Is having long dyed hair realistic?

[Aleria]

Well, about a week ago, my mom helped me redye my hair black, this time with a permanent dye. Afterwards, she said "I hope you'll give your hair a rest after this. You know you're going to have to cut that dye out, it won't fade."
The thing is... my hair's been semi-permanent black for a couple years now, and I love it black. Yes my natural colour is pretty, but I feel much more comfortable with black as my base colour (I also have three turquoise streaks on one side).

My hair is not overly damaged, I went a year without a trim and even then my ends were only "crunchy" not split. It's soft and while not always easily manageable, I like it this way.
However, I've been wondering lately if she was right: is wanting to have long hair in the colour I prefer unrealistic? Are there any other LHC'ers who have been chemical-dyeing their hair for a long-ish period of time and haven't experienced growth issues?
I thought about switching to indigo, but that requires henna+indigo and I've read that the indigo can fade out, leaving your hair reddish, which I don't want.
For the record: natural (http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h318/Kylarra_CatClaws/n1521463908_30178573_7138.jpg) vs dyed (http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h318/Kylarra_CatClaws/DSC04402.jpg) (and straightened, an unusual occurrence. It's a cosplay photo )

[Deelight]

I'm interested to hear what other say too.:drama:

[spidermom]

We have a number of members with dyed hair, also bleached. I don't know of any with terminal length hair that is extraordinarily long, however. I know there is one member who uses Sun-In and is currently at knee length.

[Isilme]

No, it's not impossible to have long hair and dye it. What you can do is to colour your roots only, without doing only the roots having long hair may be more difficult.

As long as you care for you hair a little bit extra you can have lovely dyed hair!

[Dreams_in_Pink]

That depends on the strength of hair and how much damage dye does. I've seen many bottle blondes with past BSL hair (there's also ladylonglocks who has calf-length hair that she bleaches with sun-in!)

[virgo75]

I think it depends on the dye itself.
Some are more damaging than others.

I don't think going a shade or 2 darker would cause so much damage that your hair would not be able to maintain length. As far as I know darker colors tend to deposit color more rather than strip your hair. Bleaching and lightening requires harsher chemicals to lift the pigment from your hair to deposit a lighter color.

I know my hair at its longest (past waist, but shorter than hip) was straightened and dyed. :shrug: I only started cutting it from that length because I didn't feel like taking care of it anymore.

However, bleaching may be too much stress on the hair. Especially if you have to do a 2 step process to get to blonde.

Hope that helps. :flower:

[Joliebaby]

I think it depends on your hair type more than anything, as well as how you treat your hair in general. Also it helps to only dye the roots and perhaps refresh the color at ends much less frequently. Also helps with color build-up problems which might lead to very dull matte hair.
Your hair type seems thick and resilient, so with some precautions you could possibly grow your dyed hair very long.

[Anje]

I think going black and long is a lot easier than going bleached-blond and long. You have the option to use deposit-only colors if you wish, which can be a lot less harsh on the hair, if a bit less permanent.

I don't know a lot about dye brands, but if you want something other than henna+indigo for black, both Special Effects and Manic Panic make black, which shouldn't be the least bit harmful to your hair.

[invisiblebabe]

Depends how long you want to go and what kind of dye you are using. Bleach or highlights are harder to keep long without damage than henna or chemical dye that is darker than your natural color.

BSL hair that is dyed/highlighted is reasonable and fairly easy to maintain, provided you condition it and don't heat style it much. I have BSL hair now that has chunky light blonde highlights in the top layer, and I don't intend to stop coloring it!

Waist length, dyed, healthy hair is a bit trickier, but could be doable depending on your hair type. I've done it but at least for my hair type, it is very hard to make it still look thick at the ends.

In middle school and high school, I had classic length hair that I dyed. It was easy when I did deposit-only, semipermanent colors, but full highlights in it were a bit much for it and made it thin/break off some. (I do partial highlights in my BSL hair now)

Hennaed long hair is very doable, there are lots of people on the boards who have it!

[Aleria]

Thanks for the replies everyone!



