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SunKissedBlonde
February 19th, 2010, 02:29 PM
Hi everyone! I just found this forum yesterday when I was searching for some answers to my hair problems.

My hair goes to the middle of my back and I have been bleaching it platinum blonde for about three years (my hair is naturally a very ashy dark blonde). My hair used to be very very thick, it's still pretty thick now but not as much.

Just in the past year I've been having problems with breakage. Near the crown of my head I had a significant amount of breakage. The hairs are close to chin length now and I hope to grow the clumps of short hairs all the way out. But my hair has been feeling very dry and weak lately. I've been using Ion 3 Step Emergency Hair Repair kit once or twice a week, could this be giving me more damage because I'm using it too often? I was told it would help my hair, which is pretty gummy when wet.

Does anyone have any advice for me?? I've been told I should use a protein treatment so I used an Ion protein treatment (from Sally Beauty) but I think it makes my hair worse. Do I need more moisture or protein? Or is there something else that will help?

If anyone knows of any good products that have worked for them, I'd love to hear it!

Thank you!! and sorry for the long post!

justgreen
February 19th, 2010, 02:42 PM
I think you need to do a good clarifying (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=687&highlight=clarify)shampoo wash, then try an all moisture conditioning treatment like SMT (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=128). You need to be giving your hair moisture (as in water, honey, natural stuff) every time you wash and especially after every bleaching.

Your broken ends sounds like whoever is doing your hair is bleaching down on the blonde part instead of roots only. You can use SMT as often as you'd like to. I mix mine different. I use 50% conditioner (one without silicones (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=2216)) and 50% honey. Honey is water soluble and will rinse out very easily.

ItalianFlower
February 19th, 2010, 02:52 PM
Well... are you still bleaching it?

BrightEyes7
February 19th, 2010, 03:16 PM
You're bleaching your hair platinum blonde. It is going to be dry. Period. The End.

If you want less breakage and dryness stop bleaching it. If you simply must bleach... I agree with JustGreen. Stick to the roots only.

How are you washing your hair? If you wash everyday, stop! And maybe start doing a CWC or CO wash. I just started doing the CWC wash and I have noticed a big difference. :sun:

I have heard other people saying that protein treatments simply don't work for their hair. Maybe it is the same for you. Try doing a deep condition once or twice a week.

Maybe you don't need to bleach at all. Have you ever tried putting lemon juice on your hair and sitting out in the sun? I had a friend who would do that on her dark blonde hair to get it platinum. It worked and she had such healthy hair.

Also lay off any heat styling!

funnyface
February 19th, 2010, 03:41 PM
I would say stop bleaching- cut off to a shoulder length bob and start your growing again. Bleach is really damaging to your hair and no matter how much good you try to do by putting the moisture back in, you will undo it like a hundred times over by bleaching it.

xxx

myotislucifugus
February 19th, 2010, 04:04 PM
I can't say I'm against bleach (it is your head), but it really isn't great for your hair, it is breaking it down. If you still want that color (or lack thereof) only bleach the roots. And do SMTs. And try oil. Really. There are a number of excellent resources here talking about oils. They can change your life.

However... If you want to go back to your natural color, may I suggest trying the two new natural shades from Manic Panic? They have a lot of helpful ingredients in terms of moisture, and they're lovely shades of brown. Should you choose to transition back to your natural color, those would be the gentlest ways to do it. They are a light and dark shade of brown, and very affordable and flattering. I've thought about diluting them in conditioner and using them as a color "pick me up" on days I feel a little blah about brown hair. (Or, go wild, Manic Panic makes some GORGEOUS alternative colors. I myself sported New Rose for a while. Glows under blacklight. Very funny in a microbiology lab that uses UV light)

Good luck.

SunKissedBlonde
February 19th, 2010, 04:08 PM
Thanks for all the responses! These have all been helpful! I dye my hair myself most of the time, and yes, I just do the roots.

I do usually wash my hair everyday, when I don't my roots get really greasy. I've started using Organix shampoo, which is sulfate and paraben free, which I hope can excuse my hair washing everyday. I will try doing an SMT treatment and CWC see how well that works :)

-BrightEyes7-, so Protein treatments don't work for some people? That's really good to know! I will probably stop doing any protein treatments for now.

