The Official Bleach and Dye Thread

[Sillage]

Everyone else has an official thread--- so why not us?

This is a place to share your experiences, ask questions, discuss, get support, and hang out. :)

No negativity PLEASE!

So since I'm starting the thread I guess I'll go first. :o My name is Sillage and I dye with Ion permanent liquid color in 4A with volume 20 developer to cover my white hair (I started going white in middle school, LOL). I touch up about every three weeks or so because I can't stand to have roots. The last time I dyed my hair I used coconut oil as a pretreatment and it worked fantastically. So now my routine is to pretreat with coconut oil, wait an hour, then dye as usual. I always mermaid soak to get the dye out and shampoo with Roux Porosity Control Shampoo. Then I do an ACV rinse to help close the cuticle and after that I deep condition, usually with Ion Extreme Moisture Creme.

So what's everyone else doing? I'd love to hear your story/routine.

[redsiren]

When I used to dye with cemical dye I dyed with garnier (or whatever was on sale)
I always added some argan oil to the mix.
And before colouring my hair I would let it get as greasy as humanly possible so I guess it's kind of pre oiling, lol.
Now I henna so I don't really belong here I just wanted to share:)

[Sillage]

And before colouring my hair I would let it get as greasy as humanly possible so I guess it's kind of pre oiling, lol.
Now I henna so I don't really belong here I just wanted to share:)

LOL I never thought of it that way but you're right! Thanks for sharing your technique and insight :)

[Happyhomemama]

I recently came back to lightening my hair. It is a compromise with dh. He prefers shorter styled hair but also likes my hair light. Well I don't know if it's really a compromise since I decided but that's as it should be right.;) I used to keep it shorter for him. I would like to know how to do it better since of course I do wrestle with coloring it because I want to take the best care of my hair so it will grow well and be healthy. Besides the pre-oiling are there other tips to help care for color treated hair? I have been letting it get good and greasy first. I use L'Oreal Superior Preference.

[Amber_Maiden]

I'm an ex henna head. I dye my hair to cover the red from the henna, and also I like just doing it. The colour I dye my hair is close to my natural colour, pretty much the same colour... maybe a bit darker, and I get it done professionally.

[Sillage]

Besides the pre-oiling are there other tips to help care for color treated hair?

Protein treatments have helped my hair a lot. I guess protein loss comes with bleaching or dying... my hair never got to the stretchy phase but even so doing ApHogee 2 Step and GVP K-Pak have made an enormous difference in my hair-- so much smoother and sleeker. Also, using a heavy leave in on my ends (shea butter or Oyin Burnt Sugar Pomade) really helps keep them soft and smooth instead of dry and frizzy looking.

[PossibleMermaid]

I was wondering if there was ever going to be a thread for the dye-lovers! I recently saw a post bashing on all sorts of unnatural hair colors and even people who paint their nails, so I was a little worried to post one myself as a new member. I didn't know it it was sort of taboo here. I've had temp purple hair and once I bleached the bottom two inches of my hair and dyed it green, and ended up keeping my bleached ends for a while because I thought they were cool. I want to go orange, like a nice bright orange that's a little unnatural but not as over the top as like purple or green. If there's anyone else on here who shares my love of wild hair colors I'd recommend this blog: http://lovelydyedlocks.tumblr.com/ It's got a nice search feature on the side that makes it pretty easy to find exactly what you're looking for. Another one of my favorite dyed hair trends is pastel hair, but it requires a lot of bleach and I'm worried about the damage, having come from pretty dry hair to begin with. (It's getting a lot more healthy now thanks to going CO and ACV rinses.) Does anyone here have tips to scrape by with the minimum amount of damage after intense bleaching and dying?

[justgreen]

I was wondering if there was ever going to be a thread for the dye-lovers! I recently saw a post bashing on all sorts of unnatural hair colors and even people who paint their nails, so I was a little worried to post one myself as a new member. I didn't know it it was sort of taboo here. I've had temp purple hair and once I bleached the bottom two inches of my hair and dyed it green, and ended up keeping my bleached ends for a while because I thought they were cool. I want to go orange, like a nice bright orange that's a little unnatural but not as over the top as like purple or green. If there's anyone else on here who shares my love of wild hair colors I'd recommend this blog: http://lovelydyedlocks.tumblr.com/ It's got a nice search feature on the side that makes it pretty easy to find exactly what you're looking for. Another one of my favorite dyed hair trends is pastel hair, but it requires a lot of bleach and I'm worried about the damage, having come from pretty dry hair to begin with. (It's getting a lot more healthy now thanks to going CO and ACV rinses.) Does anyone here have tips to scrape by with the minimum amount of damage after intense bleaching and dying?


Could you please post the link to that thread? I'd be curious to read it. I'm a proud bleach head. I get my roots (from ears up) bleached every 4-6 weeks using 40 vol. Usually about 50 foils. I have my hairdresser brush conditioner on the length and ends before brushing the bleach on the roots. She is now doing this to her own hair when she has her roots bleached. She bleaches me out to a nice platinum shade which matches my few sparklies. I don't use toner, hate the stuff. Since I stopped using it about 3.5 years ago, I stopped having problems with brassiness.