I don't know a lot about dye brands, but if you want something other than henna+indigo for black, both Special Effects and Manic Panic make black, which shouldn't be the least bit harmful to your hair.
I had thought about it, however, not only do these types of dyes bleed, which would make having my streaks difficult, they apparently don't often look really black, but sort of greenish.
At least so I've heard, from others who used them. This is why I continued with the chemical dyes, since they didn't seem to be too damaging. Even my bleached + Special Effects streaks don't seem damaged, so maybe I just have resilient hair?

[Medievalmaniac]

Two words for you: Jane Seymour. :)She has publicly spoken about the fact that she has been dying her hair for a long time now- she even did commercials for Clairol for a while.

As long as you aren't frying it with a blow dryer, hot iron, curling iron, and bleach, a bit of dye every once in a while won't hurt, and as others have said since you are going darker, not lighter, it's not as damaging, and you can certainly do roots only.

[BlackfootHair]

I use a demi permanent color since the ammonia in permanent color tends to make my head burn. My hair feels just fine. I also like using demi because it uses less peroxide, which means less red that will show through from pulling my natural undertones.

I think that if you take care of your hair it will be fine.

No one in my family really likes black hair on me, and I get tons of compliments on it elsewhere! I've even had people tell me it looks natural on me. Do what you want with your hair. It is on your head, after all. :)

ETA: I just ordered some Elumen to try. It's a liquid but it's permanent. I'm anxious to try it! :D

[kwaniesiam]

Going darker is much easier on your hair than going lighter. I'd recommend switching over to a professional color rather than a box dye from the drug store, but it is definitely possible to have long, chemically colored hair.

[error]

Lemme show you somethin! Here is my natural hair color http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g309/deathORdie/realhaircolor-1.jpg and here is my dyed for YEARS hair color. http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g309/deathORdie/100E4576-1.jpg and I can assure you it is still growing like a monster, the ends are not at all crunchy. I am very sure if i never dyed it , it would be way healthier way stronger and probably thicker too but , I really adore black hair as well and so far its fine!

[RadiantNeedle]

I've had hip and tailbown length hair in mostly blue-black with blue an purple streaks. My hair got a bit frazzled from the bleaching but I used to get tons of compliments all the time. The downside? I did it myself, and it took forever. Huge pain in the butt!
My hair loss is due to the shampoos I've been using, I believe, because it continued even when I had 6" inches of virgin after deciding to leave the dye alone. Yes, you're going to damage your hair to some extent using dyes, and some more regular trims might be required. If you're using a colour that just needs root-retouching that makes it easier to avoid damage.

I used to say 'man, my hair is a champ, I can dye it to hell and back and I don't get split ends or tangles!' Then I realised I'd also been cutting my hair (did all my own cutting too) fairly regularly and trimming OFF the damage... Ooops!

[sibylla]

I have thick brown hair to beguin with.I´ve been dying and hennaing and bleaching my hair from black to red to platinum blond and back again for 24 years.My hair is a little thinner but still thick.I´ve never gone to a hairdresser.I think that the products you can buy at the supermarket are milder than the stuff your hairdresser use.I regret that I bleached my hair so many times because my parting is longer than it normally would be.Four years of oiling, trying to avoid cones,throwing away metal hair barettes and massaging my scalp every night has made my hair a bit thicker and very healthy.I have no split ends today.
I think the original hair quality decides and not using saloon products.And that´s my :twocents:

[RadiantNeedle]

Tailbown? What? >.<' I've been awake way too long, reading this forum. @_@
And 6", not '6"inches'! Superfluous! And Virgin hair! Oh dear, 6" of virgin...
*takes mind out of the gutter and flings self into bed*

[Aleria]

Going darker is much easier on your hair than going lighter. I'd recommend switching over to a professional color rather than a box dye from the drug store, but it is definitely possible to have long, chemically colored hair.
What is the actual difference between box dye and salon dye? I had my hair dyed at a salon once, didn't enjoy it much. She gave me a brown-black when I had wanted blue-black, and I'm 90&#37; sure there were some spots she missed.
Plus the cost of salons is just ridiculous.


