Color after henna
March 12, 2011 3:43 PM   Subscribe

So, I used Lush henna on my hair about a year ago. It has taken that long for it to grow out and now only my ends remain the henna-d color. My roots are beginning to gray so I have a box of semi-permanent hair color I'd like to use but I'm afraid of what will happen to then ends if I use it. Is it safe?
posted by dagnyduquette to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (10 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
I'm pretty sure Lush doesn't have any metallic salts, so it will be no problem, I know from experience (henna over virgin blonde, then bleach, then dye). If it does, however...there is a risk, so I would advise a strand test.
posted by DeltaForce at 4:04 PM on March 12, 2011


I went red with a green hue back in highschool doing semi-permanent color over faded out henna. YMMV, but I vote NO.

Ps. Maybe get the henna trimmed out and then go nuts with the color?
posted by jbenben at 4:19 PM on March 12, 2011 [2 favorites]


Semi-permanent hair dye shouldn't damage your hair at all. Permanent hair colour contains an agent that lifts up the scales on the hair shaft so pigment can penetrate it - this makes the colour last longer, but damages the hair somewhat. Semi-permanent colour doesn't do that - it just coats the hair in pigment, which washes off in x-number of washes and doesn't affect the actual structure of the hair (and in fact encourages the scales to lie down flatter against the shaft and therefore has a conditioning effect).
posted by hot soup girl at 4:19 PM on March 12, 2011


I agree with jbenben's suggestion, cut the parts with the henna out and then dye however you want.
posted by crankylex at 4:27 PM on March 12, 2011 [1 favorite]


I use Lush henna regularly. I recently had my hair colored in the salon with semi-permanent color. It was fine.
posted by oceanmorning at 5:28 PM on March 12, 2011


The henna'd (heh!) parts won't take the semi-permanent color. Chop off the henna parts and have fun with your new color.
posted by french films about trains at 6:44 PM on March 12, 2011


I've often read about people in the opposite situation - who have dyed their hair and now want to henna. Most people are advised to wait a week - so if it's been a year since you used the henna, I don't think you have anything to worry about. Dye without fear!
posted by rikhei at 6:58 PM on March 12, 2011


Patch test first! But the box dye should be fine, it's been long enough. Lush henna is also pretty weak as far as henna for hair goes. Also, if you have doubts, I also suggest cutting it off.
posted by lettuchi at 10:37 PM on March 12, 2011


I have used box dye over Lush henna without problems.
posted by theredpen at 7:01 AM on March 13, 2011 [1 favorite]


Safe, yes. There's a chance it won't work, though - I'm not familiar with the Lush stuff in particular, but henna works by coating the outside of the hair shaft while other dyes penetrate the shaft, so it's hard to dye over henna. I tried to dye a streak in my henna-ed hair once with semipermanent and it washed off with zero effect.

I'd say go for it, but be ready to chop off the ends if it doesn't take on the bottom and looks stupid.
posted by vanitas at 10:57 PM on March 21, 2011


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