Thread: Hair issues

Hey all!

So, my hair has been lightening up naturally in the last few year. I'm not sure if that is supposed to happen when you are only 22, but maybe it is because of birth control? Anyway, I don't like how I look with light blondish brown hair because it washes me out. I want to be a deep chestnut like I was growing up! I've been dying it with semi permanent dye, but that really dries my hair out and makes my scalp oily, meaning I need to wash it nearly every day to look decent. This of course doesn't fix anything.

Does anybody have any secret shampoos or homemade cures that can clear up oily/dandruffy scalp and not dry out the rest of the hair?

I would aslo like to make the jump to henna, but I don't want bright red hair because I think it would bring out too much pink in my face. I know you can mix indigo and get a nice brunette color. I've scoured the hennaforhair.com website for info, unfortunately, it would cost over $50 to dye my hair with their henna and indigo! I can't afford that even if it lasts for 2 months! Has anybody ever used Surya Henna Cream? The instructions in my semi permanent dye say to not use henna, but I figure I could get a package and do a strand test.

Thanks!

Rachel

the aritha shampoo from heshherbal.com
Welcome To Hesh Herbal
is very good to solve dandruff problems.
its not totally natural though.
you could try a paste of powdered aritha and water. it will work, but will be very difficult to wash out.

in my experience, chemical dyes and henna don't mix well on the hair. but a strand test never hurt anyone :)

the indian grocery stores have a lot of herbal based hair colors. you might find something henna-like premixed in a box that you like.

I know its pricey but Aveda's products are great. They have the least amount of ammonia in them which is probably making your scalp dry out which in turn is making the roots oily since it is trying to overcompensate.
I only do mine twice a year since I have long hair I don't want it to dry out.
The other thing to do is to try to not wash your hair every day. That will help a bit.
There are also some good reconstructors out there. I use KPac which is sold at beauty brands. Its an intense conditioner/reconstructor that you leave in for 5 minutes and rinse out.
Every day I use a leave in conditioner on the ends as well as a regular rinse out conditioner. I like "Moist-in" by Framesi for a leave in. You can emulsify it and its light enough to wear daily without build up.
Hope that helps! good luck wiht your tresses! :-)
xoxo,
-NJ

Sabrina, you're a girl after my own heart.
I will second NJ's recommendation of Aveda and specifically suggest the Rosemary Mint Shampoo (the rosemary + mint clear up dandruff condition) plus Shampure conditioner, smelling good everyday conditioner that shouldn't make the hair oily.
I would also recommend any place that uses Aveda colour (educated in Aveda products, slightly biased but also experience with it). I was loving the chestnut brown formulas they offered, it looked good on many of my clients. The colour formulas are also quite gentle and root touch ups needed every 6 weeks or so. The condition of the hair is left rather healthy.

The henna I've used is Rainbow brand and they have a bunch of different shades. Sabrina's right you shouldn't henna over hair dye. It says it on the package...too bad I didn't really read that part cause I ended up with pink hair. I've also heard some stylists say that henna is drying too, so that on top of dye can be bad.

Andalee is right.
Pick/stick with one or the other: henna (Ruta reports good results with her henna) or professional colour (please please please avoid box colour if you can). As in Ghostbusters, you should not cross the streams. ;0)
The only way to switch mid-way is to strip the henna/colour from your hair and THEN deposit colour/henna. Double whammy, double damage.

What if it is mostly washed out semi permanent hair dye? I don't remember exactly when I dyed it last, but it was at least 3 weeks, and I only leave the dye on for 5-7 minutes after I get all my hair covered. From what I read on the hennaforhair.com website, pure body quality henna and indigo are safe to use on dyed hair, and everything I've read about henna claims it is the only dye that is conditioning to hair.

Rachel

Shampoo with a clarifying shampoo (Aveda has Detoxifying Shampoo) to remove the rest of the semi-perm, give it another week just to be sure, and then give it a shot, whatever you decide to go with.

Of course I must disclaim that this is hard to advise when I'm not there looking at and touching your hair but you should be good to go.

Additional opinions from other hair stylist pros? Colour is such an artful, inexact science.

Check out Logona herbal hair colors (which are henna based). Far superior to other henna products including easier to apply and MUCH easier to rinse out. I tried many things until I found this stuff.
They do tell you to slather cream around your hairline and stick cotton coiling in it. I don't bother with that. I prevent skin staining by applying stick lip balm (ie Chapstick or something like that) to the skin along my hairline, my ears and the back of my neck. Works fine. I rinse out the hair color in the shower and then use some soap to wash the lip balm off.
Rosette

Personally, I would not go the henna route. My experience is that it is way more hassle to apply, stains the scalp and face and hands, is less consistent than other hair colors. I experimented with different types and IMO none gave the natural red boost to my hair that I was seeking. Plus once you henna your hair, you can't switch to other hair colors until all your hair grows out and you cut off all that has been henna'ed.

Maybe you should consider going to a salon and getting lowlights. This would help blend in your lighter roots as your hair grows. Light roots look really strange -- worse than dark roots.

