Just how damaging is semi permanent dye?

[CremeTron]

My ends are bleached and very dry and brassy looking in bright sunlight. After resisting for a long time, I went and dyed them yesterday. I used a mid brown but it has not darkened my hair sufficiently. My natural hair is an off black colour and I find dark brown dyes are even darker (deep jet black) than my natural hair colour hence picking mid brown.

My hair was already damaged but I was willing to risk slightly more damage to get rid of the brass and dramatic two tone. It looks unprofessional and I have a new job where personal presentation is very important and part of the "brand". Got an unrelated visit from one of the top people at work yesterday which prompted the dye. My photos (in a different thread) do not do the colour justice as my hair was wet in them.

I want to dye it again- which I know is more damage. But I believe if you do processes close together the amount of "damage" is the same? And deep condition after would help?

I think eventually I will need to chop about 5 inches off (I hope I will not) but for now:

Would it be extremely damaging to colour again a shade or two darker?

Manic panic type colours do not hold in my hair well. The brunette conditioners I find messy and to me they wash out straight away.

I wet my hair everyday, co-wash maybe 5 of those days.

All and any advice very much appreciated.

[Cania]

From my experience, yes, it potentially can be really quite damaging if your hair is already fragile depending on what dye you use. That said, there are things you can do to lessen the damage.

I found Naturtint hair dye much less damaging than most, so maybe look for similar brands. If in doubt, I look for dyes that are approved for post-chemo as they generally have slightly less ick in them (though they are still chemically of course). It is going to be hard to get rid of the brass totally, it will probably shine through in sunlight unfortunately.

Deep conditioning will help a lot. I'd do an SMT with 3MM by Aussie, but that's my personal preference. Then wear it up as much as possible and baby it! I would also stop washing it so much. You are using semis, so you are stripping the dye faster.
ETA: Just noticed your hair type, do you wet it to help with the curl? If so ignore me totally as I'm not up to speed in curly care! End ETA

Also, with manic panic, have you tried putting it in your conditioner?

:grouphug: Hair dye can be a real pain, so sorry you aren't happy with your colour right now.

[arr]

Ive had good success with clairol radiance translucent color gloss from sally beauty supply. I use the ash colors to combat my brassy ends from old damage. It leaves your hair soft, shiny and natural looking and results last 4 to 6 weeks for me, and i shampoo every other day. I have not noticed that it causes any damage. I believe the website calls it a demi permanent, but it might be a semi permanent.

[two_wheels]

If my hair were dark brown with bleached ends, I'd probably use henndigo. Although that is permanent-permanent rather than semi-permanent!

Coconut oil is often suggested as a pre-dye treatment, and Cania's suggestions sound excellent.

[CremeTron]

From my experience, yes, it potentially can be really quite damaging if your hair is already fragile depending on what dye you use. That said, there are things you can do to lessen the damage.

I found Naturtint hair dye much less damaging than most, so maybe look for similar brands. If in doubt, I look for dyes that are approved for post-chemo as they generally have slightly less ick in them (though they are still chemically of course). It is going to be hard to get rid of the brass totally, it will probably shine through in sunlight unfortunately.

Deep conditioning will help a lot. I'd do an SMT with 3MM by Aussie, but that's my personal preference. Then wear it up as much as possible and baby it! I would also stop washing it so much. You are using semis, so you are stripping the dye faster.
ETA: Just noticed your hair type, do you wet it to help with the curl? If so ignore me totally as I'm not up to speed in curly care! End ETA

Also, with manic panic, have you tried putting it in your conditioner?

:grouphug: Hair dye can be a real pain, so sorry you aren't happy with your colour right now.

Thank you. I may try making my own brunette shampoo. Yes water helps the hair as it very dry :D

Trying to multi quote but cannot, anyway Arr, I will look into that brand. I heard demi is better than semi.

Two_Wheels, I take it then that henndigo makes your hair dark brown? If so I will certainly try that. I will ask at my Lush store. Failing that I will try the Clairol. If no joy then I will just make my own brunette conditoner.

Thanks guys :blossom:

[BrendaLoan]

My :twocents: My ends were bleached twice for an ombré effect, and I used Wella Professionals Color touch (demi-permanent) to dye them back to my natural brown color while I was growing my hair. I had my hairdresser tell me the shade I should choose (it was a little darker than my hair but you couldn't see a demarcation line, and as it faded with the washes, it became my exact color). The thing is I never experienced any damage (I did this 4-5 times) and my hair was extremely shiny and soft after using it :o

[two_wheels]

Thank you. I may try making my own brunette shampoo. Yes water helps the hair as it very dry :D

Trying to multi quote but cannot, anyway Arr, I will look into that brand. I heard demi is better than semi.

Two_Wheels, I take it then that henndigo makes your hair dark brown? If so I will certainly try that. I will ask at my Lush store. Failing that I will try the Clairol. If no joy then I will just make my own brunette conditoner.

