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View Full Version : To Dye or not to Dye



Synester
March 5th, 2017, 10:08 PM
I've dyed my hair every color you can think of from icy platinum to pitch black, back to platinum and then every color from red,blue,purple you name it.
I will admit, I abused the heck out of my hair not knowing what I was doing to it at the age of 12-19. My hair has been so fried in the past. I chopped almost all my hair off in 2011 at my ear length, and have been growing it back EVER since.

Now with my knowledge of what I know now, what dyes and bleach DOES to hair and how to properly take care of it. I ask myself, "Is it possible to have healthy DYED hair" Or is it impossible??
Can someone have healthy hair that is bleached or dyed fairly often? (please leave your thoughts on this)
I have been dye/bleach free for 2 years now in hopes of growing out all of my natural color. I am not far away from this goal. BUT knowing myself as being a hairdye junkie and loving bold fierce colors i am not sure if i will be dye or bleach free forever.

BUT The health of my hair "looking" and "feeling" good comes first.

in 2014 I was diagnosed with Androgenic Alopecia, and have since been recovering from losing a very large portion of my hair. My hair will always be slowly thinning but with proper care it has bounced back very well, my alopecia was the main reason i stopped dying my hair completely, to give it a "BREAK" But once my hair has regained its original strength I feel the urge to want to dye once again.
So please if anyone reads this give me your thoughts on opinions on hair dying/bleaching and maintaining a healthy mane of hair even if its chemically treated.

Reyesuela
March 5th, 2017, 10:23 PM
I love how DIFFERENT professional permanent dyes can make my hair.

But with just one treatment, the silk is gone forever.

My hair is normally so slick and nonporous that it's super obvious. I think with rougher hair, you can ignore the damage more. The thicker the strands, the more it can probably withstand it.

But there is no right or wrong on this. How much do you want colored hair vs maximum health? How long do you want to grow it vs its terminal length? How interested are you in how it looks vs how it feels?

Semi permanent and deposit only dyes are much safer but have more limits.

EDIT: Dyeing will do nothing to set you back, androgenic alopecia-wise. Don't worry about that. :)

Synester
March 5th, 2017, 10:44 PM
I am a natural level 7 light brown/blonde color and had pitch black hair, and i am ghostly pale. so the contrast in my scalp to my black strands + my light roots made my hairloss even worse looking at the crown of my hair. so i went back to my natural color and stopped dying. And my hair has bounced back so well. its very soft, but it was always SOFT. and I am just a sucker for wild colors. owning a wig just isn't the same and trust me ive tried. I am just wondering if it IS possible to maintain "healthy strong hair" that is color treated often, or is it utterly impossible is all. I have very very thin, fine, hair that breaks easily too. So im very cautious with it. and its naturally very smooth and slick just like you mentioned. Also having fried my hair in the past "lighter" colors show damage WAY easier. so if i ever did dye again i wouldnt go for a very light color thats for sure lol..

Reyesuela
March 5th, 2017, 11:52 PM
I meant that dyeing the length won't make the hair stop growing from the scalp. Traction alopecia is a thing, but dyeing/curling/drying/generally mistreating hair in other ways won't do that!

There are many people here who do semipermanent and deposit-only dyes to limit/avoid damage. Others choose more damaging dyes and temper their length goal accordingly. I stick with deposit myself--no damage, but my hair is darker every year. I have a few golden brown hairs in a halo around my face, but you see the color of the rest! So there's fewer choices for me now. :)

You will damage your hair. It's unavoidable. You get to choose how you do it and how much you can tolerate!

Aphra
March 6th, 2017, 04:10 AM
You can do limited crazy colours without bleach on light brown hair. Manic Panic Vampire Red for example shows well on my brown / grey mix (I admit the grey helped), and Directions Midnight Blue also showed really well (although you pay for the excellent dye intensity with a commensurate amount of colour bleed on pale neck lines, pillows, towels etc for about a week, and I don't guarantee it will all fade out - I still have some faded blue hanging around in some areas from Oct - but I did get the colour on the jar on darkish hair with no bleach).

ghanima
March 6th, 2017, 04:11 AM
What about henna or hendigo?

