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I use henna. It isn't drying, just can seem like it at first because it leaves a resin for a couple days. Also, most people mix it with an acid, like lemon juice, which is drying. I have dark brown hair and a few grays. My grays are red and my other color looks the same except glows bright red in the sun. Henna starts out coppery, but after a couple days it oxidizes and gets more red. It makes my hair glossy.
My scalp, however, doesn't like it. Most people find it helps their scalp conditions, so it might just be me. I mix with green tea, and apply for 4 hours. Then rinse it out, wash twice with head and shoulders, then conditioner and I'm usually good after that (until yesterday when I tried to go for 8 hours, bad idea, unhappy scalp).
Despite the temporary scalp unhappiness, I love it.
I use henna. It isn't drying, just can seem like it at first because it leaves a resin for a couple days. Also, most people mix it with an acid, like lemon juice, which is drying. I have dark brown hair and a few grays. My grays are red and my other color looks the same except glows bright red in the sun. Henna starts out coppery, but after a couple days it oxidizes and gets more red. It makes my hair glossy.
My scalp, however, doesn't like it. Most people find it helps their scalp conditions, so it might just be me. I mix with green tea, and apply for 4 hours. Then rinse it out, wash twice with head and shoulders, then conditioner and I'm usually good after that (until yesterday when I tried to go for 8 hours, bad idea, unhappy scalp).
Despite the temporary scalp unhappiness, I love it.
My hair is very fine, and commercial hair dyes end up breaking it off badly. There's a lot of grey. Since I started using Henna, its a lot better. I lately have left it on four hours, and let it rest for two. I'd also do two applications. Yes, it does come out more orangie, but the color cures to a dark red. The day after it already has a red tone.
I find it thickens my hair as well and makes it stronger. It's messy but it doesn't sting. I just rinse it off when I'm done and wash with gentle shampoo a day or so later. The red is very natural once it cures. I use ONLY distilled water with it as well. No scalp problems or unwanted purple....lets just say one commercial attempt ended up with a very interesting shade of dark purple.
I'm extremely happy with the results, and have even been able to make my nearly invisible blond eyebrows show
Neutral henna is a great conditioner, will keep color locked in longer, and will give body to fine hair. It's actually cassia obovata, but is sold as neutral henna.
Having worked as a hairdresser in the past, I found the biggest difference in salon colors and home coloring is this: The colorist will usually combine 2-3 different tints together for a customized color. All coloring clients have the formulations kept on file. Home color is often one-note. The actual chemical composition is pretty much the same.
For highlights I would recommend going to a salon. It's too difficult to get an even distribution of highlights by yourself.
Neutral henna is a great conditioner, will keep color locked in longer, and will give body to fine hair. It's actually cassia obovata, but is sold as neutral henna.
Having worked as a hairdresser in the past, I found the biggest difference in salon colors and home coloring is this: The colorist will usually combine 2-3 different tints together for a customized color. All coloring clients have the formulations kept on file. Home color is often one-note. The actual chemical composition is pretty much the same.
For highlights I would recommend going to a salon. It's too difficult to get an even distribution of highlights by yourself.
Do the roots color okay after using the neutral henna? I love the thicker feel lof my baby fine hair and how it doesn't break nearly so bad when I have done my hair in the last month or so? Do you apply it and let it 'sit' then rinse it like when dying your hair?
New growth at the roots takes color with no problem. If you retouch every 4-6 weeks, just henna entire head after coloring, and after color has been completely shampooed and rinsed from hair, then towel dried. I recommend the hennalucent brand, available for under $5 at Sally's.
It comes as a powder, which you mix with hot water. It thickens quite a bit, so keep adding water until you get it to the consistency of honey. Apply to hair and let it sit for 1 hour or so, then shampoo and rinse.
You will be amazed at how much bounce, shine and body your baby fine hair will have after this treatment.
Another alternative to using straight henna (to avoid orange hair) is to do a "henna gloss". This is where you mix maybe a tsp or two of regular henna with anywhere from 1/2 to one cup of some sort of conditioner and apply all over, leave one hour. You may get some slight highlights but you will mainly get tons of conditioning and shine. I do this alternately with my regular coloring.
Speaking of coloring, I am about to start experimenting with a new (to me) product from a company called CoSaMo. It is a "deposit only" temporary color, no mixing like the old Clairol Loving Care which is no longer being made. There are no PPDs, peroxide or ammonia, very gentle but of course one can probably not expect heavy or long lasting coverage. Still, with so gentle a formula one could use it way more often without worry. I will post results after I have used it.
The beautician who cuts my hair strongly recommended that if I color my hair at home to use only the professional coloring products (like at Sally's Beauty supply). I've been very pleased with Clairol's Grey Busters permanent liquid color but had to play around with the colors as my hair "pulls" red. I'd recommend checking with Sally's for coloring products and avoid henna.
In the last 8 years, I have been coloring my own hair.
I use L'Oreal Excellence Creme, Garnier Nutrisse, & Revlon Colorsilk (whatever I feel like using when it's time for me to color again).
I recently went back to my natural medium golden chestnut brown, so I used Revlon Colorsilk this time. But I noticed L'Oreal Excellence Creme now has that shade!! YAY! So the next time, in another 3-4 months, I'll use that one.
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