Making the transition from red/yellow/orange hair to natural color---- Help? (pics)

[galaxzee]

Oh boy. I'm kind of embarrassed to be posting in this forum, my hair is quite far from long or pretty, and I've been stalking all the amazing pictures throughout this place!! ...but here goes.

I am a natural redhead, unfortunately I made the decision to bleach it all about four years ago. Here was the last time I had my untouched head:

https://scontent-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/180110_1481491371908_4995551_n.jpg?oh=708d3eb0e62e ff9df4fec96997fba114&oe=55AA7146

After bleaching it, I dyed it pink, then purple, then attempted to go back to red (the salon turned it green) then black. Then I chopped it all off. Grew out some more of the natural red... then dyed it all pink again. Etc. Etc. I have been making short pit stops at red but I've had to color my bleached hair close to my roots to be there. Short story is, I hate going back and forth. I'm done with this.

Again, unfortunately, I caved in to temptation in February and bleached/dyed it all to look like this:
https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xap1/v/t1.0-9/10424260_10202860730233945_9199038338806630208_n.j pg?oh=51c98d2c8f426e867bdb72f5415557bd&oe=55BC06F2&__gda__=1438136743_0ef63772117dcd9fca2e45bd0691b73 1
I do love unnatural colors a whole bunch, but its rough on my hair and WAY too expensive to keep up. I have some damage and I haven't gotten my hair very much longer in a good while (had a few shorter cuts over the years and haven't been able to leave it alone)....

Does anyone have any tips for persuading themselves to stop messing with different colors? I've noticed that having a visible demarcation line really adds to the allure of continuing to dye it. So I'm wondering if there is a way to get around that - maybe blending my dyed bits into my roots somehow?

I'm just not sure how to do it with having to fade into multi-colored sections of orange/yellow/red/pink....

Do you think going over it with a natural colored auburn dye would help at all?? or make it worse?? I have no clue... I dance & perform so there is a huge pressure to always look polished, so growing out my hair scares me. But I want it. I want it bad. I'm willing to make the sacrifices!!

Here's some photos of my current roots/colors:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/v/t34.0-12/11079675_10203050535098948_833095763_n.jpg?oh=c3e7 4c601389fbb0fcda1372ef2d002e&oe=551672D0&__gda__=1427583908_33c99822f650aedfcfcd3c229de4598 f
https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/v/t34.0-12/11081808_10203050537339004_2113938702_n.jpg?oh=4bb 7883110eae2be3f614010397c231d&oe=5515F157&__gda__=1427534854_d7cf42b59b5c4ff0c555cd005170d75 9https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfa1/v/t34.0-12/11099735_10203050539779065_1132623535_n.jpg?oh=2b2 f3a903b9dd5eed8ae562b3b7c3dca&oe=5515F195&__gda__=1427584101_21fd96ef47f5659ec2b3714d1403fca 2
https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpt1/v/t34.0-12/11084407_10203050539939069_905833745_n.jpg?oh=b399 3ad19e12013fa717a8e5db278c9a&oe=5515F40C&__gda__=1427502631_7f1b4951237b459ac40b689cdb3abe7 fhttps://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/v/t34.0-12/11041486_10203050538779040_1570516095_n.jpg?oh=086 ffeb1a7bf69a5733d7c753de56c4c&oe=5515F20E&__gda__=1427511199_946c3f443e7c99d19610cbe2ff1d608 6

[betterhairday]

I love the color of your natural hair but I also love all the other colors! If it were my hair here is what I would do.
1. Stop dying and bleaching it.
2. Start using a hair repair system - I use Pro Naturals
3. Keep my individuality and use hair chalks instead of dyes

[Federica]

Ok, first of all let me tell you that I'd KILL to have your gorgeous natural red.
Second thing: welcome to the forum! Don't be embarassed, I see some GREAT potential here ;)

You just have to let it grow and forget it for now. Let the crazy colors wash out while you're growing your roots. This could be the most difficult part, because you'll have many shades in your hair, demarcation line and so on. But just try to leave it alone.
In my experience, and for what I see in your picures, a french braid/dutch braid or other more intricate braided styles can transform a colour mess into a lovely colourful composition.
Once the crazy colors have gone and you're left with bleach, you can consider to match it with your natural red and/or slowly get rid of it with small trims.
Patience is required, but here you'll find a great support.
You may want to join the Growing out Natural (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=51155) Thread!

