Life's a Bleach: Highlight Support

[mzBANGBANG]

I've faced the fact that I'll never be happy with my natural color, and will probably always fall back on highlights.

I don't think I am alone :)

So instead of demonizing bleach, I figured I'd start a support thread for people who don't want to give up highlighting their hair. I'd like support for aftercare issues and how to get the healthiest hair possible while still lightening.

I'll share the best kept secret I've found since bleaching again: egg wash!

I'm not great at titling things. Or searching for things. If this exists, please redirect me and report, thank you.

[Roscata]

There is one thread that is simmilar: Bottle blonde grows long! (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=21256). I believe a lot of people on there use coconut oil to prevent the bleach damage: The uses of coconut oil (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=53786&highlight=coconut+oil). This is another thread on the subject of damage prevention: Possible way to protect hair from conventional peroxide damage (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=10495). And one of the members here has a detailed description of her hair care blog section for bleached hair: Franny G (http://www.frannyslonghairstyles.com/haircare.htm).

Hope that helps. :)

[akilina]

I love bleaching my hair. It is a sickness!
Luckily I am unable to do it anymore since I went jet black with nasty permanent dye then used henna a lot.
When I had my super white hair it was pretty darn healthy. I would only use a 10 vol bleach which is alot less damaging then using a higher vol. yet still lifts as well for my hair color. I would also tone it and I would use manic panics "virgin snow" which really made it appear even lighter and it really isnt damaging at all and sort of filled my hair in.
Lots of oiling and deep treatments. I like to mix conditioner, real aloe vera, and a few drops of oil. It was amazing.
And for the days my hair just felt sort of funky cones always made it feel better. My hair likes cones though..idk if yours does or not.
Sorry for the essay ;)

[HintOfMint]

The title of this thread is delightful! I don't use color or bleach on my hair, but I completely understand those who do. I live vicariously through my roommate who is a true bleach blonde and I trust her when she says she doesn't like her natural color. I love her hair when it's that golden buttery blonde so I'm not going to badger her into embracing a look just because it's natural. Not that I'd badger anyone about their looks or anything :p

Anyhow, you have all the support in the world from me.

[justgreen]

I'm a die-hard highlighter, 40 vol for 45 minutes, no toner . My stylist brushes conditioner on, then applies the bleach to the roots in the foiling process.

[UltraBella]

I really like my highlights, not going to give them up any time soon !

I don't do anything to try to avoid damage, my hair is super resilient.

[lundmir]

I use coconut oil before bleaching, and the occasional henna. Otherwise I leave it alone, it is quite resilient too.

[PorkChop]

Im in! I love the colour I get from highlighting. Just had my roots done last week actually :D

One thing ive been wondering : Every time i go to the hairdressers to get my roots done, she seems to leave the bleach on for different amounts of time. Last week it was only on for about 20 mins, when in the past its been left on for a lot longer than that before....

[UpNorth]

I'm in too!

I haven't done anything to prevent damage this far, because I haven't bleached since I joined LHC. But I will soon, it is time to touch up the roots.

For two years now I haven't bleached the same hair twice and I don't bleach much but it gets as light as I want it to be. I actually think my hair gets more manageble after highlights, and the most damage part of my hair (except for the ends that have been bleached approximately 8-10 times) is almost virgin except for a toner (same there, never twice). My hair tangled more as a virgin head too, I used to have to brush it for half an hour then and my hair was at shoulder-apl then. Now I comb it when it gets messy, I don't have any idea why it behaves like this but it seems to like it.

[honeyblonde]

Proud bleacher here!! :D My favorite hair products for bleached hair are: olive oil, avocado oil, Pantene conditioner.....My hair loves cones :p and Jason biotin shampoo which is sulfate free.

[Carissamarie08]

I get highlights all the time as well! I'm in!

[meteor]

Me too! Every time I tell myself "no more highlights, I want virgin healthy manageable hair back", I get bored and get highlights done again!
Guys, how do you handle the various needs of bleached vs non-bleached hair? For example, my bleached hair loves protein and certain coney products, but virgin hair wants harsh cleansers and light oils.

[joesgirl2011]

Subscribed! :)

[Celebrian]

Here! Just had some put in this afternoon. Golden blonde strewn through red-brown hair. Nice. I may get her to tone them a bit more coppery though... Never satisfied here :D

[mzBANGBANG]

Oh my goodness! I didn't think so many people would respond! I know how badly bleach is thought of on these boards, but I figured if we're gonna do it we might as well share tips. :D

I've been doing an egg wash (egg/honey(heated)/yogurt/oil) a week and my hair is feeling as good as it did before I highlighted. I'm really happy with the results. I just assumed I was going to have to get most of it cut off a week after highlighting, so it was a nice surprise.

