Attempting to Grow Out Natural Hair Color

[MsKafka]

Hey everyone! New user/long time lurker. Long story short (I'll probably post the full backstory since I'm sure people like reading a good hair disaster story), I had been using a bleaching spray on my hair for about 8 months and then I got a perm a month and a half ago which didn't take (if anything, it straighted my naturally wavy hair) and simply and utterly destroyed my hair, especially on the top half around the crown. (And no, I did not receive a refund or discount). Used the Aphogee treatment the next day but it didn't help much that I saw (probably did it wrong but at least it didn't make my hair worse). I went to another salon where the manager took over the appointment from the hair stylist, Cassi, I had made the appointment with, and she cut and thinned the crap out of my hair (except, ironically for the top half). So I went from Waist length hair to BSL in like 20 seconds and had poofy hair on top that transitioned to thin scraggly strands on bottom. She then put a toner/dye mix on my hair to try to correct the extra blonde patches and my hair went from strawberry blonde to reddish brown (about 3-4 shades darker than my natural color which is a dark ashy kind of blonde) even though I had specifcally told her that I didn't want a dark color and had even showed her a picture of my natural color. (Once I'm not so new with the site, I'll post pictures).

After going back to the second salon and having Cassi retrim my hair to a blunt cut (which is something I had also mentioned repeatedly to her manager the day prior) so it didn't look so jagged, I decided to go back to my natural hair color after spending the last year and a half messing up my hair with henna and bleaching spray. The thought of spending years and money to maintain a color that wasn't always guaranteed each time I got it done just feels...draining. As much as I didn't like how my dark golden blonde hair had naturally turned into an ashy dishwater blonde color over the years, at least it was thick and healthy. I currently have the BSL reddish brown hair and about a half inch of virgin roots (which is lighter than the rest of my hair). The damaged top half of my hair has been breaking off into 2-3 inch tufts and because I have to wear my hair up for work (basically, if the hair is long enough to be pulled back, it has to be pulled back into a ponytail or updo), I am getting it cut to a bob to better blend these short tufts. SO, here's my dilemma/options based on what I've been reading about from others in similar situations:

1) Use Color Oops on my hair to remove the gross reddish brown color, cut my hair to a bob, get frequent trims to maintain the length, and deal with the virgin hair vs dyed hair portions until all that's left is virgin hair (even though thinking about the obvious contrast in color makes me think it will look less professional at work).

2) Attempt to dye the rest of my hair as close to my natural color as possible and just grow it out with frequent trims.

3) Embrace a pixie cut for my round squareish chubby face which will definitely not look flattering on me, BUT will remove all the damaged and dyed parts of my hair.

I currently wash my hair 1-2 times a week with a clarifying shampoo followed by a conditioning or protein treatment that I leave on for either an hour or overnight. I use the Aphogee Keratin/Protein Spray on the top half of my hair and their Leave In Conditioner for the bottom half. I make two braids with my hair and lather the ends with coconut oil before putting it up in a very tiny braid bun (It's a miracle it holds).


TLDR:

Recommendations on growing out natural hair color again.

[lapushka]

Honestly? I would grow it out, and slowly microtrim; the microtrimming thread is around here somewhere. :flower:

I would not do a pixie cut, but slowly and steadily trim off the color to go back to your natural color, which is in essence what microtrimming is. You'll find lots of support in that thread, and also in the dye grow out thread. Have a look at Stray_mind there. She has grown quite a bit of her color out so far.

[MsKafka]

Trying to add some links to photos of my hair since I can't add attachments to my posts yet. Hopefully this works.

