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View Full Version : Your hair observations: dyed vs. virgin



xoxophelia
December 3rd, 2010, 10:26 AM
What differences in care, behavior, or appearance have you noticed between your virgin (preferably minimally heat styled) and dyed hair?

For the past year I have been growing out old hair dye and have noticed some glaring differences between the "roots" and the length. Background: before this last year, I colored my hair for two years so most of my life I did not color my then hip lentgth hair. However, my hair was often in the sun, heat styled, and I also swam daily. Awhile into coloring, my hair became much worse than it ever had been. Now, the new growth is much healthier than ever. So with all of these factors, I am hoping to compare info with our experiences :)

lillylonghair
December 3rd, 2010, 10:30 AM
Hhhmmm probably just less tangling and it lays nicer even without blowdrying. Before I had to wrestle it into shape and put serums and things in it to make it lay nicely.

xoxophelia
December 3rd, 2010, 10:39 AM
A few changes I have noticed (I may add to this as I remember):

CARE:
-My ~6" virgin roots react to CO totally differently (not sure if this has to do with them being closer to the scalp or that they are virgin though). When I do CO, the roots take much longer to dry than the length compared to when I wash "normally".

-The virgin roots can handle shampoo better. If I start to shampoo on a regular basis the length becomes more and more frizzy until it looks horrible.

-My length benefits greatly from jojoba oil where as the roots don't have much of a difference.. perhaps because they are healthy to start.

-The dyed sections do become shinier from silicone products but not really less frizzy as it does with oils. The roots just look more limp.


APPEARANCE:

-fly aways and frizziness starts pretty much right at the demarcation line when I gave up coloring and reduced heat styling drastically. I heat style gently and only as a touch up not even once a month. Probably 5 times a year compared to nearly every day.

-the dyed hair is much duller or the shine is more broken up (less like silk and more like glitter).

-the previously colored and heat styled hair is wavier

BEHAVIOR:

-the virgin hair is heavier weight and drops when lifted more like silk than cotton

-the virgin hair requires no work to lay flat but the dyed parts poof out and don't fall on my back really

cmnt831
December 3rd, 2010, 10:43 AM
When I used to have highlights several years ago, the highlighted part basically felt like straw and the rest of my (non-highlighted) hair was soft. I could really feel the difference when I would wash my hair. The highlighted part always felt dry and stiff even when it was wet.

2peasinapod
December 3rd, 2010, 10:52 AM
Now that I've stopped dying my hair, it is soft and wavy. It behaves very well and no longer feels like plastic.

milagro
December 3rd, 2010, 10:54 AM
I dye my hair (roots monthly and the length less often) for a few years now and my hair has become much more prone to damage, ends particularly. I use 6% oxide color developer, it is not the strongest but still damage shows.
After coloring the hair looks nice and shiny but then gradually color fades a bit and shine as well. I try to minimize all other damaging factors such as blowdrying, heat-styling etc.

prosperina
December 3rd, 2010, 11:12 AM
For me it's a question of texture. The hennaed virgin hair feels silky and smooth and is wavy, and the stuff that had been bleached before it was hennaed feels bristly and rough. I can still get it to feel soft though, it just takes some time.

pepperminttea
December 3rd, 2010, 11:41 AM
When I had dyed hair, it was also permed, so my experience might be a bit exaggerated.

Dyed and permed hair: More tangles, more frizz, and extremely dry - I honestly was worried I'd actually changed my hairtype, I just couldn't give it enough moisture. (Ah, pre-SMTs... Dark times! :p ) Felt rough to the touch.
Unprocessed hair: Generally less unruly. Still frizz and tangle-prone but a lot less. Retains moisture a lot more easily, and for longer. Softer, smoother.

maddog_running
December 3rd, 2010, 11:52 AM
Definitely the bleached hair is drier and brittle to the touch. It tangles more easily and subsequently is prone to more split ends than my virgin hair. Granted the bleached hair is much OLDER and has weathered more then the virgin hair but there is an immediate texture difference between the two as soon as I bleached it.

rosieex3
December 3rd, 2010, 11:58 AM
I'm glad you made this topic! My hair is currently growing out extreme chemical damage from hair dyes/color removers. Here's what I notice: I'm gonna include some pictures. :)

Virgin hair:
~Soft, silky, and loose waves.
~Virtually frizz free.
~Very shiny.
~Appears very thick.
Here is my virgin hair growing in: (As you can see - ever since I stopped dying it..I have tons of new hairs coming in! Hench the headband.) :)
http://i56.tinypic.com/df7dc8.png
(I don't have a picture of my hair all virgin, I haven't had it all virgin in about five years).