Is there any kind of strengthening treatment that might work for me if the protein treatments don't work?

-funnyface- I'd like to try a few things before just cutting all my hair off :)

guccixx
February 19th, 2010, 04:12 PM
Ooh girl, you will always have damage with bleached hair but TOO much protein is a bad thing. I use protein leave-ins in my hair but maybe once a week. Too much and it gets even drier. Have you tried any hair oils? I like to sleep with some oil rubbed into my hair the night before and when I get up I shampoo and wash like regular.

justgreen
February 19th, 2010, 04:16 PM
Please don't cut your hair, that's definitely not the answer. If you are washing every day, try diluting you shampoo, even if you are using a sulphate free. I do. I use the new L'oreal Everpure and I dilute it. You get the same cleansing with diluted shampoo and you use far less shampoo in the process.

I've been bleaching/highlighting my hair for many years. The secret for me to moisturized hair might not work for everyone, you have to find your own recipes. I also use a spritzer made of 4 ounces of distilled water and a drop or two of jojoba oil. Somtimes I add a few drops of my favorite EO's, I like peppermint and orange blossom to name a couple. I also work conditioner through my damp hair.

Lemon juice and sun can damage just as bad.

SunKissedBlonde
February 19th, 2010, 04:18 PM
guccixx, I'm starting to think that the protein may be what's giving me this extra dryness lately!

I've done an oil treatment once, but my hair was so sticky afterwards I never planned on doing them again. What kind of oil do you use?

SunKissedBlonde
February 19th, 2010, 04:26 PM
Please don't cut your hair, that's definitely not the answer. If you are washing every day, try diluting you shampoo, even if you are using a sulphate free. I do. I use the new L'oreal Everpure and I dilute it. You get the same cleansing with diluted shampoo and you use far less shampoo in the process.

I've been bleaching/highlighting my hair for many years. The secret for me to moisturized hair might not work for everyone, you have to find your own recipes. I also use a spritzer made of 4 ounces of distilled water and a drop or two of jojoba oil. Somtimes I add a few drops of my favorite EO's, I like peppermint and orange blossom to name a couple. I also work conditioner through my damp hair.

Lemon juice and sun can damage just as bad.

Thank you so much for your advice!! I'm glad you don't think I need to cut it :)
I will definitely dilute my shampoos from now on! The spritzer with oil also sounds like a great idea. I have a bottle of hair oil that is a mix of olive oil, wheat germ oil, almond oil, and many more. Can I use that in a spritzer?

ademtce
February 19th, 2010, 04:29 PM
you're most likely getting breakage from bleach overlapping. for bleaching to platinum blonde the "cut off" for maintaining healthy hair and is shoulder length. anything beyond that gets quite frazzled because the hair is older and extremely susceptible to damage because of the bleaching and age.

if you plan to keep doing this, switch to an oil bleach. it helps prevent damage, and is much gentler in the lighting process. also get you self some wella indepth it helps with pH balance, and should be used after every chemical process.

justgreen
February 19th, 2010, 04:36 PM
Thank you so much for your advice!! I'm glad you don't think I need to cut it :)
I will definitely dilute my shampoos from now on! The spritzer with oil also sounds like a great idea. I have a bottle of hair oil that is a mix of olive oil, wheat germ oil, almond oil, and many more. Can I use that in a spritzer?


You want to be careful with the oils. The ingredient in the spritzer that is just as important is the water. Just like giving your face a healthy spritz of water is good for it. I would start slowly with your mixture of oils,just a drop or two in a small bottle of water.

I use an applicator bottle with a nozzle on it for my diluted shampoo. I put about 1 tablespoon of shampoo with around 4-5 ounces of warm water. Wet my hair well, shake up the bottle and all that lovely foam can be worked right down on your scalp. If you've applied conditioner to your damp length first, then the suds will slide over the conditioner and not affect your ends and length.

Also, you might try a final rinse (maybe once a month or so) of white vinegar/water. This will help correct the Ph of your scalp and also help with the oiliness. I used to have oily scalp and I can go 3-4 days now before my dark roots look oily against the blonde. I use about 1 tablespoon of white vinegar in 12 ounces of regular water. I just rinse it through my hair after conditioning. You can rinse it out if you want to. It will also help with shine and calming the cuticle. The reason blondes use white vinegar, the apple cider vinegar can cause a little darkening effect.