Natural Hair when it was Dark Golden Blonde:
https://m.imgur.com/YnBmoyC

Natural Hair when it turned a Darker Ashy Blonde:
https://m.imgur.com/ttgdePU

Henna/Bleaching Spray (about a year and a half's worth):
https://m.imgur.com/S9ow7Ec

Current State of Hair (Damaged, Reddish Brown, Top Half Mushy when Wet, Brittle when Dry):
https://m.imgur.com/jHrmeXT

[lapushka]

OMG your hair sure has suffered. I would pamper it, plenty of TLC, and nice deep conditioning treatments; let dry naturally as much as possible (a blow dryer on cool/warm is fine if you must). I would still grow it out slowly. I'll stick to what I wrote earlier. It's not *that* bad. I have been to worse places with my hair, and it recovered as well. :flower:

[MsKafka]

Do you have any deep conditioning treatments you recommend?? I've just been getting those hair masks from the store and trying a different one every 3-4 days (alternating between protein and moisturizer ones). Also, I don't actually own a blow dryer but the damaged mushy/brittle parts near the top take forever to dry and I've been debating on getting one (apparently there's cold air one's out there but wouldn't a fan do the trick as well?)

Sorry for rambling, I'm in a semi-desperate state of figuring out a plan to fix my hair. Thanks for the microtrimming tip btw!

[Jo Ann]

MsKafka, why are you using a clarifying shampoo so often? That could be causing a lot of your dryness. With your hair washing frequency, I'd suggest a different shampoo--maybe something non-SLS/SLES and moisturizing to get more moisture in your hair. Dry hair can be very prone to breakage.

How does your hair feel after a protein treatment? If it doesn't feel any better, and the breakage escalates, I'd ease up on that for a while--stick with moisturizing treatments/deep conditioning instead and see how your hair responds. Maybe hot oil treatments would be more beneficial for your hair instead of the protein treatments.

[Jo Ann]

Do you have any deep conditioning treatments you recommend?? I've just been getting those hair masks from the store and trying a different one every 3-4 days (alternating between protein and moisturizer ones). Also, I don't actually own a blow dryer but the damaged mushy/brittle parts near the top take forever to dry and I've been debating on getting one (apparently there's cold air one's out there but wouldn't a fan do the trick as well?)

Sorry for rambling, I'm in a semi-desperate state of figuring out a plan to fix my hair. Thanks for the microtrimming tip btw!

Shea Moisture's Strengthen and Grow line has a deep treatment mask--it works wonders for me (about 2/3 of my hair is bleached). Also, Garnier and Pantene have "damage erasing" conditioners that can work wonders!

Another possibility is using coconut oil or EVOO as a pre-poo oil and slopping a good bit of conditioner for about 30 minutes (to cut the oil without drying out your hair) to help make it easier to wash out can help.

A change in your hair care routine might work, too--try WCC for a few washes and see if that helps. I use Herbal Essences Hello Hydration conditioner as my second conditioner--works wonders!

Also, try a modified LOC/LCO (links in Lapushka's signature)--a leave-in conditioner, followed by a light oiling (coconut, EVOO, argan--whatever your hair likes) for a few washes and see if locking in that extra moisture makes a difference.

[MsKafka]

Shea Moisture's Strengthen and Grow line has a deep treatment mask--it works wonders for me (about 2/3 of my hair is bleached). Also, Garnier and Pantene have "damage erasing" conditioners that can work wonders!

Another possibility is using coconut oil or EVOO as a pre-poo oil and slopping a good bit of conditioner for about 30 minutes (to cut the oil without drying out your hair) to help make it easier to wash out can help.

A change in your hair care routine might work, too--try WCC for a few washes and see if that helps. I use Herbal Essences Hello Hydration conditioner as my second conditioner--works wonders!

Also, try a modified LOC/LCO (links in Lapushka's signature)--a leave-in conditioner, followed by a light oiling (coconut, EVOO, argan--whatever your hair likes) for a few washes and see if locking in that extra moisture makes a difference.

