Regrowing colour-damaged hair

[kiezel]

Hey guys, don't know if anyone remembers me. I posted a few times...but it's been about a year since then. Glad to see everyone's still having a good time for the most part! :)

On a whim, during the past few months I have a coloured my hair 3 times...making it worse for wear. My hair grows rather quickly, but I'm torn between trimming all the damage off, or letting it grow as is...and trimming it later. It's just skimming my shoulders right now.

I can provide pics if requested, but I'd just like some general advice? I'd love to trim it, and then use coconut oil..but I've also moved to a place where it's almost impossible to find coconut oil...

Thank you!

[ravenreed]

I microtrim quite often. Whenever my hair gets splits, or feels rough and tangly on the ends, I go ahead and do a small trim. I don't know how damaged your hair is, but perhaps that is the way to go. Are there other oils locally you can use on your hair?

[kiezel]

Ravenreed:
I'm still thinking I should get a crop, perhaps. Even though I hate to think of having that short of hair again :( I'd be starting over from a boyish length...

Good news though! I just looked online, and I've found a site that delivers coconut oil! I was using olive oil, but nothing works as well for me as coconut oil, it absorbs so well, and I use it in place of conditioner.

[ravenreed]

Sometimes a chop is a good thing, if you can keep away from what caused you to chop in the first place! However, are you sure that your hair is that damaged? I colored my hair for YEARS (decades, actually, and every month to 6 weeks at that) and it still grew to waist length without a hiccup. Unless your hair is covered in splits or acting horrible, I don't know that you really need to chop it all off.

[kiezel]

It's actually not that bad considering how fried I hear many peoples' hair to be. It just gets crunchy when I don't use oils on it, or when I don't condition it a LOT.

There are a few reasons I want to crop it though.
Firstly, the last dye I used is leeching out of my hair a little, and it's giving me an allergic reaction. Itchy and red around the face is not fun.
Secondly is that although I had naturally black hair, the dyed part looks lifeless, and I really don't like it.
The third point is that I think I would like some sort of change. :P

[ravenreed]

Those are good reasons to chop. A word of warning about coconut oil... for some people, it can make hair crunchy. Others never have that problem.

[akilina]

If your hair is really bad I would recommend a good inch or two trim, and after that just do little microtrims on your own every month or two :)
Theres no need to chop it all off to nothing.
I wish that last year when I had coloring and flat iron damage that I would have trimmed off 2 inches, instead of 7....id be so much further along now. Just something to think about.

[kiezel]

No worries about coconut oil :) I've used it before, and it was wonderful.

Now to decide how short to go...I guess since there's not much new growth, a pixie would be the best bet...:whip: