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View Full Version : Last time dyeing? Growing out three toned hair



livinthemiddle
October 25th, 2015, 09:25 PM
Hey everyone, this is my first post!

I know there are other posts about growing out virgin hair and such, but most of those seem to talk about two toned hair, and mine has three!

I have naturally dirty blonde (somewhat ashy) hair, and I have been bleaching it and getting highlights and lowlights in various shades for about two years. Currently, I have a grown out ombre that used to be a dark blonde into a light blonde, but I got that done in June (I think) so now my hair has about 3 inches of virgin roots, about 4 inches of what has now turned into a brassy medium/dark blonde, and then my ends have become somewhat yellow tinted (purple shampoo hasn't helped). My hair is just barely to BSL (the ends are very thin and feathered) and is very fine and has been getting more and more damaged and so I would love to grow it out and have all virgin hair eventually.

However, because my hair is these three tones (in some lighting doesn't look bad but in some such as outdoors it is very obvious), I would like to get it done one last time and then grow it out from there. I've spoken to two hair dressers (both of whom have done my hair at some point). One thinks he can just get it to be 1-2 shades (not three like a Neapolitan ice cream cone which is how I feel now ha) by just using a toner on it from where the dye starts to make it cooler and darker. The other, however, believes doing balayage with a base color very close to my roots will be the most beneficial.

I was wondering if you all have any advice/experience in terms of which method would be most beneficial to my hair? I guess I would love to go with the cheaper and less damaging option (just toning) but will that work or last long? I'm sure the balayage would look great but could dyeing it even fade after a while too and leave me feeling like I have three shades again?


I'm not positive but I don't think I'm able to add photos as a new member of this forum, if that isn't true I would love to know how so that you all can see and understand better!!

I appreciate any and all advice :) Thanks!!!

spidermom
October 25th, 2015, 10:28 PM
You can post pictures. Go to the photobucket site. Accounts are free, and you can upload and edit photos there, then copy them here.

I'd go another direction altogether and get a deposit-only dye to pull all the tones to a common direction, probably something really fun like magenta or purple. I think some brands carry more natural colors. These kinds of colors gradually fade out without doing any damage.

Or I'd start braiding it with ribbons or yarn to add color and texture, which will blur the grow out.

Or both. But I definitely wouldn't do anything permanent that would cause damage.

Salt
October 26th, 2015, 01:06 AM
I think I'm in a similar situation. I am naturally a mousy/dark ask blonde and have always dyed my whole hair bleach blonde. For the last five or so years I have been dying the roots darker which has created a sort of ombre effect. I am now trying to grow out all virgin hair and I now also have three tones - the ashy lighter blonde roots, the warmer/darker dye and then the length is bleach blonde. So far I only have about two inches of new growth and maybe two or three inches of dark dye, and in most lights they are similar, so for now my plan is to leave it, but I will post update photos at some point.

Alex Lou
October 26th, 2015, 01:13 AM
When I didn't like my ombre (nasty yellowy color) I just dyed it over with a box dye 2 levels lighter than my natural. I think it turned out great and no one seems to know that my hair is dyed as my natural grows in.

meteor
October 26th, 2015, 09:00 AM
Welcome to the LHC, livinthemiddle!

I think many of us can relate to that. One thing I have to say right away: growing out gets much, much easier with time and will be a lot more "blended" and seamless the longer you wait. What may look like a bright contrast now will really fade into a more "sun-kissed" natural look later, partly because the pigments in toners/dyes wash out and partly because as your natural roots grow longer, the focus shifts away from demarcation, and almost everybody has somewhat lighter ends on very long hair anyway.
So if you can tolerate the color difference without "last time dyeing", your hair will thank you for it with greater shine and overall better condition. :D

But you can try toners in the brassy area and purple shampoos/conditioners. It's somewhat drying, but not damaging. You can use veggie deposit-only temporary dyes to help tone your hair or to temporarily give it another color you want.

