Healthy hair questions...????

[christyrose]

So a couple questions that I have since I am trying to have healthy hair!

1.Is there any dye I can use at home that will not do damage to my hair? I am a dark blonde/light brown depending on the lighting and I want my honey blonde hair back. I just dont want to damage it since my hair is short and I am trying to grow it out. I am thinking about waiting until its longer before dying it, but I hate the color it is right now!


2. I see some people recommending benign neglect for hair growth... Just putting your hair up and not worrying about it and letting it grow. I also see people saying that to help your hair grow dont do pony tails. Are pony tails damaging? I mean if I put my hair in a bun or something all day and night is that bad? I have shorter hair now but I can kind of get it up with pins and such since its thin. Am I damaging it and making it break off or something?

3. I have been measuring my hair for 2 months now and its grown about 2" and I believe I was about 3/4 or 1" after a month, so almost an inch a month. My hair should be around chin length in a month. How long do you think it will take me to grow it to my shoulders with this rate?


Thanks for the advice!!

[NoRush]

Well there's plenty of things to consider as far as grwth rate goes, I don't think two months tracking is enough for a pattern, most of us go through stalls and growth spurts :)

Ponytails can be damaging if you always tie the hair in the same place because the friction of the haitie will cause more breakage in thet point. Alternating high and low poys with buns that don't require a ponytail is a good way to avoid that damage, also braiding is great.

As for the color issue, there are a few natural lightening methods widely disussed on the boards like the honey and chamomille, but no matter how natural, if it's going ligher there will be some damage, of course you being a blonde already means that you won't need as many treatments to get to the color you want so that's good news ;)

[Madora]

Ponytails are not hair friendly for several reasons:

1) pulling hair back tightly day after day can lead to traction alopecia

2) wearing a ponytail in the same spot all the time can lead to breakage and eventual thinning because the same hairs are subject to being confined in the same place, plus friction from the ponytail holder itself

3) dangling ponytails lead to tangles, not to mention getting caught on fabrics or the back of chairs. The tangle situation alone has to be addressed every so many hours. If you don't detangle until the end of the day, you could wind up with tangle city which could lead to breakage if you are not careful.

Braiding is a much more hair friendly option. For the sake of your hair, be sure not to braid tightly.

[Cowgirl16]

I second what Madora has told you.
I think at the rate your hair is growning it could be at your shoulders by this time next year. Of course cutting and other factors need to be taken into consideration; but it is possible :shrug:

Happy Growing!

[kaydana]

Lightening your hair will always cause some damage, however, you can alter the colour using semi-permanent dyes (the type that don't use a developer) if you really don't like your colour and would be willing to try something darker/redder rather than aiming for blonde.

If you must lighten it, almost everyone here that I've seen who does that puts coconut oil on their hair before lightening it, to reduce the damage. So if you do lighten it, that might be something worth trying.

[Anje]

3. I have been measuring my hair for 2 months now and its grown about 2" and I believe I was about 3/4 or 1" after a month, so almost an inch a month. My hair should be around chin length in a month. How long do you think it will take me to grow it to my shoulders with this rate?
How long is your neck?

[christyrose]

So with the coconut oil before lightening, does the coconut oil stay in your hair and you put the dye on top of it? Anything to know about a time difference when using that? I thought about darker so there wouldnt be damage but I am sure I wont like darker. I decided to wait for it to get longer before dying so I could make sure I dont like my hair color better when its longer.

My neck is 4-4.5 inches(keeps coming out different depending on how I sit), I finally have everything measured out LOL. I am guessing shoulder length in 6 months given that I may not grow an inch a month, but hoping for a little faster growth. I was mainly wondering if I was thinking too fast.

[HylianGirl]

Henna and indigo are used by many people here to darken their hair, however if you are not sure about it, don't do it, 'cause henna is permanent (although not damaging, you won't be able to remove the colour that easily).

Madora explained very well why ponytails should be avoided, I'd just like to add that when you put on a tight pony and then pull your hair of the pony to the sides to make it tighter, you end up pushing the elastic against the hair cuticle, which is very damaging. you can try learning braids, as well as dutch and french brands since your hair is still short.

[Katze]

1.Dye damages, and bleach damages even more. I got highlights ('without bleach' according to the stylist - the dye lightened on its own, but I am not sure if I believe that!) in my hair about 2 months ago, and notice a lot more damage and splits and dryness. As someone who bleached for DECADES (one of those 'but I was blonde as a kid') I know from personal experience that bleach and dye damage.

2. I have trouble with benign neglect, because my hair won't stay up! Wearing different updos every day will help minimize the damage, and keeps your hair protected from the elements is what most people here try to do. However, you have to make sure you're using non-damaging accessories (soft elastics without metal, for example).

And ii hair is normal, not thin!

Your hair sounds like it grows like a weed so if you continue to take good care of it it will probably get much longer and thicker than you expect. good luck!