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Madeleine
September 28th, 2003, 04:55 PM
This is a gentle yet effective way to apply regular temporary dye (the kind that survives six to eight shampoos at the most).

My favourite temporary dye is Wella Color Fresh liquid. "Liquid" is important because they also have the same product as a cream and mousse. Since both of those contain SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate) which I try to avoid and the liquid doesn't I stick with the liquid. A cream would probably work as well for the colour wash, a mousse might, but wouldn't be as economical. Most temporary dye liquids should do.

The cleansing power of those dyes is greatly underestimated. They foam and wash just as well as any shampoo, so shampooing beforehand is a waste of time and product and likely results in overstripping. The colour wash is almost as easy as simple shampooing:
[list] wet down dirty hair
wearing gloves, lather up some dye between your hands and apply to the scalp and roots like shampoo. You're likely to need about twice as much as regular shampoo to obtain even coverage (but that's nothing compared with the amount of product you need when applying it unlathered straight from the bottle as the directions say).
take a little more dye, lather, and run your fingers through the length. Carefully comb through with a wide toothed comb for even distribution. Bun or clip hair out of the way.
lather up some more dye and apply all around the hair line with a dye brush.
let sit as long as directions say (usually 20 - 30 minutes)
add a little water and scalp massage to actually wash the hair
rinse and condition as usual.[/list:u]
You should be able to cover all of your hair evenly with significantly less than half the amount of dye you'd need if you applied it straight from the bottle. If you lather the liquid yourself this is much more economical than dye foam from the same company, which usually contains way less product and lots of "air". If you "wash" with it instead of just applying and rinsing it's faster and less drying because you can skip the shampoo.
You can also use temporary dye to perk up your natural or permanent shade by using it exactly like regular shampoo, just wash, rinse, condition - it won't change your colour, but intensify it and add shine. The "wash in - wash out" single sachet dyes are really nothing different, they're just more expensive.

I do a colour wash every couple of weeks, once or twice in between henna treatments. It's nice to be able to play around with different shades without causing any harm at all. :)

Important: On light blonde / bleached / gray / damaged hair, temporary dye might become hard to wash out or even permanent, no matter how you apply it. Be careful, especially with dark shades.

Kati75
January 25th, 2004, 04:37 AM
Madeleine, do you think I can use a "Savannah blonde" sachet on top of my hennaed hair with bleached highlights in it? If it turns the highlights darker, the better!

Madeleine
January 25th, 2004, 07:35 AM
Well, all I can say is that I used several different brands and shades of temporary dye (the level 1 stuff, washes out in six to eight shampoos) over henna and never had a problem. It always turned out nice and washed out faster than the package said.
I have no experience with highlights, but from your pic and descriptions I'd say a blonde shade shouldn't cause trouble. Especially if you don't mind your highlights to be toned down a bit. Maybe leave it one for 15 minutes first, and longer next time if you want a more intense result.

Isare
August 22nd, 2004, 02:31 PM
I do colourwashes sometimes too yeah. They make a nice change when I get bored. But how do they work really? Do they just make a layer around the hair, like henna?

Madeleine
August 23rd, 2004, 01:02 AM
Isare, yes, truly temporary dye just coats the hair shaft, similar to henna - henna usually lasts quite a bit longer though.

Meg_Evenstar
November 4th, 2004, 03:43 PM
This is something that I have wanted to try so I can strech out my henna a little longer as henna is so involved. thanks for the information.

Meg

Babyfine
November 5th, 2004, 06:28 AM
I used to use Clairols Loving care which would wash out
in 1-12 shampoos,would this be the same thing as a Colour
wash, I wonder?? They have no ammonia or peroxide.
The Loving Care says not to use over highlighted hair, so
alas since my hair has been previously highlighted, I don't
use it. I'm wating awhile so I can try Henna- maybe in
a few months.

Madeleine
November 5th, 2004, 03:19 PM
Hi Babyfine,

if you can apply the product straight from the bottle (no mixing two components) it should be a temporary dye, i.e. wash out completely. That's the kind of dye I've been using safely between henna treatments for years.
Highlighted or bleached hair can be a problem because it's porous and might grab more colour than usual, making the dye permanent.

Babyfine
November 13th, 2004, 07:54 AM
Thanks Madeline.


yes, that's why I'm hesitant to use it since I still have bleach
on a good portion of my hair. I'm looking forward to someday
being able to use Henna, as I've read all the great results
people have had, especially with fine, thin hair and the
strengthing properties.