Lemme show you somethin! Here is my natural hair color
-snipped pictures-
and here is my dyed for YEARS hair color. and I can assure you it is still growing like a monster, the ends are not at all crunchy. I am very sure if i never dyed it , it would be way healthier way stronger and probably thicker too but , I really adore black hair as well and so far its fine!
Thank you for sharing that! Your hair looks amazing. Do you do roots only?



I used to say 'man, my hair is a champ, I can dye it to hell and back and I don't get split ends or tangles!' Then I realised I'd also been cutting my hair (did all my own cutting too) fairly regularly and trimming OFF the damage... Ooops!
I would have thought that, if not for the fact that I went for a full year growing out, no trims, during which I semi-perma dyed it twice, and bleached the streaks in. It didn't get crunchy until summer hit, and I still couldn't see any splits. Even after this I only got a two inch trim and it's back to being happy and soft. And my hair is super tangly! I just learnt to not comb when it's dry, since I'm a wavy it works a lot better. I fingercomb and it looks neat enough.

[error]

Actually before lhc i was not doing roots only although i do not have to dye the length of my hair , black dye really does not wash out , EVER! So for god dozens of times I would dye the full length of my hair , I have to say tho it has been YEARS since I have seen my natural color and , it is not light blond anymore its in fact really dark with copper blond , even reds going through it , i probably have four inches of virgin hair now , I been too lazy to figure out what I wanna do about it , i been looking into indigo ! I hear such fantastic things about it!

[slz]

No part of my beyond knee hair sports its natural colour - actually, I don't even remember what my natural colour looks like, except than now on the front part I've got more whites than not. I used to chemically dye it (near black brown), then last december I switched to two step henndigo because even the supposedly mildest dye burnt my scalp more each time. But not because of any damage to the hair itself, since I just did roots with permanent dye, each part of each hair only saw some dye once in its life, twice at most if you consider there was some overlap on the roots. At present, all of my length has been chemically dyed and although it might have been stronger without it, I can't say there's any noticeable damage.
Latest length shot :

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=2389&pictureid=78874

As it has already been said, it's quite easy since you dye darker : you don't have to bleach, and you don't have to repeat other than on the roots.

[DiablitaNoir]

I've been dyeing my hair for 17 1/2 years and currently it is just past BSL. I admit I do have some split ends and crunchiness at the ends but years ago I also used to bleach my hair for a while, which is really harsh. Going darker is much less hard on your hair, as others have said. That being said, despite the split ends and minor damage I have, my hair still grows like crazy and I'm getting closer and closer to my goal without a problem!

[kwaniesiam]

What is the actual difference between box dye and salon dye? I had my hair dyed at a salon once, didn't enjoy it much. She gave me a brown-black when I had wanted blue-black, and I'm 90% sure there were some spots she missed.
Plus the cost of salons is just ridiculous.


Box dyes usually have a higher level of peroxide developer which is much more damaging. 30-40 volume is common for box color regardless of the shade. You can get your own color tubes and developer at a place like Sally's, always use 10 volume developer and read the manufacturer's instructions when going that much darker. It's less damaging and deposit-only, rather than both lifting and depositing which higher volumes of developer and box colors do.

[Venefica]

I have waist length, dyed black hair. My natural hair is blond. So far I have not had any damage to my hair. I do not have split ends, though I do go to a hairdresser and have the ends trimmed once a year just to be sure I do not get any either. I do not bleach my hair. I use usual black nr one from the grocery store and I color the hair about every one to two months. I should color more often but hair color is expensive. So far I have not had any problems.

[RadiantNeedle]

I would have thought that, if not for the fact that I went for a full year growing out, no trims, during which I semi-perma dyed it twice, and bleached the streaks in. It didn't get crunchy until summer hit, and I still couldn't see any splits. Even after this I only got a two inch trim and it's back to being happy and soft. And my hair is super tangly! I just learnt to not comb when it's dry, since I'm a wavy it works a lot better. I fingercomb and it looks neat enough.
I have a long blonde streak at the moment and about.. 5 or so inches of virgin hair, and the blonde ends are frizzy and gross! Hoping to get a trim and probably a fix up of my silly fringe soon. Trying to comb it less and sticking to CO at the moment. And on the hunt for henna! Let's see how long hennad hair works for me! Hopefully not terribly over the blonde and chemically dyed lengths.

