Tips on repairing faded ends?

[christine1989]

I, like so many others here on LHC, have the problem of faded ends. My hair is dark brown (natural color) but the ends have faded to a much lighter reddish brown. It is not too visible when I wear my hair down but in an updo where my ends are right next to my roots it is quite obvious. It is driving me insane lately. Are there any ways (besides dye) to help faded ends regain their natural color?

[McFearless]

The only thing I can think of is preventing further sun lightening is by hiding your ends in updos, keeping a protective layer of oil or conditioner on them and henndigo.

[kwaniesiam]

Unfortunately once hair is faded from the sun and weathering there isn't much you can do to restore the color. You can get a non-damaging deposit only semi-permanent dye or you can try henndigo if you don't want to use a permanent chemical color.

[luxepiggy]

I've been thinking about trying Aveda's Black Malva conditioner, which apparently does darken hair, but I don't know if I want to deal with the mess (>(oo)<)`

http://www.aveda.com/product/CATEGORY10523/PROD5807/Hair_Care/Conditioner/index.tmpl

[rosek]

Hair lightening is caused by UV damage, which physically breaks down the pigment proteins in the hair. Once its happened, no amount of pampering will 'grow' the color back. You can dye it, or cut those parts off. If you want to prevent further lightening, you may want to consider products with a UV protectant. I know Igor is especially vigilant about keeping her hair protected from the sun!

[skaempfer]

So, on a tangent, do any of these oils that we are putting on our hair (coconut, olive, etc.,) offer any protection from the sun? Because I have also noticed that the top layer of my hair is the lightest, but also the frizziest and most prone to split.

Are hats and scarves and other physical barriers the only viable alternative for protection against roasted hair?


:flamed:

[sneakybea]

I had this problem (particularly when the "messy bun with ends sticking out" look was popular) and still do a little bit, but with patience was able to improve the faded look of my ends. I just trimmed regularly but in small amounts and wore my hair up, with the ends hidden, most of the time I was out of doors. I think moving from sunny California to snowy Minnesota probably helped as well!

[christine1989]

I've been thinking about trying Aveda's Black Malva conditioner, which apparently does darken hair, but I don't know if I want to deal with the mess (>(oo)<)`

http://www.aveda.com/product/CATEGORY10523/PROD5807/Hair_Care/Conditioner/index.tmpl

Thanks piggy! I read some good reviews of this online and think I will give it a try. I'm just hoping it won't blacken my white shower :). I think the fading is due to years of what sneakybea called the "messy bun with ends sticking out" so I'll have to say goodbye to that style.

[Alexannee10]

My hair is dark brown (natural color) but the ends have faded to a much lighter reddish brown. It is not too visible when I wear my hair down but in an updo where my ends are right next to my roots it is quite obvious.

I have the exact same problem hahaha :o Except my roots are kind of light brown, near blond in the summer, and dark for the ends .. Weird look uh ?

[JuneBride]

I just recently had the same exact experience, mine are due to the fact that the last 1/3 or so od my hair is old bleached ends. So (and I know this isn't what you want to /hear or do, but its what I did)...I put some natural instincts in my hair to at least temporarily be a uniform color. But luckily it will fade out and as I trim the ends away the less I will have to dye and eventually it will all come back to natural :)

I just couldn't take it anymore...because my ends were looking Orange-y :(

[bumblebums]

I use a rosemary+sage infusion as a rinse. It's known to darken hair. I do notice an effect, but it is temporary. Black tea is another darkening rinse (just think what it does to your cups and tea pot), but unlike rosemary, tea seems to leave a bit of a buildup on my hair.

[sparkle'n'bling]

I use a rosemary+sage infusion as a rinse. It's known to darken hair. I do notice an effect, but it is temporary. Black tea is another darkening rinse (just think what it does to your cups and tea pot), but unlike rosemary, tea seems to leave a bit of a buildup on my hair.

How often do you do that and how long does it last?

[bumblebums]

How often do you do that and how long does it last?

I brew some up once a month or so, and it lasts for three washes. As I said, though, the effect is temporary, and it is by no means a dye substitute, just a stain.

[Darkhorse1]

Sadly, this is very common for dark haired people who work outdoors. My lack of knowledge with UV damage caused my hair to go almost red from being bleached out by the sun.

I got a professional demi-permanent color--make sure you do your WHOLE head---hair is naturally lighter at the ends, and more porous, so if you color just the ends, you'll notice the difference in color from root to tip. Even when my hair is colored, my ends are slightly lighter when I do an updo---but others can't tell--it's just we are looking for it.

I've been trying to find the right product to prevent sun damage, and water is apparently very good, as well as some spray on conditioners--the spray on conditioners only prevent colored hair from becoming discolored. It doesn't work for regular color unless you find something that states this.

To add some shine to fadded ends, olive oil worked very well. It didn't change the color, but it made them feel softer and look shinier. The ends of the hair tend to get more stripped and thus are very porus.

[spidermom]

My ends are darker in color than the crown of my head, which is becoming very white/silver. I like the contrast. (PS - Just realized this doesn't show up in my sig pic, which is because my bathroom lighting bathes everything in a golden glow.) Other than keeping your ends under cover at all times, there isn't a way to keep the color from fading, which looks normal/natural and is nothing to fret about. Life is short.

[QMacrocarpa]

Seconding spidermom, I quite like the variation in color from the top to the bottom of my hair! For me it's a "feature", not a "bug"! :D If I started being more vigilant about covering my hair outside, I'd probably miss the ombre shading I have now. ;)

[Una]

My hair is a medium brown colour and I too notice a distinct graduation toward a lighter brown colour at the ends. Sometimes, like QMacrocarpa, I love the different colours. But, other times I think it looks very untidy.

I am considering doing a henndigo to cover up the colour difference, but perhaps the henndigo would also be lighter at the ends..so I am not sure!

I wonder if anyone who has the ombre effect has found that henna, or henndigo completely hides the different hair colours? Or is the colour graduation still there?

[triumphator!]

Side note: I am such an addict of the "messy bun with ends sticking out" style, you know, how teenage girls always throw it up? I just can't do anything else with it that is superdy fast! :/

[skaempfer]

Side note: I am such an addict of the "messy bun with ends sticking out" style, you know, how teenage girls always throw it up? ... :/

:puke: like this?

But, yeah. I am a pencil bunner. It's pretty much the only bun I can do at this length! Anyway, I rather like the two-tone look on myself... There's always hendigo if you really hate it, though.

[ddiana1979]

I wonder if anyone who has the ombre effect has found that henna, or henndigo completely hides the different hair colours? Or is the colour graduation still there?

Henndigo completely hides the color gradation for me. I'm using a mixture that ends up a couple of shades darker than my natural color. However, it doesn't hide my grays very well, if that is something that is important to you.

[Una]

Henndigo completely hides the color gradation for me. I'm using a mixture that ends up a couple of shades darker than my natural color. However, it doesn't hide my grays very well, if that is something that is important to you.


Thank-you for the info! If I was positive I could keep up with the maintenance of henndigo/henna I would definitely apply it. At this stage I think I can live with faded ends better than constant regrowth...but, then again, henna makes hair so shiny and healthy-looking. I am so indecisive about this! :confused:

[IvySchex]

Seconding spidermom, I quite like the variation in color from the top to the bottom of my hair! For me it's a "feature", not a "bug"! :D

That's what I was going to say. I like the contrast between my dark, dark brown hair and the little bit lighter ends.

Ivy