Dying hair

[Kmears97]

Hi I need to ask I really want to dye my hair a nice red, but I dont know if my hair will just fall out, does anyone on here dye their hair and if so what products? Or if you found that you couldnt can you let me know, I'm itching to dye it

Thanks

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

That's a very individual thing which is why they recommend you do a patch test before using hair dye. What brand suits one isn't necessarily going to be OK for another.

[fuchsia-pink]

Ssshh don't tell anyone, but I've been colouring mine for decades! I do it at the hairdressers, all sorts of products over the years. Do your patch test and go for it ... unless you have had big problems with hair loss due to thyroid meds, in which case I'd see if any of the local hairdressers have any useful experience or knowledge first. Good luck!

[Kmears97 in reply to fuchsia-pink]

Great thanks for the advice, I had problems with hair loss before I starting taking my tablets but its basically disappeared now and I wanna start with red hair!

[Hidden in reply to Kmears97]

Lol, good for you! Shows you have some spunk, which one needs to cope with thyroid problems!

[Goldengirl01]

Mine is bleached and I still have it all,

[Lora7again]

I have my hair dyed dark blonde and I have highlights. Even when my hair was falling out I continued to dye my hair and I also had hair extensions put in. As long as it is done by a hairdresser I don't think you will have any problems.

[Kmears97 in reply to Lora7again]

Can I ask I was thinking about getting extensions put in but I'm not sure what ones, what ones are best for thin hair do you know?

[luthien]

Hey, I use henna to dye my hair, it goes a nice auburn red, but obviously depends on your natural hair colour. It is semi permanent, but rather than wash out it kind of fades a little, but keeps it's rich red tones - I top mine up every 3 months.

Check out Henne hair colour: hennecolour co uk

The redder / intense the henna then the more natural it is - they add natural colours / pigment powders to it to make it darker / lighter. As it's all natural it doesn't cause any problems with medication. However other hair dyes don't react well with it simply because of the chemicals in main brand hair dyes, so just make sure you leave a window of two months before / after henna use. And definately patch test / cut off some hair and test.

There's:

Powders - mix with hot water, can be messy but great fun if you have a friend whom does hair dressing to help out, just apply, cover with clingfilm / shower cap and leave for as long as you want - 1 hour is light, 3 hours really deep, then rinse out, feels like a mud bath / mask! I've found the colour fades after about 2 months - washing every other day with a colour friendly shampoo.

Liquids - pre mixed, apply like normal hair colour, cover and leave for 20 minutes to an hour, rinse out, I've found colour lasts about 3 to 4 weeks.

Shampoos / bars / liquids - great as a top up and temporary - about 10 washes. If you have light hair with henna, these are good to keep the roots covered, use like a leave in mask for a few minutes then rinse.

[Kmears97 in reply to luthien]

Grear thanks for that I'll have a look because I was looking at henna dye last night

[luthien in reply to Kmears97]

it's messy, lol! needs some sheets on the floor! but great fun if you have a girls night sort of thing. You can do highlights if you put it in bits of foil like normal hair colour. Bit like mud masks, makes you feel like a child again if you get the powder! It washes out of clothes, so don't worry!

[Kmears97 in reply to luthien]

Even better 🤣 my sister and I like to dye our hair so well give it a shot thanks

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to Kmears97]

Better made with cold water and a little lemon juice or vinegar (packaged branded Henna companies say hot, and sell you a sachet of activator, but that's not the traditional way), then kept somewhere warm for around 24 hours before use

[luthien in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

My henna always comes as one packet, mixing with hot water allows the colour to start working on the hair immediately as it's already at room temp by the time it goes on, rather than using body heat to warm it and then working. Henna just works better warmer! Perhaps it's because I have long hair but I prefer warm water rather than cold so I don't get a cold head lol! Also steams better when leaving it in cling film for 3 hours!

I use leftover tea bag concentrate and rosewater - both neutralise the earthy smell it has.

I've not seen the activator packet thing included; maybe I've just stuck to the same brand for too long!

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to luthien]

In my 47 years of testing, I've discovered that I get a better colour for longer with cold water and an acid than hot water. I cling film for 3-4 hours, plus a towel (was tinfoil in the old days) I have long hair. I buy the stuff sold for body art

[luthien in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

cool!

I've not done as much testing as you but I get mine delivered from relatives whom use it in india, so I'm not complaining as it's free!

