How to remove henna from hair?

The use of natural hair dyes does not lose its relevance over the years. Henna is the most popular type of natural dye and makes hair vibrant and shiny. But despite the obvious advantages, the dye still has disadvantages, the main one being the difficulty of removing the product from the hair. However, with a competent approach and observing some rules, it is quite possible to wash off henna, you just need to be patient and strictly follow the recommendations.

Henna is a marsh-colored powder made from the leaves of Lawsonia, a plant that grows in the Middle East and North Africa. In the composition of plant materials, the presence of essential oils, organic acids, vitamins C and K and resinous components is high. Due to the presence of natural pigments, henna is able to dye hair in bright orange, red and red-brown colors. An important feature of henna is its gentle effect on the hair structure: during dyeing, it does not destroy the native pigment, but only envelops it, forming a surface film. This leads to a thickening of the hair structure and an increase in their volume.

However, this effect also has its downside. As a result of the enveloping action of the plant pigment, other compounds cannot penetrate into the hair and change its color. Therefore, difficulties with washing off henna or repainting hair in a different color are often the reason for the refusal to use it in favor of other, less beneficial to hair health products.

Despite the powerful healing effect of the natural dye, situations often arise when it needs to be washed off urgently. This happens when you get an excessively reddish, and sometimes rich orange hair color, the brightness of which was not included in the plans. This reason is the most popular, as often henna dyeing gives a rather unexpected color effect. The second reason is the desire to repaint in a different color, and in the presence of henna on the hair, this is quite problematic.

In this case, washing off the natural pigment is a mandatory procedure, since the new composition will not be able to break through to the internal structure of the hair due to the surface film. Moreover, if the henna is not completely washed off and remains on the hair, even in a small amount, then dyeing with a different composition can lead to the appearance of the most unexpected shades - from crimson to green. For the same reasons, henna is washed off before performing a perm, since otherwise spectacular curls will not work, and the structure of the hair will be significantly affected.

Henna contains a large amount of tannin, which penetrates deep into the hair structure and reacts with the keratin contained in it. As a result of this combination, tannin gains the ability to stay inside the hair for a very long time. On average, henna can stay on the hair for about 6 months, which is a rather long period and favorably distinguishes natural pigment from synthetic dyes and tonics. However, color fastness is not the same for all hair types and depends on their structure, native color, color intensity and frequency of shampooing. So, natural pigment is best washed off in the first couple of weeks after staining, after which it will be quite difficult to remove it from the curls.

If hair dyeing did not lead to the desired result and it was decided to wash off the henna, then the greatest effect can be obtained by washing the head four times with any shampoo immediately after dyeing. Such an emergency procedure will help partially remove the redhead and give the hair a more natural shade. However, you should not flatter yourself about this, since you will most likely not be able to completely get rid of the natural pigment and wash your hair to your color. This will require a whole range of procedures involving the use of both professional drugs and home remedies.

Professional preparations for removing henna are acidic and blond. The first ones remove the dye more gently and do not have a harmful effect on the hair structure, while the second ones include bleaching powder, shampoo, water, an oxidizing agent and not only wash off the henna, but also noticeably lighten the natural color. Below are the most popular professional tools that can be used not only in the salon, but also independently at home.

• Backtrack Pickling Shampoo from the Paul Mitchell cosmetics collection is able to wash off natural pigment in one go. The high efficiency of the drug is due to the combined effect of the remover, neutralizer and protective base included in the kit. Before use, the first two components are mixed in equal parts, after which they are applied to the hair and left for 20 minutes.Then a protective agent is applied, wait another minute, after which the hair is washed under running water. This product is one of the strongest of all samples on the market and allows you to quickly get rid of redheads without damaging the hair structure. The only drawback of Backtrack shampoo is its considerable price.

• Emulsion Nexxt Color System Remover it has a very gentle effect on the hair and acts as an excellent alternative to blonde products. However, unlike the previous drug, you should not expect a quick effect from it. The emulsion is intended for repeated use, with gradual color correction.

• Emulsion Kapous Decoxon specializes in removing natural and synthetic paints and is able to remove redheads in one go. Further tint adjustment will require several more applications, however, the bright orange color will disappear after the first application. The set consists of two bottles.

• Color Back Remover from the Italian company Nouvelle also consists of two bottles and is capable of performing complete or partial removal of the pigment. And although multiple applications will be required to completely remove henna, the effect on the structure and condition of the hair will be very soft and gentle.

• Emulsion Color OFF from the Russian company "Estel" includes 3 components: a reductant, a catalyst and a neutralizer. The composition effectively removes reddish color without destroying the natural pigment and without lightening the hair.

However, henna can be washed off not only with professional formulations, but also with home remedies. As a rule, most of the traditional methods require more prolonged use, but the negative effect on the hair is minimal. More effective and popular remedies for getting rid of the red color at home are presented below.

