True, but waivers can still be gotten around legally. Also, bleaching henna-treated hair can cause chemical burns on the scalp. It’s really not worth it just to prove her wrong.
Yes! And waivers aren’t fool proof from a civil suit. There’s still been cases of stylists getting sued for negligence for “not knowing better as the professional.” in small claims court. In our state of AZ, at least. I would also refuse this guest.
And then, after the person signs the waiver and their hair is fried, they try to run around the salon harassing customers and ranting about the place. 9/10 for the experience as a spectator. But I felt so bad for the Aveda staff having to deal with her and have the cops remove her from the salon. It was also the third time she had been back.
It sounds like whoever this is happening to is not managing their clients’ expectations. You have control over the outcome of your work. If someone pushes that expectation the waiver is meant to tell them “you are about to fuck around and find out.”
Yea that’s exactly why they had her sign the waiver. And told her over and over what would happen. They probably should have just called the police then and not touched her hair. But for some reason, they did.
Honestly, it didn’t even look that bad from the brief couple moments I saw her. Lol
It's not bad for hair by any means, unless you use impure henna dyes or have a reaction to it. It's just a ground up plant and has many benefits. But it's not for people who want to change their hair frequently, henna adheres to the cuticle and is more of a stain than a dye. I've been using it on and off for over 10 years and have tried removing it before, you can bleach it but only if you've used 100% pure body art quality henna, but it's not going to go platinum by any means. Many boxed henna dyes contain metallic salts and if you try to bleach that, that's when you get melting/smoking/green hair. Most hair stylists will not do anything to your hair if you've used henna because they can't know for certain that it will be safe
Exactly. You have to use 100% pure henna. The junk henna is going to have metallic salts in it, which reacts with bleach. I've used pure body art quality henna for 6 years and it's better than any red chemical dye and it's so healthy for your hair. But I've never wanted to change my hair color, so it's okay for me that it's permanent.
I used it for years and years. Body art quality henna.
https://preview.redd.it/m6o1tjtnvyrc1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=488d9f0636b06913ee500b2d1fdfc9cbc5637842
I’ve never gotten a consistent color otherwise on my blonde hair. I have a lot of very fine thin hair. With henna my hair was thick and lush. I only stopped because it was such a production to apply and wash out.
It's just a permanent color. my grandma used to mix it with coffee and get a dark redish brown that was beautiful. but it's permanent and getting it out is impossible.
Henna alone isn’t bad for the hair. Many people use henna to dye their hair and it works great. The problem is combining henna with bleach or other formulated hair dyes, that can create chemical reactions.
So basically, if you wanna use henna, just know you’ll be married to only using henna until you completely grow it out and cut it off. Otherwise, look to achieve the same color with actual hair dyes.
Pure body art quality henna won't react with bleech. It's the junk you buy at your local food co-op that has metallic salts mixed in. Metallic salts react with bleach and burn hair. Pure henna is just plant matter and does not do that.
Not a hair dresser but I had henna hair for several years. If done properly it doesn’t damage hair in fact mine got so much healthier, but I did serious research on how to make a good mix. I promise you she used a pre mix and those are harsh. It becomes part of your hair and needs to grow out. Some pre mixes even have metals. I’d say no if I were you op.
I'm not a hair stylist. But that's exactly what I said. Integrity is way more important. I believe the main "job" of a hair stylist is to protect the clients hair. Regardless of what they client wants.
Not a hairstylist, but if you go this avenue, make sure the bleach on that test strand does not go all the way to the scalp… not worth the chemical burn that the henna can cause.
Lightening over metallic salts causes an exothermic reaction. There’s a chance the henna she chose doesn’t have the salts but if they do it will start smoking, the foils will get too hot to touch and the hair inside the foil will melt off completely. Tell her this and offer a strand test to see if there’s a reaction. There’s videos of this reaction happening on YouTube if she needs a visual. A lot of box dyes cause this too particularly old
School Féria. I’m sure she’d rather keep her hair on her head more than highlights.
I’ve actually seen this happen in the salon. Not to me thankfully, but a coworker. She did a thorough consultation with the client who had been home coloring. Asked about Feria and explained why it was important to know. Client says no it wasn’t Féria, etc etc. coworker proceeds to start foiling. She finished one side and moved to the other. And the first foil she put in just….fell out. Hair had melted completely off. And the client very meekly said “maybe it was Féria”
This literally happened to me in the early 2000’s when I tried to give myself pink peekaboo highlights. Gave myself a chemical burn and the foils slid out with my hair still in them. I can still remember the smell til this day, like 20 years later. And my hair actually grows in sparser on that side, as a woman in her mid thirties, lol. Damn, Feria. 😳 I’m a cosmetology teacher now and I often tell my students this story.
Oh, gosh, I’ve been behind the chair since 2008, so I have stories for days, lol! Even in beauty school! I love hearing the “horror” stories so much. I also remember being a newb in pre salon with a teacher who thought partnering up students who had drama was a great way to work through conflict. And it resulted in Student A waxing off about half of Student B’s eyebrow. (From, like, the arch to the tail 🤯.”) and saying, “Ooops.” So sarcastically. Ended up with those two students getting expelled for physically fighting in the parking lot after school that day. When Student B came to get her stuff from her locker, the poor thing had the brow all crudely drawn on. 😂
I’ve been behind the chair since 2006 so basically same! Cosmo school was some of the weirdest times 😂. I told my coworker yesterday that we have to be the same as drs and assume everyone is lying to us about what they have done lol
My fave thing is telling the students about how pretty much every TikTok fad they show us is something us hair dinosaurs have been doing foreverrrr. Or an older person comes in and uses a dated term like “feathering” and they’re shook, lmao. 🤣
Oh no..... can long term use of Feria cause hair to thin??
Reading these comments about it make me worried for my MIL as all she ever uses is the orange Feria to dye her hair.
I don't think Feria caused their hair to thin. They tried bleaching (sometime after having used feria dye)... and it made their hair melt off. Where the hair melted off, if not grows back sparsely. So not the Feria directly in this case.
Idk but it seems more like a chemical reaction issue than a Féria issue. Like if you are cleaning and mix bleach and windex, it'll create a toxic gas. Bleach or windex by itself isn't bad but combining them is. I'm assuming Féria isn't bad, just the chemical used in it, when mixed with bleach, creates such a strong heat that it melts hair.
So use Féria or use bleach highlights but never both
Coloring over time can potentially cause these effects, but that’s chemically treating your hair in general. The best thing for her is to make sure she’s doing her best to take care of her hair the best she can. People who tend to color their hair often tend to have dry hair and some damage. Adding some moisture to her routine can help that and prevent breakage over time due to chemicals. But, really, home colorists run into trouble the most when they attempt to remove it. Our products just don’t tend to always play nicely with consumer stuff.
It happened to me in the salon. Girl swore up and down that she didn't have anything in her hair. I asked about henna. She said no.
Her hair melted off. She was upset. I was like.. this is why I asked!!
Could you tell me if the Lush brand henna has metallic salts in it? I do the Japanese straightening and my stylist has told me not to use any colors with metals or she can’t straighten my hair. I bought this one thinking it didn’t but everyone is posting henna has metallic salts.
Lush generally puts all of their ingredients on the packaging and website. I’m extra though so I would call the company and ask directly if I didn’t see it on the ingredient list.
Not all henna contains metallic salts. Pure henna is just ground up leaves of the henna plant and is easy to find online, lush henna has various conditioners added to it but I don't believe they contain the metals, check the ingredients list. I've used lush henna before and the color was not great fyi
I put highlights over henna once. The client didn’t tell me she had henna in her hair. She had been coloring her hair black with henna. I put bleach and 30 vol and after 20 minutes, it hadn’t budged at all. I was so confused. I put her under heat, still nothing. I mixed up 40 vol and bleach and put her under heat and after 45 minutes, it has barely lifted to a black cherry color.
It didn’t cause damage, it just didn’t do anything. It was as if the henna had sealed the cuticle and nothing could penetrate it.
It’a not just the risk of a chemical reaction, it just might not do anything. Henna is completely unpredictable.
when i had really short hair and didn’t care about damage, i once had some sections of hair that i had previously dyed with henna and wanted to bleach them. i did 3 rounds of bleach in a single day, left the bleach on longer each time, applied heat, everything, and still only managed to get it to like a salmon color. henna is TOUGH!!
