Does anyone color their hair?

[TXbarbie]

I go to the salon every 8 weeks to get highlights and a trim. I have to trim this often because my ends get VERY dry. Which confuses me because she's only highlighting my roots - is there a way to moisten my ends, or am I stuck with this routine due to coloring damage? :confused:

Currently I do a reconstructive mask 2 days after my hair is colored. I wash every other day, and it's kept down the majority of the time. I deep condition on weekends, but maybe I could deep condition more often?

Sorry for the newbie question, but losing 1/2 an inch of length that often has been bugging me!

[melrose1985]

I think you may have to try a lot of things out before you find what works for you. For a while i realized that coconut oil makes my hair nasty when i do over night treaments, but jojoba oil was wonderfull.

That's good that you are only doing the roots and not your whole head. You only wash every other day, but maybe try only washing the roots and conditioning the length.

This link is great for figuring out damage and what not. There is a lot of stuff in the articles you can start with.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=79

Oh and welcome to the boards!

[Isilme]

even if your oldest parts of your hair were only bleached once it's still very damaging and they can easily dry out. Does your hairdressed pull the bleach trough your hair the last minutes? That's a certain way to get more damage. I would advise you to deep condition whenever you can and keep your hair up with a hair friendly hairtoy.
Also, your user name has TX in it, I assume you live in Texas? Dry weather and lots of sun can wreck havoc even on virgin hair.
But bleaching and long hair can work together, you just have to be extra gentle and pay special attention to the condition:)

[TXbarbie]

Yes I'm from Texas :) Though it's still so cold here that I feel like we're up north or something.

And Melrose 1985 thanks for the welcome! I've been a lurker for a few weeks now and wanted to join in on the fun! And omg that link is frightening. I blow dry my hair every time I shower, and those hair follicles look awful. Yikes.

[spidermom]

I think I'm the only one who DOESN'T color her hair.

That's not true, but there's so much discussion about color on here that sometimes I feel like the odd one out.

[TXbarbie]

Well your hair is already a light blonde so you're off the hook :) When I was in 7th grade, my natural hair color turned a weird "ashy blonde" - it sort of looked greasy and just plain odd. I've been dying it a few shades lighter ever since.

But at least there are other people here who dye their hair as well. I was afraid that I was barring myself from having longer hair by keeping up with this routine.

[SimplyViki]

Hmm... Do your ends get dry right after the reconstructive mask? A lot of people's hair doesn't tolerate protein well, and a reconstructive mask would probably have protein in it. To counteract this, use something very moisturizing. Do a search for Snowymoon's Moisture Treatment, or SMT. That is a moisturizing mixture of conditioner, aloe, and honey. Many LHCers swear by it. Also, there is an article here describing how to diagnose what's wrong with your hair, I believe it's by Kirin. If you have trouble finding it (it's in the articles section, probably under hair care), I can find it and pull it up fro you.

Blow drying can be damaging, but I know of several members here who do it anyway. The key there is to be gentle, use low heat (if it's too hot for your skin, it's too hot for your hair), and use a wide-tooth comb until the hair is mostly dry, then switch to the paddlebrush when the hair is just slightly damp. (I don't blowdry, I'm far too lazy, but I'm just going by what I've read from those who do).

Oh, and welcome to LHC! :flower:

[spidermom]

My hair is getting so light because a lot of it has turned white from age.

Have you ever tried the K-Pak Joico Reconstructive conditioning treatment? My stylist tells me it provides both protein and moisture. She applies it to my hair about twice a year and the results are outstanding.

[HildeMV]

I color my hair with box dye, never henna. I don't think it damages my hair much, teh only time I chemically harmed my hair was by using bleach.

[TXbarbie]

I'm trying to give up the blow dryer and haven't used it yet this week. I just swear that my hair looks darker when I don't dry it, and it's frizzier, too. Plus I enjoy drying my hair in 20 minutes instead of air drying it for hours :)

I'll definitely look into that SMT, though!