I also have my toenails painted every time I get my hair done AND get my brows (and other facial areas) waxed so I supposed I'm a huge old sinner. :justy: On my last visit Casey (my hairdresser) painted my toes a nice soft pearly light beige , with red sparkly tips instead of white tips, and right inside the red tips she painted a thin silver line. Very Christmas-y.

[PossibleMermaid]

I don't even remember where this post is now, to be honest, I'll try to find it but I just remember seeing it a few days ago and it shocking me about how negative someone could be about other's hair (and nail?) choices on such a seemingly open-minded sight. I also adore your hair in your siggy, Justgreen. I love the silver-y platinum. I wish I could have my dream hair now, but I know I have to wait until it's long enough or it's just going to look silly. UGH. Hair, y u no grow faster?

[Sarahlabyrinth]

Hi everyone... nice to see you all. I have a question you might beable to help me with. This is my hair at the moment:

http://i1253.photobucket.com/albums/hh582/Sarahlabyrinth/FC1Jan2013265inches_zps78012aaf.jpg

As you can see, the top few inches are blonder than the rest. I was growing out my greys, then decided to go blonder, gradually, instead. So in about six months I will start doing my roots yet another shade blonder, and so on. Do you think it will look OK, or weird?

My sister has suggested that I have some blond streaks put into the length also. What do you all think? I want my hair to definitely look fairly blonde, but don't want to overdo it and end up with a dry horrific mess....Opinions requested, please.

[AnqeIicDemise]

CWC has helped prolong the color of my hair, especially since I go with vibrant purples and now, reds. Its been almost a month since I last had my hair colored (I got a partial balayage on all of my hair and then had the lightened up sections colored a crimson red.) and I haven't had the need to redeposit any color. Before I would have to re-dye the hair once a month to keep it vibrantish as the hair would go kind of brassy once the color got washed out.

I know washing my hair in cooler water not only helps with shine but also in color retention. I'll be honest, I HATE the cold (I enjoy bundling up, though!) especially in the shower so that's a no go. Slathering the conditioner all over the ends keeps my ends from fading as fast.

I also coconut oil my ends thoroughly before bleaching and a DT upon the next wash. Low sulfates help too. :D

[infinity_girl]

I stopped using henna as I found it too drying and I just didn't like the colour anymore. I tried Adore (semi permanent vegetable dye) which was a nice colour but only lasted a couple of weeks. I have since used a box dye (L'Oreal Casting Creme Gloss in dark brown) which has no ammonia but some peroxide. Anyway, I actually was really nervous about using a permanent chemical dye again but I have found my hair condition has improved markedly with this and feels and looks much nice than henna. My hair has never felt so soft (although I am using Argan oil too) and I definitely have less split ends than I had with henna. So I think I will be touching up my roots every few months.

[Dutchesse]

I have purple bangs. I have dyed them twice so far, at the hairdresser's with permanent dye. I dyed for the second time after 2 months, mostly to dye the roots, but also to make it more purple again, as it faded a bit to pink. BUT now that it's been dyed a second time, the colour just doesn't fade anymore, at all! It's great! The weird thing is that my dyed hair is in much better condition than my virgin length. Even though I don't condition my bangs... Anyone who noticed this too?

[Sillage]

As you can see, the top few inches are blonder than the rest. I was growing out my greys, then decided to go blonder, gradually, instead. So in about six months I will start doing my roots yet another shade blonder, and so on. Do you think it will look OK, or weird?


Personally, I'm not the biggest fan of ombre hair but I think your hair looks fine. I wouldn't recommend getting highlights tho because that would be putting a fourth color in your hair and at that point things might start to look confusing.


Anyway, I actually was really nervous about using a permanent chemical dye again but I have found my hair condition has improved markedly with this and feels and looks much nice than henna. My hair has never felt so soft (although I am using Argan oil too) and I definitely have less split ends than I had with henna. So I think I will be touching up my roots every few months.


The weird thing is that my dyed hair is in much better condition than my virgin length. Even though I don't condition my bangs... Anyone who noticed this too?

I've had the same experience with my hair. I don't know weather I would say it is actually in better condition, but it certainly looks and feels like it is. After dying my hair is much much smoother and sleeker. For some reason it really helps tame my wiry white hairs. I do know however that my hair is starved for protein after dying which makes me hesitate to say that it's improved the condition of my hair. I can say for sure tho that it's improved the appearance :)

[Babyfine]

I'm about 10%-15% silver in front, not ready for that yet so I have my hair colored about 4 times a year at the salon. I live in a small town in a rural area so it's not too expensive. My stylist uses a demi color on me(Redkens shades) and sits me under the dryer for a longer time to seal it in.
Like someone posted above, I don't wash my hair for about 4 days before color(I still have a fairly oily scalp). I feel that somewhat protects the scalp and length from the chemicals. Other than the dye I treat my hair like antique lace, no heat, ect.
I do CWC 2/3 times a week alternating between Nioxin step 3 and a non sulfate shampoo(currently Giovanni)
Deep condition 2X a month.
I have thought about going natural at some point, though.

