I'm back in black. Chemical hair dye!

[Arcadia]

Ok. So..... after I vowed no more chemical dyes and after trying henna and loving the results, I caved in and dyed my hair black again with chemical dye. :run:
I know I could have used henna then indigo for the same result, but I just couldn't bare the thought of the mess. You are probably all going to tell me off, I know.
I missed my black hair, I've had it on and off for 15 years, and it's me. I am a little worried about the chemical dye, but I will see how it goes. I never had problems in the past. I'm still going to be super kind to my hair in every other way humanly possible. I'm still using Sls parabeen free shampoo and conditioners and mixing up my own treatments using herbal rinses, natural oils, essential oils, shea etc.
So..... any one else who uses chemical dye and still manages to keep their healthy, I'd love some advice.

[tinti]

I know exactly what you mean! I've had highlights on and off since I was 8-10 years old, and after a year with reddish brown (allmost my natural color) I cave in and got highlights. And chopped, but that's another story :p I just try to pamper it with lots of moisture and oil, and after my deep treatments with condish and oil my hair feels softer than ever. ACV is also one of my very good friends in the shower. And I'm trying to start benign neglect - just toss it up in the morning and forgetting about it.

[heatherbelle]

Not that I am an expert at all by any means...but what about trying the Surya Henna Cream hair dyes? They are more natural that the chemical dyes. I have not tried them, but it is on my list as an alternative to the chemical dye. I am in the process of letting my grow out a bit more between dye jobs. Just a thought, for what its worth...

[KajiKodomo]

I'm in the same boat. I tried to live with my natural color for a bit over a year (I'm growing out from a buzz cut), but just couldn't handle it. I didn't feel like myself, and as much as I like the color on others, I hate it on myself.

I dyed it a dark red last month, but it still wasn't right. I plan on dyeing it black again very soon. I miss the black so much! It brings out the shine in my hair, and I think it looks very good with my pale skin (and I always got so many compliments on it!). In the past, I used to just dye all of it every time I started noticing my roots, but this time I plan on putting the dye on the roots, then combing it down after a bit (like it mentions in the directions for root touch-ups).

I love ACV rinses and heavy (coney) conditioners. I grew my hair to almost waist length before with it dyed black (I ended up cutting it though) and it was in very good condition. I wore it up in either a braid or bun every day and very rarely wore it down. It also helps that my hair is very resilient.

It's quite possible to have healthy hair that is also dyed. Depending on your hair, it may require a bit more care than if it were virgin, but ultimately, you need to be happy with your hair! :D

[SpeakingEZ]

I did the same thing! I came to LHC with dyed red hair and started using henna instead, but then the upkeep and demarcation line got to be too much and I switched to indigo . . . which didn't give the results I wanted so I switched to black chemical dye.

I'm not noticing as much damage with the black dye as I did with the red, though, especially since I'm being very good about only doing the roots and not touching the length. I used to dye EVERYTHING every month pre-LHC, which I'm sure added to the wreckage.

[UltraBella]

I am a chemical color-head. I dye, I highlight with bleach, my hair is in great condition.
I try to go for Demi color hair dye, multiple applications won't do as much damage as one go round of permanent. I also stick to professional hair color, no box color from the local retail store for me........