Balayage and strategically placed highlights/lowlights would be a great option for specifically breaking up the demarcation line further (if the demarcation bothers you) to make regrowth easier. But it would be more damaging, since they will use peroxide for lightening. Ideally, I'd avoid any new peroxide/developer, just for the sake of the condition of the hair. You can ask the colorist just to tone your hair, but it will wash away after a while (try using cool/tepid water, protect from the sun and don't overwash to make the toner last longer), and you can tone again, if you feel like it, but chances are you'll have longer and longer roots and the ends will be blending in more nicely. :flower:

Sorry, if my reply is all over the place, but there are really many ways to approach it, depending on the look and upkeep you want. :)
In the meantime, try to use penetrating oils (e.g. coconut), good quality protein treatments and baby your hair as much as possible (protective styles, sleeping on silk/satin, using hats when it's sunny/windy, etc).



I think I'm in a similar situation. I am naturally a mousy/dark ask blonde and have always dyed my whole hair bleach blonde. For the last five or so years I have been dying the roots darker which has created a sort of ombre effect. I am now trying to grow out all virgin hair and I now also have three tones - the ashy lighter blonde roots, the warmer/darker dye and then the length is bleach blonde.

If the darker-colored roots are now in the mid-shaft section and the natural roots are a lot lighter (and that's the color you want to have now), color-removing products placed on that darker section can help: something like Color Oops / Color B4. But be aware that color removers can also be somewhat damaging or at least very drying. (More on this here: http://thebeautybrains.com/2015/08/does-hair-dye-removing-products-like-color-oops-really-work-episode-94/) Color removers like Color Oops / Color B4 will leave your natural pigment alone, but shrink the color molecules so one needs to clarify multiple times and really take a long time washing them out to prevent color molecules from re-oxidizing. Sometimes you may need to use that more than once.

Another thing to be aware of is, if there was any peroxide used in the dye to darken the roots, this area can reveal lightened base once the pigment is removed. It will still go with the whole ombre look, because your natural roots will be darker than the mid-shaft section (after color removal), but it may not be the exact shade you want! So *always* patch-test first! :pray:
I think helping that area fade darker dye faster with clarifying shampoos, not protecting it from the sun, etc can ultimately help fade that color over time with less damage.

Horrorpops
October 26th, 2015, 09:23 AM
Another potential option would be to cut off the ends to the point of the darker blond so there is only 2 colours in your hair... although this depends on how long tge light coloured ends are. In your OP you mention the ends are already quite damaged and feathery, and in my experience of growing out bleach sooner or later I had to bite the bullet and cut ends like that off -it always made my hair feel and look nice and healthy. It could be better than subjecting the delicate ends to more processing.

And if it could get you to a two-toned colour that a hairdresser could maybe blend with toner etc that would be a good option too! :o But then I am picturing maybe a few inches of the lightest colour, if its actually a lot more and you don't want to lose too much length (understandably) this might not be what you'd like :D

But that's just based on my experience, I am sure you'll find the right option for you in the end! :)

RavenRose
October 26th, 2015, 12:57 PM
I too am 3 toned- I have several inches of bleached out henna that is light orange, about 2-3 inches of pale yellow from a small amount of bleach overlay and dye that was supposed to blend my roots- but just lightened them instead, (despite what my hair dressers said I am not a 9A) and about 2" of dark ashy blonde roots. At least the bleached henna and yellow blend very nicely.

I am at the point where I won't do any other chemical treatments to my fragile hair, so I will stay 3 toned. I do have a purple toner shampoo I use once a week to tone down the orange. I would advise against the babylage if your hair is fragile, or very damaged already.

I am trying to keep some length since I can just get it to stay up at APL, So I am micro trimming about half of my growth every month. once I hit BSl I will stay there and microtrim a bit more every month to get rid of at least the old perm (about 4" on my ends) and thicken up the ends from breakage due to said perm/bleach/dye.

livinthemiddle
October 26th, 2015, 03:48 PM
This is exactly me, it's as if you just described my hair! I'm going to upload photos too, but I think I might just try the purple shampoo more, if not maybe a toner will help but otherwise I'm going to leave it alone

livinthemiddle
October 26th, 2015, 03:49 PM
Unfortunately the lighter blonde starts at about my ears so I'm not able to chop it all off without crying :/

livinthemiddle
October 26th, 2015, 03:54 PM
Welcome to the LHC, livinthemiddle!