(Totally didn't go to bed.. Addicted!)

[Chiara]

I had mid-back length hair that was highlighted (bleach and toner) every 6 months or so. And the highlights were all over! I pretty much did CO, but this was pre LHC so I think there are other things I could have done that would have helped its condition. I think it could easily have been longer and in good condition if I had known about oiling and moisture treatments, and stretched washes.

[eezepeeze]

Well, I hope it's possibe to have long, dyed hair because I am getting ready to cover my gray with Clairol Natural Instincts. It doesn't have any ammonia in it, so I'm hopeful I won't have any ill effects from it. I've used it once before and was surprised at how much it DIDN'T smell like regular hairdye.

[longblondetan]

I bleach, and I am a "non-trimmer", no problems. But my hair is naturally very light.

[Kome]

I had butt length hair in highschool that was dyed. I don't have any pictures on this computer though so sorry.

My hair now was so fried last year, but now it's nice and soft. It's definately a little more work than my virgin hair, but it was so worth it rather than chopping it off. It's currently just past BSL and it's just fine. I think that most people on this website cut off their dyed, damaged hair, but it's not because it grows less fast or something. It's because they want to start growing with fresh, virgin hair.

If you like your hair how it is, keep dying it. However, if you're going black then I think you might as well use Indigo as it doesn't damage the hair. Just a thought. :)

[ericthegreat]

Just check out my picture below. Yes, it is indeed possible to have long dyed hair, in fact I've gone much more extreme than you are going. My natural color is jet black, and now I'm a blonde. Just make sure you go to a professional stylist at a salon to color your hair, they will use much more gentle products on your hair than the products that you will find at the drugstore or supermarket. Also, since you are planning on going darker, you aren't going to be using bleach to lighten your hair so you are going to be just fine.

Edit: If you do decide to color your hair, make sure you step it up with your conditioning. Also, look into oiling your hair if you aren't already doing so. My favorite oils are coconut and almond oil.

http://a.imageshack.us/img39/5753/picture328a.jpg (http://img39.imageshack.us/i/picture328a.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

[Aleria]

Thanks for the advice, guys. :) I may look into some of the local salons in a few months, since I don't know if my mom will be cooperative in helping me dye my hair anymore anyways.
ericthegreat, first of all, your hair is awesome! It's so... blonde! What do you mean 'step it up with your conditioning'? I've been doing CWC but that's about it. I used olive oil for a while when I felt my ends starting to go, but haven't been doing it since my mom used all of mine for cooking when I went to her house, haha.
What is oiling, anyway? Do you just leave it on for a bit and then wash it out, or do you actually leave it in your hair on a regular day? Doesn't it feel/look icky?

[ericthegreat]

Hey Aleria. What I mean is that since the color will cause your hair to dry out at least somewhat, you will need to use much more conditioner to keep your hair healthy looking.

I personally only wash my hair with conditioner, I don't normally use any shampoo. COing really keeps my hair shiny, soft, and silky feeling. I also use coconut oil in my hair about once a week. I apply the coconut oil to my hair when its dry, and I leave the oil in for a few hours. Then, I wash the oil out(this is the one occasion that I will use shampoo). I only shampoo my hair once, I make sure I leave a little bit of oil still in my hair.

[Lianna]

I think the problem would be overprocessing the lenght, as in "refreshing" faded colors too much. Color fades every month on me, I wish I could dye it and have it long. For now I'm gonna stick with henna.

[Dreah]

I dyed my hair religiously, about every 6 weeks or so, for the last 8 years (before I started henna). I used a variety of brands, though mostly stuck to Herbal Essences or Garnier and did it at home (hello, 2.5 hours of work!)

I did have some splits, and crunchy ends during that time, but I'd say that was more because I only got a trim maybe twice during that 8 year period.