[afinemess]

If you do decide to use an all-over color close to your natural color, I would recommend using a protein-filler beforehand, just to ensure the color will take up evenly and won't leave you with light patches. :)

[galaxzee]

Thank you for the tips! Here's a question: will it grow faster if I cut off most of the length and try to start over? Or should I keep the length and just do small trims? I'm kind of attached to my length but I also know it's not very healthy...

[Federica]

No, cutting your hair doesn't make it grow faster, only makes it shorter.
The average growth is personal and determined by genetics, but it can be affected by alimentation, seasonal change and health condition.
There's also some vitamins that you can take to encourage growth.
If you're attached to your length and don't want to lose it I suggest you to baby your damage, do a lot of moisture/keratine treatment and trim not more than 1cm a month.
Of course you could start over, cut it all short and grow it out virgin, but you'll have to wait a couple of years, maybe more, to get your actual length back... I wouldn't be brave enough to do this, but many other members did!

[spidermom]

Small trims.

You could continue using the colorful dyes that you love, just stop bleaching. I find that a product like Manic Panic is like a conditioning treatment. Right now I have flaming red ends and love it.

[galaxzee]

No, cutting your hair doesn't make it grow faster, only makes it shorter.
The average growth is personal and determined by genetics, but it can be affected by alimentation, seasonal change and health condition.
There's also some vitamins that you can take to encourage growth.
If you're attached to your length and don't want to lose it I suggest you to baby your damage, do a lot of moisture/keratine treatment and trim not more than 1cm a month.
Of course you could start over, cut it all short and grow it out virgin, but you'll have to wait a couple of years, maybe more, to get your actual length back... I wouldn't be brave enough to do this, but many other members did!

Thanks for answering! (:
I think I'm going to try to keep my length and do small trims, like you said-- I have cut my hair shorter than chin-length before and absolutely HATED it, so I just need to keep that in mind and start taking better care of my hair!!

[galaxzee]

Small trims.

You could continue using the colorful dyes that you love, just stop bleaching. I find that a product like Manic Panic is like a conditioning treatment. Right now I have flaming red ends and love it.

That's awesome! I wish I could blend my natural color into a pinky/orange color.... Not sure how I would get the fade/blend effect, though... I have colored my hair with some success in the past but ombres/fades are much harder to do yourself. >.< Do you think it would be easier to get a stylist to add some lowlights/natural reds to blend the dyed part better with the roots? And then just add color to the ends? Or could I skip that step and do it totally by myself? I guess my natural color isn't too far away from the orange-y spectrum, so maybe just putting Special Effects Napalm Orange + Atomic Pink in it would be enough to give me some drama while letting me grow out the roots!

I love unnatural colors SO much! <3 I just miss my red XD

[omidaverde]

Grow and have regular trims, maybe every month to 6 weeks.

Could you satisfy your urge to play with it by getting different accessories for your hair instead? For example with clip in hair extensions in different colours, but I'm also thinking generally too about hair accessories, they might be a good way for you to change things up and not get bored with your hair so fast.

[betterhairday]

That's awesome! I wish I could blend my natural color into a pinky/orange color.... Not sure how I would get the fade/blend effect, though... I have colored my hair with some success in the past but ombres/fades are much harder to do yourself. >.< Do you think it would be easier to get a stylist to add some lowlights/natural reds to blend the dyed part better with the roots? And then just add color to the ends? Or could I skip that step and do it totally by myself? I guess my natural color isn't too far away from the orange-y spectrum, so maybe just putting Special Effects Napalm Orange + Atomic Pink in it would be enough to give me some drama while letting me grow out the roots!
I love unnatural colors SO much! <3 I just miss my red XD

Look on haircrazy.com you can ask them for suggestions.

[Rosetta]

I know this is kind of a bold suggestion, but pure, natural henna gives something that's pretty close to your natural colour - so if you want to remedy some of the bleach damage while at the same time covering the unnatural dyes to a colour close to your natural, henna might be an idea! Of course that might need some research first, but there's a whole henna subsection on this forum with plenty of info :)

Of course, it's perfectly possible just to let the dyes grow out as they are, too, and being semi-permanent they'll surely fade in time, even on bleached hair.