I think many of us can relate to that. One thing I have to say right away: growing out gets much, much easier with time and will be a lot more "blended" and seamless the longer you wait. What may look like a bright contrast now will really fade into a more "sun-kissed" natural look later, partly because the pigments in toners/dyes wash out and partly because as your natural roots grow longer, the focus shifts away from demarcation, and almost everybody has somewhat lighter ends on very long hair anyway.
So if you can tolerate the color difference without "last time dyeing", your hair will thank you for it with greater shine and overall better condition. :D

But you can try toners in the brassy area and purple shampoos/conditioners. It's somewhat drying, but not damaging. You can use veggie deposit-only temporary dyes to help tone your hair or to temporarily give it another color you want.

Balayage and strategically placed highlights/lowlights would be a great option for specifically breaking up the demarcation line further (if the demarcation bothers you) to make regrowth easier. But it would be more damaging, since they will use peroxide for lightening. Ideally, I'd avoid any new peroxide/developer, just for the sake of the condition of the hair. You can ask the colorist just to tone your hair, but it will wash away after a while (try using cool/tepid water, protect from the sun and don't overwash to make the toner last longer), and you can tone again, if you feel like it, but chances are you'll have longer and longer roots and the ends will be blending in more nicely. :flower:

Sorry, if my reply is all over the place, but there are really many ways to approach it, depending on the look and upkeep you want. :)
In the meantime, try to use penetrating oils (e.g. coconut), good quality protein treatments and baby your hair as much as possible (protective styles, sleeping on silk/satin, using hats when it's sunny/windy, etc).




If the darker-colored roots are now in the mid-shaft section and the natural roots are a lot lighter (and that's the color you want to have now), color-removing products placed on that darker section can help: something like Color Oops / Color B4. But be aware that color removers can also be somewhat damaging or at least very drying. (More on this here: http://thebeautybrains.com/2015/08/does-hair-dye-removing-products-like-color-oops-really-work-episode-94/) Color removers like Color Oops / Color B4 will leave your natural pigment alone, but shrink the color molecules so one needs to clarify multiple times and really take a long time washing them out to prevent color molecules from re-oxidizing. Sometimes you may need to use that more than once.

Another thing to be aware of is, if there was any peroxide used in the dye to darken the roots, this area can reveal lightened base once the pigment is removed. It will still go with the whole ombre look, because your natural roots will be darker than the mid-shaft section (after color removal), but it may not be the exact shade you want! So *always* patch-test first! :pray:
I think helping that area fade darker dye faster with clarifying shampoos, not protecting it from the sun, etc can ultimately help fade that color over time with less damage.

Wow thank you so much for taking the time to give me so much info!!! I'll post pics later but I probably am being a little dramatic, in most pics or lighting you can't see all three colors THAT obviously (or if you can they look somewhat blended at least a little) so I think I will definitely refrain from dying it as my hair is quite fragile and brittle. I may try the toning because my hair dresser said he would do it for free with a hair trim (which I need regardless) so I may as well see how it looks temporarily after that since I don't think it's super damaging.
I have used coconut oil in the past and don't feel like it does a lot for my hair. I've read some posts on how to know when you need protein vs moisture and it seems like I need moisture because it is feathered and dry and thin at the ends, but it isn't like gummy or stretchy or anything weird like that... However the coconut oil and many moisturizes I have tried (high end, low end, all natural, etc) don't seem to bring much life back into my hair.. It is just frizzy and yuck. Do you have any suggestions? After this trim I won't be getting a bit chop hopefully until another trim right before summer but I'd love to not have to wear it in a twisted bun or braid all the time...

Thanks!!

Ingrid
October 26th, 2015, 04:09 PM
I've been growing out 3-toned hair for nearly 3 years now, and it does get easier. I dyed over it early in the process but the dye faded quickly and if I had to make the decision again I definitely wouldn't dye because it worsened already bad damage.

In regard to damaged hair needs, you probably need to clarify to remove shampoo/soap/product residue first, and then follow up with a protein treatment and seal the moisture with with oil (coconut works great) afterwards. In my experience gelatin treatments work fantastic in making my damaged hair feel more or less normal. They're also cheap and are (for my hair) more effective than most of the expensive, "specially formulated" treatments for damaged hair.