This is my last length shot, in February, a couple weeks before I started henna.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v366/munkyness/me/DSCN0010.jpg

You can definitely tell the last couple inches are dry. Other than that, I really didn't notice much damage at all. And it definitely kept growing, and growing, and growing... :p I only cut back to waist / tailbone because I was finding nearly-classic to be a bit too much.

So yes, as others have said, it's definitely do-able!

[UltraBella]

I bleach and dye my hair and I pull my copper color all the way through my ends to refresh often. I have super healthy hair that is 2 inches from tailbone. So it's definitely possible to have long healthy color-treated hair for some people :)

[Aleria]

I'm so happy to hear all these responses :) I think it must be a matter of hairtype, as my mom has 1A/F/i hair vs my 2A/C/iii. I know she dyed her hair in the past, so she was remembering her own experience, not remembering how different our hair is. Mine has visibly 2-3 times thicker strands, plus at least that much thicker in ponytail circumference.
I am going to continue dyeing, though I will probably look into nearby salons other than the one I went to last time.

[Angeletti]

Coloring your hair is realistic when it's long, my hair is a little past tailbone length and I currently color it and have right around the same hair type that you said your mom has, 1a/F/ii. I have probably been coloring since I was 14 and have previous bleach damage left from a few years ago, but I suppose it just depends on how much the individual's hair can take and what products your using. My hair color has been black for a while now so I can use very low volume developers which are less damaging and I haven't noticed any damage on my hair, it still feels soft and silky. I think as long as your happy with your results from coloring and don't notice too much damage you should go ahead and continue coloring it if it makes you happy.

[heidihug]

What is the actual difference between box dye and salon dye? I had my hair dyed at a salon once, didn't enjoy it much. She gave me a brown-black when I had wanted blue-black, and I'm 90&#37; sure there were some spots she missed.
Plus the cost of salons is just ridiculous.
Aleria, I have to agree with you. Years and years ago I went to salons (I tried several of them) to get my hair colored. It always - ALWAYS - ended up that horrible purplish red instead of the auburn that I ALWAYS asked for. I would show them pictures of the color I wanted, but, no, freaking purple again each time. I swore off salon color, and going to salons at all, actually, about 12 years ago, and am so happy I did. Now I mix my own color, using two kinds of Revlon permanent box dye, and my hair always turns out exactly as I intended. Costs me $7 every three months. I just do my roots and an inch or two past that to make sure it all blends nicely. I have more damage, I'm sure, than I would if I grew out my natural color, but there isn't any way I am going back to that horrible dark ash brown with lots of gray - at least until I am a retired grandma!

[kwaniesiam]

If budget is a concern with going to a salon, look in to some local beauty schools. They usually offer much cheaper coloring services because the students are still learning and most of them do a very good job, you can request a more experienced student if you'd be more comfortable with that.

[Darkhorse1]

I just got my hair colored yesterday--I use a demi-permanent and my is past tailbone and I have a lot of it ;) My hair dresser is awesome and I love the color (natural to my real shade and covers the icky gray).

She sold me a spray that has UV filters in it to keep the color from fading as I work outdoors. I also have an SPF buff I use and it seems to have worked this year, though you will get fading in the sun if you aren't diligant. However, it doesn't seem to really be noticable except to me. :D I have dark hair, so maybe that's why?

Hope that helps.

I do tend to oil a week after a color to soften the ends, and it works very well.

[Lemur_Catta]

I think it all depends on the dye, if it fades or not. If it fades, and you have to dye the length more then one time, it might be more damaging than if you only have to do your roots.
I was wondering, what are the colors that are most likely to fade?
I know red fades, and I thought black faded too, but I read many people here who said it doesn't fade.

[Aleria]

I think it all depends on the dye, if it fades or not. If it fades, and you have to dye the length more then one time, it might be more damaging than if you only have to do your roots.
I was wondering, what are the colors that are most likely to fade?
I know red fades, and I thought black faded too, but I read many people here who said it doesn't fade.

Black really doesn't fade for me. I had a semi permanent, labeled to last for 30 washes, last me a good 8-9 months before my brown started showing through. Of course it may be different with the permanent, but I'd imagine it would fade less.