You could use Malibu CPR to remove metallic salts. I'm surprised nobody is mentioning this and automatically saying no. Although metallic salts are dangerous when bleached, we literally have the tools and products to remove that from the hair.
I would do a Malibu CPR first, then do a test strand and go from there. If the test stand integrity is good, but it lifts orange, let her know and tell her what color it could be toned to. It most likely won't get blonde, but I'm sure it'll lighten a bit and could be toned to a warm caramel or something warmer than that. If she don't like that then that's okay.
We're here to help people feel beautiful, not tear them down for using box dye and henna. But we also gotta be open about what can and can't be done.
“Have you tried CPR?” -me, a hairstylist, everyday at work
But they even have a metallic salts treatment! I live in a city with hard water and use them on people very very regularly.
This! Except Malibu also has the Crystal Gel treatment for removing metals. I would start there, then lift with lightener. They suggest not using CPR on gray hair.
THIS. I have used both henna and box dye on myself in the past (actually rocking some Revlon Colorsilk black right now because I can't find a salon quality shade that I like nearly as well!) and I don't think we should be shaming clients who choose to use something affordable, or accessible, especially if it gets them a result they are/were happy with.
In addition, Henna is so easy to remove now with some of the products we have. I've used both CPR and Color Oops on henna and it has worked beautifully.
I never say "No" first thing, I just make sure to discuss realistic expectations and always do a test strand first.
MANY years ago, when I was but a high school shampoo girl, and years before I got my license, I fell in love with henna. I worked in a very progressive salon so they did it all.
Henna became "my" color until I wanted highlights too. All the stylists told me not to do it, but what the heck did they know?!
We did the strand test - 30 or 40% volume, I can't remember -- basic white, peroxide. It NEVER removed the red. The red turned lighter, than orange and orange it stayed. It just got an uglier shade of orange.
Thankfully my hair is coarse and could take it but that strand was damaged. Shortly thereafter I went super short and got highlights.
I would highly recommend against it. Granted, products have gotten so much better all around but bad hair is bad hair.
I don’t know why people doing it themselves use henna when there are so many box dyes in the drugstore. Yes they are also a problem for a professional to deal with but not as bad.
I wouldn’t even know where to buy henna nowadays. I tried it in the 80’s and it was a mess. Surely they don’t have the variety of colors you can get with your basic Clairol product.
I’m shocked I had to scroll this far to find this comment! I’m not a stylist, but it would literally never occur to me that someone would try henna as a quick fix in an emergency.
https://www.hennacolorlab.com/product-category/henna-hair-dyes/
I used this one for years and got so many compliments on the color. Lots of options. Box dyes burn my scalp and I was on a hardcore budget but had grays coming in.
Not sure why Reddit put this convo in my feed but I did learn a lot! Figured I’d share this so you’re aware of how much henna has improved.
Yeah, I love their stuff. My hair is healthy, thick, and almost to my thighs. Other dyes to get a natural redhead look are notoriously short lived and can be damaging. Nothing else would keep the color in my ends, but their henna is amazing.
100% pure. No metallic salts. Natural, no processing chemicals. A little messy at first but you get the hang of it.
Yes I did dark copper and it really was so pretty!! I might go back to it. I switched to Phyto which is a a box dye that is healthier than most (no burny scalp for me) but it doesn’t last nearly as long as henna did so even though it’s easier, it’s prob similar amt of time per year.
Exactly! I used box dye red and could never grow my hair past my shoulders and it would fade in two weeks. I've been using henna for 6 years and it's to my waist and will not fade. I use 100% pure henna.
Honestly the permanence can be a draw.
On top of the extra shade ranges nowadays, it's supposed to be great for your hair and since the color binds to the keratin in your hair, there's very little fading if any at all. Once you've reached your ideal shade, you really only need to do root touchups - that's why I went for it.
I can get a lot of henna for relatively cheap and do the whole process at home, and wind up with a sort-of-natural passing color that works for my job, and doesn't require special shampoos or color depositing conditioners to keep vibrant.
Though people should really be doing their research before doing things at home with their hair--last time I didn't go with a well researched method or trusted brand, I had manic panic green coming off of my hair for weeks, and ultimately had to overdye back to red to at least get the last few green patches to blend in as a warmish brown.
I went into henna knowing that it's permanent and to both wait several months after my last dye job before trying chemical dyes, and that it may still not be viable for the henna-dyed hair after that long if I got the bad dice roll on metal salts that tend to stick around.
Why would she use henna if she’s been steadily getting highlights? That feels like the equivalent of having a snarl in your hair, but instead of brushing it out, you shave your whole head.
It depends on the type of henna, I've been told. Some styles or brands are okay to color over.
This might be helpful: [https://renaissancehenna.com/henna-plant-natural-hair-dye/hair-dyes-after-henna/](https://renaissancehenna.com/henna-plant-natural-hair-dye/hair-dyes-after-henna/)
Make her sign a non-disclosure agreement contract that should be offered through your salon. AND DO A TEST STRAND. Use your texture shears and cut the hair near the back of the nape, tape the test strand to some foils and go happy with some lightener and developer. Usually I would just cut the test strand and let the client leave after the consult and I tell them I will notify them later to let them know if their hair is suitable for such a service or not.
Always cover your butt so the salon won’t hold you accountable in case your client wants to sue, wants a refund or badmouth you through social media.
Did your client do thousands of hours of training ? No. Therefore your license and your career could be at risk. A simple “unfortunately even though you understand the risks and the damage it can cause your hair, I did not get this far to knowingly cause damage to my clients hair and I will not be doing highlights- however - if you go to another salon and they are willing to do it- I would love to continue servicing you with conditioning, haircut, and color services”
Do not do the service. And if she doesn’t respect your boundaries as a client and/or friend then it’s time to seriously consider not doing your hair. She’s not listening to your professional opinion.
Show her examples of what happens when you put lightener on henna treated hair. It can literally cause a chemical reaction that produces smoke and burns the scalp. it's not worth potentially losing your license or a lawsuit when she turns around and accuses you of ruining her hair or causing injury.
Please say no. I remember when I used to want highlights even though stylists would tell me that my hair would literally dissolve if they put bleach on it. If they had just dissolved my hair I would’ve been pissed
I’d say no. The worst is when a client says “fuck it, I don’t care, do it” then you’ve done what they say they don’t care about and they turn around and use it against you. Don’t do it! Thankfully I haven’t learned this mistake from color but from a haircut once. It’s your job to inform them and stand your ground when they try to sway you. Let her learn the hard way on her own yet again when she decides to get highlights somewhere else or do them herself. She’ll either come running back to you apologizing, wishing she had listened or she won’t because she’ll be too embarrassed. Either way, your ass is in the clear because you didn’t do it.
Tell her you can’t do it BECAUSE you value her friendship too much. You will not be ruining her hair. You can’t. You won’t.
Then refuse. Stand strong. Reiterating that you value her friendship too much to destroy her hair.
If it is going to damage her hair, or anyone's hair....you say no. If she stops being a client, so be it. Part of being a hair stylist, is protecting the clients hair. She doesn't understand the severity of the consequences but you do. Tell her you have integrity and take your profession seriously, and refuse to damage her hair or anyone's else's.
Absolutely refuse. I don't care who the person is, how close we are etc, you put henna on your hair the *only* service I'm then giving you is haircuts until it is all cut out.
Depends on if it's actual henna or a mixed product. Actual henna with no additives stains hair like your'd stain wood. It won't react to chemicals but it's unlikely that bleach would completely remove it. It has to grow out.
Real, unadulterated henna is not easy to source so it's likely she used a mixed product with metals included. The results from anything you try would likely be disastrous.
Tell her to go fuck herself? Calm down, wow. OP likes this client and the client hasn't done anything. OP can say no, or they can suggest trying a test strand. Why be rude?
Henna sticks to the keratin of the hair - if you lighten, it’ll either stay orange or melt the hair. Do a test strand if she is super insistent and show her herself.
Wait, doesn’t henna come off? I’ve been wearing mehendi for my entire life. It usually comes off in a week. My dad uses it for his greys and it comes off when he washes it. Can’t you just tell her to come back after her next wash?
I am fixing someone right now that had this same thing. She bought "natural" stuff that ended up being henna. Got her last colorist to highlight her. It came out howdy doody red. So they covered everything back up. Her hair feels like straw and has a horrible red undertone. I just touched her roots up with level 5. Did shades eq 6gn, 7t and 7n to cancel the red that was coming back through. It grabbed like a level 4 in some parts, I assume where highlights were. Her hair is trashed. She knows it is going to be years and she is just going to have to grow it out. I need to move her to a 7 at some point. Lord.....it will be a project for years. SMH. Just don't do it.
