To Dye or Not...

[prettypuff1]

no and ill just use on word for why. BREAKAGE

 

[sugaplum]

I voted no because after doing research in my Pharmacy class, studies have shown that hair dye causes brain cancer over time. I've never been into dying my hair becuase "Black Is Beautiful. "

 

[MissScarlett]

i go back and forth about wanting to dye my hair. its always been black, i just want something different but as always i'm worried about the effect it will have on my hair.

 

[blueabyss333]

No, a year later my hair could be twice as long if it weren't for highlights. No matter how much I PS and try to moisturize my situation I still have damage.

 

[homegirljiggy]

their is alot of natural stuff u can do to get color... for brown highlights, rinse hair with freshly brewed coffee... for red tint rinse hair with 100% cranberry juice... or some women spray some lemon juice on their hair for a couple days before going in the sun and that lightens too... just dont do it, dont dye!!!

 

[shmmr]

I vote no. I would have already been full APL by now (if not past there) if I hadn't asked for these highlights. It causes a setback from damaged hair for a lot of people, me included.

 

[Healthb4Length]

I really think it depends on the texture of the person's hair and level of commitment to taking care of the hair. There are a few members on this site with long color treated hair (QueenT & Tracy) and their hair is healthy and growing. They take excellent care of their hair and I believe if you take great care of your color treated hair especially doing your Protein treatments and moisture treatments then you should be alright. I have Tracy's bootcamp for color treated hair saved under my favorites. She gives some excellent tips on how to care for color treated hair. I also have Kitchentican's fotki saved, she had beautiful color treated LONG and Healthy type 4a hair. I say go for it, you gotta have fun with your hair just know the consequences too, obviously color treated hair requires alot of commitment but if you are diligent then you can have healthy, beautiful relaxed color treated hair, JMO.

 

[gymfreak336]

Go for it.....its your hair and you only live once.

75% of problems with color come from coloring hair that has NO business being colored. The other 25% of problems comes from the care afterwards. You can not treat color treated relaxed hair the exact same way you treated it before the color. No way, ain't happening The needs of double processed hair are different and you have to be prepared to cater to those new needs. For example, if you already relax your hair bone straight and now you want to be a level 6 blond Hecky no Color Treated hair needs milder relaxers so if you are contemplating coloring, you already need to be making the switch to a milder relaxing result. If you can't put in the commitment after the color then don't do it. This means the extra conditioning time each week, the reduction of heat, the use of quality products designed to preserve the intergrity of the hair, especially color treated hair, and the knowledge to do your own troubleshooting and the patience to work through the problems until you find your stride.

This is also when you have to be careful not to bite off more than you can chew. If you already have problems deep conditioning on a regular basis then a head full of highlights and an overall shade lift isn't for you. Try a semi-permanent rinse instead. You also need to make sure that you are going to a colorist and not a regular ol' stylist. Colorist have additional training to do color. Mixing shades and color placement to compliment your undertones, your hair style and texture, your maintance scheldule etc..... these are things that colorist get more training in assessing. Yes they will usually cost more but the result is worth it 90% of the time. When you choose to do it at home, you need to have an understanding of color, how it does what it does, and you don't need to attempt to lift more than 2 levels at home.

I love color and I have since recently colored my hair after 3 years and I plan on keeping it colored in some form or fashion from now on. You can successfully color and still pursue longer hair but you have to make the commit to do so.

 

[jerjer29]

i say no. because my hair stylist i use to go to was basically a weave and color expert although i use to always go to her to get my hair pressed and permed only. And i saw her color soo many girls hair, and then like 3 months later i'll see them come in the salon with broken off damaged hair. One girl had long gorgeous hair and the color broke her hair off like all on her edges and from her hairline to her crown was so thin and broken off. But there were a hand full of girls who's hair never broke off and i would hear my stylist tell so many girls before they get their hair colored that it's not always meant for everybody. I think it's kind of like a 50/50 if it'll break it off and i personally believe that. I mean sure i think if you know how to take care of your hair is one thing but certain hair types just can't handle things like coloring regardless of how much you care for it.

 

[Butterfly08]

I know this is an old post and I wonder what decision OP made. Anyway, I have to agree with Gym - YES you can safely dye your hair. As others have mentioned, depositing color onto the strand is much healthier, but it is possible to have long relaxed hair with bleached highlights. My hair is currently 1 inch from brastrap and it is as healthy as it was when I was beyond BSL with no highlights. However, it took me at least 1 year to learn the do's and don'ts:

DO -

• Go to a professional (I recommend Aveda color - it really is less harsh than others).
• Research that professional - ask how they color the hair, what practices they recommend to maintain the color, any special training they have in coloring
• Keep your hair moisturized! Cowashing has drastically improved the moisture level of my hair. Dry hair equals breakage.
• Find low or no heat ways to style. Again, direct heat dries the hair and over time will lead to breakage. Because of the double process, bleached hair is simply not able to withstand the regular use of heat. I cowash and wet bun or wet set.
• Leave a sliver of non-colored hair in the front. That way when the roots grow in it will not be as noticeable and you can go longer between TUs.
• Stretch your relaxer if you can. The longer you can go between chemical treatments while still maintaining moist, breakage free hair, the better.

DON'T -

• Go to a chain salon and expect salon results. It's really hit and miss. I had a stylist at Walmart who was excellent at cuts and color. I then went to a Mastercuts stylist who overprocessed my hair and caused it to literally break RIGHT off. If you're going to color your hair, commit to a relationship with one stylist who you know will take care of you. I now stick with an Aveda stylist who can literally do EVERYTHING I need her to (relaxer, cut, style, color).
• Get full head highlights - they are more expensive and are more likely to break your hair. Go with a partial.
• Color every 8 weeks like some sources will tell you. Double processed hair will end up getting triple and quadruple processed.

In short, it's possible to have healthy double processed hair, but you MUST make the necessary sacrifices in order for it to happen.