I do my entire head when I highlight. I figured why pay 36 dollars for 4 files when I could pay 76 for 20 foils. :shrug: though I have been getting a lot more single strand knots under the canopy, so I can tell it needs some work.

[justgreen]

I only do a little over half my head, a modified ball cap. 50 foils. I also get my face/brows waxed and my toenails clipped, filed and painted. $70.

[mzBANGBANG]

I only do a little over half my head, a modified ball cap. 50 foils. I also get my face/brows waxed and my toenails clipped, filed and painted. $70.

I kind of just guessed at the foils, wasn't so much paying attention, but it was my whole head.

Are you saying the face/brows and half-pedi all comes to 70? That's pretty decent.

[kitcatsmeow]

I'll be watching this thread! Although I am growing out my bleach I imagine there will be a time when I want highlights.

But when I did bleach I soaked in coconut oil overnight and added jojoba oil to my bleach. I did a protein treatment after bleaching and a deep conditioning as well. I had very little damage this way if any.

The thing I hated the most was the smell and the fact that bleach was sitting on my scalp :-/

[AnqeIicDemise]

Well, I'm not a highlight head, but I do bleach since I like to add purple to my hair. Can I support you guys? :D

[mzBANGBANG]

Well, I'm not a highlight head, but I do bleach since I like to add purple to my hair. Can I support you guys? :D

we need what little support we can get :D all things bleach count, I think. Because the rules are so important, lol.

[justgreen]

I kind of just guessed at the foils, wasn't so much paying attention, but it was my whole head.

Are you saying the face/brows and half-pedi all comes to 70? That's pretty decent.

$70 is for all of it, and that also includes any trimming, when I need it.

[AnqeIicDemise]

we need what little support we can get :D all things bleach count, I think. Because the rules are so important, lol.

Yay!

Now, if my hair were short enough where I could do the root touch up on my own, but a las.. I can't. :( I need to make a salon appointment to put more purple in... but this random side effect of Vatika's looking pretty awesome too so I'm torn. LOL

[UpNorth]

I have a question, as I really need to do my roots soon.

I do it at a salon, and I truly trust my hairdresser, however, when I first got there, my hair had a very warm tone and she tried to get it cooler but it doesnt really work. But, she use a toner at first and then the highlights over, and I notice a big difference on my virgin hair and the hair she used a toner on, its much warmer which i don't like. So here is what I think: Do you think I can ask her to stop use the toner? or what effect does that have on the bleaching? I remember when I did highlights myself and they got on the virgin roots they got much cooler, it looked bad but that was probably because I did it myself.

Or can I ask her to keep my virgin roots and just tone where the highlights are? I know my hair can get cooler by skipping the toner, but I don't want to question her judgement.

I also found a highlighting kit on the health store today: from Tints of Nature, any experiences? its free from ammonia and contains coconut oil. I feel like I can´t afford 140 $ every third month. Its too expensive:(

[mzBANGBANG]

I have a question, as I really need to do my roots soon.

I do it at a salon, and I truly trust my hairdresser, however, when I first got there, my hair had a very warm tone and she tried to get it cooler but it doesnt really work. But, she use a toner at first and then the highlights over, and I notice a big difference on my virgin hair and the hair she used a toner on, its much warmer which i don't like. So here is what I think: Do you think I can ask her to stop use the toner? or what effect does that have on the bleaching? I remember when I did highlights myself and they got on the virgin roots they got much cooler, it looked bad but that was probably because I did it myself.

Or can I ask her to keep my virgin roots and just tone where the highlights are? I know my hair can get cooler by skipping the toner, but I don't want to question her judgement.

I also found a highlighting kit on the health store today: from Tints of Nature, any experiences? its free from ammonia and contains coconut oil. I feel like I can´t afford 140 $ every third month. Its too expensive:(

Do you have a pic example of what you're trying to say? I'm a little confused... she cooled down the tone on your entire head, and then bleached highlights over the toner? So now you have warm roots growing into cool hair. Is that what you're saying?

ETA: Wait, I think I misread... I'm not very familiar with how toner is applied because I don't use it too often. When I got highlights, it was whatever bleach the stylist mixed up and then I was placed under a heater. Nothing else was done to my hair. Sorry for lacking the knowledge :)

[justgreen]

I never have toner applied, I really don't like it. In my opinion, the toner is what caused my brassies . Once the toner starts fading, ugh. So I just get straight bleach, no toner. I'm sure your stylist will oblige you if you let her know. Tell her you like the 'cooler' tone of having no toner.

[LaFlor]

I need to join this thread. It's about time for me to go get my roots done (it's been over 6 months, lol). I use toner... but I like the warm, honey blonde it gives me :) I've been thinking about getting a few lighter pieces put in, but I really don't want to bleach over bleached hair... hmm.