[turtlelover]

I'm using demi perm color by Ion from Sally's to get my current haircolor. I use the 10 volume developer, and use heat to help cover the gray better. It does a really good job of that, and I don't notice dryness/damage at the moment though that could change as my hair gets longer. I wash my hair w/ Burt's Bees More Moisture sulfate free shampoo and conditioner every other day. On "off days" I might CO wash if I am having a bad hair day and need to re-wet my hair. I oil my hair and use deep treatments on occasion, though not religiously. I am trying hard to limit my blowdrying, and I only flat iron my bangs if they are particularly unruly. The haircolor DEFINITELY helps to tame my unruly grays, though I am a bit concerned about possible damage as I grow it out. I guess time will tell, though I am enjoying the "tamed" hair at the moment!

[Sillage]

Dyed my hair again today. Used coconut oil as a pretreatment and it worked very well. Put an extra helping of Oyin Burnt Sugar Pomade all thru my hair while it was still wet and the shine is fantastic. The castor oil content in the pomade makes it feel grabby at first but then my hair seems to absorb it.

[Kyaatje]

The bottom 2 inches of my hair are bleached and are now neon pink with Stargazer.
I did this myself couple of months ago (first with Manic Panic colours but the pinks didn't stick around) and I had no problem with it at all. The last 2 weeks however these 2 inches are giving me trouble. They seem to need moisture, and behave like normal hair if I put conditioner on and leave it there. (a drop on dried hair) However I don't like the idea of a conditioner meant for rinsing out sitting on my hair like that. Do you guys now anything I can use instead ? (my fav coconut oil doesn't seem to do the trick even with rewetting and my hair got cranky after using a silicon based leave in)
Since I haven't been dyeing my hair in forever and when I did it was really really short I'm a bit clueless.

[arcane]

I no longer dye (at least for this moment), but when I did I used a lot of veggie dyes (pink, purple, blue, and green were the typical colours in my hair). To avoid the massive colour loss and patchyness that tended to happen I mixed some of the colour I had in with my coniditioner so it helped refresh the colour each time I washed.

[sarelis]

I have been dying my hair since I was around 14. Initially I lightened it to blonde, then a dark purple black, then I had dreadlocks for 4 years so had a break from dying. After I combed the dreads out I dyed it black, and continued to do so for around 10 years. Unfortunately this sensitized me to various ingredients in chem dyes and now I can't use them at all, even the non permanent 8 wash jobbies give me a nasty allergic reaction. I tried henna but it looked dreadful with my skin tone, so now I use Directions & Adore veggie dyes which are much kinder to my hair & leave it in good condition, and if I want a colour change I just have to fade it out with shampooing :) The downside is that the first 1/4 inch of my roots never seems to take the dye so well, but that could be just me being super critical when I peer in the mirror! Sometimes I miss the convenience of chem dyes, they never seemed to stain my scalp like the veggie dyes, and you only have to leave them on for a short time. I tend to process with heat for 15 mins then leave the dye on for a few hours with the veg dyes. I do get some colour run off too, but nothing terrible, and only when I wash it.

[EtherealDoll]

I dye my hair light golden blonde. Naturally it's mousy brown and I don't like it. In the last 4 years I have dyed it different colours - medium golden blonde, dark brown, then hennaed it, then bleached to orange-ish brown, then last year dyed it into dark ash blonde, and after that gradually lightened it to the colour it is now. I usually use a Garnier or Wellaton hair dye, and just touch up the roots.

[TheMechaGinger]

I tried bleaching my hair recently because I thought I would enjoy more of a blonde color in my hair than the light red I have and I totally botched it. My hair became pathetically dry but also somehow more greasy at the roots too. I probably should have taken a look at this thread before giving it a shot haha =/ So I went back to henna to try to salvage some of the damage and it seems to have a helped a lot. Maybe after some mega babying I will give it another go with everything I've learned so far

[Sillage]

Kyaatje, I like L'oreal EverStyle Smooth and Shine Creme as a leave in. AG Fast Food is good too.

[ghost]

I color my hair with Wella black dye (level 1, blue-violet base) and a 10-volume developer. The usual routine is to do a heavy oiling with 1-2 tbsp of coconut oil the night before, or at least one hour before applying my color. I leave it on about half an hour and usually just do the new growth, but I pull it through the ends when I shampoo. If it really seems to be showing up red-brown in the light, I might color all of my length every 6 months or so but I try to keep away from that. I CWC it out in the shower (with warm/hot water, I just can't do cold!) then let it air dry. Sometimes I flat iron it to close the cuticle, but I might try an ACV rinse instead, next time.
I've done a lot to my hair over the years but this routine seems to keep it pretty nice.

[akilina]

I use wella too (color touch), Ghost. I have never seen a 1/0 though anywhere. I also use blue or violet kicker in it..I think I am out though :[

I have been curious lately and wanted to try using Manic Panics Raven color (the black one) I am not sure if it would really last all that long on my roots though...I guess I could give it a try someday but I wouldn't want to waste the money. My hair is healthy with the dye I use..but I think it would be even healthier if I was using MP.

[sarelis]

I have been curious lately and wanted to try using Manic Panics Raven color (the black one) I am not sure if it would really last all that long on my roots though...I guess I could give it a try someday but I wouldn't want to waste the money. My hair is healthy with the dye I use..but I think it would be even healthier if I was using MP.

I have not used it myself, but I have heard that the MP Raven is very green based & fades to a rather nasty colour!