[helvella Administrator in reply to luthien]

Just to note, Sodium Picramate, an ingredient of several of the hennecolour products is hardly "natural".

Also, something being natural is never any form of guarantee that the substance is safe or won't intereact with medicines. Think curare, botulinum and even caffeine.

There has been some research into Sodium Picramate and whilst in bulk it can explode and in even fairly small doses it can cause sensitisation, the tiny amounts probably used seem fairly safe.

[luthien in reply to helvella]

That's why I suggest to check the ingredients; on anything we use! not all of them are natural; the real ones don't use chemicals, henna in it's natural form shouldn't have chemicals!

The Sodium Picramate is found in most commercial hair dyes, yes including henna to allow the hair to accept red colours - which it naturally doesn't keep. Hence why most henna which doesn't contain this is classed as semi permanent.

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to luthien]

I think that's what used to be in the activator sachet, but it was "optional". Lemon juice or vinegar works just as well, so would citric acid (used for wine making)

[luthien in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

I shall add lemon juice next time - I use that before as a pre wash / soak if that make sense.

[Angel_of_the_North]

Henna for 25+ years. Best for red tones, can be mixed with indigo for darker or amla for lighter. Natural, makes hair feel thicker

[Kmears97 in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

Is indigo separate to it?

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to Kmears97]

Yes, you can buy indigo powder. You only need a little or you'll get old lady blue hair or punk purple. If you search the web you can find sites that say how much of each to use, but it is always approximate as it depends on your hair.

[Batty1 in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

I saw this slightly older lady with long hair that had silver colored hair with a purple tone to it. Hard to explain and too weird to take a picture but it was beautiful .

[Hillwoman in reply to Batty1]

I'm tempted to try that!

[Batty1 in reply to Hillwoman]

Don’t they make those colors that wash out in 7 days ?

This ladies hair was a pretty silver until the light hit it and you could see the faint purple. I should have been a weirdo for a minute and took a photo of her hair.

If I had silver hair (which is pretty) I would try it as long as I could wash it out.

[Lora7again in reply to Batty1]

I used to use Toners before I became really grey.

[Lora7again in reply to Lora7again]

I think the glue in ones but you will still continue to lose hair but not because of the extensions and it will make your hair look a lot thicker. I don't have them now because my hair is no long shedding.

[Hillwoman]

What does one do with thinning grey (actually, mostly white) hair? I was warned off using hair dye by Dr SM. When one of the blood tests she arranged came back showing that, amongst other things, a chemical banned in the EU that used to be (still is?) present in hairdyes was interfering with various cellular functions. A fat biopsy last year showed that it's still present.

I would love to ditch the 'naked light bulb' look, but aside from health concerns, I remember my mother's henna experiments on her own greying hair back in the 70s. Once, it turned bright yellow-green, and on another occasion a sort of fluorescent orange!

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to Hillwoman]

you can get hair that looks like Golden Shred marmalade with henna if hair is all white. I have white roots, but they tone in OK. It's worth looking at web sites that advise on henna to see what they say. Addition of amla for more blonde or indigo fo rmore brown might work, but I'm not an expert. Th e greenish colour is what you get when you've used a commercial dye and it is still in the hair.

[Hillwoman in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

Thanks, I'll have a look for info.

Never realised commercial dyes reacted that way with henna. That would certainly explain my mother's experiments.

[Lora7again in reply to Hillwoman]

If you had foils it would not touch the roots and some different shades can disguise hair loss. I was worried when I had foils that it would make my hair loss worse but it didn't and it did make me feel a lot better about myself.

[Batty1]

My hair use to be a medium brown with reddish blonde tones and I haven't colored my hair in over 15yrs. When I started taking thyroid meds I noticed my hair has become almost blackish dark brown and the few grays I had are gone.....its weird and my hair also acquired this super shine that looks greasy even though its not.... it drives me nuts.

[Hillwoman in reply to Batty1]

You may be one of the lucky ones whose autoimmune activity against melanocytes has been dampened by replacement thyroid hormone.

[Batty1 in reply to Hillwoman]

Lol...never been called lucky. No telling but my hair always look greasy...yuck.

[MaryMary]

There are far too many nasty chemicals in the majority of hair dyes, so Ipersonally I will not use them again. After testing a few natural dyes, which generally have henna in them, I’ve found Logona (online) products the best. Creams are less messy than powders. The colour fades over time. Only problem is you have to have the dye on for 2 hours!!