[SimplyViki]

I'm trying to give up the blow dryer and haven't used it yet this week. I just swear that my hair looks darker when I don't dry it, and it's frizzier, too. Plus I enjoy drying my hair in 20 minutes instead of air drying it for hours :)

I'll definitely look into that SMT, though!
I don't like going around with a wet head, either, LOL. I like to dry my hair with a microfiber towel. I used to use a regular towel, but I recently bought a microfiber towel and I'm loving it (man, it can absorb a ton of water). It can be damaging to twist wet hair up into a towel turban, but I have a way of wrapping the hair up the same way, without actually twisting the hair inside the towel (just wrapping, instead). It only takes me about half an hour to an hour to dry it, after I've gotten it to just barely damp with the microfiber towel.

[TXbarbie]

How do you wrap it without wrapping up your hair? I'm definitely guilty of the towel turban :)

That might be a good thing to try out... where did you buy yours?

[Madame J]

Spidermom, I don't dye either. I've been tempted, but I'm definitely waiting till goal length before going there. Anyway, I kind of like my grays.

TXBarbie, are your ends split or show any sign of damage (dryness is not damage)? Because if they're just dry, you don't need to cut them off. Dryness can be helped with a moisture treatment, or even just leaving some conditioner on the ends of your wet hair while you shower and then rinsing lightly. That's what I do when my ends feel a little fried. If your hair dresser is the one telling you you need to cut them off, she might be mistaken, and you might try coating your ends with a little oil (coconut and argan can prevent peroxide damage) before going for a highlighting, so that when she rinses out the bleach, they're still nice and soft.

[Fractalsofhair]

If that's you in your profile picture, your hair is lovely, but it is very bleached(Unless your hair is VERY light naturally, like SpiderMom's, in which case, heavy highlighting might do that, but still, highlights are pretty strong.). Just switch to a high lift color, or just bleach(and a deposit only toner, without peroxide to take out brassy tones. They can often be found in a drugstore.)

I'd suggest using a leave in conditioner, not shampooing the length, but only the roots on a regular basis. You might even want to look into something called CO(conditioner only) washing to add moisture back. It's what I did when my hair was fried from some regular dye. Tons of people here do color their hair.

Not using a blowdrier can make your hair look darker, because it can bring out a slight wave pattern. It's not noticeable to most other people, unless your hair is quite curly and you blowdry it straight. Then there can be a slight difference, but still, not the sort of difference that will make people ask if you colored your hair.

Before blowdrying your hair, you might want to let it air dry gently in a towel for 20-30 minutes, until it's just barely damp, then use a blowdrier to make it dry.

I'd also suggest trying to wear your hair up, to avoid more damage. Good luck!

[SimplyViki]

I bought mine on Amazon.com, it's the Aquis brand. It's a nice, big, regular bath-towel size, so it easily covers all my hair.

As to how I wrap... hmm. It's hard to describe, it's not really complicated, but to actually describe it, uh... :confused: LOL! The key is to not twist the towel with the hair inside it, instead just to wrap the towel around the hair

Previous towel-turban routine:
1. Bend over at the waist, with head upside-down.
2. Wrap towel so it's essentially a tube around my head and hair.
3. Twist the tube until it's all twisted, and tuck the end underneath somewhere so it stays.

Current towel-turban routine:
1. Bend over at the waist, with head upside-down.
2. Drape the towel over my head, with the edge lined up with the nape of my neck.
3. Fold/wrap one end around my head, tucking it in between the other side of the towel and my head.
4. Wrap the other end around my head, but diagonally, so that it wraps downward along the length of my hair, until all the towel is wrapped neatly around the hair.
5. Tuck the end somewhere so it sorta stays.

:hmm: I'm not sure that made any sense at all, LOL I'm not the best at describing things. But really, the main thing is to wrap the towel around the hair, but not twist it.

[TXbarbie]

If that's you in your profile picture, your hair is lovely, but it is very bleached(Unless your hair is VERY light naturally, like SpiderMom's, in which case, heavy highlighting might do that, but still, highlights are pretty strong.). Just switch to a high lift color, or just bleach(and a deposit only toner, without peroxide to take out brassy tones. They can often be found in a drugstore.)

I'd suggest using a leave in conditioner, not shampooing the length, but only the roots on a regular basis. You might even want to look into something called CO(conditioner only) washing to add moisture back. It's what I did when my hair was fried from some regular dye. Tons of people here do color their hair.