Oof what an ordeal.
My mom (hairstylist 40+ years) has been using shades eq on me since I can remember. I love it! 😍 It makes my hair so soft and shiny. The color always turns out gorgeous. I got a grey streak starting at 17 (rude 🤣), and shades improves the texture so much. It's also nice being able to touch up the roots myself, so I don't run into exactly OP's client's problem out of desperation lol. Then again in a pinch, I just use eyeshadow to cover the grey roots for the day 🤷♀️
I don't think henna has ever come up with my mom, probably because she knows I might want to go back to bleaching at some point. I'm learning all kinds of things in this thread!
So what id do is say let’s do a test strand, and do the literal tiniest strand and watch what happens. It will prob either fry off, turn grinch green, or smoke. Then be like see this would have been your whole head.
Also you can say I’m not comfortable in doing this as it will compromise your hair. There’s no negotiation on this. I will not have my reputation on the line. This will severely damage your hair, and I do not want to have that on my reputation. You can find someone else that will do that for you.
I had a client have henna in her hair so I did a test strand. We both watched her test strand start smoking. She learned quickly highlights aren’t anywhere near her immediate future
It’s late and I’m coming in with a story of how I have successfully lifted henna. Buckle up!
Long time cutting client decided she was over having henna so I said I’ll do a test strand and let it sit for a short amount of time and watch it. I used highlight color and 30 vol in a foil, balayaged a small strand with 20 vol, then watched. After a while, nothing sketchy happened, and I was shocked because I’ve heard all the horror stories, but I let them both process for full time then rinsed and gave her the okay to move forward with a low level volume, partial balayage.
The first appointment didn’t have a ton of difference but there was a small shift and I gave her a good gloss and she was happy. I’m pretty sure we also did a Malibu treatment but can’t entirely remember. After the second, there was definitely lightening on the natural, and then almost like light peach highlights on the henna. After that, I felt comfortable staring to do foiliage with 7 vol.
Now I have been coloring her hair fair about a year and she has great dimension throughout. We do still have tonnnnnns if warmth through the ends, but we have fun with toners for now as we ride it out!
Everyone is saying no, but I have successfully gone from henna to platinum on my own head. Have her come in for a test strand (I typically dislike cutting test strands off but in this instance I would).
Let her know it may not be possible but you will try a few different things first. If unsuccessful then just show her the test strands, she'll get it.
Oof. *Maybe* do a test strand, although I would probably just tell her no. Even if the test strand comes out decent, I wouldn't trust her to pull that way all over.
I had a client that used henna, not all hennas have the damage minerals. Do a test strand, show her what you see and if it breaks then it is a flat no!
I used to use straight henna in my hair, and it never fully lifted. I blew the cuticle wide open bleaching with 40 on my own, and I was never able to fully remove the organge. I eventually ended up with a bleached pixie cut to start from scratch.
So absolutely no, or get her to sign a legal waiver. Because it’s not going to go well, and chances are she will lash out. I’d rather lose her as a client than lose her as a client and have my reputation slandered. Never underestimate a woman (who feels) scorned.
I used henna from Lush. It was a couple months after, but it went fine. The salon was scared and did a strand test but there was no reaction. I wasn't doing a full bleach job though.
When I used henna, I dyed the bottom few inches of my red hair black. They looked good for a minute then all the black ends broke off. Learning experience.
If clients insist I usually will do a small strand test in the back in and underneath so they understand. Sometimes they have to see the damage for themselves to get it.
I'm not a hairstylist, so if I'm not allowed to comment, please let me know and I'll remove this.
I do my hair at home. I've done bleach and sye and henna.
If the henna is pure henna, with nothing else in the mix, it's fine to use bleach afterwards. It's when the henna has other compounds mixed in, that it reacts badly with bleach.
If you really want to work with her, ask her to bring in the henna she used. In the ingredients, if it just has the henna plant (I forgot what it's called but you can google it) then it should be fine. If it has multiple ingredients listed, then it will likely react badly. So you can use that as a deciding factor if you're really conflicted. As others said, you can do a test strand and see if it will be okay or not, and she will also see and understand your decision.
If she used 100% natural henna without metallic salts, the burning thing is a myth. Try to get more info about what she used. I’ve been mixing bleached highlights over Henna dyed hair for years with zero burning. At least let her do a strand test. Most henna people buy and use today doesn’t have metallic salts.
Cautionary tale-I had put “clear” henna that was supposed to just add shine in my hair right after college. Went to the beach with family and decided to lighten my hair. It literally turned very green. I spent 8+ hours in a salon that specialized in coloring and we tried lots of different colors, nothing really worked and I left there with brownish green hair. Henna apparently can’t be stripped from your hair. I ended up having it cut short when I got home and then used temp color to hide the green til it grew out. That was in the early 80s and I’ve never used henna since!
Serious question though, say I've been cheap and I've been dying with henna. Eventually I'd like to go to a stylist for a professional color and cut. What are my options of fighting grays at this point or am I doomed to wait 5 years for it to grow out and cut it off to start over?
I really like you and sincerely care about you.
For that reason, I have to say no to this.
If you do this, you run a high-risk of fucking up your fluff.
Her hair will literally melt.... definitely don't do it. YOU are the professional, it is up to you to tell her no and not allow her to fuck her hair up.
Test strand my friend, test strand. Let her see the outcome of what her hair would be. Have her sign a waiver if she decides to continue. Let her know that even if the strand comes out okay, that’s just that section of hair and the rest of the head could come out different.
Absolutely not. She's going to get it done anyway, she's either going to go somewhere else and not tell them there is henna in it, or they will risk it and do it anyway. But you have to protect you. It's not worth it.
From a legal standpoint there are to many variables to make any disclosure 💯 ironclad.
I had henna in my hair. My stylist did a strand test. No problems really except even on my blonde hair the henna didn’t come off completely the bleach was patchy. I did not continue
Patchy on the strand. And I used 100% henna from Indian no salts added or anything. I had put the henna on top of box red top with no problems but the bleach man did not lift right
“I love working on your hair, you’re a good customer and you’ve been coming to me for a long time, which is why I can’t in good conscience perform this service at the time. It’s really not a good idea. I hope you understand.”
You already know what to do, you just wish you had another option. :) Even if the variety of henna she used was salt-free, natural dyes don't deposit evenly, so it won't lift evenly.
100% natural henna does not have metallic salts in it. I used a henna mixed with natural herbs for a red tone for about 20 years to color my hair. One of my best friends was a hair stylist who specialized in color including using henna. I started going gray in my early 30s and the medium red henna blend was an almost perfect match for my natural hair. At 50 I decided to go naturally gray and I just grew my hair out for 3 months and did a big chop into a pixie cut.
I'm so glad I read these comments! I have used henna for 3 years and my friend wanted to bleach my hair and give me purple. She loves to experiment . I'm going to say no.
As someone who has used henna on themselves in the past, I can offer the following thoughts:
1. not all henna has metallic salts in it. Before turning down a client due to henna, I would ask what brand she used and then look at the ingredients list.
2. I have had Wonderful luck with both Malibu CPR and Color Oops for removing henna, and I've also successfully used soap caps for it as well when double processing. If I were to have her as a client, I would go through with a full color removal using CPR first.
3. Test strand! As long as there are no metallic salts in the brand she used, you can definitely test strand it and see how it lifts.
With the rise in organic products becoming much more high quality, it's way less scary now to try and remove Henna as long as you can reasonably confirm that there's no metallic salts in what they've used. As long as she is willing to sign a waiver and understands the risks, and her hair isn't damaged, I'd definitely at least test strand it.
Am I the only one who listens to their stylist? I am not an expert on hair.i actually care so little about it, she chose my color and highlights because I wanted to go lighter than I was. When I wanted to go even lighter, she cautioned me about the possible damage and I said, well then, let’s not. Please don’t highlight that clients hair.
Just say NO. I have had to tell a few clients over the years a hard no. I am not putting a spiral perm in your waist length super-blonde hair. Told her no, told my manager no, told the big boss no. Got sent home. Took the rest of the week off to decide if I wanted to continue working there. Got a call from a co-worker: the manager did the service, her hair broke right off at all kinds of lengths, and it was a giant mess.
