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Post in Best Hair Ever
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Need hair coloring advice please

I initially requested ombre highlights with a "funky" color.  The salon I went to told me the only way to do this was to bleach the hair first, then to color.  I agreed accept the highlights came out looking more like two giant skunk stripes.  I also had to re-color my hair weekly because the color kept fading from a deep plum to a washed out pink/red.  It drove me nuts so I decided to do something natural and permanent.

I went to a different salon and they assured me that my hair would not be further damaged.  I had more highlights put in with bleach to blend out the thick stripes and then color was applied over the lightened hair.

That washed out after 2 shampoos and my hair is completely damaged.  I'm so confused because I thought permanent hair color would not wash out, let alone in just 2 washes!  Did I get ripped off?  Also, is there a way to color hair without bleaching first?

Thank you!!!

Re: Need hair coloring advice please

Hi, JanieV!

 

Often times funky or more unconventional colors are available in semi- or demi-permanent formulas (although there are some brands now that are startng to make permanent formulas, these tend to be available direct to salon/licensed professionals versus being available to the mass public in general retailers or even places like Sally's Beauty Supply). These formulas can last anywhere from 4-12 washes, so depending on how often you're washing your hair, color may fade faster. 

 

It's also not out of the ordinary for the porosity of hair to have been affected by the initial bleaching process. This can affect the hair's ability to then hold onto and retain the color element that is put back into them after the bleaching step. If hair is too porous, color can essentially just "seep out" quite easily as the integrity of the hair won't allow for it to "hold" or 'stick".

 

In your case, for dark hair, depending on the color you're wanting to go, bleaching may have to be required. For example, if your hair is black or even a deep chocolate color and you're wanting pastel pink, turquoise, emerald green, or even flame red added in, bleaching will be needed to lift the original pigment of your hair so that the colored dye can deposit and thus show up. Depending on the type of dye that is used, if it doesn't require any developer, then that means the dye formula itself doesn't provide any "lift" to the hair's color (brands like Manic Panic or Beyond the Zone are examples of this) so these formula only focus on depositing and incorporating color. If you're color product requires you to utilize developer, then there is a certain level of lift that can take place depending on the volume of developer used. The higher the volume, the more peroxide or lifting component is used to help the color penetrate into the hair shaft. For example, if someone with naturally medium brown hair is looking to go to a milk chocolate color, they may purchase a milk chocolate color and use a 20 or 30 volume developer to help lighten their natural color slightly and also help that shade deposit. Since that color change isn't very dramatic, no bleach is necessary and the lifting abilities of the developer should take care of providing that difference in the hair color look (you normally don't want to go more than 3 to 4 shades lighter without the aid of bleach as you may run the chances of unflattering undertones appearing and affecting the actual color you're trying to achieve, so in other words if your hair is black but you want to go to a sandy ash color, doing just hair dye with developer won't cut it).

 

It's also advisable that after a color process (be it with semi/demi-permanent or permanent formulas) that you don't wash your hair until 3-4 days after so that you don't run the risk of prematurely washing out trace aspects of the color and cause it to begin fading. Aftercare products like using color-preserving shampoos and conditioners, as well as deep nourishing masks are also crucial in helping to restore the integrity and strength to your hair as chemical processes can be quite taxing on strands. Avoid super hot water to prevent drying out strands and using thermal protectants when using heat tools are also practices that can help prevent additional stress or damage.

 

For the various services that you have experienced thus far, after the funky color had washed out, do you feel like the portions that are bleached are indeed light enough to where the color you want to add can show up to the degree you want? In other words if you're wanting teal added to the bleached portions, where those portions a very pale ashen blonde or even a platinum blonde to where they soaked up the teal and it was super loud or were the bleached portions very yellow, brassy, or even coppery in color to where when the teal was applied it came out more dingy and dusky looking? If the bleached portions aren't light enough to have the funky color applied on top show true to what you're wanting, then unfortunately, additional bleaching procedures will need to be done; however, if the bleached regions are light enough then you may want to merely look into some semi/demi-permanent color formulas that may have some more holding power than what was used in the salon (which, by the way did the salon disclose what brand of color they used?).

 

How long ago were the bleaching/coloring processes? It's important to not do too much too close to one another as that does tend to stack on the damage, so if you do need more chemical processing, I'd recommend booking a consultation with a reputable and licensed hair dresser to first get an evaluation on your hair's current status (disclose everything from what was done to how long ago to any hair care practices you have) and then determine how to proceed.