I'll definitely give that a try! I'm still new to the whole "good hair care" routine since I've spent most my life just straightening my hair and using whatever cheap smell good shampoo/conditioner was at the store. I've ditched heat styling tools the past couple of years but I'm working on what products to use (I had read that mushy hair needed protein so that's why I've been doing the protein packs and honestly the words "clarifying shampoo" sounded like "healthy and refreshing" so I didn't do research on it :oops:)

[Jo Ann]

MsKafka, clarifying shampoos are used to remove build-up from the hair. I also use clarifying shampoo to fade semi-permanent hair dyes and prep my hair for a new dye. I also use baby shampoo for the same reasons--and baby shampoo can be very drying.

When my hair feels like wet cardboard (after three bleach baths... :o ), I'll use a protein treatment if (and only if) a moisturizing treatment or my usual conditioning regimen doesn't make a difference. My hair hates protein, so for me to resort to a protein treatment (usually a conditioning pack) means my hair definitely needs it.

Hey, we've all been there. Live and learn :flower:

[illicitlizard]

Oh wow, that damage looks very substantial. I will agree though that you shouldn't go for a pixie unless you want to experience that hairstyle because short hair is a bugger to grow out! I also wouldn't do anything to the regrowth (personal preference) and just let it grow out healthily with lotsa microtrimming for the damage. If you don't cut it substantially shorter you can also just keep it up and out of the way as it grows out. I'm not particularly well versed in the best products to use but everyone else here seems to have that covered :)

[lapushka]

Do you have any deep conditioning treatments you recommend?? I've just been getting those hair masks from the store and trying a different one every 3-4 days (alternating between protein and moisturizer ones). Also, I don't actually own a blow dryer but the damaged mushy/brittle parts near the top take forever to dry and I've been debating on getting one (apparently there's cold air one's out there but wouldn't a fan do the trick as well?)

Sorry for rambling, I'm in a semi-desperate state of figuring out a plan to fix my hair. Thanks for the microtrimming tip btw!

I do recommend the ones by Garnier (Whole Blends in the US), they are nice, especially the olive and the honey one, but the other ones will do fine as well (like the avocado). Just pick a mask, it really won't matter what brand it's by. Even the dollar stores have *great* selections.

[Stray_mind]

I would grow it out while slowly trimming away the dyed hair. That way the only thing you will have to do is deal with the contrasting shades of your hair.


Dying over it could cause more damage and the color of your dye doesn't look that terrible.
Hang in there. :)

[lithostoic]

Your poor hair! Why clarify so often?? If I did that my hair would look as dry as yours. Use a moisturizing shampoo instead. Personally I chopped off as much as I felt comfortable with (to collarbone length) and let the rest of my damage grow out.

[2gaits]

I would use very gentle shampoo and myself, I would probably switch to using wen. It can be controversial but I find it gentle and moisturizing. As for cutting, I think I would not go shorter and just keep trimming a half inch every 5-6 weeks. Color, leave it alone. Trying yet another color over what has been done won't help. The color will fade and probably the line will become less noticeable as you grow out your natural hair. What you will notice is the healthy New growth versus the old damage. I would embrace braids and other updos. It will hide damage, color variations and be easier on your fragile hair. Good luck. Patience is key.

[elsiedeluxe]

For me, this amount of damage would mean that I wouldn't be enjoying my hair at all, until all the damage was cut off. I just have a very low tolerance for crispy/crunchy/fried hair. So, even though I'm clearly in the minority, I think I would buzz it back to virgin and go from there. However, obviously you have to embrace this look and it has to work for you and your life. For me, it would be such a relief to touch my head and feel healthy hair, it would be worth it. Just my two cents, obviously.

[lapushka]

For me, this amount of damage would mean that I wouldn't be enjoying my hair at all, until all the damage was cut off. I just have a very low tolerance for crispy/crunchy/fried hair. So, even though I'm clearly in the minority, I think I would buzz it back to virgin and go from there. However, obviously you have to embrace this look and it has to work for you and your life. For me, it would be such a relief to touch my head and feel healthy hair, it would be worth it. Just my two cents, obviously.