Not using a blowdrier can make your hair look darker, because it can bring out a slight wave pattern. It's not noticeable to most other people, unless your hair is quite curly and you blowdry it straight. Then there can be a slight difference, but still, not the sort of difference that will make people ask if you colored your hair.

Before blowdrying your hair, you might want to let it air dry gently in a towel for 20-30 minutes, until it's just barely damp, then use a blowdrier to make it dry.

I'd also suggest trying to wear your hair up, to avoid more damage. Good luck!

Yes that's me in my profile picture... I was extremely tan since it was taken in October so my hair probably looks blonder than it is.

I've been testing the CO method since I read about it here. I'm using Nexxus for color treated hair and my hair is so silky smooth :)

But to answer another question - they're definitely split ends, not just dry. Before I get my hair treated again, the last inch or so is always a few shades lighter than the rest of the hair, since they're fried and totally damaged.

[TXbarbie]

I bought mine on Amazon.com, it's the Aquis brand. It's a nice, big, regular bath-towel size, so it easily covers all my hair.

As to how I wrap... hmm. It's hard to describe, it's not really complicated, but to actually describe it, uh... :confused: LOL! The key is to not twist the towel with the hair inside it, instead just to wrap the towel around the hair

Previous towel-turban routine:
1. Bend over at the waist, with head upside-down.
2. Wrap towel so it's essentially a tube around my head and hair.
3. Twist the tube until it's all twisted, and tuck the end underneath somewhere so it stays.

Current towel-turban routine:
1. Bend over at the waist, with head upside-down.
2. Drape the towel over my head, with the edge lined up with the nape of my neck.
3. Fold/wrap one end around my head, tucking it in between the other side of the towel and my head.
4. Wrap the other end around my head, but diagonally, so that it wraps downward along the length of my hair, until all the towel is wrapped neatly around the hair.
5. Tuck the end somewhere so it sorta stays.

:hmm: I'm not sure that made any sense at all, LOL I'm not the best at describing things. But really, the main thing is to wrap the towel around the hair, but not twist it.

Yeah that makes sense... though you're talking to a girl who can't even reach back and braid her own hair :D Anything that will cut down on dry time is worth a try though lol

[SimplyViki]

Yeah that makes sense... though you're talking to a girl who can't even reach back and braid her own hair :D Anything that will cut down on dry time is worth a try though lol
It works with a regular bath towel, too, but those are rougher and there's probably more potential for damage with those.

Well, I'm pretty decent at a braid, but the towel wrapping shouldn't be too difficult. If it sounds terribly complicated, blame my description, not the technique, LOL I'm probably making it sound more difficult than it is.

[BrightEyes]

Welcome to LHC!!:flower: It looks like we have very similar hairtypes, and color/care routines as well.

One thing that has really helped my ends has been stretching out my highlight touchups to every 4 months instead of every 2. And I always remind my stylist to only put bleach on my regrowth. This probably bugs her to no end, but oh well...lol. I still get the very ends trimmed every 2 months because it keeps the splits away and I don't have the time or patience to do S&D (search and destroy). And although I don't really like how slow it seems to make my hair growth, it does really help my ends stay nice for me, and it keeps my hemline blunt, which is what I like. :shrug: But you may be able to get away with less trimmings by simply oiling your ends.

I've recently been doing a heavy overnight oiling with coconut and argan oils (on the scalp as well as the length) before my color appointments. This has helped protect my hair from a lot of the peroxide damage, and my hair was a lot less dry afterwards. I know there is a thread about this somewhere.

Another thing that has really helped me is I've been trying to stretch my washings out. In the past I washed every other day, but now I try to go an extra day and my hair definitely seems less dry. The 3rd day has become my "pamper day". I oil my hair with coconut oil and put it up for the day. And this has helped me to cut down on how much I blow dry too. I've cut down to blow drying only once a week (if that) and that has made an amazing difference. From your hairtype it looks like your hair is already pretty straight. Do you absolutely "have" to blow dry every time you wash?

And last but not least, increasing the moisture treatments can be really beneficial as well. In the past I think I overloaded my hair with protein (trying to counteract the bleach) when in fact it needed a good balance of moisture and protein. What has been working is using a protein treatment only once or twice a month (I use Aveda Damage Remedy Treatment... I looove it), and doing overnight oilings at least once a week. I have yet to try an SMT, but I hear they are wonderful too.

