I'm not dyeing my hair anymore

[bunnii]

Well, title says it, i've decided to stop dying my hair from medium dark blonde to black. I love having black hair but dying it has been worrying me for some time now.

I can't dye very often because it makes my head itch, so I know i'm allergic, but for years I just did it anyway, but after reading about that poor woman in another thread and reading some of the replies I know my reaction will get worse, and it has :( Last time I dyed was about 4 months ago (I put it off because the itching really gets to me, I dye maybe 3 times a year) and I had some swelling, it wasn't bad but I thought then 'do I really wanna be doing this?' and i've decided that no, I don't want to have a reaction so bad it could put my life at risk.

In between dyes I use molasses to darken the roots so they are less visable, so i'm going to carry on doing this and maybe try some coffee staining. I can't use honey to lighten the black as i'm allergic to that too :lol: so i'll just carry on with caring for the length any suggestions for lightening at all?

I'm also NOT cutting! I just told DBF I was going to grow it out and he was soooo worried about me cutting :D I'l just make it as dark as possible without chemicals, I won't get my beloved black but it'll be ok. I hope that makes sence, I want my hair dark but would like to lighten the length a bit so it doesn't look to dark and then i'll have 2 different colours in my hair....or I could just see how it goes :lol:

Anyhoo, a big THANK YOU LHC!!!! for once again helping me stop being a wally :flowers:

[Maddy25]

Your hair is allready beautiful but now if you let it grow in all natural it will be softer and healthier than ever!! Good luck!

[Nightshade]

Congratulations! I imagine that was a very freeing decision :)

Perhaps you could use ColorFix or ColorOops to pull some of the black out? I used to have black streaks in my hair and it took a few times, but they came out. You'll have lighter hair underneath that you can use a deposit-only toner, or one of those 24 washes colors on (and it won't have to touch your scalp.

For darkening, you could check out the Herbal Hair Dye article in my siggy. Sage and rosemary come to mind :) You could also ask Pilgrim, I know she got great dark coverage even on her whites, maybe with Raspberry Leaf? I can't remember, exactly.

ETA: What's a wally? :ponder:

[Tornerose]

Ooh happy growing out natural colour :D

[suicides_eve]

good Luck on your goals of not dying, it can be very hard especially when you've done it most of your life. I stayed virgin haired for about 2 years and succumbed to highlights during the summer...

[bunnii]

I was thinking of trying a colour corrector type thing, but am worried about my reaction to it if it touches my skin, the last reaction was super scary.

Herbal colouring sounds good, I keep meaning to try these things but never do :rolleyes:

Thanks Maddy25, i'm actually quite looking forward to being free of the dye-itch-grow out cycle

Nightshade - a wally is a nice way of saying idiot, I think it's a British term I feel it suits me alot :lol:

[Nightshade]

Ahhh, gotcha :inlove:

For the ColorFix thing, I was having the same reactions you were to dye and ColorFix didn't give me any problems. It contains different compounds, so while you should allergy test just because you're reacting to dye doesn't mean you'll react to the removed.

Even if it's just an idea you keep in your back pocket for if/when your two-tonedness starts driving you batty :)

ETA: Here's a few herbal rinses that may work. None of them contain henna or indigo. Walnut can be tricky, though, and you NEED to allergy test for that one.

Sage or Tag Alder Bark Rinse- Helps to deepen the hues of brunette hair, may help blend in grays.
1 handful sage herb
1 quart water
or
1 ounce tag alder bark
1 quart water
A sage rinse can be made by steeping a handful of the dried herb in a quart of boiling water for 30 minutes (longer, if you want a darker tint). Cool the infusion, strain it, and pour it through freshly shampooed hair 15 or more times. Then wait ten minutes before washing the liquid out with clear cool water. Because a sage rinse is a progressive dye, you'll have to apply it weekly until you produce the shade you want and then continue using it once a month to maintain that color.
Tag alder bark is another popular hair darkening botanical, but it generally produces a lighter tone than sage, so it's best when used to darken blond hair or to cover gray in locks that are light to medium brown. To make a tag alder rinse, simmer an ounce of bark chips in a quart of water for about half an hour then cool and use it exactly as you would the sage rinse.

Potato Rinse- Helps to deepen the hues of brown hair
1 unpeeled potato
Cook an unpeeled potato in boiling water. Cool slightly. Dip a pastry brush or cotton ball in the cooking water, cover and saturate hair, being careful not to get any on skin. Leave on hair for 20 minutes then rinse out.

Molasses Treatment- Helps tone down brassiness and highlights in brunettes.
1 TB molasses
20 oz. distilled water
Mix into a spray bottle and shake. Spray hair until damp and comb through hair. Let sit for a few hours, rinse.

[halo_tightens]

Sorry if I missed something in your original post but...

If you love having black hair and just want to get away from dyes, have you considered doing a two-step process with henna and indigo? That way you could still have very black hair without using harsh PPD-containing dyes!

