Do You Color Your Hair?? - Page 2

Lotsawaves · 03-16-2011, 11:00 PM

It wasn't that the RC didn't cover my grays, but didn't give me ANY coverage. I went on their website and there were others who had this problem. Everyone has different hair and it didn't work with mine and others. I also read that Tints of Nature shouldn't be used on AA hair. ??? They didn't say why.

All I know it has been the best hair color for me. We, curlies, have very different hair and need to find what works for us in the most natural and least damaging way.

CurliLocks · 03-17-2011, 12:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lotsawaves

It wasn't that the RC didn't cover my grays, but didn't give me ANY coverage. I went on their website and there were others who had this problem. Everyone has different hair and it didn't work with mine and others. I also read that Tints of Nature shouldn't be used on AA hair. ??? They didn't say why.

All I know it has been the best hair color for me. We, curlies, have very different hair and need to find what works for us in the most natural and least damaging way.

Exactly!

I'm glad you have a color that works for you too!

jenny curl · 03-17-2011, 05:48 AM

Sorry it took me so long to get back on here...

Quote:

Originally Posted by sdc

I would actually like my curl pattern loosened right now. I got a cut last Friday that I hate. She followed the picture I had, but I just hate the way my hair is curling with this cut.

What henna do you recommend I am due for a color and actually have box at home. I'm not sure I'll do it because it sounds very time consuming from what I remember you posting, but I want to at least look into it.

I bought my henna on hennasooq.com and purchased the Yemeni henna. There are a few different types, but this one worked great for me. It is def time consuming, but if you don't mind the weight of the henna and the effects that it has then its well worth it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AllyT

Have you tried a henna rinse? You can get the color effects of henna (though not as much color) w/o the heaviness/gloppiness. I usually apply henna this way. It doesn't cover gray as much as I would like, though (I only have a few grays popping up, but they stand out against my dark hair.). I'm going to try adding indigo to see if it helps with the gray and because I want a less red result.

BTW, I don't use henna versus chemical color because I'm afraid of "cancerous chemicals" (**shock and awe** - I'm not such a worrywort after all

). I don't like the messiness and waiting w/henna, but it's a lot less drying than any chemical dyes, including semi-perm. I have dry, fragile 4a/b hair.

What is a henna rinse?

Also, can someone brief me on indigo? Ugh, I may just stay with henna and add some indigo and try to make my mixture lighter. I don't know how I'm gonna do that though.

I'd like to try RC but from the posts, I don't know if I would get the color that I want. My goal is a deep brown -- almost black -- color, and I'm afraid RC's color might be too subtle.... ??

Appreciating the responses!!

jenny curl · 03-17-2011, 05:59 AM

Has anyone heard of Bigen Hair Color??

ShrekLover · 03-17-2011, 10:46 AM

Thanks jenny curl. The site said it only lasts 4 to 6 weeks. It sounds like more work than I am willing to do for such a short period of time.

jenny curl · 03-17-2011, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sdc

Thanks jenny curl. The site said it only lasts 4 to 6 weeks. It sounds like more work than I am willing to do for such a short period of time.

What site said that it only lasts 4 to 6 weeks? Henna is permanent.....like, has-to-grow-out permanent. But everyone's hair is different. When I hennaed it faded slightly after about a month, but it's definitely still there. Most people don't experience any fading, though. If you don't mind the weight of the henna then I would give it a try if I were you. IMO the benefits greatly outweight the negatives.

ShrekLover · 03-17-2011, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jenny curl

Quote:

Originally Posted by sdc

Thanks jenny curl. The site said it only lasts 4 to 6 weeks. It sounds like more work than I am willing to do for such a short period of time.

What site said that it only lasts 4 to 6 weeks? Henna is permanent.....like, has-to-grow-out permanent. But everyone's hair is different. When I hennaed it faded slightly after about a month, but it's definitely still there. Most people don't experience any fading, though. If you don't mind the weight of the henna then I would give it a try if I were you. IMO the benefits greatly outweight the negatives.

I read it I thought somewhere on the site you linked where people were asking the mods questions. Maybe I read it incorrectly. I'm a little scared because I don't want too much red, but would like to have something that is better for my hair.

RedCatWaves · 03-17-2011, 11:48 AM

Henna ONLY dyes red. It's an orangey red, like Irish Setter red.