[Katurday]

Black hair would be horrible for me unless I went either the indigo or the Manic Panic route. It fades so fast (and I've had black hair a bajillion times, it always goes back to my brown within two months)

[Aleria]

Black hair would be horrible for me unless I went either the indigo or the Manic Panic route. It fades so fast (and I've had black hair a bajillion times, it always goes back to my brown within two months)
That's pretty crazy! Was that permanent or semi-permanent?
Manic Panic/Special Effects type dies fade really fast, actually. My turquoise streaks turn to green in about a week, and start going back to blonde in two.

[swivelhop]

Everyone's hair takes damage differnent. I like to test new processes (or go nuts with bleach) on the last inch of my hair to see how the most vulnurable part takes it. Then if I hate it its only an inch to trim!

I had waist -to- tailbone length hair for years that I died blue-black with Nice-n-Easy (cheapest product around). I'd do the roots once a month, and length every 6 months (my hair does not hold dye well). I found no evidence of damage from the dye (honestly none, a day in the sun would cause my hair more issues than dye) It is an oxidive process, but the volume (reactivity) is low compared to bleaches. Its also black so 20 minutes rather than 45-60 minutes processing time. Bonus for me was by keeping the hair straight and neat while dying I could let the dye act as a mild straightener.

I miss my dye so bad :slap:.

[Dark40]

I would say yes having long dyed hair is realistic. I used to have a girlfriend with ankle length hair at the age of 18 dye her hair red, and it was ankle length and very thick and healthy! So, it depemds on how well you take care of the hair.

[PixieNixie]

I think it is. I am certainly not as long as some of the people on here but I have double processed bleach blonde hair that I dye various semi permanent colors. I have been to BSL almost MBL with healthy dyed hair. My hair isn't fried. It is actually quite nice it is just more fragile and requires more upkeep I guess than non bleached hair. I think with knowing what you are doing with the coloring/bleaching process and then taking good care of your hair afterward however long you want your hair is possible. My goal is hip and I do not think it is impossible at all. My only worry is I will get to MBL or waist and be like eh this is long enough.

[lithostoic]

Even at my worst most damaged state I grew to nearly waist before chopping. I think coloring responsibly wouldn't affect my growth.

[lapushka]

Some people grow long even with chemical processes (relaxer, dye, bleach, curly perm), but I think you probably won't reach the length you normally would when you'd not have processed hair; that doesn't mean it can't grow long, though. It just means there might be, "might be" a shorter terminal length to it. And still, there are people here, Ylva for instance, who is nearing classic length with bleached hair. So there you go, there's always exceptions to every "rule", and I'm not sure it actually is a rule. ;)

[Sarahlabyrinth]

It depends what your hair texture is, and what kind of dye you use and how you use it, and of course it also depends how long you want to grow your hair. My hair is below knee now, with dye and you can tell that the dye has done damaged as it is not as shiny as my virgin hair. I'm now growing out the dye.

[Ylva]

Some people grow long even with chemical processes (relaxer, dye, bleach, curly perm), but I think you probably won't reach the length you normally would when you'd not have processed hair; that doesn't mean it can't grow long, though. It just means there might be, "might be" a shorter terminal length to it. And still, there are people here, Ylva for instance, who is nearing classic length with bleached hair. So there you go, there's always exceptions to every "rule", and I'm not sure it actually is a rule. ;)

Thank you, lapushka, for the mention! :) And I agree with you completely. If one is aiming for their absolute terminal length, chemical treatments aren't going to help. If one wants to be long but not necessarily as long as possible, then it can very well work.

This is my length shot from September, my hair has grown 2.5 cm since (no cuts).

https://image.ibb.co/c5hKvL/hius21syys18.jpg

I won't lie though, my ends are not in great condition, but you wouldn't believe how much they have been through! :lol: With only one round of bleach, my hair can't yet be classified as "damaged". In the past I went a bit crazy with dye, so my ends are paying the price of too many chemical treatments, but even with a multitude of them, they were still "okay". The last time was just one time too much, even I can admit it. :lol:

[ArabellaRose]

I know of a woman who's hair is, atleast, mid-thigh when up in a braid (the kind that starts with a ponytail) who bleaches and dyes her new growth so her hair is a very bright, unnatural colour.