And I just have to say that if I had your natural colour, I'd never bleach or dye it! :) (Though I do understand the urge to dye and play with one's hair colour, being a former dye addict myself ;))

[Roscata]

One thing to remember is that henna is permanent, like truly permanent; you marry henna, you don't date it. It would help your hair be shinny and all one color, not to mention it makes is silky and slippery (easy to detangle).
Here are some links to help you learn more about henna:
Expressions with Henna- Coloring Hair Naturally (http://web.archive.org/web/20120102111415/http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=7)
Henna Hair ebook (http://www.mehandi.com/shop/hennahairbook/) (free)
Misconceptions, Mistakes and Tips on Henna for Hair (http://web.archive.org/web/20111223105906/http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=165)
Hair Coloring with Herbs, Plants & Other Natural Ingredients (http://web.archive.org/web/20111221105559/http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=2)
Henna Thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=45)
Show Me Your Hennaed Hair! (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=2963) (pics)

Whatever you decide, I wish you good luck and happy growing!

[Anje]

Usually I advise people to bite the bullet and get a corrective dye to try to match their roots. It's usually way easier to grow out if you're not doing it two-toned.

You, however, might be an excellent henna candidate. Henna's a plant dye that most people find to be strengthening and conditioning to hair. It dyes lighter colors a bright orange and with multiple applications and deeper haircolors it ends up being a richer red. I think it's pretty close to Napalm Orange or Manic Panic Wildfire. :) One of its chief advantages over conventional dye, though, is that it very rarely fades the way conventional red does. (The flip side of this is that the stuff is practically impossible for most people to remove. It's WAY more permanent than conventional "permanent" dye.)

If you hennaed, it would darken the length of your hair to something closer to your roots. If you did a few applications and then left it alone, you'd be sure to still see a transition line, but it might be less stark than what you'd get if you simply grew out from what you have. Alternatively, you might decide you like the effects and having the deeper red than what your hair naturally grows -- that's what I'm up to; I started hennaing when my natural auburn started taking a turn for brown in my 20s. For auburn-heads, it's a pretty nice choice because you can be lazy about touching up your roots; it takes a long while before they get long enough that anyone other than you will notice them. ;)

[Mya]

Ok, first of all let me tell you that I'd KILL to have your gorgeous natural red.

Me too! :p If I was a natural redhead I'd be like "Look at me! I'm a natural redhead SUFFER YOU PEASANTS". xD

If you want your natural color back, you can wait for the red/orange/pink dye to wash out, then dye your existing hair for one last time to a color that is closest to your natural color (a box dye will do). It may fade a little bit with time (as any dye does on bleached hair), but it will look natural. Also, you don't need bleach to dye your hair red and orange, but pink won't take.

[gwenalyn]

Personally, I *love* the way your hair looks in that french-braid picture. No dye job will ever get you that kind of multi-tonal effect. Remember that if you resist dying long enough, the demarcation line softens with time and starts to look ombre. You could get some highlights to soften the demarcation line and hurry that process up.

You can also keep dying the already-bleached bits with deposit-only dyes as you grow it out to keep things interesting. Deposit-only dyes (most non-naturalistic colors) are non-damaging and wash out completely for a lot of people. The colors won't be as bright as if you bleached before-hand, and you may start to get some ... interesting ... fading/staining, but it's nothing you can't work around.

What I've described is more or less what I do: bleach in highlights, re-dye them (deposit-only) purple every month, let them grow out, repeat.

[pastina]

if the pink in her hair is sfx atomic pink, it's not going to fade out completely with conventional methods. :) trust me, i know.

that said, op, your fade is actually really lovely, even with your natural color coming in. i think you could easily get away with rocking the long-roots look... and eventually, as it gets longer and more of your hair is natural, it'll look like a soft dip dye.

if you're worried about demarcation lines, don't be! it sounds like you have atomic pink and napalm! ....if i were you, i'd let my roots come in a bit more and then cover my whole head with those two dyes, only minimally diluted, if diluted at all. it'll give you a super-bright fix, and it'll fade eventually, but! your natural roots will be tinged pink, because that's what atomic pink does! so, when new roots come in, hey! you've achieved an ombre the super slow way! :D

i understand why people are suggesting henna to you, but if you're having a hard time getting rid of your dye habit because you like to change things up, i'm not sure it's really a great option for you. like some other posters have said, henna's not something you can undo easily.

[blue_eyes]

I feel your pain OP! I gave up black dye about 19 months ago, and am naturally a dark blonde/light brown. I'm also the kind of person that needs to look polished all of the time too, so dealing with the roots, especially for the first year, was horrendous!

As gwenalyn said above, the demarcation line definitely softens with time. It was very stark when I started growing out dye, but now it is very blended. It's really tough to quit cold turkey, but I'm so glad I did. If you decide to do that, my best suggestion for curbing dye urges is to do a treatment. Not only is it beneficial to your hair, but it's pretty much the same process as dyeing.

Your natural red hair is so beautiful!! :)