[heatherdazy]

Upnorth, definitely ask your stylist and have her explain it to you. She may be doing it because she has a slightly different picture in her head than you have in yours. We hairstylists aren't mindreaders! :-)

You should also ask if they offer any "mini-foil" or "few foils" services that can help you extend time between your full appointment. For example, you might get a $50 face frame after 8-10 weeks and be able to wait 4-5 months to retouch all of your foils, which would be a huge money saver and you wouldn't have to gamble with trying to color yourself.

[LaFlor]

I've decided that I want to go a little lighter with my highlights this time, the ones I got before are a little too natural looking and don't really make much of a difference in the overall color of my hair. I was hoping to go a couple of shades lighter this time, but I am worried about going over the highlighted hair a second time. Any advice? Do any of you go over your old highlights instead of just doing the roots?

[BrightEyes]

I can't believe I missed this thread! Thank you mzBANGBANG for starting it.

I love highlighting my hair. I've considered trying to grow them out a few times, but I just know I would go back to them. I love the color variation and how they brighten my face. And they are just plain fun:D

I've been using coconut oil before getting my roots done and have noticed a difference. But I need to remember to do regular DTs to help my hair stay nice and healthy.

Have there been many here who have gone cone-free while maintaining highlights? It just seems like my hair does better with them, but they do have a tendency to weigh my hair down.

[Silken]

At my last hair appointment, I got my very first highlights. My hairstylist stayed very conservative since we had no idea how my hair was going to react. Turns out... NO PROBLEM! :D
So next appointment, we're going gangbuster all over my head, lol. The goal is to lighten my overall color from straight 3 to a 6. In between appointments, I only wash once a week, the rest is conditioner only, I do deep treatments as well. No heat styling. Leave in conditioner, too.

[justgreen]

I can't believe I missed this thread! Thank you mzBANGBANG for starting it.

I love highlighting my hair. I've considered trying to grow them out a few times, but I just know I would go back to them. I love the color variation and how they brighten my face. And they are just plain fun:D

I've been using coconut oil before getting my roots done and have noticed a difference. But I need to remember to do regular DTs to help my hair stay nice and healthy.

Have there been many here who have gone cone-free while maintaining highlights? It just seems like my hair does better with them, but they do have a tendency to weigh my hair down.

I was cone free for the first three years after i joined LHC. Once I got my length finally growing good, I started experimenting with cones. Now that I know how to remove the cones safely, I enjoy using the products.

[cheryl888]

I am currently trying to grow out bleached hair, its only been 6 months and im already considering highlighting it again, can't wait i love my hair so much more when its highlighted, can't seem to stay with my natural haircolour for very long.

[Scarlett brooke]

Andrew Barton ultimate blonde hair repair mask works wonders for my bleached ends. Iv started using special blonde high lift tints now which you can get up to four shades of lift with and the top of my hair does feel healthier than when I just used bleach. Just thought I'd share in case anyone else would prefer to use colour but do no want to give up being blonde!

[mzBANGBANG]

Yay! My thread is back from the dead! And I still know how to rhyme!

I am looking to get maybe 5 foils to go into fall. I did all over highlights and promised myself I would only highlight the top from now on, that way if it does get over damaged I can just get minimal layers.

So, thoughts on highlights during the fall season? Yeah, dumb fashion question. I know a lot of women tend to go darker for the colder seasons, though.

[BrightEyes]

I was cone free for the first three years after i joined LHC. Once I got my length finally growing good, I started experimenting with cones. Now that I know how to remove the cones safely, I enjoy using the products.

Thank you for your reply. I think for my hair, cones in small doses are good. In the past I had been using shampoo, conditioner and leave-in all containing cones. No wonder my hair always felt weighed down:rolleyes:. My hair seems to prefer mainly cone-free products with just a tiny bit of coney serum on the ends.

And I agree, knowing when and how to remove cones is very important.

[justgreen]

Yay! My thread is back from the dead! And I still know how to rhyme!

I am looking to get maybe 5 foils to go into fall. I did all over highlights and promised myself I would only highlight the top from now on, that way if it does get over damaged I can just get minimal layers.

So, thoughts on highlights during the fall season? Yeah, dumb fashion question. I know a lot of women tend to go darker for the colder seasons, though.

I just had the top half of my hair highlighted and will do so again in four weeks. Then I'll have about 14 foils put in around three weeks after that since I am going to go out of state for a month. In December I'll go back to my half head foils. I only tried going darker in the winter time once. It caused some damage the next time, so I'm just sticking with highlights.

[MsBubbles]

I have a question for you ladies. First of all: Today I went back to blonde! YAY! :joy: I'm thrilled and feel like it has been too long since I've been away in virgin-hairland. My virgin hair on its own is very nice and all, but up against my face, well neither one compliments the other.