I think a buzz cut would be difficult in the workplace. She mentioned having to wear her hair up for work. When I did that at school everyone thought I had cancer and was sick and I had to explain it over and over again. So do be careful with that.

[_fred_]

It's really awful that your stylist's manager didn't listen to you, and I'm sorry you're in such a frustrating position.

As for what to do, I think it all depends on which you want more, length or condition. It doesn't look as though you'll enjoy having a pixie, and I get the impression a bob isn't your ideal, but you still have some length and a lot of thickness, and there's a lot you can do with that. You might already have seen it, but in case you haven't, nightshade's advice for repairing hair without cutting it all off is super useful (http://web.archive.org/web/20120125071723/http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=79).

I'm going to heartily second the suggestion of getting as much moisture into your hair as you can. For my (mostly bleached and in places triple processed) hair, I go for oiling after washing, and then I use Shea Moisture's Jamaican Black Castor Oil leave-in conditioner. I find it works especially well if I'm putting my hair into a braid or a bun when it's about 90% dry. My ends still get dry as the day goes on, so I use a moisturising spray to add some water back in. I've been using Gliss Liquid Silk, which has given good results. The thing I've found about adding moisture to dry ends is that it's not just a case of doing it once after a wash and leaving it, it's like skin, moisturising has to happen at least once a day, preferably more often (not the same for everyone, clearly, but it'd what I've found).

Masks, deep conditioning and oiling could also help (being wary of putting too much protein in there, unless it needs it). I have super frizzy hair by nature - even when it's healthy it can look dry and damaged - and I've found it really useful to wrap my hair to encourage it to dry smooth.

I don't know if these will be useful to you, but I'd say they're definitely worth a try. I wish you the very best of luck for the journey, and I hope you can find a way to deal with this that works for you and helps you to feel good about your hair again :blossom:

Sorry for the edits, btw! I must have pressed a keyboard shortcut by accident because it posted way too early.

[MsKafka]

So I put Color Oops in my hair the other night followed by an hour damaged hair repair mask. This morning I went and got my hair cut to Bob length and I asked for a dry cut so she wouldn't have to wash and blow dry the mushy parts. She somewhat trimmed the crunchy fried parts but told me that they would have to grow out more. She is hairstylist #3 (not counting #2's eccentric manager) and she's been cutting hair for about 38 years, super sweet, and I look forward to going back to her for regular trims. I might attempt to microtrim my hair next month but if it doesn't go well, I'll just go to her for some trims. Thinking I'll keep it this length until all the damage is off (about 6-7 inches before then) and hopefully by then the majority of my hair will be natural colored.

After Color Oops:
https://m.imgur.com/C7rYlPJ

After Dry Cut with Chi Oil:
https://m.imgur.com/8EKlyd3

[Jo Ann]

MsKafka, that is a much more flattering hairstyle for you than a pixie. The Color Oops and hair mask really made a difference!

Well done and what a great way to start your hair growth journey! :toast:

[ursaV]

Ouch, that is a lot of damage. I've one thousand percent been there though, and I think the Color Oops and cut did wonders for you. I went full pixie and it's been a long growing out process for me, so it's probably better you went for the bob. I'm just so all-or-nothing that when I decided the damaged needed to go, I had to do a huge chop. My advice is to just be gentle and patient with it. Lots of deep moisture treatments, and go for conditioners with -cones until the damage is gone. Good luck, your hair will be healthier than ever soon enough!

[LittleHealthy]

If you really want to ‘fix’ the hair, then dyeing it will not help, even if it’s to try and get back to your natural colour. The attempt might not work and to lighten your hair will only cause more damage.
I’d just hit the moisturising hair masks as hard as you can. Perhaps to mask your hair and then put it up in a bun or something, then the mask (oils etc) can help you with smoothing out any tufty bits poking out around the place?