You can add other things to it, like indigo or buxus, to try to push it into the brown color realm, or cassia to try to push it into the strawberry blonde color realm, but henna is always always ALWAYS red. It is deposit-only, so the color you end up with is dependant on the color you are starting with. It cannot lift any color. It will not turn black hair into red hair. It turns black hair into black-hair-with-a-red-glaze-on-top. It turns brown hair into brownish-red hair. It turns blonde hair into red hair. It turns gray hair into red hair. It turns red hair into REALLY red hair.

Henna is PERMANENT. Really REALLY permanent, not just fake-permanent like the box-dyes are. You cannot remove henna. It lasts until it grows out. It's a committment. So you need to be really really sure you like red-orange before you use henna.

Henna comes in many levels of quality. The stuff you buy in stores is usually very old...perhaps years old...and gives very little stain...probably because most people don't use henna, so the store doesn't sell much, so why bother buying fresh stock. Since henna is a natural crop, it's potency is going to vary greatly, depending on how the weather was when the henna was growing. I've been disappointed in many hennas that I've bought. Some are just too weak to give more than a light-orange (ugly) stain.

I have dark brown hair, with about 25% gray. I get glorious red highlights where my grays were and the rest of my hair is brownish-red. I use a very fresh, very highly-pigmented henna (Celebration Henna from Mehandi.com), which makes a very dark-orangey-red stain...still Irish-Setter red, but dark, not clownish (like the back of that dog, not his chest). Mehandi.com tests their henna batches...they're the only ones who do that...so you can be assured that the henna you buy from them will actually give good color. They sell a LOT of henna, so their product is always fresh.

ShrekLover · 03-17-2011, 11:52 AM

Thanks for the info. I think I'll pass, I'm afraid I would end up redder than I want.

RedCatWaves · 03-17-2011, 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sdc

Thanks for the info. I think I'll pass, I'm afraid I would end up redder than I want.

Henna is definitely not for everyone.

CurliLocks · 03-17-2011, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jenny curl

I'd like to try RC but from the posts, I don't know if I would get the color that I want. My goal is a deep brown -- almost black -- color, and I'm afraid RC's color might be too subtle.... ??

Not at all. If you are looking to go darker with RC, you will definitely see it! If that's your goal, then I think the Chocolate Brown would get you the color you'd like. But do a strand test as it could come out too dark.

jenny curl · 03-17-2011, 12:34 PM

Ok, I just caved and ordered some celebration henna and 3 grams of indigo from mehandi.

I know how to mix up my henna and all that jazz, but the question is....do I add the indigo to the mix right before I apply it to my hair? It says on mehandi to apply the indigo separately, after you apply and rinse out henna....but can I do it all at once?

RedCatWaves · 03-17-2011, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jenny curl

Ok, I just caved and ordered some celebration henna and 3 grams of indigo from mehandi.

I know how to mix up my henna and all that jazz, but the question is....do I add the indigo to the mix right before I apply it to my hair? It says on mehandi to apply the indigo separately, after you apply and rinse out henna....but can I do it all at once?

You can do it 2 ways...as a henndigo mix, or as a 2-step separate henna/indigo process.

To do the 2-step process, you would mix and apply henna as usual (3-4 hours). Rinse. Then mix and apply the indigo for 1 hour and then rinse. That's best if you want to get really black hair.

If you're going for dark brown, you can do a henndigo application. Mix your henna as usual, allow dye release to happen. When it's ready to apply, stir your indigo with some very warm water and a dash of salt. Mix the indigo into the henna mix, and apply. Leave on 3-4 hours and rinse. Indigo stops working after about an hour, so that's why you would only mix it right before applying.

Hope that makes sense (the word "mix" seems to have several meanings when it comes to henna).

jenny curl · 03-17-2011, 12:51 PM

That makes sense. I will do the henndigo and see what I get from that. Indigo is just as natural/safe on the hair as henna, right?

I'm hoping that 3 grams of the indigo will be enough to notice a change in color.

RedCatWaves · 03-17-2011, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jenny curl

That makes sense. I will do the henndigo and see what I get from that. Indigo is just as natural/safe on the hair as henna, right?

I'm hoping that 3 grams of the indigo will be enough to notice a change in color.

3 grams is not a lot. Is that a "sample" size?