Phew that was a lot!! Hope some of it helps.:)

[TXbarbie]

Welcome to LHC!!:flower: It looks like we have very similar hairtypes, and color/care routines as well.

One thing that has really helped my ends has been stretching out my highlight touchups to every 4 months instead of every 2. And I always remind my stylist to only put bleach on my regrowth. This probably bugs her to no end, but oh well...lol. I still get the very ends trimmed every 2 months because it keeps the splits away and I don't have the time or patience to do S&D (search and destroy). And although I don't really like how slow it seems to make my hair growth, it does really help my ends stay nice for me, and it keeps my hemline blunt, which is what I like. :shrug: But you may be able to get away with less trimmings by simply oiling your ends.

I've recently been doing a heavy overnight oiling with coconut and argan oils (on the scalp as well as the length) before my color appointments. This has helped protect my hair from a lot of the peroxide damage, and my hair was a lot less dry afterwards. I know there is a thread about this somewhere.

Another thing that has really helped me is I've been trying to stretch my washings out. In the past I washed every other day, but now I try to go an extra day and my hair definitely seems less dry. The 3rd day has become my "pamper day". I oil my hair with coconut oil and put it up for the day. And this has helped me to cut down on how much I blow dry too. I've cut down to blow drying only once a week (if that) and that has made an amazing difference. From your hairtype it looks like your hair is already pretty straight. Do you absolutely "have" to blow dry every time you wash?

And last but not least, increasing the moisture treatments can be really beneficial as well. In the past I think I overloaded my hair with protein (trying to counteract the bleach) when in fact it needed a good balance of moisture and protein. What has been working is using a protein treatment only once or twice a month (I use Aveda Damage Remedy Treatment... I looove it), and doing overnight oilings at least once a week. I have yet to try an SMT, but I hear they are wonderful too.

Phew that was a lot!! Hope some of it helps.:)

I've been cutting down on blowdrying... it's just such a naughty habit. My hair will blowdry so straight that it looks as though I used a flat iron, but when it air dries it has a tiny bit of wave in it that drives me nuts. But that's probably the biggest amount of heat damage that I do to my hair, so I'm trying to be better about it.

But I definitely think we have the same type of hair - I only do a protein treatment whenever I get my highlights done and my hair is NOT a fan. I'm doing more deep conditioning and it seems my hair can't get enough of it. I have yet to try an overnight conditioning, but it may be something that I'll have to look into :)

Thanks!

[BrightEyes]

I've been cutting down on blowdrying... it's just such a naughty habit. My hair will blowdry so straight that it looks as though I used a flat iron, but when it air dries it has a tiny bit of wave in it that drives me nuts. But that's probably the biggest amount of heat damage that I do to my hair, so I'm trying to be better about it.

But I definitely think we have the same type of hair - I only do a protein treatment whenever I get my highlights done and my hair is NOT a fan. I'm doing more deep conditioning and it seems my hair can't get enough of it. I have yet to try an overnight conditioning, but it may be something that I'll have to look into :)

Thanks!

Your welcome!

When my hair air dries it has a weird wave too. I've been trying to work with it and enhance it. Some days it looks great, but other days it ends up looking awful and it becomes a pony tail day.

By the way, you have beautiful hair.

[spidermom]

When I blow-dry mine, I never use hot. I use warm at my scalp and cool for my length. I also use a shower comb to hold the strand I'm working on out, but I never use a brush and pull at it, which stretches and weakens wet hair. I don't think this is damaging, although my hair still splits so maybe I'm deluding myself.

[Cherry_Sprinkle]

I color and henna gloss my hair... :) I highlight about once per year.. I used to do it twice but I don't think I need to do it that often anymore.. the henna/cassia mix gives me a lot of gloss so it looks lighter :) I don't really have any damage.. but when I often S&D and I use catnip soaks and conditioning balms on my hair all the time.

[BrightEyes7]

Try protective up-do's.

This helped me soooo much. I was just like you. Blowdryer/straightener junky!!! Then I stopped and my hair is so much better.