[lapushka]

Ylva, the thickness is catching up, though, and fast too. And have you seen my ends? And I cut those in intentionally, and it's virgin hair, so there you go. You can't always tell by that, I think.

You're welcome; you're the first person I thought of. :o :D

[AutobotsAttack]

If I can grow my hair to near Classic length with chemically relaxed hair, I’m pretty sure others can grow long hair with dyed or bleached hair

[*Wednesday*]

I've seen women with long dyed hair. Even ones with over-processed dyed hair. Is it long yes, does it always look good? No. You can see the damage. Can't always have it both ways.

[Beckstar]

It's possible to have long, healthy looking dyed hair. You just have to take care of it and not over process it.

[kitcatsmeow]

Yes. Mine is colored and very long and healthy. I only touch up my refrowrh about every 6-8 weeks and the full length 1-2x a year.
That being said, it can depend on the level of your natural hair and the level of the color you want and what you have to do to achieve and maintain. If you are a natural level 3 and you want level 8 blonde that requires a lot of lightening and a stronger developer. That does more damage than going 1-2 levels darker and using a 10v developer vs 40v. You also must account for the natural state of your hair. Fine and thin won’t fare well but it’s thick and med it may be achievable
.

[ArabellaRose]

Yes, forgot to add that the girl in question has very healthy looking hair.

[Stray_mind]

It is possible if you are prepared to Baby it, as it will be much more prone to splits and damage than virgin hair. But then, maybe you are one of the lucky people who have "indestructable" hair that can withstand Any damage and still look great. :)

[maborosi]

I did a one-time bleaching (http://happyhairdays.blogspot.com/2015/11/hair-color-adventures-bleaching-over.html)with vol 40 developer left on for nearly an hour on the bottom half of my hair back in 2015.
My hair didn't really suffer much from that, and I attribute it to pre-bleach oiling, tons and tons of treatments, and just babying my hair in general.

I think it's possible, but I always think of this- you can choose to change one thing and have your hair be okay (Color, texture, etc), but trying to change multiple aspects of your hair through conventional/chemical means can get troublesome, especially if you have a hairtype that's more prone to damage.

[Dark40]

Look at people like celebrities like, "Crystal Gayle." She has hair dyed black, and it ankle length! So, I believe that having long dyed hair is realistic.

[*Wednesday*]

Look at people like celebrities like, "Crystal Gayle." She has hair dyed black, and it ankle length! So, I believe that having long dyed hair is realistic.

Going *darker* is not as damaging as color is being deposited and not lifted. Lifting color, especially several shades above your natural color is damaging.
Can bleached hair grow to ankle length like Crystal? I personally have not seen this. Unless someone exists here on LHC?

[Dark40]

Going *darker* is not as damaging as color is being deposited and not lifted. Lifting color, especially several shades above your natural color is damaging.
Can bleached hair grow to ankle length like Crystal? I personally have not seen this. Unless someone exists here on LHC?

Yeah, you're right. Because, I've gone darker with any damage and was able to grow to WL but yes, lifting color to several shades above your natural color is damaging. I've always believed that using bleach is very damaging to the hair. No, I don't think that bleached hair can grow to ankle length like Crystal! I also personally have not seen this either. But Yiva on here on LHC has TBL bleached hair. That's the longest on here I have seen. I can see going 2 shades lighter than your natural color not being so damaging. Because, I'm 2 shades lighter than my natural brown color now, and I am not dealing with any damage. I also had a girlfriend that had colored ankle length hair. She would also lighten or get here ankle length hair colored to a bright red, and it was gorgeous every time I saw her!

[ArabellaRose]

I know a woman who bleaches out all of her new growth and then dyes it an unnatural colour. It looks very healthy and I estimate it's around (or close to) knee length when down (she always wears it up in a ponytail/braided pony).

If she wanted to I'd imagine she could reach ankle if her hair didn't reach terminal before then.