In my avatar photo you can see my hair is half-and-half with a much regretted bleaching on the bottom half. I’ve only been growing it 1.5yrs so far but to get out of that damage cycle I think the only way is to really give up the dye completely, and focus more time and effort into taking care of the damaged section.

So it won’t take too long for you to grow out the damage, after a few months you may enjoy the dye demarcation line. I enjoy seeing mine as it’s an easy way to see how fast the hair is growing!

[LittleHealthy]

Oh and to add,
I agree on using a silicone conditioner on your damaged parts! It has saved the life of my hair to use silicone conditioners on my dyed section.

[DaughterOfDawn]

I feel your pain! In my teens, I grew out black permanent dye to return to my natural color of ashy dark blonde, quite similar to your natural color! Up-dos were my best friend, as the natural color of my hair showing as roots on a dark dye made me look like I was balding when my hair was parted and down. If I remember correctly, it took me just over a year to grow all the dye off into a virgin shoulder-length, shaggy, no-style style. It was not a fun time but 110% worth it!
Addressing your concern of not looking professional at work with two-toned hair, may I suggest wide headbands? They have lovely lace stretchy headbands at my local dollar store, 2 pack for $1 USD, and they are about 3" wide. It would hide your roots while keeping your hair back while looking pretty. Win-Win-Win?
My only other piece of advice may or may not be what you want to hear... but it is this:

If you want to grow out dye, at some point you have to stop using dye.

Dying/further chemical processing in preparation to grow out virgin is like finding yourself drunk on whiskey and drinking beer to sober up... it might seem like a reasonable idea at the time, but hindsight will show you that it made zero sense and just added to/continued your problem!
Growing out dye is not easy, but the appreciation you will have for your natural hair when it finally grows in to your liking will be beyond words, and you will definitely think twice about chemical processing in the future!
I wish you the absolute best in whatever you choose! Remember to enjoy the journey, for you will not be in this place (hair-wise or otherwise) forever!

[MsKafka]

Ok, update time. So, I've been getting regular trims and found (yet another and hopefully final) hairstylist named John. He has long vibrantly colored hair (nearly waist) and the biggest reason I like him is that he tells me "no" sometimes when I ask for a certain style (primarily when I asked if he could turn my short damaged tufts to look like bangs and he was like, "absolutely not" lol).

I've been washing my hair about every 7-9 days with a blue shampoo and conditioner followed by a moisturizing mask. Honestly, I feel like I could stretch that even further because my hair just seems so far gone that it sucks up any oils. I also apply a leave-in conditioner and argan oil to my roots every morning. My roots are finally growing out much longer (ok, barely over an inch in most parts, but still!) but for some reason, my hair looks even more orangey/brassy as my natural color grows out.

Side Note: I think it's kinda interesting that the roots towards my part in the front seem to grow out slow(barely 1/2 inch) but if I lift my hair by my ears, it's nearly 2 inches. Thought that was kinda weird.


https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=34134&d=1542593864

I've added a picture from my profile (no more imugr pics lol) to show some of the contrast.

ANYWAYS (back on track), I did decide to look for a toner/semi-permanent color to use on my hair to try to calm the orange down. Truthfully, I didn't want to, but the stark contrast is driving me nuts. I chose Clairol Natural Instincts (I wish I could say it was for some special well researched reason but it was available at Walmart for a low price) and decided to go with 6.5G Lightest Golden Brown since I felt it looked closest to my roots.


https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=34133&d=1542593864

I snipped off two chunks of my hair (the chunks may look like a lot but trust me, my hair is so thick it made zero difference to the overall appearance), one for testing and one as a control.