I know it sucks letting your hair air dry but after a while the difference is amazing. My hair takes 4-5 hours to dry depending on the weather!! But it is so much softer since I retired my blowfryer!!

Also are you brushing your wet hair? Stick to a wide tooth comb while wet. Hair is most delicate when wet.

Bleach is very drying but keep a protective routine going and you can keep your locks blonde!!

ETA: I use chemical color. But I baby my hair so it doesn't dry it out!!

[Curlsgirl]

I also get highlights every 2 months only on the roots. Mine tends to get dry too especially this time of year. I like EVOO a LOT in the winter though I use coconut oil in the summer. Another thing I cannot do without is a good moisturizing leave-in conditioner. I concentrate it especially on the last few inches. With a little practice you will know just how much your hair needs. I do blow dry too some but I hardly ever wash more than once a week so that cuts down on the damage from that too. Your hair is really pretty by the way!

[justgreen]

Welcome to the boards.

LIke some of the others stated, SMT is a hairsaver, it saved my hair almost five years ago. I still use it once in a while, like after I get my roots highlighted. I have very dark brown hair and bleach it out to almost platinum and golden. You can look at my profile and see a pic of the difference in hair color. I just trimmed about 3" off this week, but my hair is still very long, right at my BC (b**t crack), it grows in a gentle 'U' shape. I'm going for another trim next week, with highlights done. This will be my first hair trim, other than the little trims I do myself, in over two years.

I've been using the new L'oreal Everpure that is sulphate free and I'm liking it . I'm loving the conditioner, I even use it as a leave-in.

My other faves are Nature's Gate Original Herbal (light sulphate) Shampoo and Conditioner and Trader Joes citrus Conditioner. My Holy Grail conditioner is Sebastion Volume which has been discontinued and I have to find it online.

If you have questions be sure to ask them over on the Mane forum and you'll get tones more help.
justy
xoxo

[PearlyCurly]

I color my hair with box dye, sometimes i feel bad for my hair because i know it is a strong chemical:(

Anyway, i think you should kick up your DCing. Maybe even putting extra conditioner on your ends when you wash. Co-washing could help.
Have you tried jojoba oil on your ends?? Have you tried baggying(sp?) your ends with different oils?? Also theres a BIG thread about catnip for split ends/dry ends.

[Crazycatlady]

Don't know if anyone's mentioned this yet, but I believe it was FrannyG who said we might want to microwave honey for 10 seconds (I think that's how long) before you use it, as it can have a peroxide effect on your hair. But I guess that may be desired by some without chemical color already. I read this on her hairstyle & haircare site. :)

[Holly9192]

I got highlights this past summer (about 6 months ago) and have gotten 2-3 trims since then without re-highlighting and my ends are STILL weak/damaged from the highlights. I'm never highlighting again...

[TXbarbie]

Try protective up-do's.

This helped me soooo much. I was just like you. Blowdryer/straightener junky!!! Then I stopped and my hair is so much better.

I know it sucks letting your hair air dry but after a while the difference is amazing. My hair takes 4-5 hours to dry depending on the weather!! But it is so much softer since I retired my blowfryer!!

Also are you brushing your wet hair? Stick to a wide tooth comb while wet. Hair is most delicate when wet.

Bleach is very drying but keep a protective routine going and you can keep your locks blonde!!

ETA: I use chemical color. But I baby my hair so it doesn't dry it out!!

No I pretty much always use a wide-toothed comb... I really only brush my hair if I'm going out. Which hasn't happened yet this semester lol

I'm going to see if CO'ing and nixing the blow dryer helps a little bit. I know I should probably have my hair up more (always getting it caught in my car door and my tote for class) but it's soo hard - I think I have the longest hair in my sorority so gotta show it off :P

At least I'm not the only one who colors my hair! That gives me a little bit of hope that I can get it longer without giving up that guilty pleasure!

[Fractalsofhair]

You can wear your hair down in a braid, still showing off the length, without getting it as damaged!

[SurprisingWoman]

I obviously don't color, although if you look in my album you will see a waist length pic of when I did color. It was great and on certain days I miss it.

Have you seen any posts by Eric? I think he is the coloring king.

No worries, what works for you works for all of us. There are no "always" rules on LHC.