Is Dyeing Bad for Natural Hair?

[beccab]

Hello all,

Can you get scab hair from dyeing your hair? I started dyeing mine (it is natural -- has been almost all my adult life) before I started letting it grow. It's shoulder length now (when wet) and generally healthy except the ends are very frizzy, coarse and rough and I'm wondering if I should cut them off and stop the dye.

Also, I am new to LHCF…What is “BC”? Does that stand for the Big Chop? Also, what is "TWA”?

Thank you all!
BeccaB

 

[NaturallyGraceful]

Hi BeccaB,

TWA mean Teeny Weeny Afro & yes BC means Big Chop.

I am living proof that hair dye can cause scab hair. A few days after my BC, I dyed my hair which was all of an inch & less. As my hair grew out, I not only realized I had 2 different textures-the colored hair was rougher & frizzy, but for some reason the colored hair was much longer than it should have been leading me to believe that the dye seeped into my hair follicle & grew out from there.
So I am a firm believer in scab hair & that it affects everyone differently or maybe even not at all but it did get me.
It took me a while to realize how different the textures were, but I've gradually cut it off and since I do love color, I'm sure I will color again after I've attained a lot more length.
HTH.

 

[Evolving78]

I don't know or had a problem with scab hair, but it just sounds like your ends need to be trimmed or moisturized. When you color your hair, natural or relaxed, color can be very drying and you have to make sure you moisturize you hair often to keep the moisture balance. Now if you have two different textures due to coloring, usually lighter colors may loosen up the hair's natural curl pattern. I have used color before for and I just cowash (wash hair with conditioner instead of shampoo) and I use heavy creams and oils to moisturize my hair. It is better to use products that are more heavy and natural for natural hair, since natural hair tends to suck up more moisture than relaxed hair. What type of products do you use and do you heat style? Do you get trims often? Do you wrap your hair up at night with silk or satin? How often do you use shampoo?(what type of shampoo) Do you deep condition your hair often?

 

[beccab]

Thank you to shortdub78 and twistyone for answering my post.

I don't do a lot of deep conditioning but I do use lots of Pantene conditioner whenever I shampoo. I have started to shampoo less often (just got the book "Going Natural" by Mireille Liong-A-Kong) and have also started using a natural, vegetable-based shampoo from Qhemet Biologics (great products!) plus the detangler and a couple of the other products (still experimenting to see which work best for me). And just two nights ago I started using a silk pillowcase (I have trouble getting a scarf to stay on at night). The other reason I am considering discontinuing the dye is just general health. I'm sure my body is absorbing the chemicals in the dye. Oh, and no, I don't use any heat at all on my hair.

I'm thinking I probably do need to cut off my ends. I'm leery of having someone else cut them though -- for example, the hairdresser who dyes my hair -- as so few people really know how to properly cut kinky hair.

I guess since I just recently started some of the recommended hair care practices maybe I'll just wait to see if I notice any improvement in 6 weeks (when I'm due for a color touchup).

Thanks again!
BeccaB