Table vinegar is considered to be quite effective and helps not only remove redheads, but also makes hair soft and silky. To prepare the solution, pour 4 large tablespoons of vinegar essence into a bucket with 10 liters of warm water and mix well. Then, for a quarter of an hour, the hair is kept in this composition, after which it is washed with shampoo and rinsed again with vinegar solution. However, it is not recommended to use for rinsing an already used product in which the hair was wetted; a new solution should be prepared.

At the end of the procedure, a balm is applied to the hair, after which it is dried naturally without using a hair dryer.

Laundry soap is the most affordable and harmless way to get rid of redhead. The whitening effect of soap is due to its alkaline environment, due to which the hair scales open, and the coloring pigment is gradually washed off. To remove henna, wet hair is liberally soaped, left for 10 minutes, and then rinsed under running water. Next, a nourishing mask is applied and dried in a natural way. The procedure is repeated every 3 days until the reddish tint completely disappears.

Sour cream not only effectively removes the red color, but also eliminates yellowness. To do this, take warm sour sour cream of high fat content and apply it to the hair along the entire length. After 50 minutes, the curls are washed using a shampoo for oily hair and rinsed with warm water.

Kefir also has a whitening effect and is able to lighten the red color by several tones. To do this, a glass of fatty kefir is slightly warmed up, applied to the hair, put on a polyethylene cap and wrapped in a towel. After an hour and a half, the head is washed with shampoo for oily hair, after which it is rinsed and dried.To enhance the effect, the following mixture is prepared: 2 large tablespoons of soda and the same amount of vodka are added to 200 ml of kefir, then the resulting composition is applied to the hair, put on a hat or bag, insulated and left for an hour. Then the hair is washed, nourished mask is applied and dried without using a hair dryer.

Onions are also a fairly affordable way to remove henna, however, due to their specific smell, they are not used so often. To lighten the dark red hair, peel the onion and squeeze the juice out of it or beat it with a blender until a homogeneous gruel is obtained. Then the resulting mixture is applied to the hair along the entire length and left for 5-10 minutes.

Alcohol is also good at removing henna from the hair, while revealing the scales and neutralizing the natural color pigment. The procedure is as follows: dry hair is abundantly moistened in 70% alcohol and kept for 5 minutes. Further, without washing off the alcohol, castor or burdock oil is applied to the curls, put on a plastic cap and insulate with a towel. After a couple of hours, the oil-alcohol mixture is washed off with a shampoo for oily hair, after which the head is rinsed.

However, oils can also be used neat. To do this, the hair is smeared with a mixture of olive and burdock oils, mixed in equal parts, covered with cellophane and wrapped in a towel. Additional heating of the curls with a hairdryer will help to enhance the effect.

Ground coffee is also able to correct the shade and remove excess reddishness. He, of course, will not be able to neutralize henna, but he will certainly be able to effectively paint over a bright color. To more effectively repaint the curls, instant coffee is mixed with black henna in a 2: 1 ratio, after which it is applied to the hair and left for 15-30 minutes. The dyeing time depends on the desired color and structure of the hair.

A yeast mask can not only remove henna from the hair, but also provide them with powerful support. To properly prepare the composition, you need to mix a pack of raw yeast with a bottle of kefir, mix and leave to swell. In the absence of raw yeast, dry yeast can be used, at the rate of 8 g per 200 ml of kefir. After the mixture swells as much as possible, it is applied to the curls and left for 2 hours.

If there is no kefir in the house, you can use another recipe. To prepare it, a teaspoon of sugar is mixed with the same amount of dry yeast and poured into a glass of warm water. After half an hour, the mixture is applied to the curls, put on a cellophane cap and wrapped in a towel. After 40 minutes, wash off the mask with shampoo and rinse the hair. Judging by the reviews, it will take 2 weeks to completely get rid of the redhead.

Red pepper is also able to neutralize ginger pigment. To do this, the pods are infused with vodka or alcohol, after which the resulting composition is rubbed into the roots and distributed along the entire length of the hair. After 20 minutes, wash your hair with shampoo, then rinse well and apply balm.

Since quite aggressive products are often used to remove henna, dyed hair needs careful care. To quickly restore the structure of the curls after washing, it is advisable to follow a number of recommendations.

• Brushing wet hair is prohibited.
• In view of the fact that pickling often has a drying effect on the hair, the split ends should be constantly trimmed.
• It is prohibited to use chlorinated water during the procedures.
• After washing, it is recommended to rinse the curls with a conditioner balm or a decoction of herbs.
• Hair drying after washing and restoring measures should be carried out in a natural way.The use of a hair dryer is permissible only when working with cold air.
• After the procedure for removing henna and further staining, it is advisable to carry out biolamination.

For information on how to wash off henna, see the next video.