Right: original orangey/brassy hair
Left: After 15 minutes of Clairol Natural Instinct 6.5G

(Sorry about the lighting, it's absolutely horrible where I am)

I liked that result seemed subtle so I took the plunge. I first put a repair damage mask on my hair for about 20 minutes, rinsed it off and gently towel dried my hair. Then I followed the instructions from the box (mix #1 with #2, shake well, apply to hair). I did have about 1/5 of the bottle left because my hair is short and I felt like everything was thoroughly soaked and dosed with the stuff so hopefully it applied evenly. I let it sit for 15 minutes in a plastic shower cap (there wasn't one in my box, at least that I could tell, just gloves) and then rinsed it out. My hair felt weird (like washing synthetic hair on a doll or mannequin head) but once I applied a good palmful (box said quarter sized but I decided to rebel) of the provided Color Cream Conditioner, it instantly felt much better and still feels really really soft.


Currently, I am waiting for my hair to dry (it takes forrreevvverrr T_T) and praying that it comes ok.

[maborosi]

Sounds like you're on your way to growing out your natural color, hooray!

Have you considered a good protein mask in addition to your moisture mask? I use a combo of a protein mask + moisture any time I shampoo my hair, and the results are always really great.
You'll need to baby it a lot to get it to grow out so you can maintain with smaller trims. Years ago, I bleached my hair and was hitting it with tons of protein, moisture, and oils, and didn't lose too much length.

I, too am growing out ashy blonde hair, so I feel your pain lol. I am not looking forward to that root grow out once it gets noticeable. Right now, it blends pretty well with my more golden henna'd hair in most lightings, but in some lightings, the contrast is, well, kind of obvious.

Here's a picture I snapped of my root growth today. (https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=34126&d=1542549020)

Happy growing! :D

[MsKafka]

Sounds like you're on your way to growing out your natural color, hooray!

Have you considered a good protein mask in addition to your moisture mask? I use a combo of a protein mask + moisture any time I shampoo my hair, and the results are always really great.
You'll need to baby it a lot to get it to grow out so you can maintain with smaller trims. Years ago, I bleached my hair and was hitting it with tons of protein, moisture, and oils, and didn't lose too much length.

I, too am growing out ashy blonde hair, so I feel your pain lol. I am not looking forward to that root grow out once it gets noticeable. Right now, it blends pretty well with my more golden henna'd hair in most lightings, but in some lightings, the contrast is, well, kind of obvious.

Here's a picture I snapped of my root growth today. (https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=34126&d=1542549020)

Happy growing! :D

I do a protein mask about once a month now. I'm experimenting with the frequency of protein and moisturizer masks becuase I was doing too much protein in the beginning but not enough moisturizing so I'm trying to rebalance it out.

I absolutely am so jelaous that your hair seems to blend so nicely between your natural and color. Mine is about a few shades below as abrupt as bleach blonde to black roots lol (aka, really really obvious). your hair seems very healthy as well!

[Ylva]

I agree with many of the tips already given. My hair has substantial damage from about halfway down (I'm closing in on tailbone length) and my haircare routine is as follows. Maybe you can find some inspiration from it.

I usually wash my scalp and roots only. Right now I'm mostly using a sulfate shampoo that's on the gentler side (Natura Siberica Oblepikha Intensive Hydration Shampoo). Sometimes I use sulfate free shampoos. I never use a proper clarifying shampoo but rather just a regular sulfate shampoo to remove any buildup I may get. They are certainly very drying. My first conditioner is a hydrating and nourishing, silicone free conditioner. Once I've rinsed that out and towel-dried my hair, I apply my second conditioner, which currently is Herbal Essences Hello Hydration.

To leave the shower, I squeeze excess water out of my hair with my hands and proceed to squeeze it some more with a microfiber towel. My hair takes a long time to dry, but I do not use a blowdryer except on very special occasions when I really need to get my hair dry faster than it normally would dry (last time I did that was in late June for my grandmother's funeral).

I gently separate the clumps of wet hair using my fingers and apply a leave-in conditioner. Sometimes I take just a tiny bit of oil, rub that on my palms and apply it to my ends.

With the way your hair looks (and mine has been in worse condition), I would definitely try double conditioning. It can make a huge difference! So that's my main suggestion.