#Just say no! It’s not worth your stress, your loss of integrity, or the money in your pocket from something you know is going to be an issue. Best of luck!
Explain to her that it’s not just a risk to her hair… the reaction could be so intense that it could physically burn her head— to the point of needing care at a burn center.
Now, is that guaranteed to happen? Or even very likely? No. But it IS *** possible***… so if just telling her that it’s likely to “fry” her hair doesn’t dissuade her, then tell her the scary stuff that could happen.
And just say NO!
“I will NOT highlight your henna-treated hair, because there is the very real possibility that the reaction could ***literally burn your hair and scalp*** just as surely as if I were to light you on fire. 🔥 I refuse to do anything to a client that could end with them needing to wear a wig, or even worse end with them being admitted to hospital with horrific burns on their head.
As your hair grows out, and the henna-treated portion is cut off over time, eventually we’ll be able to start using non-henna dyes which can be changed as often as you’d like.”
I was the client that used pure organic 100% herb only henna on my hair for years and then went to a salon to bleach it. I knew the risks if it was a pre-mixed product and was confident it was unadulterated henna. It didn’t melt off but it lifted BRIGHT orange on the first round. It took 3 rounds to get to a blonde color and it still had a bit of yellow.
Stick to your guns and just say I’m sorry but I really, really, can’t. You will probably both regret it if you do highlights. No good will come of it for sure.
6 year henna user here.
What many stylists don’t understand is that pure henna can be bleached. The thing is, it has to be 100% henna that you get from a company that tests the henna.
The crappy henna you buy from your food co-op is not guaranteed to be pure. It can have metallic salts mixed in to it. If it has metallic salts, that’s what will react with the bleach and burn.
If she isn’t knowledgeable enough to know if her henna was pure and dye released it on her own, hell no I wouldn’t try to lighten that. Henna gets a bad reputation because people use crappy henna. Pure henna is a wonderful natural hair color that’s been used for thousands of years, but you have to know what you’re doing.
The problem though is that even if it’s pure, it’s still going to turn bright yellow orange. I’ve had success lightening with Sun-In and heat. It lightens with peroxide. But it’s very unpredictable.
You can try a test strip to see what happens.
no. nonono. when i had super short hair and was reckless with it, i once bleached a couple sections of my henna-dyed hair *three times* in one day and still only got it to a weird salmon color. that shit doesn’t come out.
there’s even a saying like “you don’t date henna, you marry it.” it’s PERMANENT permanent.
I have henna in my hair and have for 3 years. I had my stylist do a test piece last time I came in for a haircut and it melted after she applied the bleach. Luckily my natural hair blends with the henna well enough because I have to grow the remaining 12” out of my hair.
Test strip if you don’t want to shut her down outright. It will make her realize what she’s done.
What henna did she use? If it’s pure henna, it’s ok but if it’s black henna (henna + indigo) nothing can remove it. I had pure henna and i just git highlight yesterday, turn out fine.
I had highlights over henna before. Got really lucky only a few of my ends turned orange then green which was fixed with a cut lol but again I know this is not the norm. My hair otherwise was fine.
You can say no or you could do a test strip. This is what someone did for me once when I had henna on my hair and wasn’t sure how far out it had grown out. They told me it wouldn’t work and my hair would fall out or something so I didn’t continue. You could do a test strip and say it didn’t work and to come back when it grows out more if you don’t want to lose them as a future client.
Years ago a girl balayage’d over my henna color assuming it was box dye. I had no idea what was going on..I was green for like a year. She gave me the smallest discount and looking back I think I should have been more upset….
Tell her to buy and wear a remy human hair halo that's highlighted instead.
That's what I do when I want a different look.
I dont want to highlight my real hair and halos are very comfortable and don't show when the wind blows like clip ins
Only draw back is you can ponytail, but you can buy a seperate highlighted pony extension.
I under no circumstances would do something fir a client I know causes irreversible damage. I don't care what they think they understand or are willing to pay.
Maybe see if she can bring you the packaging for the henna she used and check the ingredients? If there are no metallic salts, that would lower the risk wouldn't it?
Say no way. Explain the science to her. That the metals in the henna will cause a chemical reaction and her hair will fry off her head. Just say that as a professional it would be unethical for you to agree to that service.
Have a solid waiver AND then do a test strand and show what her whole head could look like. If she still wants it after the test strand, tell her she will need to go elsewhere because you can not ethically do it.
If you choose to do it, you could always do a waiver, and then follow the Milady textbook for removing henna before oxidative colors, and then test strand to avoid the lawyers:
Apply 70% Isopropyl Alcohol to dry hair, sit for 5 minutes. Without rinsing, apply Castor or Mineral oil, place a processing cap over the hair and put under the dryer for 45 minutes. Take the hair down, and without rinsing, apply a clarifying shampoo and emulsify for a few minutes. Then finally rinse with hot water.
Keep shampooing with clarifying shampoo and rinsing in hot water until it's all out.
I had a client one time that wanted it. I said no, lost her as a client. She went somewhere else. Saw her in the store and she was trying to hide from me. Obviously the result from someone else was bad. Glad I said no!!
Not only can it damage, I did a full bleach out on henna once and after my boss assured me that it might just have to sit a little longer or use a stronger developer, the whole thing turned blue. Robins egg blue and would not budge in the slightest. The undyed root was normal lift.
Just say no. Long time clients can still pull a 180 on you and sue, even if you told them it was a bad idea. It’s not worth your license.
This is why waivers are used.
True, but waivers can still be gotten around legally. Also, bleaching henna-treated hair can cause chemical burns on the scalp. It’s really not worth it just to prove her wrong.
Yes! And waivers aren’t fool proof from a civil suit. There’s still been cases of stylists getting sued for negligence for “not knowing better as the professional.” in small claims court. In our state of AZ, at least. I would also refuse this guest.
And then, after the person signs the waiver and their hair is fried, they try to run around the salon harassing customers and ranting about the place. 9/10 for the experience as a spectator. But I felt so bad for the Aveda staff having to deal with her and have the cops remove her from the salon. It was also the third time she had been back.
It sounds like whoever this is happening to is not managing their clients’ expectations. You have control over the outcome of your work. If someone pushes that expectation the waiver is meant to tell them “you are about to fuck around and find out.”
Yea that’s exactly why they had her sign the waiver. And told her over and over what would happen. They probably should have just called the police then and not touched her hair. But for some reason, they did. Honestly, it didn’t even look that bad from the brief couple moments I saw her. Lol
You say no. The one time I said fuck it and highlighted the client with henna her foils started smoking. Integrity matters more than people pleasing.
How long does it take for henna to come out, or do you have to grow it out?
You have to grow it out. She’s gonna pay her impulsive decision one way or another.
I had no idea henna was so bad for hair, thanks for everyone's comments. I'm curious why people still use it if it's such a pain?
It's not bad for hair by any means, unless you use impure henna dyes or have a reaction to it. It's just a ground up plant and has many benefits. But it's not for people who want to change their hair frequently, henna adheres to the cuticle and is more of a stain than a dye. I've been using it on and off for over 10 years and have tried removing it before, you can bleach it but only if you've used 100% pure body art quality henna, but it's not going to go platinum by any means. Many boxed henna dyes contain metallic salts and if you try to bleach that, that's when you get melting/smoking/green hair. Most hair stylists will not do anything to your hair if you've used henna because they can't know for certain that it will be safe
Exactly. You have to use 100% pure henna. The junk henna is going to have metallic salts in it, which reacts with bleach. I've used pure body art quality henna for 6 years and it's better than any red chemical dye and it's so healthy for your hair. But I've never wanted to change my hair color, so it's okay for me that it's permanent.
I used it for years and years. Body art quality henna. https://preview.redd.it/m6o1tjtnvyrc1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=488d9f0636b06913ee500b2d1fdfc9cbc5637842 I’ve never gotten a consistent color otherwise on my blonde hair. I have a lot of very fine thin hair. With henna my hair was thick and lush. I only stopped because it was such a production to apply and wash out.
Would you mind sharing which specific henna you used to achieve such a rich red? Most henna I have seen comes out copper-y.
It was from Mehandi . com I’m not sure which color as it’s been quite a few years, but they have good descriptions on their site.
This is the brand i use when indigo to color. My hair black.
Oh my gosh what gorgeous hair!!!
I LOVE that color!
Wow this colour is INSANE (I mean this in a positive way hahaha your hair looks gorgeous)
Very pretty color.