[Kyaatje]

Kyaatje, I like L'oreal EverStyle Smooth and Shine Creme as a leave in. AG Fast Food is good too.
Thanks Silage ! I don't know the last one. To be honest I stay away from l'oreal since I try to avoid animal tested products (only to makr things more complicated :p)
I will check if I can get the last one in Europe

[katiebeans]

This thread should be resurrected!

I have never used permanent hair dye, but when I was in high school I used Natural Instincts a couple times a year. It was a good way to experiment :) It always left my hair really soft, however I have read somewhere that it still isn't really good for your hair. Dunno to what extent though.

I bleached my brunette hair blonde in the summer with great results (I hate using the word bleach on LHC!). I haven't touched the roots up since September and have a few inches of regrowth. I'm planning on touching those up and going over the rest of my hair to reach a very pale shade, then tone using Manic Panic's Virgin Snow to acheive near white hair. Last time I used MP (Red Passion) my hair felt incredible! I'm so busy with school though, hopefully I get around to it over spring break.

[37]

... And resurrected again :)

My natural hair is about a level 7 with strong gold tones, it is very fine, which means the lengths then become a honey color and I end up with different shades of gold and honey. It does not match my cool skin tone and I always wanted my hair to be just one uniform color.

I used to go to a salon, which left me with more brass than the philharmonic, the salon color made me look completely washed out and I had enough of it. I learned how to color my own hair with professional products and a 2-step process. It is now a cool uniform level 8 ash with a touch of violet, matches my skin color much better and I plan to keep it this way :)

The damage from the salon is still growing out (last salon color was about 8 months back), also some of the brassy color is still on my lengths because color does not lift color and I doubt my hair would survive bleaching, luckily my deposit-only color covers it.

The lift process I do on regrowth only to minimize damage every 6 weeks, and the deposit I can do every 2-4 weeks. Yesterday I had my first CO wash (mixed in some white vinegar) and pleasantly surprised with the results.

My aim now is to keep my hair gray-ash hair, grow out my BSL layers to a BSL u-shape, and keep damage minimal.

[jacqueline101]

I used to dye my hair with Clairol bolsom hair color. I liked it this was my pre lhc days I didn't moisturize or condition my hair after wards the dye I used didn't come with a cream rinse or anything. I did get bleach highlights put in a year ago at the local beauty shop. I did oil my hair real well not as a pre treatment as I normally would. Im not planning on keeping up my highlights they're about gone.

[FuzzyBlackWaves]

My story - oh boy! Well, this is my virgin hair, which I had until I was about 12 -

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5328/9441489527_258c694858_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/97902309@N08/9441489527/)
naturalhair (http://www.flickr.com/photos/97902309@N08/9441489527/) by The Lounge Lizard (http://www.flickr.com/people/97902309@N08/), on Flickr

I didn't think about it much, even though everyone else in my family had dark hair. Then I got to high school and it had gone a bit darker and frizzier - I was bullied for a lot of reasons, but I got a lot of pressure about my hair too.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5516/9444290484_7e11e2e117_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/97902309@N08/9444290484/)
myhairat10 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/97902309@N08/9444290484/) by The Lounge Lizard (http://www.flickr.com/people/97902309@N08/), on Flickr

I ended up doing a lot of things to my hair to try and fit in, going blonder and blonder, despite the bleach burning my scalp until it bled:

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3824/9444290520_bebe5ef185_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/97902309@N08/9444290520/)
firsthighlights (http://www.flickr.com/photos/97902309@N08/9444290520/) by The Lounge Lizard (http://www.flickr.com/people/97902309@N08/), on Flickr

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3825/9444307858_3ebe01b5b7_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/97902309@N08/9444307858/)
blondbrown (http://www.flickr.com/photos/97902309@N08/9444307858/) by The Lounge Lizard (http://www.flickr.com/people/97902309@N08/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7294/9444307834_285a552814_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/97902309@N08/9444307834/)
blond (http://www.flickr.com/photos/97902309@N08/9444307834/) by The Lounge Lizard (http://www.flickr.com/people/97902309@N08/), on Flickr

When I got older and left school I dyed my hair first brown, then black, as a rebellion against what I'd been made to believe by my peers. At that time, my roots were black, so I figured I could grow my hair out natural. Nope. They started growing through blonde again. Still, I found that it suited me and who I am a lot better than the blonde, so I kept it. This is what it looks like now:

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5327/9444338278_a8bf2b23cf.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/97902309@N08/9444338278/)
june2013snapshot (http://www.flickr.com/photos/97902309@N08/9444338278/) by The Lounge Lizard (http://www.flickr.com/people/97902309@N08/), on Flickr

Nowadays I deep condition my hair over night with coconut oil before dying the roots on top of the oil. I do my roots around once a month. One day I might top up the lengths again, but I'm leaving the ends well alone after years of bi-monthly whole head dying.

[Pigfarts]

I have black hair that I bleached the tips of a year ago, and then added SFX Atomic Pink, then 6 months ago, I started adding bleached highlights to the rest of my hair and adding turquoise or blue to that. I really want to lighten the whole bottom part of my hair so that I can get a lighter pink at the bottoms, but I'm worried about bleaching already bleached hair and worried that it will be splotchy because of the highlights mixed with dip dye that I have.

I always drown my hair in coconut oil before I bleach now which is really helpful. And I CO wash so help prevent the pinks and blues from fading. My newest issue has been that the blue from my roots keeps traveling down and turning my pink into purple.

