What is the Problem?

[AmilLion]

I don't know what to think of my hair. I've noticed in the past (as a child and teenager) that my hair seems to absorb light and lighten.

When stopped wearing weaves last year this time, I noticed that my hair was jet black (think #1 to no lighter than #1B). As the year progressed I noticed that my hair is getting lighter and lighter and lighter. Overall my hair is now a medium brown (#2) with light brown (#4) highlights. Anyone can think of anything that is causing this?

I wash my hair every week w/Elucence Shampoo, condition with Keracase Humecto (or 10 en 1), roller set and applying Mango Butter (or UBH moisturizer to my hair). I do not used brushes, I wear a silk scarf, I wear my hair in semi productive hair styles and use a seamless wide tooth comb.

 

[Lindy]

I think it's the combination of relaxer and the sun. My daughter's hair was jet black up until I started relaxing her hair. Now her hair is dark brown and it has copperish-blonde streaks in it!! The stylist thought I had highlighted her hair!!

 

[jetcitygirl]

It is probably the relaxer. Over time they strip off the first layer of color in your hair. What becomes visable is whatever "undertone" you hair has. Mine used to go from dark brown to this rusty-red color when I relaxed. I corrected it by getting a colorshine in coffee bean when I got my relaxers done.

 

[Honi]

I think it's the relaxer too. My hair is a 4 naturally but as a kid I always had these blond streaks along the temple so that when my hair was pulled back I looked like a skunk!

I still have them along with some reddish color mixed in.

 

[asha]

I agree, I think it is the relaxer. When I went natural for two years my hair was black like a number 1 weave. About 2 months after my relaxer it went to a number 2.

 

[Islandgirl]

relaxer does this to your hair, one hairdresser told me that this was a sign of overprocessing, but i am not too sure about this.

 

[dontspeakdefeat]

I agree with everyone else. It's the relaxer. I had a stylist tell me that many years ago.

 

[mirrormirror]

........it is the relaxer. It's obvious that my hair is naturally black cause of my eyebrows. But now my hair is a light golden brown color with medium shades of brown. Im sure that overtime relaxers stripped my natural hair color. And the sun probably has alot to do with. My hair looks like I have had highlights done.

 

[inthepink]

Yep, I agree with the relaxer theory. Now that I'm growing out my relaxer, I can look at some of my pictures are see how black my roots are compared with my dark,dark brown relaxed hair. Maybe some people's hair is more likely to lighten or lighten more than others.

 

[karezone]

My hair has always been red. It gets even redder during the summer. According to my Mother, after she brought me home from the hospital, and washed my hair one time with J&J baby shampoo it turned red and has stayed that way ever since.

 

[Tracy]

It is the relaxing process - but it's actually the neutralizer - not the relaxer itself.

The neutralizing shampoo oxidizes the hair which can pull pigment and make the hair lighter. A very small amount of peroxide (an acid) in the nuetralizing shampoo is used to bring the hair back to it's correct PH after the alkaline relaxer is applied to the hair. Peroxide pulls color, it whitens teeth, it bleaches your tub - it's a powerful lightener. The small amount that neutralizing shampoos contain can little by little, very gradually, lighten the hair over time. Depending on the strength and makeup of your hair some people can be more affected by it than others. The chemical composition of the specific shampoo and the varying concentrations of peroxide will matter as well.

If you wore a weave for a while, you hair was probably subjected to the relaxing process less frequently and you therefore experienced less lightening.

That's my theory.

 

[SilkyandSmooth]

I agree with everyone else. It's the relaxer. My hair has gotten lighter over the years. It used to be dark brown all over, but now it's predominantly dark brown with medium brown highlights. It gets even lighter in the summer. My stylist thought I had put highlights in my hair at one point.

 

[cutebajangirl]

A hairdresser once told me this was more pronounced with no lye relaxers rather than lye. Has anyone noticed this. I used to get this when I used No lye, some of my dark brown hair went all the way to blonde. Once I switched to lye this no longer happens. But I am also in the sun way less now.