Dyed hair:
~Rather then loose, silky, pretty waves; they are dry and crunchy looking waves. Plus, my hair is MUCH wavier then it is when virgin.
~My hair is very "piecy" (each wave is in its own clump i guess you could say).
~Literally IMPOSSIBLE to over-moisturize. I could put a handful of frizz serum on my dyed hair, and it will look greasy for about five minutes..until my hair absorbs it all very quickly.
~SO much breakage and white dots/splits.
~Frizz.
~No real shine.
~Feels very rough when you touch it.
~Looks thin and straggly.
Here is a picture of my dyed hair (the whole length basically, only my roots have grown in so far):
http://i56.tinypic.com/28v4pdf.png

littlenvy
December 3rd, 2010, 11:59 AM
hhmm ... I'm not the same type as you since I'm 1a/b and F.
But I do have 3 different layers.
Bleached, dyed with natural herbal products and Virgin.

The herbal dye and the Virgin are almost the same. Require little maintenance. Just some oiling once in a while. Massage and wash. Thou my virgin layer can be a bit more frizzy.

The bleached/dyed layer on the other hand is a lot of work ir it becomes dry and crunchy. Needs protein, needs moisture, needs oil ... needs clarifying ... and round and round in circles. It also has a totally different feel than the rest of my hair. It feels kind of synthetic. Like Barbie doll hair. It has a LOT of shine but its a different kind of shine than the virgin hair. (and no its not from cones since I haven't used any for a long time)

xoxophelia
December 3rd, 2010, 12:09 PM
I'm glad you made this topic! My hair is currently growing out extreme chemical damage from hair dyes/color removers. Here's what I notice: I'm gonna include some pictures. :)

Virgin hair:
~Soft, silky, and loose waves.
~Virtually frizz free.
~Very shiny.
~Appears very thick.
Here is my virgin hair growing in: (As you can see - ever since I stopped dying it..I have tons of new hairs coming in! Hench the headband.) :)

(I don't have a picture of my hair all virgin, I haven't had it all virgin in about five years).


Dyed hair:
~Rather then loose, silky, pretty waves; they are dry and crunchy looking waves. Plus, my hair is MUCH wavier then it is when virgin.
~My hair is very "piecy" (each wave is in its own clump i guess you could say).
~Literally IMPOSSIBLE to over-moisturize. I could put a handful of frizz serum on my dyed hair, and it will look greasy for about five minutes..until my hair absorbs it all very quickly.
~SO much breakage and white dots/splits.
~Frizz.
~No real shine.
~Feels very rough when you touch it.
~Looks thin and straggly.
Here is a picture of my dyed hair (the whole length basically, only my roots have grown in so far):


I think your hair is pretty in the second picture as well! :)

I'm also guessing my hair has a lot of breakage too but it is hard to tell. I also had a period of illness for a bit over half a year that made my hair a lot thinner. I should upload a picture of that sometime because it is shocking how big of a difference that can make as well O.O

xoxophelia
December 3rd, 2010, 12:11 PM
hhmm ... I'm not the same type as you since I'm 1a/b and F.
But I do have 3 different layers.
Bleached, dyed with natural herbal products and Virgin.

The herbal dye and the Virgin are almost the same. Require little maintenance. Just some oiling once in a while. Massage and wash. Thou my virgin layer can be a bit more frizzy.

The bleached/dyed layer on the other hand is a lot of work ir it becomes dry and crunchy. Needs protein, needs moisture, needs oil ... needs clarifying ... and round and round in circles. It also has a totally different feel than the rest of my hair. It feels kind of synthetic. Like Barbie doll hair. It has a LOT of shine but its a different kind of shine than the virgin hair. (and no its not from cones since I haven't used any for a long time)

I notice the same thing about the shine in my own hair. It is more like speckles of bright shiny pieces instead of gradual shine like healthy hair.. :/

littlenvy
December 3rd, 2010, 12:12 PM
I notice the same thing about the shine in my own hair. It is more like speckles of bright shiny pieces instead of gradual shine like healthy hair.. :/
THAT's exactly right! :)

rosieex3
December 3rd, 2010, 12:16 PM
I think your hair is pretty in the second picture as well! :)

I'm also guessing my hair has a lot of breakage too but it is hard to tell. I also had a period of illness for a bit over half a year that made my hair a lot thinner. I should upload a picture of that sometime because it is shocking how big of a difference that can make as well O.O

Aw thank you! My hair is very photogenic, I will give it that. Lol. It does have some good days where it actually appears very healthy (until you look at it close up) :D

Thats very interesting! You should most definitely post a photo if you'd like.

Belledandy
December 3rd, 2010, 12:27 PM
I stopped dying my hair back in '07, although even when I colored it, mine was mostly to "even out" the color and was done once every six months. Even that was enough that when I began to grow out virgin hair in earnest I could tell a huge difference in quality.