[glittergloss]

Hi, I've been colouring my hair since I was 13. My hair used to feel like strawish and frizzy when I used to iron my hair even just once in a while. I quit ironing my hair for 2 yrs now and I only put grapeseed oil or cocont oil on my hair. I also only wash my hair once a week. I stopped using cheap shampoos and conditioner. My hair is so much better now eventhough it's bleached and toned. My hair always feels so soft n silky and I can even go out with my hair down without any frizz.

[Sinthia]

Are you supposed to leave the oil in when you put the dye on, or rinse out the oil first? Thanks!

[Pigfarts]

I leave the coconut oil in when I'm bleaching.

But I wash my hair really well before adding the pinks or blues, those veggie dyes stain better with clean clean hair.

[Firefox7275]

Are you supposed to leave the oil in when you put the dye on, or rinse out the oil first? Thanks!

The standard is leave it on for several hours before permanent dye/ persulphate bleach, and I've done that with my lengths. Don't like to with my roots so I do at least an overnight if not 24 hours then conditioner-wash it out, recently started also adding coconut oil to the dye bottle.

[Agnes Hannah]

Hi everyone... nice to see you all. I have a question you might beable to help me with. This is my hair at the moment:

http://i1253.photobucket.com/albums/hh582/Sarahlabyrinth/FC1Jan2013265inches_zps78012aaf.jpg

As you can see, the top few inches are blonder than the rest. I was growing out my greys, then decided to go blonder, gradually, instead. So in about six months I will start doing my roots yet another shade blonder, and so on. Do you think it will look OK, or weird?





My sister has suggested that I have some blond streaks put into the length also. What do you all think? I want my hair to definitely look fairly blonde, but don't want to overdo it and end up with a dry horrific mess....Opinions requested, please.
Hi I know this thread has lapsed for a couple of months, but I was just wondering, how did you get on with the blonde streaks? Did you have some put in or did you find another solution? I am in a similar position to you so am curious to see how you overcome this dilemma. Thanks and please forgive my questions.

[IDreamOfGinger]

I just dyed my hair for the first time. I used L'Oreal HiColor HiLights in Red with 20 volume developer. I had to do it twice because the first time the ends did not take AT ALL. The second go-round some of the ends still didn't take but at least now it looks more like intentional highlights/lowlights. My ends are a bit dry now but I plan on using up my stash of deep conditioners to get it back to normal.

This is my very first post, by the way. I've been stalking the forums for a while but wasn't allowed to join until recently.

[Sillage]

Hello IDreamOfGinger!


Nothing to report on my hair dying front. Still doing the same old same old and loving it. I've been switching up my deep conditioner tho-- the Ion Extreme Moisture Creme is so heavily scented with almond that its starting to bother my scalp! So I've switched to Ion's Keratin Treatment (which has like no protein/keratin in it but is nice and rich) and that's working well.

[ErinLeigh]

I'm really loving the effects of dying over coconut oil. Huge difference in color depth, shine and damage.
I will never dye without it again. :)

[ErinLeigh]

I oil dry hair. Sleep in it. Comb smooth. Then dye right over it. And I saturate the hair with oil!
It worked great. Even got the roots from really dark brown with grays to the golden blond color I use on the rest.
I usually only color roots but this time had the length dyed in the last 5minutes. I was scared as that part if hair is damaged but the coconut oil did its job and hair seems healthier than ever.

I didn't think the roots would take so well with the oil but it really did great. My grays are resistant and this time it came out perfect.

Thank goodness for LHC for teaching me about oil before dye!

[ErinLeigh]

Kaatje. I am having luck with sesame and grapeseed oil on the dry ends.
It isn't as funny as coconut. I'm reserving coconut for occasional sleep in and pre dye. But for light oiling to protect. , take frizz and dryness, just a few drops of the dryer oils like grapeseed have done wonders


I just can't go out in public with coconut oil on hair. Too greasy and thick even with a fee drops for me

[ErinLeigh]

Not funny. Lol. I meant gummy. Darn iPhone

[Sillage]

Just finished dying my hair with a new technique and I love it so much I don't think I'll ever go back to doing it the old, proper way with a tint brush. Now all I do is mix the dye in an applicator bottle and squirt it on the roots. Once I do my entire head, I smoosh it around with my gloved fingers and I'm done. So much faster and way less mess than the old way. The only thing is that it takes more dye (using the old way, about 2 oz, the applicator bottle way, about 4 oz because the dye/developer mixture is so thick and clings to the inside of the bottle). However, it's so much more convenient I don't care.

[Agnes Hannah]

Hi I have left my hair for 7 weeks since my last colour, so have roots galore! Am going to colour it this weekend as I have a job interview on Monday. I will leave it now for a couple of days to get nice and oily, and also use coconut oil on the ends to protect before I go ahead. It is a light brown colour, as I am trying to go lighter now to integrate the grey hairs. There are a lot of grey hairs!!

[Sillage]

Good luck on your job interview, Agnes!

[MrsGuther]

My hair is past classic. I have gotten highlights many times. I have dyed my whole head of hair more blonde than my natural blonde color several times a year. I take good care of my hair, and it makes me happy to go lighter than my natural hair color. So. I figure, why not? Lol. I deep condition frequently and I don't heat style. So I don't really experience any breakage.

