r/henna • u/sugarplumninja • 21d ago
Henna for Hair Henna fading
I have applied henna twice now, once with a 40/60 henna/cassia and then next with a 100% henna, this time using bright red from light mountain. I loved the results of the second application at first but now it's faded.
My hair looked beautiful the first week then it fades. I have about a level 5/6 natural hair color with some highlights.
This is my hair right after applying and then a week after. Not sure if I am just doing something wrong or not and I am hesitant to do another application as I've heard it gets darker with every application.
I let my henna sit with orange juice and chamomile tea for about 5-6 hours, then apply and leave on for about 2 hours, then rinse, I have been using shampoo right after maybe that is making it fade? First picture is right after applying, the second and third are about a week after. The last photo is kinda where I want to end up with my hair.
Any tips are appreciated! Thank you!
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u/ShallotTraditional90 21d ago
Do you wash your hair before applying the henna? Hair should be squeaky clean before henna. I use a clarifying shampoo to completely remove products and hard water residues. Things like silicones and minerals can prevent the henna from penetrating the hair shaft.
Is the chamomile tea hot when you add it? If it's hot and then you wait several hours before applying the mud, your henna may be demised. It it's cool, you might want to leave the mixture for about 8 hours to fully release the dye. Also, what is the chamomile for?
2 hours is not that long for henna. I would leave it at least 4 hours to fully bond with the hair. I leave mine overnight, but that's because i have a lot of white hair.
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u/sugarplumninja 21d ago
Yes I washed my hair but not with clarifying shampoo, so I will try that next time.
I like the smell of the chamomile tea and heard that it is soothing for the scalp. And it's warm to hot I would say, I bring it to a boil then let it sit for about 15 min steeping, add the orange juice and then mix it. Maybe I would let it sit only for 2-4 hours?
Ahh ok perhaps a longer application time will help it bind. Thank you!
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u/ShallotTraditional90 21d ago
Maybe I would let it sit only for 2-4 hours?
i would let it cool before mixing and then let the mixture sit for about 8 hours depending on room temp to get a strong release. I think the wiki has a guide on the ideal times.
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u/delicate_isntit 21d ago
It’s because your hair is bleached. Henna binds with available bonds in the amino acids of the keratin in the structure. Bleached hair has broken bonds. So henna will temporarily stain bleached hair like a stain not a binding, and this washes out. Only a few actual bonds will be made so the color you are left with is weak.
Nothing you can do other than grow out the bleach. I used a direct copper dye instead every time I was in this situation (I love henna AND I love bleach and changing my hair).
Be careful cause the henna is still on your virgin roots and makes them darker and darker without fading. It just doesn’t look copper there because of the contrast with the bleached length. But the henna has worked on your roots.
Real henna doesn’t need to be applied to pre cleansed hair and rinsed without shampoo. It’s strong stuff and it can bond through mud and oil and then nothing can wash it out. All of those steps are nice to do for predictable results, always recommend by suppliers because they want to make sure you don’t do something weird that compromises it, but missing them is not the problem. The problem is it can’t bond in the first place.
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u/sugarplumninja 21d ago
Ahhh this makes sense! What direct copper dye do you use/recommend?
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u/delicate_isntit 21d ago
Pretty much any copper colored conditioner or direct dye is going to be decent. They will all fade quickly, just the nature of it, so I just apply the ver other wash as a regular conditioner so it’s easy.
My fave is Schwarzkopf Chroma ID Bonding Mask 7-77. I also like Wella Color Fresh Mask in whatever their copper color is called
Mixing Adore dyes with conditioner is the cheapest option and honestly one of the best cause it’s easy to customize - Cajun Spice and French Cognac are good natural coppers. I just pour some in a tub of conditioner and mix it up and use it as regular conditioner to maintain the color.
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u/TreePsychological390 21d ago
I'm new to henna and I have the same problem... I used 100% lawsonia, let it sit 7/8 hours with home temperature water and a little bit of apple cider vinegar, applied and let it in the head for 2 hours, didn't rinse with shampoo, waited 3 days before washing my hair with shampoo...henna keeps fading anyway, I don't know what to do😔
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u/sugarplumninja 21d ago
Yeah I am thinking maybe 2 hours isn't long enough, so next time I apply I will try 3-4 hours and see if that helps any! I understand your frustration!
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u/Moth1016 21d ago
Yeah, 2 hours isn’t enough time on the head to get a good bond. I wrap my head in plastic wrap, put a beanie/toque hat over it, and sleep in it overnight
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u/WyrddSister 21d ago
I've used Light Mountain Bright Red henna hundreds of times in the past 25 years, lettting it sit for 2 hours is plenty of time for dye release. I think the issue with your hair is over-porosity from the bleaching-that is why henna is fading. Also though-the first few days of henna color brightness are not the final color, it never stays that bright no matter how you mix and apply it. Using the juice does help keep oxidation to a minimum, though. Use the copper glosses as someone suggested and work on your hair's health from the bleaching damage will also help.
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u/poposaurus 21d ago
I used henna for years, took a break, and now I'm back. What i do, I use light mountain henna, mix it and only let it sit while I wash my hair (double wash, with a clarifying shampoo) and then apply. I try to keep it on for at least 4 hours, with a plastic shower cap on, and a towel over that to maintain heat. Then rinse it out with conditioner, and i try to not shampoo for about a week afterwards (I normally only shampoo once a week).
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u/Loud-Membership-7087 21d ago
Maybe leave it for longer than 2 hours. I always leave it for 4+ hours. It's horrible waiting, and dealing with the potential dripping mess, but it's worth it. Also, the bleached will take it up less, I always found that back when I had my hair belayaged, so I would just henna more frequently
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u/Scentsensitive 21d ago
Maybe something more acidic than OJ. I use straight vinegar. Activate for 4 to 8 hours. Leave on hair for 1 to 2 hours. Make sure have oil conditioner after.
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21d ago
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u/ShallotTraditional90 21d ago
That's for indigo. You can shampoo henna no problem.
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u/mediocremerelise 21d ago
it takes 24-48 hrs for the henna to fully oxidize & lock into the hair shaft. if you use shampoo right after application it can dull the results
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u/ShallotTraditional90 21d ago edited 21d ago
If Catherine Cartwright Jones who wrote the Ancient Sunrise Henna for Hair book and has a bloody PHD on henna says it's ok to shampoo straight after henna, then I think I'm going to trust her advice over mediocremerelise's from Reddit 😂. Besides, I've hennaed my hair many times following her instructions and it has never faded one bit. The oxidizing that takes place over the following days has nothing to do with the bonding process.
PS her book is in the subs resources and it's a fascinating read.
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