RavenRose
October 26th, 2015, 04:51 PM
In regard to damaged hair needs, you probably need to clarify to remove shampoo/soap/product residue first, and then follow up with a protein treatment and seal the moisture with with oil (coconut works great) afterwards. In my experience gelatin treatments work fantastic in making my damaged hair feel more or less normal. They're also cheap and are (for my hair) more effective than most of the expensive, "specially formulated" treatments for damaged hair.

This- so much^ you may find that some of the brassy tones are from build up! If you do have hard water I recommend a chelating/swimmers shampoo- they can remove mineral build up. plus the toner might work better.

Another option might be to use a deposit only dye (manic panic) as a toner- mix a bit in a conditioner?

My orange henna is about at my ears too- no way am I cutting it that short after just being able to get it to stay up reliably!

My hair builds up quite easily so I clarify at least monthly, and deep condition at least twice monthly, more in drier/cooler months.

There are many methods that can be used to help with the dryness. Pre-wash oilings, washing with conditioner only (CO), Wash- condition twice (WCC), leave-in-oil-cream (LOC).

I have been doing the last two WCC- with sulfate free shampoo on my scalp only (except weekly toner, and monthly clarify), first conditioner from ears down, and second heavier conditioner on my ends. Then LOC - a watered down conditioner as a leave in, and a small amount of coconut oil when slightly dry.
This method has been a big help!

livinthemiddle
October 26th, 2015, 07:20 PM
I've been growing out 3-toned hair for nearly 3 years now, and it does get easier. I dyed over it early in the process but the dye faded quickly and if I had to make the decision again I definitely wouldn't dye because it worsened already bad damage.

In regard to damaged hair needs, you probably need to clarify to remove shampoo/soap/product residue first, and then follow up with a protein treatment and seal the moisture with with oil (coconut works great) afterwards. In my experience gelatin treatments work fantastic in making my damaged hair feel more or less normal. They're also cheap and are (for my hair) more effective than most of the expensive, "specially formulated" treatments for damaged hair.

How long is your hair after you've been growing out the dye for 3 years? I'm nervous of the journey ahead of me being very long but I know there isn't much I can do other than pamper it back to health as much as possible! When you said to do a protein treatment (I have joico k pack restorative treatment) and then an oil treatment, what is your specific regime... Shampooing, protein treatment, then oil on wet hair and wash out in the morning? Also, any particular clarifying shampoo you recommend? Also, I've never heard of this gelatin treatment, I'll definitely look it up on here!! Sorry for so many questions!

Ingrid
October 26th, 2015, 08:24 PM
No worries about all the questions! :)

I last dyed my hair when it was APL (armpit length). I let it grow until it was a bit past waist, then trimmed back to waist, and have been micro-trimming 0,5cm every month since then, which meant growing and getting rid of most of the damage at the same time. 2 years, 10 months after the last dye my hair is now about 5cm away from TBL (tailbone length). You can see some pictures of what it looks like now in this thread about growing out dye: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=51155&page=761

I typically wash my hair with soap (shampoos irritate my scalp), then squeeze the water out ad prepare a gelatin treatment following the recipe from the Science-y blog (you can google it) with just gelatin and hot water. Then I apply it to my hair, leave it on for 3 minutes, and rinse off with warm water, followed by cold water to close off the hair cuticles. I then squeeze the water out and put it up in a towel for 15mins to get rid of most of the moisture, and after that apply about half a pea-sized amount of coconut oil from ends to about armpit length as a leave-in. I repeat the treatment once a month, sometimes once in two months, and sometimes apply a little more coconut oil on the ends in between. That's it.

I used baking soda and apple cider vinegar to clarify the first time and that did the trick for me. You might want to use a clarifying shampoo if you have a lot of product build-up. Lots of people have success with Aubrey Organics swimmers' shampoo but you'll be able to find lots of discussion on good clarifying/chelating shampoos on this forum. I haven't clarified since that first time and have no issues with build-up. The soap I use to wash my hair is very plain with no fancy additives and I find it doesn't really leave a residue on the hair.

I spent lots of time and money on trying both cheap and expensive products and honestly it was a waste. I've also tried various toners, manic panic and purple shampoos and conditioners and found that the effect doesn't really stick around on the damaged hair so for me it wasn't worth it in the end. This routine (especially the gelatin) is very cost-efficient AND it actually works for my hair. It's literally the only thing that made the ends feel close to normal and not like "synthetic".

I hope that helps!