[Lilybeany]

I use garnier nuitress lightest blonde.No 10 I think.Never swapped. Just put on roots on naturally unwashed greasy hair.Leave for 40 mins and rinse off. Ive never oiled first.Like my results.Im blonette so I get muti tones.I do 3 or 4 times a year as my roots done bother me too much.Have been red and black but love blonde.

[katiebeans]

Just finished dying my hair with a new technique and I love it so much I don't think I'll ever go back to doing it the old, proper way with a tint brush. Now all I do is mix the dye in an applicator bottle and squirt it on the roots. Once I do my entire head, I smoosh it around with my gloved fingers and I'm done. So much faster and way less mess than the old way. The only thing is that it takes more dye (using the old way, about 2 oz, the applicator bottle way, about 4 oz because the dye/developer mixture is so thick and clings to the inside of the bottle). However, it's so much more convenient I don't care.

I see from your siggy that your hair is waist length. This method covers all your hair evenly? I'm past BSL and using a tint brush takes SO much time and effort. I have been planning to dye again on sunday and I would love to try this method of using the squirt bottle, but I am afraid I won't get all my hair.

[Sillage]

I only dye the roots, but yes it gets all the roots evenly. One thing that I forgot to mention tho-- you may need to leave the dye on longer to make up for the time that you save by not using a tint brush. It usually takes me at least 15, maybe 20 minutes to apply the dye with a tint brush and maybe 5 when using an applicator bottle. So I added 15 minutes on to the processing time and it worked perfectly.

[Lilybeany]

My hair is past classic. I have gotten highlights many times. I have dyed my whole head of hair more blonde than my natural blonde color several times a year. I take good care of my hair, and it makes me happy to go lighter than my natural hair color. So. I figure, why not? Lol. I deep condition frequently and I don't heat style. So I don't really experience any breakage.
Love your hair and colour.Very similar to my shade.

[makeminea99]

I've been getting back into colouring my hair again after a break of about a year (good intentions to grow out natural colour, totally foiled by gorgeous Autumnal colours making me want to be a redhead again!), although I do use henna. I've been considering going back to box dye, mind you, as henna's just so messy! But I'm not sure if it would be safe to do so, I know sometimes there can be interesting consequences! Has anyone had any experience of this? Thanks!

[Sillage]

I would ask the people in the henna thread on the Recipes, Henna, and Herbal Haircare board too MakeMinea99. Personally, I don't have any experience with it but like you I've heard all kinds of crazy reactions etc. I would definitely do a test strand tho. BTW, I don't know what kind of offerings they have in the UK but I'm so glad I dye my hair with salon style color rather than box dye. It's less wasteful and less expensive and I feel like I have better control over the color. Maybe something to consider?

[makeminea99]

I would ask the people in the henna thread on the Recipes, Henna, and Herbal Haircare board too MakeMinea99. Personally, I don't have any experience with it but like you I've heard all kinds of crazy reactions etc. I would definitely do a test strand tho. BTW, I don't know what kind of offerings they have in the UK but I'm so glad I dye my hair with salon style color rather than box dye. It's less wasteful and less expensive and I feel like I have better control over the color. Maybe something to consider?

OK, thanks Sillage XX

[Lilybeany]

Great shade.What number box.I like it.

[Lilybeany]

It comes natural to me to dye my light blonde hair lighter...Im saving the suns energy..and feels so meee! Im a box baby!:p

[scorpio17910]

Fun thread -- coloring doesn't have to kill hair!

I've always loved different hair colors (I have a friend who's hair bounces around from pinks and purples to blacks and near whites and everything in between -- I always think it's so pretty), and I figured "Why not?" I dyed the last six or so inches of my now BCL hair a brilliant sapphire blue. Love it! I go to a salon (also where I get my ends trimmed) every three or four months (fade doesn't bother me -- in fact, I kind of like how fade can look).

After reading this thread, I'm definitely going to try the oil before my next visit. I'd always heard color sticks better on freshly washed hair, but I'm always up to try something new. :)

[Sillage]

LOL LilyBeany

Scorpio, I think for deposit only dyes that's true but it's been such a long time since I've dyed my hair with Manic Panic that I forget! :laugh:

[makeminea99]

Yes, I agree, colour doesn't have to hurt your hair, my hairdresser is proof of this, she has lovely waist length hair and she's changed her colour at least four times this year! :)

[scorpio17910]

Sillage -- Haha! I just started dying my hair in college. I wasn't able to before, but I'm free now to do as I please. :) Like I said, I'll give it a try and report back (I'm way overdue -- it's been almost four and a half months since I last had it done)!

makeminea99 -- Exactly! I'm just way lazy with getting mine touched up -- I've always been lazy about stuff like this. :)

[Lilybeany]

My hair likes me being lazy.Im into the surfer bedhead easy going hair..young and heart..not done hair..suits me..

[katiebeans]

I only dye the roots, but yes it gets all the roots evenly. One thing that I forgot to mention tho-- you may need to leave the dye on longer to make up for the time that you save by not using a tint brush. It usually takes me at least 15, maybe 20 minutes to apply the dye with a tint brush and maybe 5 when using an applicator bottle. So I added 15 minutes on to the processing time and it worked perfectly.