[spidermom]

Maybe you could bend over to apply color fix to your dyed parts, leaving the roots alone. Like maybe you could lay across the bed with something under where your hair is hanging - something like that.

There's nothing wrong with two- or more-toned, either.

[bunnii]

Thinking about it i'm not sure colour oops is available in the UK, and yep 2 tone can look cool. I'm thinking about leaving it until my roots are completely to my shoulders and then looking at doing something.

I did look into henna indigo a while ago, but I can't afford the price of a load of it all at once :( also my mum was allergic to henna so I probably will be too, not definately, but probably :p

Also i'm just plain sick of dye-roots-dye-roots-dye-roots and so on

[rach]

your not a wally :grouphug: that's quite a brave decision and i hope it works out :D

re-henna / indigo you cold try out a skin test if it's at all a viable option , you never know? (i can provide mini samples if you interested?)

[RancheroTheBee]

I'm doing the same thing right now. I've been doing a semi-permanent on my roots every few months to make it blend a little more, and right now, it's a nice graduated look.

:) In any case, you're not alone in growing out the black.

[spidermom]

I understand. I'm all about the low maintenance myself. I've colored my hair a few times in the distant past, but I always quit and grew it out pretty quickly. I didn't hate the two-toned look half as much as I hated keeping up with roots.

[melikai]

Good luck with the growing out, bunnii! You'll find lots of support and ideas here - it is a long process, but definitely worth it!

[bunnii]

:o Rach I couldn't possibly ask you to do that, thank you very much for the offer though :flower:

I thought about it though and even if I wasn't allergic to it now, I could well be in the future. My skin has a nasty habit of geting horribly allergic to things i've been using for years :( Finding washing powder that doesn't make me itch is a nightmare... i'm getting muddled :lol: my point is if I use henna and indigo now and am not allergic to it it'll be great but.........If I do become allergic i'll have to go through the process of growing it out and right now I have 4 months of regrowth so i'm happy to stick it out now (I really hope that makes sence :) )

I think 2 toned would look quite nice as it will get more gradually darker on the ends, because of semi permanents that never washed out just faded to red black :D

[marikamt]

Sorry if I missed something in your original post but...

If you love having black hair and just want to get away from dyes, have you considered doing a two-step process with henna and indigo? That way you could still have very black hair without using harsh PPD-containing dyes!

I was wondering the same thing... I saw nightshade had already posted and I know she is far more knowledgeable than I am about this, maybe there is something I am missing????

[Bianca]

Good luck :)

[luluj]

Bunnii, you've made the right decision, any kind of allergic reaction is a sure sign to step back, take a break and just be kind to your hair......it will thank you in return! Growing out such dark hair dye will no doubt be "interesting" visually LOL!! I stopped dying my hair but unlike you I cut it to the quick and started over. That's why I'm a member of TLHC, I need all the support I can get to grow back my hair. Good for you for keeping your length!!!:blossom:

[klcqtee]

If you like your hair dark, but don't want to risk the chemical allergy, you could try indigo (I'm sure other have probably suggested this, but I'm just mentioning it in case someone else hasn't- I didn't read the whole thread, just your post).

Good luck growing out your hair! We have a growing out dye support thread: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=24075&page=9

[bunnii]

luluj - the last time I decided to get the black out was about 8 years ago and I DID have it all cut off, I look awful with a pixie, it's my big head :lol:

[Wicked Princess]

Out of curiosity, are you allergic to/have tried using a product like Manic Panic? I know they have a black color.

If you're dead set on having your virgin color, I say go for it. :) But it you're not quite ready to give up black hair, or forsee two-toned hair driving you nuts in the future, maybe Manic Panic is something to keep in mind?

I have extremely sensitive skin that seems to react badly to many permanent dyes (even my patch tests result in bad reactions that can stay for a week!)

[Arashi]

Please keep us updated on how it goes! I'm a natural blond who dyes her hair black, but I have toyed with the idea of growing out the black because I, too, am annoyed to pieces by having to keep up the roots. If it goes well for you, it may give me the courage to step away from the bottle some day, if I ever decide to do that. :) Either way, good luck!

[luluj]

luluj - the last time I decided to get the black out was about 8 years ago and I DID have it all cut off, I look awful with a pixie, it's my big head :lol:

:waving: Hi Bunni.......I hear you loud and clear LOL! I have a very high forehead and a square jawline. I cut my hair short in stages, but the final crop was very impulsive and I regretted the decision the moment it was all on the floor. I wish I had of kept some length. I cried all the way home from the salon. I am now loving my hair again! Stay the course and keep some length, for now anyway......you WILL have "those" days when the temptation to cut will call out..........LOL!!

