As my hair got blonder I noticed it felt "thinner..." Anyone else?

[kitcatsmeow]

So I'm finally back to blonde! :cheese: Lighter than natural but I feel much better as a blonde and my hair feels healthier, shinier and more alive. Even with all the bleach. I did notice that once I got all the dye out it felt lighter and even thinner. Could it have something to do with the dye?

I still have an abundance of hair and I noticed no shedding save for the 5-20 hairs tops that come out when I wash or brush every few day. So...what gives? I did find this...

"Brunettes appear to have thicker hair than blondes. However, that is often because brunettes have coarser hair than blondes. The reality is that blondes have more hair than brunettes and it is the guideline that blondes have something like 147,000 hairs on their heads. A brunette will have about 110,000 hairs on their head and the red head will only have something like 90,000 hairs on their head. However, because the dark hair is often coarser and blonde hair tends to be fine, it looks as if they’ve got more hair but actually the blond is the winner with 140,000"

hmmmm?

[slz]

The phrase you quoted is about natural colour so since you've gone from dark to blonde I don't see how it could apply to you ? Since in your case (sorry I didn't get it completely) you're naturally either brune or blonde, you did not switch magically.
But, I'd agree with you on the reason why you might feel this way : bleaching damages the hair, so you probably lost some thickness in the "individual strnd thickness" sennse.

[kitcatsmeow]

That's why I was confused. I am naturally blonde but my hair felt thicker as a brunette and I'm wondering if the thickness came from the dye? Then stripping out the dye made it feel lighter.

[Mairéad]

Dying the hair can plump up the hair because the hair shaft is opened (I think). But either way hair dye can make your hair feel thicker, which is one reason I was "trapped" by using it. It actually made my hair not look flat.

If you bleached to get back to blonde you may have lost some thickness in the process since breakage is common with bleaching.

[ktani]

If you stay this colour, you may be able to regain thickness, if breakage caused the loss, and it depends on how you use products. It sounds like you know what you are doing with them and more.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=1712948&postcount=1381

[NymphSpirit]

Well, I've experienced the same feeling with bleach, like if my hair had lost body.... But I never really payed attention to it! If you're not planning on dying your hair chemically again then may be in two months you could try neutral henna to add thickness :)


(Ohh I wish my stu*id hair colourist had given me a lighter tone than my natural blonde!! She used a colour 4 tones darker and with red undertones while my natural colour is ashy!! I'm so jealous of you :P)

[ktani]

Your new colour is gorgeous and looks great!

[invisiblebabe]

Yah, bleaching the hair does make it break off more easily (and seem thinner). That's why if you want to do highlights, partial (top layer only) is MUCH better than full. Been there done that :D

[vanillabones]

Yes, you could see straight to my scalp when I bleached my hair blonde. That's how thin it was. I didn't even realize my hair isn't naturally that thin since I've let it grow virgin for the first time for almost a year now. I'm impressed with my hair.

[kitcatsmeow]

I don't notice any more (or much for that matter) breakage. I think it has something to do with stripping away whatever dye was in my hair. I'm sure I suffered a little from the bleach but honestly....very little! My hair is very soft and stron and looks healthy and shiny.

I think it was dull with that brown dye in it. It just feels lighter. ha! Who knows. I'm leaving it be and just doing my regrowth once a month.

[jacqueline101]

The dye made your hair thicker due to your hair shaft being open. As your hair dye wears out the shaft closes. That's how your hair feels different thickness wise.

[Lize]

I have also been wondering if bleaching affects the thickness of individual strands, for I have also noticed that my strands felt thinner after bleaching. That's why I am eager to see if my hair will be thicker when all my highlights are gone.