How much henna are you using? Generally, most people start with 75% henna and 25% indigo for a henndigo application. So, if you generally use about 200 grams of henna-only for a whole-head application, you would use 150 grams of henna and 50 grams of indigo. If a 75/25 ratio isn't enough to give you the brown you want, then you could move up to a 50/50 henna/indigo ratio.

jenny curl · 03-17-2011, 01:01 PM

Oy....I use about 150 grams of henna per application. Guess I underestimated on the amount of indigo to purchase. Yes, the 3 grams was the sample size. I don't want to go pitch black, and I wasn't sure if indigo is just as natural/safe as henna so that's why I didn't want to purchase a lot.

RedCatWaves · 03-17-2011, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jenny curl

Oy....I use about 150 grams of henna per application. Guess I underestimated on the amount of indigo to purchase. Yes, the 3 grams was the sample size. I don't want to go pitch black, and I wasn't sure if indigo is just as natural/safe as henna so that's why I didn't want to purchase a lot.

It's safe and natural. Some people have said it dries hair, but I used it for a long time and didn't find it drying. I found it made me too dark though. You might not have that problem.

25% is a good place to start, but you can go lower. I don't think you'll notice much change with only 3 grams in 150 grams of henna though. You could use it for some strand tests...to see how your hair likes henna...clip off a section underneath your hair and apply a henndigo and see what you think.

I have 300 grams of sealed indigo sitting here that I'm never going to use. Say the word and I'll put it in the mail to you today. Free. (PM me your address if you're interested.)

jenny curl · 03-17-2011, 01:23 PM

PM'd you

AllyT · 03-17-2011, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedCatWaves

Quote:

Originally Posted by AllyT

Have you tried a henna rinse? You can get the color effects of henna (though not as much color) w/o the heaviness/gloppiness. I usually apply henna this way. It doesn't cover gray as much as I would like, though (I only have a few grays popping up, but they stand out against my dark hair.). I'm going to try adding indigo to see if it helps with the gray and because I want a less red result.

BTW, I don't use henna versus chemical color because I'm afraid of "cancerous chemicals" (**shock and awe** - I'm not such a worrywort after all

). I don't like the messiness and waiting w/henna, but it's a lot less drying than any chemical dyes, including semi-perm. I have dry, fragile 4a/b hair.

There are ways to mix henna to make it very easy to rinse out, and still get the full color potential.

I mix my henna with flaxseed gel that I make myself (by boiling flaxseeds in water and straining to get the gel). The gel in the mix makes it very easy to apply and it rinses out like a dream.

I use henna not only because of it's naturalness...I use it because I'm addicted to the extreme shine and how healthy it makes my hair. I don't go a day without getting compliments on my hair and its shine.

Careful with the indigo...it turns my hair black with even just a little bit in the mix.

Really? I knew half and half will make it black. I posted on the coloring forum that I'm a little nervous about indigo. Going darker was never my intent with henna but it darkened it gradually along with adding a lot of red that I'm now wanting to hide. The only way to do that is adding indigo, so I'm not too worried about black. I just hope I don't get blue undertones or something weird since my hair was chemically dyed before hennaing.

I may try flaxseed gel. It doesnt' sound too hard to make. I typically use green tea, honey, and a whole lot of conditioner with my henna. I probably dilute it too much esp. seeing as the henna I use is probably not the best to start with.

RedCatWaves · 03-17-2011, 05:45 PM

Flaxseed gel is very easy to make.

I use tea for the acid in my mix as well. So, what I do is first make the tea. Then I take the tea and boil it for 10 minutes with flaxseeds in it. Then I allow to cool and strain out the seeds. What I'm left with is an acidic gel that I call my "base". I then add my henna powder, dye release it, and freeze it.

Keep in mind that you can lose about 1/4 of your liquid in the gel-making process, so start with extra water (or tea). I use about 1 heaping tablespoon of flaxseeds per cup of water. If I were to use 4 cups of water and 4 tbs of seeds, I'd probably end up with about 3 cups of gel (depending on how much effort I put into straining). I'd give you my total recipe, but I make HUGE, ENORMOUS batches (enough for 6 months of bi-weekly root treatments) and freeze it, and just defrost as I need it, so my recipe probably wouldn't be much use to you.

I use a fine mesh strainer to strain my flaxseed gel, but an old stocking works pretty well too, or cheesecloth.