Bleach made my dry, brittle hair soft!

[Katze]

I have to agree on the body thing...maybe that's what the OP meant by 'bouncy'?

After coming to LHC and adjusting to washing less, as well as not bleaching any more, I was really sad to find how flat and dull my hair seemed. When it was bleached, the individual strands were rough and stood out from my head, whereas, when the virgin growth started coming in, it seemed flat and lifeless by comparison.

Now my hair is about 2/3 'virgin' (I confess, I did some very subtle highlights myself last Fall, but most of my hair is now untouched) and it's the bleached bits that bother me. Weightless, see-through (I am a fineie), they just plain look bad.

While the OP might indeed be improving her hair's overall appearance with bleach, not to mention avoiding the dreaded two-tone look from growing out bleached hair, I am a living example that bleach, over time, will prevent hair from growing. At BSL, my hair is as long as it's ever been. It could never get that way with bleach or if I went to a salon. Bleach, at least for my fine hair, is a very bad thing.

If I could find a 'natural' way to go blonder, I would, but, having tried EVERYTHING over the course of 15+ years, I don't think it's in my genes despite being blonde as a kid. BF has almost the same hair color, but gets these lovely, platinum streaks in his hair when he goes in the sun. I don't, just like I don't really tan like him. So it is...

[fluffer]

Thanks for your input ladies!

I know the damage bleach can cause -A few years ago,my hair had severe breakage from bleached highlights. Which is why I am scared of it.

I only left the bleach/conditioner mix on my hair for a few minutes. It did remove the ugly brass toner (deposit only -no peroxide)that I put on the day before. It brightened over all, but it didnt really lighten because I only left it on for a few minutes.

Spidermom. You dont understand bouncy? Maybe your hair doesnt have this problem, so you cant relate. This is a good thing. LOL. Because I dont have good water, and I always have a coating, my dry hair just hangs there. By "bouncy" I mean that it has softness and movement.

freznow -great input. yep, I tried the miracle water. It didnt work for my hair. For some reason it made my hair drier? Maybe it was the C I used. Who knows. My hair doesnt like vinegar rinses either -this makes it more dry. I rarely have oily hair. Maybe nothing works because of my hair's tendency to have build up? I do like to use distilled water as a final rinse. This can be a cumbersome though.

Although I would never advocate using bleach -it definitely made my hair thicker. The build up is GONE too. The build up is my main problem. I just cant get it out -which leads to dry brittle hair. Clarifying makes it more dry and does little for the build up.

Katze, honey really lightens and brightens my hair. However, I dont use it often because it makes my hair dry. (everything makes my hair dry!LOL)