Obsidian
March 6th, 2017, 05:57 AM
Henna/hendigo isn't a good choice for someone who wants to change colors often. They are absolutely permanent and don't take on fun colors well. I found that out when I tried to do purple ends on my henna.

Bleach/permanent dyes will damage your hair, no way around that. If you absolutely must bleach at some point in the future, go to a good salon and make sure they use olaplex. Self bleaching is a great way to fry your hair.

It would be even better if you can find direct dyes that will give the color you want without having to bleach. The are some that work pretty good on darker hair.

Kae612
March 6th, 2017, 07:38 AM
Yeah, Obsidian sounds solid. I've been really impressed with how deposit dyes in "crazy" colour has stuck/showed up on my very dark brown, low porosity hair. Although I haven't experienced colour bleeding unless I'm washing my hair/it's wet. I think the dye doesn't last as long on hair that hasn't been bleached, and it's not vibrant, but I never would have predicted how cool it looks. I did notice more splits after the process, but less than like going swimming without a cap.

spidermom
March 6th, 2017, 09:28 AM
You can do limited crazy colours without bleach on light brown hair. Manic Panic Vampire Red for example shows well on my brown / grey mix (I admit the grey helped), and Directions Midnight Blue also showed really well (although you pay for the excellent dye intensity with a commensurate amount of colour bleed on pale neck lines, pillows, towels etc for about a week, and I don't guarantee it will all fade out - I still have some faded blue hanging around in some areas from Oct - but I did get the colour on the jar on darkish hair with no bleach).

This was my thought as well. The colors last longer if you use white vinegar in the water for the the first rinse. I would usually apply the color for several hours, then use a large pitcher of water/vinegar outside for the first rinse. That saved my shower area from lots of color splash, too.

arwenofgondor
March 6th, 2017, 03:24 PM
I feel I will be in your position in the future. I've officially called off all bleaching and dying as of last May, because for doing it for 4+ years my hair was TOAST and I really wanted to see my natural color again. I told myself once I have it to my goal length (waist) I would considering doing a color. Although going through this process has taught my that I don't want to go through it again. The waiting to have a head full of virgin hair that is my own. But this is up to you, and life is short!

I would consider using non-permanent rinse out dyes before you commit to a color. Color remover treatments aren't nice on your hair at all. Bleach obviously is the worst. If I were in your position and I wanted to maintain healthy hair, I'd experiment with wigs, or rinse out colors before taking the jump. Ultimately if the health of your hair "looking" and "feeling" good comes first, then I'd leave it be. I (and it sounds like you too) have learned this the hard way

Dark40
March 6th, 2017, 04:26 PM
I've dyed my hair every color you can think of from icy platinum to pitch black, back to platinum and then every color from red,blue,purple you name it.
I will admit, I abused the heck out of my hair not knowing what I was doing to it at the age of 12-19. My hair has been so fried in the past. I chopped almost all my hair off in 2011 at my ear length, and have been growing it back EVER since.

Now with my knowledge of what I know now, what dyes and bleach DOES to hair and how to properly take care of it. I ask myself, "Is it possible to have healthy DYED hair" Or is it impossible??
Can someone have healthy hair that is bleached or dyed fairly often? (please leave your thoughts on this)
I have been dye/bleach free for 2 years now in hopes of growing out all of my natural color. I am not far away from this goal. BUT knowing myself as being a hairdye junkie and loving bold fierce colors i am not sure if i will be dye or bleach free forever.

BUT The health of my hair "looking" and "feeling" good comes first.

in 2014 I was diagnosed with Androgenic Alopecia, and have since been recovering from losing a very large portion of my hair. My hair will always be slowly thinning but with proper care it has bounced back very well, my alopecia was the main reason i stopped dying my hair completely, to give it a "BREAK" But once my hair has regained its original strength I feel the urge to want to dye once again.
So please if anyone reads this give me your thoughts on opinions on hair dying/bleaching and maintaining a healthy mane of hair even if its chemically treated.

I've been in the same boat as you. Dyeing my hair all sorts of colors. From brown, red, blonde, black, and then platinum blonde. But over the years the condition or health of my was great. That's because I would always put it through deep conditioning treatments, hot oil treatments, and protein treatments. But I had decided while growing out my hair I am going to dye it, and it will only be the roots, and not the length. You should never put dye over dyed length.