Hope that helps you a bit. There are several of us here who bleach and all of us have nice looking hair. The key is learning to be nice to your ends and moisture, moisture, moisture.

I need to post new pics, but just wanted to add that my hair is almost to the bottom of my butt. So I think it depends on how you take care of your hair , as to what the 'cut-off' for healthy and managable hair is.

Fractalsofhair
February 19th, 2010, 05:16 PM
With oils, I often use coconut oil, but olive oil can also be used. Both are pretty popular here. Use only a few drops to start. Also, if you aren't already, consider wearing your hair braided a lot, or in a bun. Definitely braid it while sleeping. That might help a bit with breakage. You may want to look into something called conditioner only washing,or CO washing, where you apply conditioner to the length of your hair and rinse it out instead of using shampoo. I would not suggest washing the length of your hair when you wash it, only the scalp.

Syaoransbear
February 19th, 2010, 05:30 PM
You DO NOT NEED TO CUT.

It's probably the protein that is making your hair dry. My hair is also dyed blonde from a dirty blonde and I also used to straighten and wash it everyday and it really hates protein. I've been soaking it in coconut oil for a few hours before I wash it (every second day) and a majority of the damage has been reversed in the last 6 months.

I'd also suggest getting your roots dyed at a hair dresser. Box dyes are harsher than the stuff they use. You should also try to reduce how often you wash your hair. Even if your roots are greasy the second day, oil is good for your hair, and eventually your scalp will stop producing so much oil anyway.

MissMandyElizab
February 19th, 2010, 05:36 PM
Hay i am so so sorry this is happening to you but......Stop bleaching if not it will get worse you could just do the roots but still ,i would some deep conditioning and the people here i have read gave you some great advice i hope you take it and let us know how it all turns out,

Yozhik
February 19th, 2010, 05:46 PM
I second coconut oil -- granted I don't know too much about handling dye-treated hair, but coconut oil did wonders for my ends! I also use a mixture of conditioner and honey that I coat my ends with for a while before I rinse it out. Hope that helps :) :flower:

christine1989
February 19th, 2010, 05:51 PM
All of those problems probobly stem from the long term use of bleach blonde dye. Even the mose expensive treatments will not fix your hair unless you stop dying your hair.

RaeRae87
February 19th, 2010, 06:09 PM
I used to have platinum blonde hair.I recently started over.It wasn't like I had to I just wanted to cause the constant root touch up and breakage here and there was bothering me.I'm wondering what level you are mixing with the bleach? If your using 30 vol is too high and if it overlaps that might be part of your problem.Washing your hair everyday isnt good try wearing it up when it gets oily so you don't wash it as much.Coconut oil is good I don't think it changed the health of my hair I think it did make it look and feel healthy though.

SunKissedBlonde
February 19th, 2010, 06:27 PM
Thanks for all the suggestions!

I want to clarify that I'm not having breakage problems now, it happened about a year ago. I'm currently growing those pieces out. I'm just looking for moisturizing and strengthening methods to help prevent any future breakage because my hair has felt weak lately.

prosperina
February 19th, 2010, 06:57 PM
When I bleached my hair I found it stayed nicer and I was able to grow it longer when I paid someone else to do the bleaching. Salon dyes were much less harsh then the one size fits all box dyes--and better too then me trying to play chemist and mix up the right concoction from what I bought at the beauty supply. Just a thought. It could be worth the money in the long run to let someone else deal with your color. :twocents:

RedButterfly
February 19th, 2010, 07:08 PM
Welcome to LHC!

I agree with Justgreen's advice.

It is possible to grow chemical-treated hair and have it look shiny and pretty with gentle care and moisturizing treatments.

Protein treatments should always be followed by a rich moisturizing conditioner to get the benefits of the treatment and keep hair moisturized. Protein can make hair crunchy and dry feeling if applied without a follow-up moisturizing conditioner or if applied too often.

Protein treatments are generally beneficial to color-treated and bleached hair. Once a month is probably all that you need. Of course, some people are sensitive to protein and it doesn't work as well. If you try the treatment with a follow-up moisturizer and still get bad results, you may be protein sensitive.