Thanks guys :blossom:

Caca brun mixed with a tiny bit of caca noir got my hair dark brown (can PM you a pic if you want). The indigo does fade a bit to a dark auburn but if I had dark brown hair I would just top it up. If it weren't for the dark blonde roots, and the fact that it doesn't suit my complexion, I'd almost certainly still be using it. People on here don't seem to rate Lush henna, but I think it is quite newbie-friendly, and I like that it's available on the high street here in the UK.

They will tell you to leave it on for an hour or two, but I'd ignore that & go for at least 3-4 hours because it's weaker than proper henna/indigo. The grating is a bit of a pain. There is a ton of info on the 'recipes & herbal' sub-forum here.

The reason I suggest it is that you have dark brown hair naturally, and you say your ends are in trouble- the conditioning from henndigo is really amazing. It's not going to look good if you decide to bleach again, though: murky green is what you're likely to get if you bleach over it.

[renia22]

What about trying something like Clairol shimmer lights shampoo to help with the brassiness? Some people who wrote reviews on makeupalley posted before & after pictures and the results were noticeable.

[Darkhorse1]

My colorist would never re dye my hair right after another. I use semi permanent dye, but am switching to permanent as my grays are rather stubborn. I have a professional do my hair because I don't want to mess it up. She said you need to wait 6 weeks (minimum) for doing another color application. She said it makes the hair brittle.

Color is about the size of the molecule. So, imagine hair color as a circle. Wash in colors are the largest in molecules --a large O. That doesn't penetrate the hair shaft, and only leaves a coating on the hair. This is why they wash away quickly. Semi permanent colors are a small o. They absorb into the hair shaft, but can only do so much. Permanent colors are like a . They are the smallest in size, thus, are absorbed and held the longest.

What I'm saying is trying to redye your hair, there may be no change and you will just risk damaging it further. If your hair is brassy at the ends (I get this too and HATE IT!), there are styles you can do for work until your six weeks are up. Then, I highly suggest you see a colorist. A permanent color is probably what you will need. Or, cut the brassy portion out. There are shampoos that will remove the brassiness. Aveda makes one as do many other product out there. Maybe do a search on google? Good luck!

[CremeTron]

Thank you very much for your input everyone. It is great that you have included your own experiences and made recommendations. Gives me a lot to go on :blossom:

[Dreams_in_Pink]

I used dark brown dye over my not-so-damaged ends and i remember them feeling quite brittle and dry afterwards. I guess the SLS in them can be drying and if it has ammonia it might also cause some permanent damage by lifting the cuticle.

[Squirrelspring]

I think it depends what dye you use, or if you bleach your hair first, etc.
I think Manic Panic dye claims to be conditioning and good to your hair, but they come in colors that aren't natural mostly. However if you are willing to try a black dye, which is close-ish to dark brown their Raven black semi-permanent dye might work.

Anyways, I hope you find what you are looking for! :)

[Squirrelspring]

I think it depends what dye you use, or if you bleach your hair first, etc.
I think Manic Panic dye claims to be conditioning and good to your hair, but they come in colors that aren't natural mostly. However if you are willing to try a black dye, which is close-ish to dark brown their Raven black semi-permanent dye might work.

Anyways, I hope you find what you are looking for! :)

[ErinLeigh]

removed post as I misread

Have you considered semi permanent color to tone (no developer) It would give you the color you want without the harshness dyes can cause. They do fade but I have had some that actually stick better than regular dye. If fading does occur you can reapply as needed to the lengths without too much worry. Sometimes the color build up enough after a few applications and you can stop.

If you know you want to stay dark you could try indigo in a mix. I have seen some gorgeous colors come from the Lush Caca Brun and Noir in pics posted. You could even purchase henna and indigo and make you own mix. There are some amazing tips in the herbal section of this forum. The photos are inspiring. This could actually help improve the condition of your hair.

If you are working with multi tones, if you can afford it I would see a colorist. I have dumped dark dye on top of hair in the past to correct a color and it ended up looking muddy and uneven.

I think you will be ok using a dye to darken and even things up if needed. Clarify and deep condition hair. Give it a little time to rest.
Wait a week after the deep condition and then apply coconut oil to dry hair that is product free. Leave on overnight. Apply the dye the next day on top of it and all should be ok.
I would not use a box dye as the developer is usually a 30 volume. Go to beauty supply store and get a 10 (demi) or 20 vol developer and mix it yourself. A protein filler added can be very helpful.

Treat the dyed hair gently..and plan a monthly deep conditioning treatment. I swear by Redken Extreme Builder Plus for color treated hair.

In my experience hair can recover from being dyed twice. Pre wash oilings, cowashes and deep condition treatments have allowed me to color and still maintain hair that looks and feels fine. Of course you don''t want to process hair many times but if it is an unacceptable color that you absolutely cannot live with, sometimes its best to just fix it and and move forward. A lot can be done to baby the hair into a state of feeling/looking good. I tend to find the dryness can be corrected, visible damage can be trimmed off, and the rest..well you just do the best you can with it until the natural hair grows back. I don't think you will be left with a head of fried straw if that is what you concern is.

I wish you the best of luck in whatever you decide to do. Color is a slippery slope as it loves to fade to brass no matter how hard you fight it.