[Ylva]

Yeah, you're right. Because, I've gone darker with any damage and was able to grow to WL but yes, lifting color to several shades above your natural color is damaging. I've always believed that using bleach is very damaging to the hair. No, I don't think that bleached hair can grow to ankle length like Crystal! I also personally have not seen this either. But Yiva on here on LHC has TBL bleached hair. That's the longest on here I have seen. I can see going 2 shades lighter than your natural color not being so damaging. Because, I'm 2 shades lighter than my natural brown color now, and I am not dealing with any damage. I also had a girlfriend that had colored ankle length hair. She would also lighten or get here ankle length hair colored to a bright red, and it was gorgeous every time I saw her!

I think the key things with bleach really are 1) not processing more than once and 2) not going too many shades lighter. Having fine hair, I also don't use higher than 20 vol. developer. The issue I'm facing with my ends right now is that they have been processed way too many times because of past idiocy and I'm paying for that now. But eventually I'll be rid of them and have healthier, less processed ends. I'm a work in progress. :)

[PixieNixie]

You can bleach your hair and have healthy hair. It may not have the same integrity as virgin hair, but it can still look just as nice. My natural hair is a lvl 5. I am now at a lvl 9/10. I did not do the lightening process of all my hair (which was at BSL when I did this) all at once. I bleached it once at a salon by a professional with olaplex, waited a month while using moisturizing and protien treatments and more olaplex, then did it again. My lengths will never be bleached again. There is really no reason to do it now. My roots are touched up about every 3 to 4 months. I use olaplex during the root touch up and again at home. My hair is just as nice as anyone else's. Yes, I take a little better care of it. I do more moisturizing and protien treatments because it is more porous now. I keep an eye on my ends and S&D if I see splits (which isnt that often). I might not make it all the way to floor (which isnt my goal anyways) or whatever, but my hair can still be long and pretty and healthy looking.

[littlestarface]

I don't think so, dyed hair always always looks damaged/dry/rough at the ends, there's no way damaged hair can make it to a very long length and look nice.

[LizzyGrant]

I think I depends on the hair type. Some hair types can take a lot more "abuse" than others and still look ok. I had bleached hair as a teenager and it was around hip/bcl. It looked good but felt dry and rough, damage prone and always tangled. My virgin hair is nothing like this.

[Dark40]

I think the key things with bleach really are 1) not processing more than once and 2) not going too many shades lighter. Having fine hair, I also don't use higher than 20 vol. developer. The issue I'm facing with my ends right now is that they have been processed way too many times because of past idiocy and I'm paying for that now. But eventually I'll be rid of them and have healthier, less processed ends. I'm a work in progress. :)

Yes, I also think that's the key too with bleach 1) not processing more than once and 2) not going too many shades lighter. Yes, that's also a good thing that you don't use a higher volume developer higher than 20. That's how high I would go too if I was using bleach. With me using box dye I've just been going 2 shades lighter thatn my natural color. Yeah, that's the thing when you're bleaching you will get some on the ends repeatedly but when I used to box bleach the instructions always said, "Do not overlap or overprocess the hair." Or, you will cause damage. Now, I know that's easier said than done but I was able to do it with no problems. Yeah, even after you get rid of those damaged ends you will still need to baby your hair and ends as much as possible. Yes, I also believe that you're working in progress too. :)

[Dark40]

I agree with LizzyGrant. I always use box dye and my dyed hair doesn't look damaged at all, and it's almost waist length.

[Ylva]

Yeah, that's the thing when you're bleaching you will get some on the ends repeatedly but when I used to box bleach the instructions always said, "Do not overlap or overprocess the hair." Or, you will cause damage. Now, I know that's easier said than done but I was able to do it with no problems.)

That's true, I just went a bit crazy with dye back in the days so I ended up bleaching it out multiple times. :D

[Dark40]

That's true, I just went a bit crazy with dye back in the days so I ended up bleaching it out multiple times. :D

Haha...I bet you did go a bit crazy with dye back in the days. :D Before I learned more about hair dyes and box dyes and overlapping it on the ends I also used to go a bit crazy with the dye back in the days too. :)