Re: Need hair coloring advice please

The bleaching was done about 2 months ago.  Some areas are lighter than others and right now i'm just looking to cover up the lighter areas with a color maybe 2-3 shades lighter than my own and blend them out a bit.

I wanted something permanent to minimize the maintenance, do you think that is realistic?

thanks.

Re: Need hair coloring advice please

If you're looking to color the lighter/bleached portions of your hair a shade that's only 2-3 shades lighter than your own natural color versus opting for a more wild or unconventional color, then finding a permanent option shouldn't be difficult. Natural hair color shades are much more readily available in permanent formulas. I would recommend still going to a licensed colorist to ensure the coloring and blending process is done properly (even inquire with salon employees if there's someone who specializes in color correction or who is more seasoned in color services). 

 

While permanent formulas are meant to last in hair, the quality of the hair and aftercare are also aspects that play into how well hair accepts that color formula. As mentioned above, if hair is too porous, then it will not "hold" onto the color, allowing even permanent formulas to fade and wash out from strands. Overwashing or using formulas of products that are also too harsh or stripping can also dull hair color and make it fade and appear lackluster. 

 

 

Re: Need hair coloring advice please

Depending on how dark your hair is, if it's ever been color treated, how porous it is to begin with, lifting hair several shades is usually pretty brutal. I've got asian hair that I highlight/balayage with some frequency and I need to regularly deep condition my strands to keep them soft and healthy. I'm not sure how closely you've bleached, treated, then re-bleached your hair again, but your best bet now is to wait awhile before any new color, just to let your hair recover! Do some hair masks and use shampoos and conditioners specifically for color treated hair in the meantime.

 

If you've got very dark hair, and you're going for a bright/light color, then the stylist needs to first strip your hair of its color (lifting), then add color back to the lifted strands. In addition, bright red/purple tones are pretty hard to maintain and will fade very quickly if you're washing your hair too often and not using color-maintaining shampoos.

 

As far as your permanent color washing out the second time, bear in mind that you've stripped your hair twice now. The cuticle is too damaged to hang onto new color, so it's likely just coming out when you wash. Your options now are waiting for your hair to get healthy, or the stylist using a protein filler to actually grip the color to your hair.

Re: Need hair coloring advice please

@JanieV Maintaining funky colours is difficult. Bleached hair has a hard time holding colour, and funky colours tend to fade fast anyway. There are ways to extend the life of the colour, but it will fade with time. Also, it can take more than one dyeing to get colour to actually stick to bleached hair. You may have to dye it 2 or 3 times before the colour starts to hold, but even then, it will still fade over the next few weeks as you wash it. You can use colour depositing shampoos/conditioners, or sulfate free products, to help extend the life of the colour, but unfortunately the fading is going to happen no matter what. Permanent products are also damaging to hair (as is bleach) so you may want to look into gentler dyes (like Manic Panic). The more damaged the hair is, the harder time it will have holding colour. 

 

I don't necessarily think you got ripped off, but it seems like the stylists gave you a false idea of what you could expect. They should know that funky colours will fade quickly, and that your hair would likely need to be dyed more than one to really get the colour in. But, in my experience, stylists don't usually give an accurate explanation of what to expect. A lot of them just say "no problem" and go to town.

Re: Need hair coloring advice please

thanks... the second time I colored my hair it was with a natural lighter brown.  I was under the impression that it might fade, but not completely wash out.  At a minimum it would last a month or two.

Re: Need hair coloring advice please

If you are going from dark hair to a lighter color you have to somehow bleach the hair before the color will set. Any kind of "funky" color requires bleaching or you will get a strange color mix.

 

How often do you wash your hair? Usually it should set for a full day, if not two, to help keep whatever leftover dye is in your strands to stay and get closed in the hair. It could also be the shampoo or conditioner you use. The fact that you said that in 2 washes your hair is damaged and the color washed out suggests whatever you use is stripping your hair.

Re: Need hair coloring advice please

I'm washing my hair about 1.5x a week and the damage seems to be from the bleach, i've never had this issue until I tried to color it.  

The color was a natural lighter brown... I did initially use the shampoo / conditioner recommended by the salon but I found it was stripping the color faster than my regular shampoo, which is John Freida and alterna caviar.

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