Is it normal for BAQ henna (Raj/Moroccan) to fade out throughout the months?

[TatsuOni]

About the acidic. I actually don't agree.

I've tried henna both with and without and the only difference was that my hair got dry with it. That's it. And I'm not the only one who's noticed that.

Acid is needed for henna tattoos and nails, to penetrate the skin and nails. I'm using henna on my nails, and there I notice a big difference with or without acid.

And henna will oxidize for a few days. After that it will not darken anymore, no matter what you used in the mix.

As for adding coffee and tea. I've tried it and it made no difference for me.

But if you still want to try adding stuff, I recommend something less drying, like hibiscus, applecider vinegar or black tea (not acidic).

I believe that your henna has faded because of the silver.

For learning more about henna I recommend our own NightShade's ebook https://www.nightblooming.com/produc...turally-ebook/

[Nightshade]

I don't agree on the acids, either. I recommend acids in the case people are experiencing fading, but on people for whom henna fades (including me, on my white hairs), acid often doesn't fix it. It might for a very small percentage of henna users, but I'd say more often than not a second application, or an increase in the percentage of henna if using a blend of herbs does more than acid.

Acid is one of the many henna 'rules' that matters a lot for skin, (terping is another great example of this) that doesn't matter for hair. Acids help the henna more deeply penetrate the skin, getting a darker and longer-lasting stain, but this just doesn't hold true for hair because the thickness of one hair is already less than the depth that henna stains skin.

In this article I talk a bit about acids and other liquids, but the tl:dr is that using chamomile tea or coffee or tea doesn't affect the color or staying power at all (though with conditioning herbs like chamomile you do get an extra benefit there, but more golden color isn't one of them).

[Fimu]

Thanks for sharing your experiences, TatsuOni.

My henna did sort of fade on my very porous ends after 6+ months: my ends were lighter and more orange. But the true fading is actually hard to examine since I have dark brown hair.

I just did another full-length treatment, but now I wonder: how long does the "reduced porosity"/protein-repair effect of henna last, and does it really require another full length treatment to boost the cuticle repair effect?

[shelomit]

I just did another full-length treatment, but now I wonder: how long does the "reduced porosity"/protein-repair effect of henna last, and does it really require another full length treatment to boost the cuticle repair effect?

In my case, it's really obvious when the conditioning effect has worn off. My hair starts getting unruly, feeling more lightweight, frizzing and flying away and getting harder to detangle. Then it's time for another application.

I always do a full-head application, so I can't speak with experience as to whether that's necessary. Since, unlike the coloring effect, it's temporary, I would guess that you would have to cover as much hair as you wanted to condition--?

[Fimu]

In my case, it's really obvious when the conditioning effect has worn off. My hair starts getting unruly, feeling more lightweight, frizzing and flying away and getting harder to detangle. Then it's time for another application.

I always do a full-head application, so I can't speak with experience as to whether that's necessary. Since, unlike the coloring effect, it's temporary, I would guess that you would have to cover as much hair as you wanted to condition--?

I also always do full-length applications. How often do you usually have to reapply henna to benefit from the conditioning/repair effect?

[shelomit]

I also always do full-length applications. How often do you usually have to reapply henna to benefit from the conditioning/repair effect?

I usually notice the change somewhere around the four-month mark. Often I end up putting off re-applying until more like six ( ;

[Nightshade]

Thanks for sharing your experiences, TatsuOni.

My henna did sort of fade on my very porous ends after 6+ months: my ends were lighter and more orange. But the true fading is actually hard to examine since I have dark brown hair.

I just did another full-length treatment, but now I wonder: how long does the "reduced porosity"/protein-repair effect of henna last, and does it really require another full length treatment to boost the cuticle repair effect?

So there's two parts to henna's conditioning. The first is the lawsone itself, which binds to the hair forever. I'm not sure if this is what you mean by protein-repair, but it can do a little of that (lawsone binds to protein, so in this case keratin). That lasts forever-ish. It can fade if hair doesn't have enough protein for the henna to bind to, or if you damage the hair enough (bleaching, for example, can remove some henna because of the overall protein loss and damage involved in the process, but mostly you're lightening the hair UNDER the henna).

The second part of the conditioning is a bunch of fatty acids and secondary alcohols of an epicuticular wax. When you look at desert plants, the leaves have a waxy coating that helps them to retain moisture. When you apply henna (or Sedr, which conditions the same way), it leaves behind this natural wax coating, which is where the thickening aspect of henna mostly comes in, as well as some damage protection. This is the part that wears off after 4-8 weeks.

You could do a full length booster of Sedr if you didn't want to risk darkening your hair with another full length application of henna

[TatsuOni]

You could probably also do henna glosses (if you're not afraid of getting a little darker hair).

[Fimu]

So there's two parts to henna's conditioning. The first is the lawsone itself, which binds to the hair forever. I'm not sure if this is what you mean by protein-repair, but it can do a little of that (lawsone binds to protein, so in this case keratin). That lasts forever-ish. It can fade if hair doesn't have enough protein for the henna to bind to, or if you damage the hair enough (bleaching, for example, can remove some henna because of the overall protein loss and damage involved in the process, but mostly you're lightening the hair UNDER the henna).

The second part of the conditioning is a bunch of fatty acids and secondary alcohols of an epicuticular wax. (...)

You could do a full length booster of Sedr if you didn't want to risk darkening your hair with another full length application of henna

I guess it's the combination of lawsone binding + herbal emollients that gives the "protein repair" feel. My ends are very porous (damaged) and lightened by sunlight throughout the years

You could probably also do henna glosses (if you're not afraid of getting a little darker hair).

I don't mind darkening my hair because I want to darken my ends (and my roots are already dark), but the full-length treatment is a lengthy and messy process I don't want to do often.
Is a henna gloss application less messy, or not?

[Obsidian]

It been a few years since I used henna regularly but I did use it for 2 years over light ash blond hair. It didn't really fade but it did dull down after 3 or 4 months.
It was worse when I had any kind of chemical treatment in my hair. Last time I hennaed over bleach and it just didn't want to stick.

A gloss would boost the color back to a nice bright henna fire orange that I like. Its not quite as messy as straight henna but it takes about the same amount of time.

For a touch.of color, I'd mix a couple big spoonfuls of prepared henna into enough conditioner to coat my hair, for more color I'd do a 50/50 mix. Apply and leave on for a hour.

I streamlined my henna application time by premixing my henna and always keeping it in the freezer ready to go. I can thaw a bottle in about 30 min so I can apply it whenever I need and have the time. I only leave it one 1.5 hours so I generally do it early in the morning so my day isn't used up messing with my hair