Virgin hair:
Reacts to sun differently: I get streaks of caramel color shot through from top to tip.
Seems to like protein.
Doesn't seem to need as much conditioner and uses profoundly less oil.
Smooth, less flyaways, and seems a bit stronger both wet or dry.
Discovered I had a wave pattern! I'm trying to nurture that.

Dyed hair:
Gets dried easily, especially when using conventional products.
Kinks, splits and knots easily.
Hates protein. Instant straw.
Seems to love moisture, but never completely softens like the middle length.
Reacts to sun by fading outright, not streaking. I get the "sparkles" some have mentioned too.

xoxophelia
December 3rd, 2010, 12:37 PM
So slightly OT but here is my hair after I was ill during 2008:
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=4575&pictureid=89662

You can tell it looks thin and wispy and this is right before I started to color my hair.. so I guess I was coloring for a little less than two years.

Mutinous
December 3rd, 2010, 12:48 PM
My hair hasn't been much different really. It forms similar waves and is in a similar condition, though slightly better in its virgin state. I never really dyed my hair frequently though, and mostly deposit dyes. Bleach on the other hand turned my hair straw like.

I have noticed my virgin hair doesn't need to be washed as much, and it responds better to more natural ingredients, whilst my dyed hair needed the more coney products to achieve the same look.

Tatybird
December 3rd, 2010, 02:17 PM
My hair gets greasy not so often in comparison to when it was colored.
I can use different natural treatments for my natural hair such as egg wash, for example. And my natural hair looks shiny after such treatments. While the colored hair would turn into hay.
My natural hair can easily stay without silicones. I wasn't able to avoid silicones when I colored my hair.

ravenreed
December 3rd, 2010, 03:03 PM
The main difference I see is that my virgin hair reacts much quicker to honey lightening. Other than that, I don't see a huge difference.

McFearless
December 3rd, 2010, 07:07 PM
Dyed- less distinct curls, crunchy, dry

Virgin- soft, smooth, doesn't require much oil, conditioner, etc

Bianca
December 3rd, 2010, 08:55 PM
Dyed - Dry, didn't look good unless I did A LOT of styling. Frizzy. Curlier.

When I grew out my virgin hair, the curls and the frizz basically started at my demarcation line. http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=2008&pictureid=50413

Virgin - shiny, nice natural highlights, no frizz, very soft.

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=2008&pictureid=89363

ETA: Sorry, huge pictures.

bubblyredhead
December 3rd, 2010, 08:57 PM
dyed: splits fast and frizzy needs tons of deep treatments oils protein etc etc
virgin: less splits not as frizzy more shine not so much deep treatments or any of the other stuff but it still needs a fair amount of conditioner and a leave in conditioner but I dont need the leave in and a coney serum and fry it into submission and then put it in a pony tail and pout.

UltraBella
December 3rd, 2010, 09:49 PM
The only difference I have noticed is my hair is shinier dyed a copper red than my natural ash blonde. I can't say I have noticed anything else. But, my hair is practically indestructible and I do not suffer from damage, even when bleaching.

tinywife
December 3rd, 2010, 11:25 PM
I have mad shine for the first 2 inches. That's all I have of virgin hair. After that, it's only mildly shiny.

christine1989
December 3rd, 2010, 11:41 PM
My hair is naturally dry but when it was dyed it was SUPER dry! It is still frizzy but not nearly as bad as when it had dye in it.

xoxophelia
December 4th, 2010, 12:21 AM
The only difference I have noticed is my hair is shinier dyed a copper red than my natural ash blonde. I can't say I have noticed anything else. But, my hair is practically indestructible and I do not suffer from damage, even when bleaching.

I wonder if this could be because you get your hair done professionally.. does that make a difference with how much it damages your hair? (I used Wella and Natural Instincts box dye)

KittyLost
December 4th, 2010, 01:34 AM
My virgin hair was wavier, my dyed hair doesn't naturally form the wave but just kinks and bumps.

RadiantNeedle
December 4th, 2010, 02:31 AM
Bianca, your curls are aMAzing @_@

Lianna
December 4th, 2010, 02:36 AM
Like UltraBella, I also noticed my hair is much shinier when dyed. Because I dye lighter I see a lot more results from honey lightening on the dyed hair. That's pretty much it, my hair was always somewhat frizzy even when I had virgin hair, even as a kid...

principesse
December 4th, 2010, 03:37 AM
So far (with a year's worth of virgin hair), the virgin hair seems to react better to moisturizing treatments and retains moisture much longer than the dyed hair. It is also incomparably softer and shinier than the dyed hair. I'm not sure about the frizz yet, but my dyed hair is very frizzy.