Thanks Rini.
Well, those blue strands are still showing some blue tendencies, despite the light red PPD dye, so I'm going to pop one of them into some plain red henna (Yemen) just to see what cooks. If that's what works - then that's the way I'll have to go.
The only other thing I can think of is that the PPD dye was old (which it was - opened for a strand test, and tightly closed and kept in cool shade 2 years ago!) so may not have dyed very effectively.
Back later...
Good luck with the experiments!!
I did get my hair dyed yesterday and I'm very happy with it; we went very dark brown. My hairdresser was very pleased with its condition, and one thing she suggested to help keep it in tip-top shape is to alternate permanent dye/root touchups with a gloss.
When I stopped using henna I went to a semi permanent dye for a while. What I didn't like about this was that it washed out over time and the greys peeked through and started looking dungy. Depending on how grey you are, this may work for you. The more greys I got, the more I didn't like it and switched to permanent dye. I have dark brown hair and can't stand having my roots show so I get the roots touched up every 3-4 weeks. I've been doing this for over 20 years with no ill effects. I do take very good care of my hair tho-oil nightly, CO wash, etc. It's a hard decision, I know : )
Just and update on what I'm doing atm .... I am switching gears and am back to working with full henna's. I will most likely go back to my other method of doing the roots with a semi-perm color inbetween full hennas, but right now I want to get more henna on my length in hopes to tame my course grey hairs. I am unhappy with how wirey they look. I may even try some cassia applications. We'll see how it goes.
I will still keep track of this thread to see how things turn out for you Celebrian. I hope it all turns out well for you!!
Last edited by SpiralingWaves; May 5th, 2008 at 06:00 AM. Reason: clarify
Yes, Elfling, a combination of 'dye' and a gloss for touchup, is sort of where I am heading ATM.
psvzum, thanks for that about semi v perm. Yes, I am pretty grey really - possibly 50%?
SpirallingWaves, looks like you're on the 'combination' path as well ...
Update:
Last nights attempt to henna those 'blue' strands wasn't terribly successful. Better than nothing, but not full coverage. So, tomorrow I plan to put a (new!) PPD dye in a light, warm red over the whole head and hope that will tone down the blue and pull things together a bit. Then I may put a mid warm red-brown over thet - and then see how I feel about doing the 'combination' approach.
Thanks for every reply: there's a few of us about, isn't there!!
I officially gave up and PPD'ed this morning. I love henna and indigo, but I just cant stand the process. I may alternate, or go back to it entirely, but its not for me right now.
I did end up ordering a box of the all natural dye from Logona, but havent used it because Im looking to lighten my chemical color and natural just doesnt do that. So I picked up one of the 2 step box dyes thats a dark red-brown with a second step for lighter red highlights. It said you could lighten any chemical color with the first step, but alas, it did nothing for my black. My roots are a very deep red, though. Im going to try the second step tonight and hopefully that will give me a little bit of color change.
Its definitely going to be SMT time when Im done, though, my hair feels a little sadder than it does after henna.
I have a pretty significant amount of grey that I'm not willing to acknowledge yet so I henna. As far as regrowth goes, that obvioulsy isn't going to change, so whether you use a natural hair colorant or a synthetic one isn't going to matter from that standpoint.
If I'm going to go through all the work, I'm going to go natural, personally. I don't want the exposure to potentially or proven harmful chemical agents. For me, that makes all the difference. I'll put up with frequent root applications and the occasional henna gloss to keep everything looking good and me feeling happy.
When I was still resisting the red, I used to use a brown hair colorant by L'Oreal (the thick creme one, I can't remember the name). The smell alone was enough to really put me off, but I wanted brown hair (go figure...I've learned to embrace my red over the last few years) and was willing to put up with it until the colorant started making my scalp burn and my head itch for days after the application.
That said, if you're willing to risk the chemical exposure, try to find the safest options out there and go for it. You're the one who has to be happy with the finished result and with the amount of effort you put in.
Islandgrrl - Izzie
Calf length, heading south to lengths unknown.
My last chemical coloring is what put me back on the henna trail. My poor scalp burned like crazy for days and my left eye was all black and blue on my eyelid. My skin even peeled around my hairline where is was burning during the process. I had colored my hair for years, but I must have reached my tolerance limit. Luckily, my henna is looking better every day. It still isn't all one color, but I can live with it. I kind of enjoy the process too. I find it relaxing.Everyone has to find what works best for them.
Well, I've got my plan sorted (I hope).
I decided to attend to the roots with a rich brown PPD dye - and will change brands to a low grade PPD one when i next go to town.
Next, after a few days rest, will be another (I know) PPD dye in a light golden orange - to fill in the blue-green lights on the mid section, and pull the color a little more together (henna does not do a very good job on these for me, but don't know why).
My final stroke will probably be - henna! Yes. I think so. This is why.
It's good for my hair. Makes it strong. Makes it shiny. Its fun - up to a point.
What I will NOT be using ever again - indigo! Why? I like to put some highlights throughout my hair once or twice a year. That is why I have blue lights, because indigo + bleach = blue-green hair. Nice really, if you want it - but difficult to cover sometimes, via natural means.
So, I will do my roots with a permanent dye in rich brown every few weeks (all done in about half an hour) and feed my brown roots and lengths with a nourishing treat of henna every month or so - and hope to continue to pull the varying colors together in this way as the months go by. Voila, deep, rich, red-brown hair... to dye for!!!
What do you all think of that then?
Sounds like youve got a plan, Celebrian! I think you could probably do the same thing just with henna/cassia, etc but it would be a pain. If I had the patience, I would totally steal Girltrons routine, she has the most beautiful color. But doing roots only shouldnt be too bad as long as you dont start having any kind of reaction o the chemicals.
I think most of the indigo has washed out of my hair, I didnt use that much anyways, but am still a bit iffy about the highlights. Of course I will do a strand test, but do you think it will be problematic? I only did one full head indigo and it was about 6 weeks ago.
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