Oh, duh :doh: I will continue my quest for a faster hair dying method!

[Agnes Hannah]

Good luck on your job interview, Agnes!
Thanks Sillage, unfortunately I didn't get the job, not enough management experience.Still, my hair was looking better with a new colour on, no greys, but lots of golden where the greys should be.

[Tlb2012]

I did this back in 2011... This will be me again, I swear it! I'm just waitin on the day.

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/849/image990e.jpg/

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/852/image1166eg.jpg/

[ErinLeigh]

I dye my hair lighter than its natural very dark brown color. I also have grey hair coming in. I cannot figure out percent as I keep it hidden with color. I have done mine at a salon last few years instead of home and am thinking of doing my roots at home again. I prefer hair golden blonde as it is in my avatar but due to getting a bad keratin coupled with a terrible toning/color that went with it I have to ease back into the gold as hair is fragile at the moment.
Currently I am using 8N as a base (will not dye length again for sometime) and bleach highlights. As hair gets stronger and newer hair grows I will add more highlights/lighter colors to length get back where I was. For now I am only doing color on roots plus the bleach on the section in front of the ears to at least keep it light near the face.

I used coconut oil for the first time on my Nov 6th color and I was impressed. Color took well and seemed to help with damage. I will do this every time I have decided.

I am going in tomorrow to get my horrible layers trimmed and have some more highlights put in.
I hate my current haircut so I am hoping getting a good color tomorrow will help me feel better about having to cut out so much damage.

I plan on always coloring..have done so for 25 years...I prefer myself lighter and grey free. I would rather be limited to APL if I had to choose between length and color. It is that important to me although I do not think I will have to choose..

I do not consider my hair bleached and blowfried even tho I do both. Bleached hair can look very nice as well as styled hair. Any damage I have ever incurred was from bad keratin or a relaxer (yes a dumb stylist relaxed me once! :)
I do not believe hair has to be natural to be beautiful either. Honestly I have seen plenty of damaged looking natural hair in my life.
I like color! I like changing up the different blond hues and adding red tones sometimes. I like the subtle variances.

SO... that is my introduction. Hi Everyone.

[ErinLeigh]

I just dyed my hair for the first time. I used L'Oreal HiColor HiLights in Red with 20 volume developer. I had to do it twice because the first time the ends did not take AT ALL. The second go-round some of the ends still didn't take but at least now it looks more like intentional highlights/lowlights. My ends are a bit dry now but I plan on using up my stash of deep conditioners to get it back to normal.

This is my very first post, by the way. I've been stalking the forums for a while but wasn't allowed to join until recently.

Try a protein filler if the ends aren't taking. You can buy at beauty supply stores for around $3.50

[CurlMonster]

Hello ladies, I have a question and I thought this would be the place to ask. I know coconut oil can help with damage from bleach, but does it also protect hair from the damage of the bleach in box dyes? I don't know much about the chemistry of bleach/dye, so I'm not sure if it's the same chemicals in bleach that are used to lighten your hair in a box dye. I would like to use box dyes again because they're so easy and I love the colour I get from them, but I want to protect my hair from the damage. Thanks for your input.

[Bagginslover]

The bleach used for hair is generally some form of peroxide, so pre-oiling should protect the hair from some damage. I don't know if it would affect the colour uptake of the depositing colour though, perhaps a strand test to check first, so you don't waste a whole bottle of dye?

[FuzzyBlackWaves]

I pre-oil my hair with coconut oil before using an at home black dye kit and it definitely does prevent a lot of damaging and drying out of the hair. The colour takes longer to take but it doesn't affect the overall result afterwards.

[Tizzles]

Hello ladies, I have a question and I thought this would be the place to ask. I know coconut oil can help with damage from bleach, but does it also protect hair from the damage of the bleach in box dyes? I don't know much about the chemistry of bleach/dye, so I'm not sure if it's the same chemicals in bleach that are used to lighten your hair in a box dye. I would like to use box dyes again because they're so easy and I love the colour I get from them, but I want to protect my hair from the damage. Thanks for your input.

The bleach from box dyes is usually a higher volume than what you'd get used on you in a salon. Coconut oil or any pre-oiling would probably help with the damage some, but from my experience (many years ago albeit) box dye developer is like 40V or close, so please be careful. If I were you I'd go to Sally's and buy lightening powder and a 20V developer and see how that goes. Typically anything over 20 is going to roast your hair if it's fragile. A 10V is enough to lighten mine, (but usually 20V is enough for anyone, even to color pesky greys) and because my hair is fine and thin that's all my stylist uses to both deposit and lift color. Granted the bleach kits from retail stores have gotten better but imho there's nothing like either A) getting it professionally done by a great colorist OR B) getting the stuff at Sally's and having a very trusted friend or mother helping you. This way you can control the strength of the developer used on your tresses.