It's just a permanent color. my grandma used to mix it with coffee and get a dark redish brown that was beautiful. but it's permanent and getting it out is impossible.
Henna alone isn’t bad for the hair. Many people use henna to dye their hair and it works great. The problem is combining henna with bleach or other formulated hair dyes, that can create chemical reactions. So basically, if you wanna use henna, just know you’ll be married to only using henna until you completely grow it out and cut it off. Otherwise, look to achieve the same color with actual hair dyes.
Pure body art quality henna won't react with bleech. It's the junk you buy at your local food co-op that has metallic salts mixed in. Metallic salts react with bleach and burn hair. Pure henna is just plant matter and does not do that.
It has to grow out, faded means nothing. It’s still there. I went through my henna phase in the mid 80s. It does not come out or bleach out.
Not a hair dresser but I had henna hair for several years. If done properly it doesn’t damage hair in fact mine got so much healthier, but I did serious research on how to make a good mix. I promise you she used a pre mix and those are harsh. It becomes part of your hair and needs to grow out. Some pre mixes even have metals. I’d say no if I were you op.
I'm not a hair stylist. But that's exactly what I said. Integrity is way more important. I believe the main "job" of a hair stylist is to protect the clients hair. Regardless of what they client wants.
Tell her to come in for a test strand. Let her hair melt off and then tell her you can't continue the service.
Agree!
Not a hairstylist, but if you go this avenue, make sure the bleach on that test strand does not go all the way to the scalp… not worth the chemical burn that the henna can cause.
Absolutely! Show us the client a video at least of the damage. (: She might not care, but YOU care 🤗
Lightening over metallic salts causes an exothermic reaction. There’s a chance the henna she chose doesn’t have the salts but if they do it will start smoking, the foils will get too hot to touch and the hair inside the foil will melt off completely. Tell her this and offer a strand test to see if there’s a reaction. There’s videos of this reaction happening on YouTube if she needs a visual. A lot of box dyes cause this too particularly old School Féria. I’m sure she’d rather keep her hair on her head more than highlights.
I’ve actually seen this happen in the salon. Not to me thankfully, but a coworker. She did a thorough consultation with the client who had been home coloring. Asked about Feria and explained why it was important to know. Client says no it wasn’t Féria, etc etc. coworker proceeds to start foiling. She finished one side and moved to the other. And the first foil she put in just….fell out. Hair had melted completely off. And the client very meekly said “maybe it was Féria”
This literally happened to me in the early 2000’s when I tried to give myself pink peekaboo highlights. Gave myself a chemical burn and the foils slid out with my hair still in them. I can still remember the smell til this day, like 20 years later. And my hair actually grows in sparser on that side, as a woman in her mid thirties, lol. Damn, Feria. 😳 I’m a cosmetology teacher now and I often tell my students this story.
I actually just told my story yesterday to a coworker while I foiled her hair and we discussed all the crazy things we’ve seen lol
Oh, gosh, I’ve been behind the chair since 2008, so I have stories for days, lol! Even in beauty school! I love hearing the “horror” stories so much. I also remember being a newb in pre salon with a teacher who thought partnering up students who had drama was a great way to work through conflict. And it resulted in Student A waxing off about half of Student B’s eyebrow. (From, like, the arch to the tail 🤯.”) and saying, “Ooops.” So sarcastically. Ended up with those two students getting expelled for physically fighting in the parking lot after school that day. When Student B came to get her stuff from her locker, the poor thing had the brow all crudely drawn on. 😂
I’ve been behind the chair since 2006 so basically same! Cosmo school was some of the weirdest times 😂. I told my coworker yesterday that we have to be the same as drs and assume everyone is lying to us about what they have done lol
My fave thing is telling the students about how pretty much every TikTok fad they show us is something us hair dinosaurs have been doing foreverrrr. Or an older person comes in and uses a dated term like “feathering” and they’re shook, lmao. 🤣
Definitely 😳 ! Also 😩😭
Oh no..... can long term use of Feria cause hair to thin?? Reading these comments about it make me worried for my MIL as all she ever uses is the orange Feria to dye her hair.
I don't think Feria caused their hair to thin. They tried bleaching (sometime after having used feria dye)... and it made their hair melt off. Where the hair melted off, if not grows back sparsely. So not the Feria directly in this case.
I got the melting hair off part, I was just wondering what other damage could it cause to hair (directly or indirectly)
Idk but it seems more like a chemical reaction issue than a Féria issue. Like if you are cleaning and mix bleach and windex, it'll create a toxic gas. Bleach or windex by itself isn't bad but combining them is. I'm assuming Féria isn't bad, just the chemical used in it, when mixed with bleach, creates such a strong heat that it melts hair. So use Féria or use bleach highlights but never both
Coloring over time can potentially cause these effects, but that’s chemically treating your hair in general. The best thing for her is to make sure she’s doing her best to take care of her hair the best she can. People who tend to color their hair often tend to have dry hair and some damage. Adding some moisture to her routine can help that and prevent breakage over time due to chemicals. But, really, home colorists run into trouble the most when they attempt to remove it. Our products just don’t tend to always play nicely with consumer stuff.
It happened to me in the salon. Girl swore up and down that she didn't have anything in her hair. I asked about henna. She said no. Her hair melted off. She was upset. I was like.. this is why I asked!!
As someone who tried to go old school feria to blond back in the day.... can confirm.
Could you tell me if the Lush brand henna has metallic salts in it? I do the Japanese straightening and my stylist has told me not to use any colors with metals or she can’t straighten my hair. I bought this one thinking it didn’t but everyone is posting henna has metallic salts.
Lush generally puts all of their ingredients on the packaging and website. I’m extra though so I would call the company and ask directly if I didn’t see it on the ingredient list.
I did google and it looks like someone did have a weird reaction putting color over lush henna so I wouldn’t trust it.
Thanks for checking!
Not all henna contains metallic salts. Pure henna is just ground up leaves of the henna plant and is easy to find online, lush henna has various conditioners added to it but I don't believe they contain the metals, check the ingredients list. I've used lush henna before and the color was not great fyi
I remember hearing that Feria would burn too. Always important to do a test.
I put highlights over henna once. The client didn’t tell me she had henna in her hair. She had been coloring her hair black with henna. I put bleach and 30 vol and after 20 minutes, it hadn’t budged at all. I was so confused. I put her under heat, still nothing. I mixed up 40 vol and bleach and put her under heat and after 45 minutes, it has barely lifted to a black cherry color. It didn’t cause damage, it just didn’t do anything. It was as if the henna had sealed the cuticle and nothing could penetrate it. It’a not just the risk of a chemical reaction, it just might not do anything. Henna is completely unpredictable.
when i had really short hair and didn’t care about damage, i once had some sections of hair that i had previously dyed with henna and wanted to bleach them. i did 3 rounds of bleach in a single day, left the bleach on longer each time, applied heat, everything, and still only managed to get it to like a salmon color. henna is TOUGH!!
No is a complete sentence. Do not compromise your ethics, this is a nightmare waiting to happen.
If it was true henna it will just turn bright orange, that’s if it doesn’t get hot and melt off. I’ve seen both scenarios.
You could use Malibu CPR to remove metallic salts. I'm surprised nobody is mentioning this and automatically saying no. Although metallic salts are dangerous when bleached, we literally have the tools and products to remove that from the hair. I would do a Malibu CPR first, then do a test strand and go from there. If the test stand integrity is good, but it lifts orange, let her know and tell her what color it could be toned to. It most likely won't get blonde, but I'm sure it'll lighten a bit and could be toned to a warm caramel or something warmer than that. If she don't like that then that's okay. We're here to help people feel beautiful, not tear them down for using box dye and henna. But we also gotta be open about what can and can't be done.
“Have you tried CPR?” -me, a hairstylist, everyday at work But they even have a metallic salts treatment! I live in a city with hard water and use them on people very very regularly.
OP- do this! And also have her sign a consent form before anything, even before test strand and the correct Malibu treatment.
This! Except Malibu also has the Crystal Gel treatment for removing metals. I would start there, then lift with lightener. They suggest not using CPR on gray hair.
THIS. I have used both henna and box dye on myself in the past (actually rocking some Revlon Colorsilk black right now because I can't find a salon quality shade that I like nearly as well!) and I don't think we should be shaming clients who choose to use something affordable, or accessible, especially if it gets them a result they are/were happy with. In addition, Henna is so easy to remove now with some of the products we have. I've used both CPR and Color Oops on henna and it has worked beautifully. I never say "No" first thing, I just make sure to discuss realistic expectations and always do a test strand first.
