided not only the gorgeous long lost colour, but also the thickness and volume that I lacked. I dye it a medium copper (usually a mixture of 75% cassia and 25% henna) once per month. But to arrive from a brown to copper, I first had to chemically dye the roots a 7C (using a non-ammonia hair dye, usually Matrix, and developer 6%) for about 25-30 min and then apply the henna. Use shampoos and conditioner without silicones and SLS and 1x/month a clarifying shampoo. Had no problem whatsoever until some 3-4 months ago, when suddenly my roots would not take chemical dye anymore and remained the same. Of course henna changed nothing (besides the volume and conditioning), but probably aggravated the problem since now the difficult virgin roots were henna-ed, which made them even more resistant to dyeing. Even so, each month new roots grew, which would not take chemical dye and then would be soaked in henna. I even upped the dyeing time from 25 to 50 min and the strength of the developer from 6 to 9% (30 Vol.) with only minimal or no results; this in turn just damaged the rest of the hair, which now doesn`t hold henna that well anymore (combined with the summer sun). It is very unpleasant and annoying and visible especially around the temples, fringe and crown of the head

So I decided to use ColourB4 just to take all the unnecessary henna away from the hair around the scalp/roots. Applied it as instructed, left it 1h20 min, rinsed for about 15 minutes, applied the buffer shampoo. Next day used again the buffer shampoo and then the chemical dye (for 1h). This time I also added a neutral protein filler from Colorful (which I also used before henna-ing 5 yrs ago with lovely results) before applying the dye as well as during the cying process. Result: NOTHING changed!!! Roots are there, just as before.

Please help me with this problemI really love my copper hair, received so many compliments, but it is impossible to maintain it if brown hair creeps in and stays there. If this goes on and I`m running out of solutions the only way out will be to henna it back to brown...

[lapushka]

I don't see how this can be solved. Honestly you've done just about all I would suggest.

Have there been changes in your lifestyle, diet recently? How's that? And your overall health? I'm just asking because it could possibly be related.

Have you started to try a different brand of dye?

Just throwing stuff out there...


This seems like such a complicated issue!


Also, you are trying a lot in one day, it seems to me. Your hair needs a break once in a while. I would process it separately with a few weeks in between each process!!! Just to be safe!


Welcome back, BTW!

[Programjunkie]

Hey! What kind of dye are you using: semi, demi, or permanent? This can greatly effect how the pigment deposits.
Generally speaking, for deposit applications you want to use a lower developer to give the pigment more time to pack into the cuticle of the hair.
Semi-permanent depositing hair color generally doesn't need a developer and can cause things to go a little sideways.

This is the only thing I could think of being the problem

Sorry, I'm the child of a hair dresser that had every color of the rainbow in my hair during my youth(and even now).

[ViVi]

I don't see how this can be solved. Honestly you've done just about all I would suggest.

Have there been changes in your lifestyle, diet recently? How's that? And your overall health? I'm just asking because it could possibly be related.

Have you started to try a different brand of dye?

Just throwing stuff out there...

I`ve made no change in my diet or lifestyle recently. I will go back home in a couple of weeks and do a couple of blood tests, but I doubt I`ll find anything that will help me understand this. What I also noticed ever since the beginning of the year is that my hair grows like crazy, so much so that I would prob need to dye the roots every 2.5-3 vs 4 weeks.

Welcome back, BTW!

Thanks, I was more of a lurker until now, it`s on this great forum that I found inspiration and guidance when first starting my henna journey.

[ViVi]

Hey! What kind of dye are you using: semi, demi, or permanent? This can greatly effect how the pigment deposits.
Generally speaking, for deposit applications you want to use a lower developer to give the pigment more time to pack into the cuticle of the hair.
Semi-permanent depositing hair color generally doesn't need a developer and can cause things to go a little sideways.

This is the only thing I could think of being the problem

Sorry, I'm the child of a hair dresser that had every color of the rainbow in my hair during my youth(and even now).

I have always used permanent, ammonia-free dye (from Matrix, mostly) with developer 6, and then 9%.
In a couple of weeks I have an appointment with my hair stylist, who is only trained in chemical hair dyeing and see what formula he wants to try on my hair, but I already have my doubts. Maybe using dye with ammonia will help. But if it doesn`t, I really have to consider dyeing my hair back to its`original colour, because the roots are pretty visible now

[Genne]

I`ve made no change in my diet or lifestyle recently. I will go back home in a couple of weeks and do a couple of blood tests, but I doubt I`ll find anything that will help me understand this. What I also noticed ever since the beginning of the year is that my hair grows like crazy, so much so that I would prob need to dye the roots every 2.5-3 vs 4 weeks.



Thanks, I was more of a lurker until now, it`s on this great forum that I found inspiration and guidance when first starting my henna journey.

Hi,

I remember old wive's tales that hair roots wouldn't take color when you are pregnant, (just wondering if maybe it is health related to hormones and not necessarily pregnancy.)
Good luck with your health check!!
Jen
p.s. looking forward to this issue resolving.