My hair is really thin on top (I'm thinking there's more going on here than just damage from coloring, because I really baby my hair and so does my stylist) but the length of my hair has improved drastically by doing these things : 1. Using Coconut Oil pre-highlight/color treatment. 2. Not using heat on my hair unless its ABSOLUTELY necessary. 3. Using a low sulfate shampoo once or twice a week and conditioner washing the rest of the week. 4. Deep conditioning treatments with Rosemary EO and Almond Oil once every week or 2. 5. Sealing my hair with argan oil and Shea Butter Hibiscus Curl Milk. I don't use anything with silicones on my hair if I can help it. But I make sure I low sulfate poo at least once a week anyway just to keep everything clean. I also ACV rinse once a week. YMMV good luck to you :)

ETA - My hair is very protein sensitive and I seem to harbor it in my body, even my blood work shows it's almost high. So coloring my hair helps regulate the protein in my hair. So I mainly focus on moisture to maintain balance. However, I do the "pull strand" test once a month to make sure my hair strands don't mimic a "go go Gadget arm".

[Sillage]

Sorry to hear that Agnes-- hope you get a better offer in the future!

CurlMonster I agree with Tizzles about using salon color rather than box dye. I use 20 volume to dye my white (!) hair dark brown and it works fine and is what's normally recommended for grey coverage. If you want to lighten that's a whole different story-- one that I am not familiar with :laugh: but I would still recommend salon color because at least that way you know what developer volume you're using.

[CurlMonster]

Thank you for your replies. Hmm okay, I didn't know there were different kinds of dye! If I only want to dye my hair darker, can I do it without any bleach? I know dyes like manic panic don't have bleach in them, but they seem to only come in bright colours. I'd be looking for a dark brown. I am weary to use any kind of bleach on my hair because my hair has been so damaged by it in the past, but I would really like to go back to a darker colour.

[Sillage]

You can try a deposit only dye like Manic Panic CurlMonster, but they wash out really fast and usually don't cover greys well.

[CurlMonster]

I'm 16 so don't have to worry about greys yet! :p Perhaps that is what I'll do. I think I'm just too timid about doing damage to my hair to dye it any other way now. Thanks for you help anyway!

[Sillage]

Haha, I started going WHITE in middle school, CurlMonster :laugh:

[nory87]

So what things are you guys doing to keep dyed hair healthy and making sure color is not fading faster? I get nervous of using something that may make my hair color fade faster. I'm a natural brunette and I currently have a burgundy hair color.

[diddiedaisy]

I dye my hair blonde at home from a box. I use garner nutrisse. I dyed yesterday and for the first time used coconut oil. I just left it on for a couple of hours then applied the dye straight on top. After rinsing I used Aussie 3 minute miracle then argan oil. My ends are quite dry but not damaged, so I use argan oil everyday on the bottom half of my hair to help.

[diddiedaisy]

I dye my hair blonde at home from a box. I use garner nutrisse. I dyed yesterday and for the first time used coconut oil. I just left it on for a couple of hours then applied the dye straight on top. After rinsing I used Aussie 3 minute miracle then argan oil. My ends are quite dry but not damaged, so I use argan oil everyday on the bottom half of my hair to help.

[Firefox7275]

I've been dying my dark mouse hair since age 17: first blonde, then briefly auburn (looked hell on me), then burgundy now bright pink-red.

Current routine is a coconut oil soak or two the week before, then use a blonde peroxide only box dye on roots only, adding coconut oil to the dye bottle. Cleanse out with a protein rich silicone free conditioner instead of the included conditioner. Apply La Riche Directions Rose Red (similar to Manic Panic) on roots for two hours, pulled through to the ends with a light conditioner right at the end.

Aftercare is more overnight coconut oil soaks to reduce porosity and increase elasticity, hydrolysed protein for strength and patch repairing, ceramides and panthenol. Mainly follow the Curly Girl method so conditioner only wash and always use leave in conditioner. I don't really use intensive conditioners, most ingredients have little more than cosmetic benefits and can pull the dye from the hair.

Compared with pre-LHC and pre-NC routine hair is healthier/ way less fade/ less poufy/ less porous/ no Velcro ends or splits. For reference old routine was box dye pulled through to ends for last five minutes, shampoo with sulphates, condition with nothing but silicones, rough brushing.

[Firefox7275]

So what things are you guys doing to keep dyed hair healthy and making sure color is not fading faster? I get nervous of using something that may make my hair color fade faster. I'm a natural brunette and I currently have a burgundy hair color.

Reds are notoriously difficult to hold onto; water is your enemy.

Switched from box dye burgundy to permament roots only (no damaging 'refreshes'), high pigment semi permanent on the lengths and ends, no anionic surfactants/ mainly conditioner only wash, cool water only, leave in conditioner instead of rinse out. With this routine I still have a strong/ bright colour after two to three months.

Coconut oil and hydrolysed protein mainstays of minimising and 'repairing' (temporary/ short term) some of the damage.

[Firefox7275]

Thank you for your replies. Hmm okay, I didn't know there were different kinds of dye! If I only want to dye my hair darker, can I do it without any bleach? I know dyes like manic panic don't have bleach in them, but they seem to only come in bright colours. I'd be looking for a dark brown. I am weary to use any kind of bleach on my hair because my hair has been so damaged by it in the past, but I would really like to go back to a darker colour.

Persilphate bleach is only found in high lift blondes. Permanent dyes in dark colours do contain peroxide and are generally alkaline so are damaging. If you have naturally porous hair high pigment semi permanent *may* take without damage. They can be mixed to achieve a more natural colour.

Ingredients that may reduce damage from permanent dying include coconut oil and hydrolysed protein (wheat or soy). One of the most damaging things you can do us refresh the ends with a box dye: those five minutes soon add up.