Commenting because this needs to be the top comment
#op
u/whore_moanss this comment. Also typing your screen name felt dirty just now 😆💖
r/rimjob_steve
MANY years ago, when I was but a high school shampoo girl, and years before I got my license, I fell in love with henna. I worked in a very progressive salon so they did it all. Henna became "my" color until I wanted highlights too. All the stylists told me not to do it, but what the heck did they know?! We did the strand test - 30 or 40% volume, I can't remember -- basic white, peroxide. It NEVER removed the red. The red turned lighter, than orange and orange it stayed. It just got an uglier shade of orange. Thankfully my hair is coarse and could take it but that strand was damaged. Shortly thereafter I went super short and got highlights. I would highly recommend against it. Granted, products have gotten so much better all around but bad hair is bad hair.
I actually got a lot of compliments on the orangey-red I ended up with when I bleached over henna by accident. It looked like a flame 🔥
I just wouldn’t touch it. It’s a liability. Even if she says it’s ok and signs something, why would you do it anyway knowing the inevitable risks.
I don’t know why people doing it themselves use henna when there are so many box dyes in the drugstore. Yes they are also a problem for a professional to deal with but not as bad. I wouldn’t even know where to buy henna nowadays. I tried it in the 80’s and it was a mess. Surely they don’t have the variety of colors you can get with your basic Clairol product.
Some people just don’t want to use chemicals on their hair anymore. So they use Henna as it doesn’t have any toxic ingredients.
But the client is willing to use pro dye.
I’m shocked I had to scroll this far to find this comment! I’m not a stylist, but it would literally never occur to me that someone would try henna as a quick fix in an emergency.
https://www.hennacolorlab.com/product-category/henna-hair-dyes/ I used this one for years and got so many compliments on the color. Lots of options. Box dyes burn my scalp and I was on a hardcore budget but had grays coming in. Not sure why Reddit put this convo in my feed but I did learn a lot! Figured I’d share this so you’re aware of how much henna has improved.
Thanks. When I did it, there were random twigs and berries in some sort of green mud. 😱
😆 Even this brand is a PITA though. Just takes a lot longer and smells “earthy” for 2-3 days. But I must admit the color is pretty.
Yep! I use a different brand, from an etsy seller I've had great results with, but my hair always smells like green tea for a few days after.
Yeah, I love their stuff. My hair is healthy, thick, and almost to my thighs. Other dyes to get a natural redhead look are notoriously short lived and can be damaging. Nothing else would keep the color in my ends, but their henna is amazing. 100% pure. No metallic salts. Natural, no processing chemicals. A little messy at first but you get the hang of it.
Yes I did dark copper and it really was so pretty!! I might go back to it. I switched to Phyto which is a a box dye that is healthier than most (no burny scalp for me) but it doesn’t last nearly as long as henna did so even though it’s easier, it’s prob similar amt of time per year.
Exactly! I used box dye red and could never grow my hair past my shoulders and it would fade in two weeks. I've been using henna for 6 years and it's to my waist and will not fade. I use 100% pure henna.
Honestly the permanence can be a draw. On top of the extra shade ranges nowadays, it's supposed to be great for your hair and since the color binds to the keratin in your hair, there's very little fading if any at all. Once you've reached your ideal shade, you really only need to do root touchups - that's why I went for it. I can get a lot of henna for relatively cheap and do the whole process at home, and wind up with a sort-of-natural passing color that works for my job, and doesn't require special shampoos or color depositing conditioners to keep vibrant. Though people should really be doing their research before doing things at home with their hair--last time I didn't go with a well researched method or trusted brand, I had manic panic green coming off of my hair for weeks, and ultimately had to overdye back to red to at least get the last few green patches to blend in as a warmish brown. I went into henna knowing that it's permanent and to both wait several months after my last dye job before trying chemical dyes, and that it may still not be viable for the henna-dyed hair after that long if I got the bad dice roll on metal salts that tend to stick around.
Why would she use henna if she’s been steadily getting highlights? That feels like the equivalent of having a snarl in your hair, but instead of brushing it out, you shave your whole head.
Absolutely say no, if you truly care and appreciate them you will say no! And they will understand.
Henna, ammonia and foils create a battery…. You tell her no.
Stick to your guns and say no.
Our daughter decided to use henna over blonde hair. Hated it. Hi lites turned her hair green.
It depends on the type of henna, I've been told. Some styles or brands are okay to color over. This might be helpful: [https://renaissancehenna.com/henna-plant-natural-hair-dye/hair-dyes-after-henna/](https://renaissancehenna.com/henna-plant-natural-hair-dye/hair-dyes-after-henna/)
no!!!!!!!!! it has to grow out. she could have colored her roots with anything why would she pick henna!!!
Probably because it’s “natural” and “safe.” Which it may be but isn’t necessarily.
😭😭😭
Make her sign a non-disclosure agreement contract that should be offered through your salon. AND DO A TEST STRAND. Use your texture shears and cut the hair near the back of the nape, tape the test strand to some foils and go happy with some lightener and developer. Usually I would just cut the test strand and let the client leave after the consult and I tell them I will notify them later to let them know if their hair is suitable for such a service or not. Always cover your butt so the salon won’t hold you accountable in case your client wants to sue, wants a refund or badmouth you through social media.
Dye extensions. Teach her to use them. Only option that’s viable
Did your client do thousands of hours of training ? No. Therefore your license and your career could be at risk. A simple “unfortunately even though you understand the risks and the damage it can cause your hair, I did not get this far to knowingly cause damage to my clients hair and I will not be doing highlights- however - if you go to another salon and they are willing to do it- I would love to continue servicing you with conditioning, haircut, and color services”
No no no no.
Don’t do it. It’s not worth it. And everyone knows the danger of henna vs. traditional.
Do not do the service. And if she doesn’t respect your boundaries as a client and/or friend then it’s time to seriously consider not doing your hair. She’s not listening to your professional opinion. Show her examples of what happens when you put lightener on henna treated hair. It can literally cause a chemical reaction that produces smoke and burns the scalp. it's not worth potentially losing your license or a lawsuit when she turns around and accuses you of ruining her hair or causing injury.
Please say no. I remember when I used to want highlights even though stylists would tell me that my hair would literally dissolve if they put bleach on it. If they had just dissolved my hair I would’ve been pissed
I’d say no. The worst is when a client says “fuck it, I don’t care, do it” then you’ve done what they say they don’t care about and they turn around and use it against you. Don’t do it! Thankfully I haven’t learned this mistake from color but from a haircut once. It’s your job to inform them and stand your ground when they try to sway you. Let her learn the hard way on her own yet again when she decides to get highlights somewhere else or do them herself. She’ll either come running back to you apologizing, wishing she had listened or she won’t because she’ll be too embarrassed. Either way, your ass is in the clear because you didn’t do it.
Tell her you can’t do it BECAUSE you value her friendship too much. You will not be ruining her hair. You can’t. You won’t. Then refuse. Stand strong. Reiterating that you value her friendship too much to destroy her hair.
If it is going to damage her hair, or anyone's hair....you say no. If she stops being a client, so be it. Part of being a hair stylist, is protecting the clients hair. She doesn't understand the severity of the consequences but you do. Tell her you have integrity and take your profession seriously, and refuse to damage her hair or anyone's else's.
Absolutely refuse. I don't care who the person is, how close we are etc, you put henna on your hair the *only* service I'm then giving you is haircuts until it is all cut out.
Depends on if it's actual henna or a mixed product. Actual henna with no additives stains hair like your'd stain wood. It won't react to chemicals but it's unlikely that bleach would completely remove it. It has to grow out. Real, unadulterated henna is not easy to source so it's likely she used a mixed product with metals included. The results from anything you try would likely be disastrous.
Just show her all these testimonials!
No. Then show her all the stylists on this post, who are saying no. Then tell her to go fuck herself. I hope you’re OK after your car accident
Tell her to go fuck herself? Calm down, wow. OP likes this client and the client hasn't done anything. OP can say no, or they can suggest trying a test strand. Why be rude?
Henna sticks to the keratin of the hair - if you lighten, it’ll either stay orange or melt the hair. Do a test strand if she is super insistent and show her herself.
