Giving up the dye/bleach and growing out natural? Share your progress.

[SapphiraSilver]

Greetings! This is a thread for everyone who has decided to give up bleaching, colouring or highlighting and have started to grow out their natural hair. I don't know if anyone will share their progress here but I hope so, sometimes the wait for the hair to grow, the two different colour lines is frustrating and we all need to vent.
I have been every colour since I was 15 and I been lightening and highlighting my hair as light as possible for the last 10 years. I made the awful mistake of bleaching my hair white on the 5th May 2010, and decided no more damage, no more colouring, going natural. So I cut it to chin length, can't bare it any shorter, and now have 2 months worth of roots, which are 2cm long (my natural colour is a dark ash blond/light ash brown) The worst part is the breakage at the front leaving me with awful short layers and bangs that are frizzy/damaged and that I am desperately wanting to grow out. My hair is awfully thinning at the front, and the natural roots do make it look even more noticeably thinner, but I decided that I don't care anymore, I prefer thin, but healthy hair then damaged like it is now.

So if you would like to share your progress or photos on how much has grown, what hairstyles you wear to get through the colour issues, how long you are planning to grow and so on, please feel free! and if not, that's ok, at least I had a place to share my frustration. Thank you for reading

-Sapphira

[Dream0331]

Yay a place for me! Hi, I too have decided to quit colouring my hair. I currently have about a quater to a half inch of new growth. I do not know at this point what my natural is anymore, I haven`t seen it in 9 years. Wow, I can`t believe it`s that many years already! My old family hairdresser has described it as a very very dirty blonde, or a very very light brown. Anyways, the last time I coloured my hair I did a colour that I`m hoping isn`t going to create too much of a `line` between it and the new growth.

[SapphiraSilver]

Yay a place for me! Hi, I too have decided to quit colouring my hair. I currently have about a quater to a half inch of new growth. I do not know at this point what my natural is anymore, I haven`t seen it in 9 years. Wow, I can`t believe it`s that many years already! My old family hairdresser has described it as a very very dirty blonde, or a very very light brown. Anyways, the last time I coloured my hair I did a colour that I`m hoping isn`t going to create too much of a `line` between it and the new growth.

Hello! I am so glad that there are others out there like me Nice to meet you. Your natural hair colour sounds a bit like mine. I too have not properly seen my natural for about 15 years lol, I does change a little in time. I guess we will see when it grows for a few more months.

Are you currently doing anything to help the rate of growth? massaging, taking any kind of vitamins or anything? I went to the pharmacy and they couldn't recommend anything for growth. Mine grows about 1cm a month.

I find myself checking the mirror all the time and it takes forever lol At least you say you don't think your colour will create a bad line lol Mine already is, white blond and dark blond is quite a contrast, but I fear to put any more chemicals on the bleach as it may totally melt lol.

Good luck with your progress! happy growing.

[Dream0331]

I haven`t started anything really anything to help it grow. I hate giving myself a scalp massage and DBF won`t do it, maybe I can teach DD2 to do it for me. She loves to scratch our backs already . I have no idea what vitamins to take to help it out a bit, but I want to get some soon! Lately I`ve been CO washing with a scalp shampoo once a week.

I wouldn`t worry too much about your colour line, if anyone mentions it, tell them you`re starting a trend.

We`ll get this over with eventually!

[Tiina]

I'm growing out my natural colour too. I started to dye my hair when I was 12 or 13 and I went straight to black. My natural colour is gray. Not ash blonde/brown but just gray. Already as a child I got mistaken for an old lady from behind and it did nothing for my selfesteem. I vigorously dyed myself black for a few years, sometimes adding purple or red dye to the roots (at one point I had 4 colours atop each other from top to bottom : gray, carrot, beet and black ). After a certain accident I was left with a natural-colour pixie which I promptly made grass green and since that got fixed I've been copper red all the way.

Right now it looks something like this:




These pics are taken in normal daylight. I last dyed my hair in February with a semipermanent and as you can see it has faded a lot and become somewhat greyish itself. Once the virgin colour grows out more (enough to get light of its own) it will appear a lot less dark.

I admit that my natural colour is not one that people swoon over but it is what it is and I am what I am. Besides, I believe it can look quite stunning if I take care of it.

And if I am mistaken to be an elderly lady at the age of twenty, well, at least I'll get a laugh out of it.

[SapphiraSilver]

I'm growing out my natural colour too. I started to dye my hair when I was 12 or 13 and I went straight to black. My natural colour is gray. Not ash blonde/brown but just gray. Already as a child I got mistaken for an old lady from behind and it did nothing for my selfesteem. I vigorously dyed myself black for a few years, sometimes adding purple or red dye to the roots (at one point I had 4 colours atop each other from top to bottom : gray, carrot, beet and black ). After a certain accident I was left with a natural-colour pixie which I promptly made grass green and since that got fixed I've been copper red all the way.

Right now it looks something like this:

These pics are taken in normal daylight. I last dyed my hair in February with a semipermanent and as you can see it has faded a lot and become somewhat greyish itself. Once the virgin colour grows out more (enough to get light of its own) it will appear a lot less dark.

I admit that my natural colour is not one that people swoon over but it is what it is and I am what I am. Besides, I believe it can look quite stunning if I take care of it.

And if I am mistaken to be an elderly lady at the age of twenty, well, at least I'll get a laugh out of it.

Wow that is a lot of growth so far! that's wonderful, and thank you for sharing. I totally hate the colour of my natural hair, it has hardly any warmth in it also, only a little. But I started to think of everything that I am trying to do to take care of this bleach damage, and imagined taking that good care of the natural, then it would be so healthy, no matter the colour. I think your colour is very unique, and does not look like an old lady to me and it will look totally gorgeous when it's long and taken care of.

I am planning to use those mousse things that wash off in 6 washes on my natural when it grows just for some variety, since they are not really damaging and wash off anyway leaving your natural back again, but it's still a long way to go till then lol

Do keep us informed of your progress, one day we will all have our natural back and can grow it as long as we like

[Bianca]

Then - With some roots and before I cut off the very damaged ends.

And recently -

[SapphiraSilver]

Wow, that's wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing these inspiring pictures.

I would have had the patience if my hair wasn't so damaged, but because it's all frizzy and dry, I just can't wait to cut off all the damaged bits.

My overall goal, is also waist length, but all natural without the bleach. Only at 2cm lol Not even a full inch yet! Where did you find the patience

[Bianca]

Wow, that's wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing these inspiring pictures.

I would have had the patience if my hair wasn't so damaged, but because it's all frizzy and dry, I just can't wait to cut off all the damaged bits.

My overall goal, is also waist length, but all natural without the bleach. Only at 2cm lol Not even a full inch yet! Where did you find the patience

Your welcome

I did cut off a lot, from BSL, to shoulder. Right now I'm just waiting for it to be long enough for me to cut of the rest, so I can start growing towards hip

I dont know. I have always dyed my hair, and had I not found this place, I would still be changing color every month. Now I just love my natural color, even though it may look a little blah in certain lights. But it's healthy and shiny Once yours get a little longer, the line wont be so obvious

[Mrs Sgardelis]

I'll join in!! I was silly enough to dye my blonde hair blonde when I was about 17, I kept it up because I hated the regrowth. I last dyed just before christmas '09 I have about 3 inches of regrowth which is thankfully blending in ok (thank god for summer!). It's just below shoulder now so it's going to take awhile till I can get rid of all the dye but Im loving my natural hair again