These days, when a woman wishes to make a change to her hairstyle, she only needs to walk down the aisles of her local drugstore, where a plethora of hair dyes await.
There are many ways to color hair besides traditional hair dye, too, one of which includes henna. Maybe you recently used henna on your hair and now want to use regular hair dye. The question is, can you use hair dye after henna?
What Is Henna?
Henna hair dye is an all-natural alternative to those boxed dyes we women tend to buy when we’re on our Target shopping trips or the dyes that are mixed together in professional hair salons.
In short, henna hair dye is made from the henna plant and something inside it called lawsone. To make the dye, the leaves are first dried and then crushed into a very fine powder. When mixed with water, a thick paste of orange-red dye forms. The paste is applied to the hair and is often used to make henna tattoos.
While using henna hair dye is a better choice for hair coloring in terms of hair health (it’s natural, strengthens the hair’s shaft, conditions the scalp, and fights off dandruff), it can be difficult to remove. This can be a problem if you’ve just used henna hair dye and you’re ready to color your hair a new shade.
Can You Use Regular Hair Color After Henna?
Yes, you can use regular hair color after henna, but you should only do it after you have done your best to fade or remove the henna dye first. This is easier to do if you’ve only had the henna in your hair a couple of weeks before.
When it’s been a couple of months, the henna has had longer to build up and strengthen, so it’s more difficult to remove. If it’s been longer than just a few weeks that you’ve had the henna in your hair, you will still need to remove it first and then wait about two months before attempting a regular hair dye.
It is certainly possible to color over henna hair dye, but that doesn’t mean you should. Since henna is such a strong hair bond, regular hair color will find it difficult to penetrate the hair cuticle. For best results in using regular hair color after henna, try to remove the henna first.
How to Remove Henna from Hair
You can either do this yourself using hair oil or try to find a hairstylist who will remove it. One thing is for sure, if you plan to visit a hairstylist for a new color job and you still have henna in your hair, many of them will not use a chemical hair dye over henna.
This is because mixing chemical removers with henna can react badly. So fading or removing the henna on your own should be the first move you make when you want to switch to regular hair color.
To begin removing the henna at home, you should know the safest option is to use oil. One reliable method you can try is Euro Oil Conditioner, something Morrocco Method International recommends.
Use enough to thoroughly coat your hair from roots to tips. Leave it in your hair overnight, covering it with a towel or hair cap. In the morning, work through an undiluted MM Shampoo. Rinse and shampoo like normal. Remember, this process will only fade henna, so you may need to follow this process a couple of times.
Your other option is to mix your own concoction with olive oil, coconut oil, and a little Argan oil. Coat your hair with it thoroughly, cover it with a towel, and let it sit in your hair as long as you can (overnight is recommended).
After you rinse it out, use a clarifying shampoo, then condition, let the hair dry, and see how much has faded. Repeat the process every day if needed to fade as much as possible before applying regular hair color.
Since everyone’s hair type is different, you may have luck with one of these methods and not the other. Remember, it’s a process. Henna hair dye is powerful and strong, so the process to remove it is going to be timely. Have patience!