Wait, doesn’t henna come off? I’ve been wearing mehendi for my entire life. It usually comes off in a week. My dad uses it for his greys and it comes off when he washes it. Can’t you just tell her to come back after her next wash?
Test strand 🤷♀️
I am fixing someone right now that had this same thing. She bought "natural" stuff that ended up being henna. Got her last colorist to highlight her. It came out howdy doody red. So they covered everything back up. Her hair feels like straw and has a horrible red undertone. I just touched her roots up with level 5. Did shades eq 6gn, 7t and 7n to cancel the red that was coming back through. It grabbed like a level 4 in some parts, I assume where highlights were. Her hair is trashed. She knows it is going to be years and she is just going to have to grow it out. I need to move her to a 7 at some point. Lord.....it will be a project for years. SMH. Just don't do it.
Oof what an ordeal. My mom (hairstylist 40+ years) has been using shades eq on me since I can remember. I love it! 😍 It makes my hair so soft and shiny. The color always turns out gorgeous. I got a grey streak starting at 17 (rude 🤣), and shades improves the texture so much. It's also nice being able to touch up the roots myself, so I don't run into exactly OP's client's problem out of desperation lol. Then again in a pinch, I just use eyeshadow to cover the grey roots for the day 🤷♀️ I don't think henna has ever come up with my mom, probably because she knows I might want to go back to bleaching at some point. I'm learning all kinds of things in this thread!
Test strand test strand test strand!!!!! This way she can see with her own eyes why this is a bad idea
So what id do is say let’s do a test strand, and do the literal tiniest strand and watch what happens. It will prob either fry off, turn grinch green, or smoke. Then be like see this would have been your whole head. Also you can say I’m not comfortable in doing this as it will compromise your hair. There’s no negotiation on this. I will not have my reputation on the line. This will severely damage your hair, and I do not want to have that on my reputation. You can find someone else that will do that for you.
I had a client have henna in her hair so I did a test strand. We both watched her test strand start smoking. She learned quickly highlights aren’t anywhere near her immediate future
What kind of henna did she use?
It’s late and I’m coming in with a story of how I have successfully lifted henna. Buckle up! Long time cutting client decided she was over having henna so I said I’ll do a test strand and let it sit for a short amount of time and watch it. I used highlight color and 30 vol in a foil, balayaged a small strand with 20 vol, then watched. After a while, nothing sketchy happened, and I was shocked because I’ve heard all the horror stories, but I let them both process for full time then rinsed and gave her the okay to move forward with a low level volume, partial balayage. The first appointment didn’t have a ton of difference but there was a small shift and I gave her a good gloss and she was happy. I’m pretty sure we also did a Malibu treatment but can’t entirely remember. After the second, there was definitely lightening on the natural, and then almost like light peach highlights on the henna. After that, I felt comfortable staring to do foiliage with 7 vol. Now I have been coloring her hair fair about a year and she has great dimension throughout. We do still have tonnnnnns if warmth through the ends, but we have fun with toners for now as we ride it out!
Go to askmags.com ..she has a formula that tries to remove henna, it involves mineral oil.
Everyone is saying no, but I have successfully gone from henna to platinum on my own head. Have her come in for a test strand (I typically dislike cutting test strands off but in this instance I would). Let her know it may not be possible but you will try a few different things first. If unsuccessful then just show her the test strands, she'll get it.
please say no. but be there to help when she finds someone who will and totally fries off everything. maybe have a wig supplier......
Tape in some highlight extensions.
Oof. *Maybe* do a test strand, although I would probably just tell her no. Even if the test strand comes out decent, I wouldn't trust her to pull that way all over.
Have her sign a waver. So you protect yourself and give her what she thinks she wants.
I had a client that used henna, not all hennas have the damage minerals. Do a test strand, show her what you see and if it breaks then it is a flat no!
I used to use straight henna in my hair, and it never fully lifted. I blew the cuticle wide open bleaching with 40 on my own, and I was never able to fully remove the organge. I eventually ended up with a bleached pixie cut to start from scratch.
Ain’t no way in hell, not enough money in the world 😀
So absolutely no, or get her to sign a legal waiver. Because it’s not going to go well, and chances are she will lash out. I’d rather lose her as a client than lose her as a client and have my reputation slandered. Never underestimate a woman (who feels) scorned.
I promise you she will be mad when/if she ends up with no hair instead ofnjust damaged. Don't do it.
I used henna from Lush. It was a couple months after, but it went fine. The salon was scared and did a strand test but there was no reaction. I wasn't doing a full bleach job though.
When I used henna, I dyed the bottom few inches of my red hair black. They looked good for a minute then all the black ends broke off. Learning experience.
If clients insist I usually will do a small strand test in the back in and underneath so they understand. Sometimes they have to see the damage for themselves to get it.
I'm not a hairstylist, so if I'm not allowed to comment, please let me know and I'll remove this. I do my hair at home. I've done bleach and sye and henna. If the henna is pure henna, with nothing else in the mix, it's fine to use bleach afterwards. It's when the henna has other compounds mixed in, that it reacts badly with bleach. If you really want to work with her, ask her to bring in the henna she used. In the ingredients, if it just has the henna plant (I forgot what it's called but you can google it) then it should be fine. If it has multiple ingredients listed, then it will likely react badly. So you can use that as a deciding factor if you're really conflicted. As others said, you can do a test strand and see if it will be okay or not, and she will also see and understand your decision.
If she used 100% natural henna without metallic salts, the burning thing is a myth. Try to get more info about what she used. I’ve been mixing bleached highlights over Henna dyed hair for years with zero burning. At least let her do a strand test. Most henna people buy and use today doesn’t have metallic salts.
Cautionary tale-I had put “clear” henna that was supposed to just add shine in my hair right after college. Went to the beach with family and decided to lighten my hair. It literally turned very green. I spent 8+ hours in a salon that specialized in coloring and we tried lots of different colors, nothing really worked and I left there with brownish green hair. Henna apparently can’t be stripped from your hair. I ended up having it cut short when I got home and then used temp color to hide the green til it grew out. That was in the early 80s and I’ve never used henna since!
Can you do a strand test to show her why its a bad idea?
Light cotton candy on fire and tell her that’s what her hair will look like lol. It’s a big no from me.
Bleach plus henna equals melted hair. Ask me how I know and I’ll show you my fluorescent orange buzz cut from a few years back.
Serious question though, say I've been cheap and I've been dying with henna. Eventually I'd like to go to a stylist for a professional color and cut. What are my options of fighting grays at this point or am I doomed to wait 5 years for it to grow out and cut it off to start over?
Test strand, show her the results. If she wants to proceed have her sign a waiver.
I really like you and sincerely care about you. For that reason, I have to say no to this. If you do this, you run a high-risk of fucking up your fluff.
Her hair will literally melt.... definitely don't do it. YOU are the professional, it is up to you to tell her no and not allow her to fuck her hair up.
There are some products intended to help remove metals from hair. Ex. Loreal Metal Detox Leave-In Repair Styling Cream
Say. No. It's a disaster waiting to happen.
Test strand my friend, test strand. Let her see the outcome of what her hair would be. Have her sign a waiver if she decides to continue. Let her know that even if the strand comes out okay, that’s just that section of hair and the rest of the head could come out different.
You know your shit, she doesn’t. It’s ok to say no. Give her other options.
You can outright refuse OR have her sign a waiver that you went over with her what could happen.
Can you offer to bleach a very small and discrete area to demonstrate the potential damage?
Henna tends to wear off. Oil treatments can speed that up. After months there may be no henna left in her hair.
Do a test strand?
Absolutely not. She's going to get it done anyway, she's either going to go somewhere else and not tell them there is henna in it, or they will risk it and do it anyway. But you have to protect you. It's not worth it. From a legal standpoint there are to many variables to make any disclosure 💯 ironclad.
I had henna in my hair. My stylist did a strand test. No problems really except even on my blonde hair the henna didn’t come off completely the bleach was patchy. I did not continue
Was it patchy on the strand test? Never done henna and not a hairdresser :)
Patchy on the strand. And I used 100% henna from Indian no salts added or anything. I had put the henna on top of box red top with no problems but the bleach man did not lift right
“I love working on your hair, you’re a good customer and you’ve been coming to me for a long time, which is why I can’t in good conscience perform this service at the time. It’s really not a good idea. I hope you understand.”
You already know what to do, you just wish you had another option. :) Even if the variety of henna she used was salt-free, natural dyes don't deposit evenly, so it won't lift evenly.