I did my own Revlon Frost and Glow today (blonde) on my wispy bangs, and a few sections about 2 inches towards the back of my head and the sides of my hair. I didn't bleach the top or back, or really any of the length. I have fine hair and it can't stand much bleaching if I want to keep it at hip length. This is enough to really brighten things up against my face. I love it.

My question is when it comes time to touch up the roots, am I supposed to try to match up all the tiny thin fine strands that're bleached? What if I don't try to match them up and deliberately want the bleached sections to cover a larger area...what happens if I miss a piece that WAS bleached before and now has roots, and it doesn't get touched up? What does that look like? Is it that big of a problem?

I used to get highlights with foil at the hairdressers for 10 years. I watched her do it over and over. She used to paste over the top of the previously highlighted ends, but since I had a bog-standard bob-cut it didn't matter. That short, my ends never looked fried.

So obviously I can't do what she used to. I know people who color/bleach their entire heads of hair use coconut oil on the previously bleached bits, but am I supposed to try to pick out these fine sections and put coconut oil on them before pulling them through the cap? I honestly don't think I will be able to do that.

[MsBubbles]

The double-post gremlins finally caught me.

Might as well ETA on this post since it's a bonus.

I just googled highlighted hair and saw some pics of people's highlights that look like what I meant above about the highlights not exactly matching up. So it's inevitable, somewhat. I think I am going to keep the front lightening but leave the back & length alone, to avoid that problem. That way if I want to grow them out and start again later, it shouldn't take me too long with only the shorter front bits to grow out.

[teddygirl]

I am debating between continuing my highlights or growing them out. I loove how they look but are really dry, and damaged. It would also save money too. I am going to get my hair done in early oct, and may do an ombre look, no lights, or maybe just lowlights. Ah confused!

[cooklaezo13]

I bleached my hair for the first time. Not all of it, just two streaks in the front that I wanted to dye blue. I used grocery store box dye and it lightened my hair slightly, just enough to get an intense blue color. Hair does not feel dry or damaged.

[jacqueline101]

I like my skunk stripe bleach blonde but I'm growing it out I'm ready for change.

[rose313]

My natural color is light brown, I lighten it to very very light blonde and I have natural highlights. In 2008-2009 I had a salon double process my hair and overlap it every time I went in to get my roots done. They had apparently never heard of toner (neither had I before I educated myself) and bleached to platinum every time. So I had to get a 4 inch chop, and start regrowing my natural color. After my hair was in decent condition again (around 2010) I started getting it highlighted and gradually went back to blonde with a few semis in between when I felt like going brown again. For the past 2 years I've been only blonde and I love it!

I did my roots and toning myself until I built up the courage to go back to the salon (obviously a different one) and they are great with my hair.

I use high lift dye, not powder or box bleach. I find that my hair hates actual bleach and sustains much less damage with high lift dye. I've been told they will damage equally but in my own experience that's not true. My salon also uses high lift dye on me. I tone my hair myself, I make my own toner out of purple veggie dye (Manic Panic Ultraviolet) and conditioner...no damage! I don't like any other toner because it turns my hair gray even after a very short time and many have peroxide as an ingredient.

[MsBubbles]

I appreciate your detailed reply, Rose313! Unfortunately I don't know what high lift dye is. As far as my fine hair is concerned, I can't get it lighter without stripping something out of it which weakens it.

So how do they do it now, when you go to the salon? Do they painstakingly pick out the growing-out highlighted locks, isolated those, cover up the already lightened parts, then put the 'lift dye' on the roots part? How do they make sure it comes out the same color and doesn't have a line? Or is all of your hair now lightened so you can't really tell except for the roots?

[spidermom]

I've watched our stylist touch up my daughter's highlights, and she really doesn't take much care to be sure that she's matching up bleached strands. It all seems pretty random, plus some of the new bleach slops over onto the previously bleached strands.

I've looked around and it looks like all the stylists in the shop do it pretty much the same way. At a distance, you really can't tell how patchy the hair looks close up.

[MsBubbles]

That's what I thought too Spidermom. The problem with the way salons do it (for me) would be the reapplication of bleach over already bleached hair, four times a year. So that's why I'm not really getting it, from what people here say about their highlights. If it's done at a salon, it seems like that's pretty much how the stylists are going to do it each time. My hair would be fried within a year, I think.

Also if I put coconut oil on my hair before I went to a salon for highlights I am pretty sure it would be an awful, tangled mess. So I'm just really having a hard time envisioning what people do to minimize the effects of bleaching or color stripping over time.

I understand that pretty much everyone has more resilient hair than me, so it might not matter so much to others.

I think if I just do a few wispy bits periodically, perhaps I'll be ok.

[spidermom]

Oil on my hair causes insane tangling. I'll only do it before I plan to wash it, then braid if it's going to be on there several hours to all night.