Kellylee
March 6th, 2017, 04:50 PM
Depending on what color hair you have, you could try a colored conditioner. I use one from Chi and it makes my medium brown look really red/copper for 3-5 washes. It comes out completely, and they come in different hues.

Synester
March 6th, 2017, 08:00 PM
yeah I want hip length hair and its alittle bit PAST my brastrap length right now. I dyed my hair for about 10 years. bleach the whole works. Fried and chopped it all off due to lack of proper knowledge on what im doing and how to properly care for it. And i've tried wigs but its just not the same. I know down the road im going to reach a big dilemma. Because I love wild fun colors and indeed life is very short to not live your life to the fullest of your wants and desires lol.

Synester
March 6th, 2017, 08:01 PM
I will look into that, colored conditioner huh. sounds interesting. thankyou kellylee

ravenreed
March 6th, 2017, 08:07 PM
I dye my hair purple about every 6 weeks with Elumen. It is permanent but not at all damaging. I have naturally dark brown hair with silver "highlights," and while the purple is subtle indoors, it blazes outside. People go nuts for the color.

This is an old picture from when I was dyeing my hair red violet. It is currently more of a plum. However, it does show what the color looks like indoors. Elumen was a complete game changer for me. I couldn't be happier.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y139/ravenreed/2c8f6eb6-e212-45c5-81a7-81a94fb4d7e1.jpg (http://s4.photobucket.com/user/ravenreed/media/2c8f6eb6-e212-45c5-81a7-81a94fb4d7e1.jpg.html)

Synester
March 6th, 2017, 08:14 PM
Wow just googled some photos of the product used, looks amazing almost too good to be true, ill do some more research on it. and yes even on your much darker hair it looks very vibrant and nice! I used to have electric Orange hair a few years back (favorite color I've ever had) I feel like once you go some form of Red your heart never truly goes back lol! And Elumen had GORGEOUS red shades. Thankyou so much. this seems like a interesting option.

ravenreed
March 7th, 2017, 12:55 AM
I hope you enjoy Elumen as much as I have if you try it. Just be aware that it is very permanent. You can't bleach it out later. They have a product called Return that is supposed to remove the color, but only if you use it right away. I haven't given it a go so I can't say how well it works.

My routine is a little involved but it works for me: I use a clarifying shampoo but no conditioner. When my hair is dry I apply the dye. I use a bonnet attachment on my dryer and medium heat for about 15 minutes. I keep the dye on about another 20 - 30 minutes and then wash it out. I always use a vinegar rinse in my routine, and I think that helps set the color. I tried the Lock when I first started Elumen and it didn't affect anything one way or the other for me so I gave up on it. The Clean, however, is a must. It removes the stain from skin and counter tops. You will need lots. Lol! I have purple dye from one end of my bathroom to the other. That is the only downside, as far as I am concerned. It is very staining. I also get color bleed for a while, but I think that is pretty typical of these types of colors.


Wow just googled some photos of the product used, looks amazing almost too good to be true, ill do some more research on it. and yes even on your much darker hair it looks very vibrant and nice! I used to have electric Orange hair a few years back (favorite color I've ever had) I feel like once you go some form of Red your heart never truly goes back lol! And Elumen had GORGEOUS red shades. Thankyou so much. this seems like a interesting option.

_fred_
March 7th, 2017, 01:14 AM
I'm hoping that it's possible. Judging by what I've read I'm pretty sure it is, but you need to be super careful - which you clearly are :)

Right now my hair's pretty short (just below chin), but I'm growing it out and planning on keeping up the colour all the way. I put permanent dye on the roots, but that's all (blonde on the top, purple underneath). I use the permanent dyes as a base, and I use Directions and Adore diluted with conditioner to get a good range of colours on top of that.

My hair feels the best it's felt in many years, almost certainly because I'm only dying the roots and I'm learning to look after the ends (coconut oil etc.). I'm not dying the whole of my hair each time any more, which is what I used to do when I was only using permanent dye. Thankfully that was long enough ago that it's all been cut off by now.

I'd recommend checking out the bleaching section over on http://hairdyeforum.com/ (sorry if someone's already suggested this and I missed it!), as they have some really useful advice. Best of luck for your hair journey :)