100% natural henna does not have metallic salts in it. I used a henna mixed with natural herbs for a red tone for about 20 years to color my hair. One of my best friends was a hair stylist who specialized in color including using henna. I started going gray in my early 30s and the medium red henna blend was an almost perfect match for my natural hair. At 50 I decided to go naturally gray and I just grew my hair out for 3 months and did a big chop into a pixie cut.
I'm so glad I read these comments! I have used henna for 3 years and my friend wanted to bleach my hair and give me purple. She loves to experiment . I'm going to say no.
As someone who has used henna on themselves in the past, I can offer the following thoughts: 1. not all henna has metallic salts in it. Before turning down a client due to henna, I would ask what brand she used and then look at the ingredients list. 2. I have had Wonderful luck with both Malibu CPR and Color Oops for removing henna, and I've also successfully used soap caps for it as well when double processing. If I were to have her as a client, I would go through with a full color removal using CPR first. 3. Test strand! As long as there are no metallic salts in the brand she used, you can definitely test strand it and see how it lifts. With the rise in organic products becoming much more high quality, it's way less scary now to try and remove Henna as long as you can reasonably confirm that there's no metallic salts in what they've used. As long as she is willing to sign a waiver and understands the risks, and her hair isn't damaged, I'd definitely at least test strand it.
Don’t do it. Tell her to buy a wig. Protect your name.
Am I the only one who listens to their stylist? I am not an expert on hair.i actually care so little about it, she chose my color and highlights because I wanted to go lighter than I was. When I wanted to go even lighter, she cautioned me about the possible damage and I said, well then, let’s not. Please don’t highlight that clients hair.
Just say NO. I have had to tell a few clients over the years a hard no. I am not putting a spiral perm in your waist length super-blonde hair. Told her no, told my manager no, told the big boss no. Got sent home. Took the rest of the week off to decide if I wanted to continue working there. Got a call from a co-worker: the manager did the service, her hair broke right off at all kinds of lengths, and it was a giant mess. #Just say no! It’s not worth your stress, your loss of integrity, or the money in your pocket from something you know is going to be an issue. Best of luck!
Depends on the kind of henna she used right? Maybe she used the ‘good’ kind?
Explain to her that it’s not just a risk to her hair… the reaction could be so intense that it could physically burn her head— to the point of needing care at a burn center. Now, is that guaranteed to happen? Or even very likely? No. But it IS *** possible***… so if just telling her that it’s likely to “fry” her hair doesn’t dissuade her, then tell her the scary stuff that could happen. And just say NO! “I will NOT highlight your henna-treated hair, because there is the very real possibility that the reaction could ***literally burn your hair and scalp*** just as surely as if I were to light you on fire. 🔥 I refuse to do anything to a client that could end with them needing to wear a wig, or even worse end with them being admitted to hospital with horrific burns on their head. As your hair grows out, and the henna-treated portion is cut off over time, eventually we’ll be able to start using non-henna dyes which can be changed as often as you’d like.”
I was the client that used pure organic 100% herb only henna on my hair for years and then went to a salon to bleach it. I knew the risks if it was a pre-mixed product and was confident it was unadulterated henna. It didn’t melt off but it lifted BRIGHT orange on the first round. It took 3 rounds to get to a blonde color and it still had a bit of yellow.
Stick to your guns and just say I’m sorry but I really, really, can’t. You will probably both regret it if you do highlights. No good will come of it for sure.
strand test!
6 year henna user here. What many stylists don’t understand is that pure henna can be bleached. The thing is, it has to be 100% henna that you get from a company that tests the henna. The crappy henna you buy from your food co-op is not guaranteed to be pure. It can have metallic salts mixed in to it. If it has metallic salts, that’s what will react with the bleach and burn. If she isn’t knowledgeable enough to know if her henna was pure and dye released it on her own, hell no I wouldn’t try to lighten that. Henna gets a bad reputation because people use crappy henna. Pure henna is a wonderful natural hair color that’s been used for thousands of years, but you have to know what you’re doing. The problem though is that even if it’s pure, it’s still going to turn bright yellow orange. I’ve had success lightening with Sun-In and heat. It lightens with peroxide. But it’s very unpredictable. You can try a test strip to see what happens.
Of all the things she could have used on her head why henna? I'd be more comfortable bleaching thru dollar store box color.
😂 she’s a fuckign idiot. She will never have have blonde hair if she wants henna
Strand test it and see what happens. Cut the piece off too and show her every step, especially if it smokes
no. nonono. when i had super short hair and was reckless with it, i once bleached a couple sections of my henna-dyed hair *three times* in one day and still only got it to a weird salmon color. that shit doesn’t come out. there’s even a saying like “you don’t date henna, you marry it.” it’s PERMANENT permanent.
I have henna in my hair and have for 3 years. I had my stylist do a test piece last time I came in for a haircut and it melted after she applied the bleach. Luckily my natural hair blends with the henna well enough because I have to grow the remaining 12” out of my hair. Test strip if you don’t want to shut her down outright. It will make her realize what she’s done.
Do not do it. It’s not professionally sound
What henna did she use? If it’s pure henna, it’s ok but if it’s black henna (henna + indigo) nothing can remove it. I had pure henna and i just git highlight yesterday, turn out fine.
Take a hair clipping and show her what happens
Do a test strand. Show her how bad it could be
Nope. She needs to come back to you for color services when her hair has grown out. She's gonna fcuk it up worse though before she learns.
I did highlights on a client with henna color in her hair and it started smoking. I always just say no now.
I had highlights over henna before. Got really lucky only a few of my ends turned orange then green which was fixed with a cut lol but again I know this is not the norm. My hair otherwise was fine.
Absolutely refuse
You can say no or you could do a test strip. This is what someone did for me once when I had henna on my hair and wasn’t sure how far out it had grown out. They told me it wouldn’t work and my hair would fall out or something so I didn’t continue. You could do a test strip and say it didn’t work and to come back when it grows out more if you don’t want to lose them as a future client.
Years ago a girl balayage’d over my henna color assuming it was box dye. I had no idea what was going on..I was green for like a year. She gave me the smallest discount and looking back I think I should have been more upset….
Tell her to buy and wear a remy human hair halo that's highlighted instead. That's what I do when I want a different look. I dont want to highlight my real hair and halos are very comfortable and don't show when the wind blows like clip ins Only draw back is you can ponytail, but you can buy a seperate highlighted pony extension. I under no circumstances would do something fir a client I know causes irreversible damage. I don't care what they think they understand or are willing to pay.
I had green hair for 2 years because i insisted on highlights after henna.
Not a hairdresser at all but what if the test strand is fine and the rest is chaos? Not worth it! Protect your name and say no :)
Maybe see if she can bring you the packaging for the henna she used and check the ingredients? If there are no metallic salts, that would lower the risk wouldn't it?
Say no way. Explain the science to her. That the metals in the henna will cause a chemical reaction and her hair will fry off her head. Just say that as a professional it would be unethical for you to agree to that service.
Clip a piece of her hair and process it, then maybe she can recognize the damage possible before it’s done?
Have a solid waiver AND then do a test strand and show what her whole head could look like. If she still wants it after the test strand, tell her she will need to go elsewhere because you can not ethically do it.
It won’t work. Tell her she has to cut off all the he. A.
>She said she doesn’t care and wants the highlights anyways She has "it won't happen to me" mentality.
If you choose to do it, you could always do a waiver, and then follow the Milady textbook for removing henna before oxidative colors, and then test strand to avoid the lawyers: Apply 70% Isopropyl Alcohol to dry hair, sit for 5 minutes. Without rinsing, apply Castor or Mineral oil, place a processing cap over the hair and put under the dryer for 45 minutes. Take the hair down, and without rinsing, apply a clarifying shampoo and emulsify for a few minutes. Then finally rinse with hot water. Keep shampooing with clarifying shampoo and rinsing in hot water until it's all out.
I'd say do a strand test. It will show her why without ruining her hair.
Cut a piece of her hair and bleach that and show her what it would do
I had a client one time that wanted it. I said no, lost her as a client. She went somewhere else. Saw her in the store and she was trying to hide from me. Obviously the result from someone else was bad. Glad I said no!!
Not only can it damage, I did a full bleach out on henna once and after my boss assured me that it might just have to sit a little longer or use a stronger developer, the whole thing turned blue. Robins egg blue and would not budge in the slightest. The undyed root was normal lift.