[bunnii]

I think Stargazer semis might be ok, but semis don't wash out on me lol, so i'll give it a miss :D

Arashi - I already have a bit of growth and I really don't mind it all that much. But I have been doing mollasses soaks to try and keep the roots quite dark, so that's probably helping me to not notice it that much.


luluj - I've discovered my new best friend is the french braid, helps all the colours blend into one lol. I got a red streak going down the middle anyhoo, I think it might be all the EVOO I use, that's meant to fade colour :hmm:

klcqtee - thanks for the link i'll give that thread a read tomorrow when my eyes are more awake :D

[Brat]

I've read that clarifying and lots of oils and deep treatments can help color to fade more quickly. It does with mine anyway! Good luck, and the hair in your siggy is beautiful!

[Linda K]

Bunnii - I'm glad you decided to stop for now too. I was in your spot a few years ago. I finally gave it up (covering gray) when I had weeping burning blisters. Now, that being said: I didn't have that reaction going for foil weaves at the salon for the first year or so. (Blending colors after henna orange). Sick and tired of the expense and scalp issues - I finally quit totally a year ago. I'm growing out a color that was suppose to "fade out".

Your at an age when you can really have fun with the different colors yet. If people tend to think your younger than your age, you have a few more years but keep in mind at some point those dark colors are going to start looking harsh ...

The Color Oops: I thot someone mentioned it was very drying and possibly not worth the damage to your hair ... Not sure if that was here or on the Going Gray site.

I still have days when I think about it ...

All that being said - where is your family history with going silver? Early or later in life? Silvery snowy hair is fragile and dry - so keep that in mind when considering your goal and weighing options ... :D

[luluj]

Color Oops is definitely very harsh..........I wouldn't even consider it as an option.

[Mutinous]

Ah just wanted to pop in and say good luck, I'm growing out my hair dye as well, and its not that bad, once you learn to ignore the roots. I just invested in a hat as well :P

[detritus]

Color Oops is definitely very harsh..........I wouldn't even consider it as an option.

I dunno. I used it when I decided to stop dying. It didn't pull the henna out (does anything?) but it wasn't that bad. I was certainly drying and I needed to follow up with a deep conditioning treatment, but it's not in the same ballpark as bleach.

I know some people love the two-toned look, but I was really happy after I did the big chop and got rid of the old color. I maintained it at around chin-length until I had about 5-6 inches of new growth and then got it cut into a short shag. I definitely missed being able to pull it back but liked feeling like at least one of my goals--virgin hair--was accomplished. Good luck!

[SpinDance]

With all the suggestions and information here I'm sure you'll do fine growing out the color. I'm also growing out dye after having a reaction. Not as bad as yours, but when I finally figured out what had caused that itchy, hurting spot on my head that was all it took. My natural color is very dark blackish-brown, with lots of silver around the edges and some silver mixed throughout. It's funny to me to see the new growth coming in looking darker than the reddish toned part that had been colored.

Now I'm just waiting for the rest of the dye to come out of the white, and see what it looks like after 3 years of dye is gone!

[Nightshade]

I dunno, I used ColorFix on three separate occasions and there was as bit of dryness, but nothing a good soak in conditioner didn't fix. Nothing permanent :)

Oh, and the reason I didn't suggest a two-step henna/indigo is I was under the impression that bunni wanted to be done dying and was just trying to blend things a bit until she grew it out. If she still wants dark hair, it's an option though!

Just be REALLY sure to strand test. On blonde hair, when the indigo fades you're going to have ORANGE.

[Kiraela]

Oh, good luck Bunnii! It is definately not worth the risk to your health, if you're getting more and more allergic!

[MemSahib]

bunnii, I am so glad you are stopping what could be a very serious health issue for you. I am so horrified at all the reports I see about miserable, dangerous dye reactions, and black is supposed to be one of the worst. You have definitely made the right decision! And... I just know you will enjoy your natural color and texture once you give it a chance. Real hair is so soft and glossy. You may find yourself loving it!

[bunnii]

I'm not sure on when my family goes grey, my dad was well into his 50s when he went gray and my mum was 40ish, I hope I get gray like my pops (dad's dad) he had proper white hair :D I am mistaken for younger, which is a bother sometimes when buying a bottle of wine.

I'm thinking more and m ore that not sying is the way to go, when I think about the itch i've been getting for years and not thinking of quitting, it's scary. I didn't mention in my other posts that I only had the dye on for 10 minutes before I got that reaction, the instructions said to leave on for 30 minutes, and after I was done rinsing it out it was VERY black...It took as well in the 10 minutes as it would in 30 minutes, I think that was a huge factor in scaring me that the dye was so strong it could do its job in a third of the recommended time.

I'm going to try some coffee on my hair tomorrow, I just tried witha a small amount in very little water and added some conditioner, it made a thick paste so my plan is to make enough to cover my hair and leave it on for an hour tomorrow, so hopefully if it works that'll help with the transition.

thanks for all the encouragment :D