My roots aren't that bad, that is the reason I use semi permanent! Too lazy for root touch ups! There is no root line. :) Thing is, I don't want to blend in the lighter hair. I want darker hair! I think I sorta have a Snow White complex. (Strangely I have about the same luck with dwarves... I mean men! lol!) If I can't be tan, I want dark hair with my pale skin!

Rachel

If what you're looking to do is go darker and/or redder and you don't want any drying and/or lift...I'd shy away from henna too. What about a deposit-only hair color? Yes, it will wash out faster, but it'll last longer if you go to washing your hair less often (maybe every three days rather than every day...which with once you get the right shampoo/conditioner combo may be better with your dandruff problem anyway, depending--of course, I don't know for sure what's going on in your case, but often people, esp. people with long hair, over wash.)

One inexpensive, easy-to-try option...Back when I was in college I used to like to have red highlights. I also used to do outdoor festivals in the summer without covering my hair which would lighten my hair and so at the end I liked to "freshen" my natural darker color...at least for a while. One of the gals in my dorm turned me on to Clairol Loving Care. You know...the stuff for grey hair? It's supposed to last 6-8 shampoos, and a bunch will come out on the first shampoo, but a.) it lasts more shampoos if you go redder or darker than your natural shade and b.) if you don't wash every day, obviously it lasts longer. And it fades out naturally. Honestly, in the last few years they've made it harder to find (and they may have reformulated it too). They also aren't making as many shades (but it always took me two bottles and I always mixed two shades together for more depth/dimension anyway). Plus they are still marketing it just for grey coverage/blending, but I think they're missing a potential market--people who want to intensify natural color without the damage that event the semi-permanent color can cause!) I still use it once or twice a year when I feel in the mood/have something special coming up and want a little color boost for a month or two but don't want the commitment of *dying* my hair, you know?

If you have a hard time finding it or finding the shades you want in stores, go to clairol.com. Loving Care is listed under the "Natural Instincts" family. when you find the shade you want, and click on the "buy" button and it'll show you online drug stores where you can puchase (like walgreens, cvs...)

Originally Posted by shimmy21

I think I sorta have a Snow White complex. (Strangely I have about the same luck with dwarves... I mean men! lol!) If I can't be tan, I want dark hair with my pale skin!

Ha! That sounds just like my problem. I've tried varying degrees of blonde and highlights over the past few years only to keep coming back to dark brown. I think it's striking with my blue eyes!

Blonde always washed me out a little. I always ask my hair stylist to give me a rich chocolatey brown with tiny baby-fine caramel colored highlights throughout and some slightly more noticeable caramel streaks around the face. It looks beautiful and the highlights/warmth keep it from washing me out or making me look like a goth chick.

As for henna, I've never tried it firsthand, but worked in the bodycare department of a health food store for two years and saw some serious horror stories

Granted, I met a handful of women who had gorgeous glossy hair thanks to henna, I also had a few customers come in with orange, green, or purple highlights that were obviously unintentional. And I could have smacked each one of them upside the head for NOT doing a patch test!

The scary thing I learned about henna is that it's sort of a drastically permanent measure. Unlike traditional hair dye, which penetrates the shaft of the hair, henna coats it and seals it. Therefore, if you dislike the results of henna, your only option is to either henna over it or let it grow out. Chemical dye won't work once the hair shaft has been sealed by henna. Now, I'm not an expert in henna, so you guys can correct me if I'm wrong....but that's what I have been told.

I'd second any recommendations for Aveda. There's also a vegetable based hair dye called Naturtint that's available in health food stores and always gave me nice results. That, to me, would sound like a better fit for your hair, since it's already been processed. Henna on anything but "virgin" hair scares the crap out of me. You really never know how it will come out ..c::

Enjoy the Snow White syndrome, too. You may get a couple of odd looks from your friends (for some reason, nobody understands why one would want to go *gasp* DARK) but I'm sure you'll look great!

i'm a HUGE proponent for henna, as azhia mentioned, my results have been good.......but IF you go the henna route, you MUST do a strand test first.........that way you'll know if you'll turn sewage green or swampy black....if either of those show up in the strand test, don't do it, or wait for fading/grow-out before trying again.............

they're right, one or the other....i did the pro route for a bit with mixed results, and my hair was a hot dry mess from it......it's in much better shape since the henna..............i let it go for 3 months before reapplying as i don't want it too dark, and since it fades a bit with time..........the roots aren't as noticeable..............peoples reactions are different, so if you're not happy with a strand test in color or texture, stay with pro-color or a stylist..........

if you go to 'reverendbunny's website, she has links to really cool recipes for good color...........a fave for a couple friends of mine is indian henna, with red wine as the liquid/acid catalyst mixed with coffee grounds..........gets it a nice darker chestnut color............for mine (my natural is medium ash blonde with some grey) i use the same first two ingredients, and instead of coffee, use ground cloves, which gives it a coppery auburn (and smells nice) warning....henna is MESSY! i like it though