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I'm hoping there are some hairdressers on OUT, as basically my hair is totally fooked at the moment, due to too much bleaching.
I tried to go blond from black in two days basically and then yesterday after bleaching it for a second time (both times I left it on for 90 minutes) when it was wet and I ran a comb through it a load of it would just break off. It was really gooey and weird, then then it's dry it's frizzy and straw like, which is weird as in the past it's stood up fine to much more than that.
I'm thinking that the quality is desperately needing to be upped. I've tried some deep conditioner yesterday (twice) and then today I covered it in normal conditioner when it was dry and left it on for ages.
Naturally my hair's rather curly, but at the moment it's not even curly. I thought about getting it cut, but I suspect I'd have to have quite a lot off, and I don't want short hair again as I'd lose all my self confidence (currently I've got around shoulder length hair).
Basically, is there anything I can do to repair it? Is it to far gone and beyond all hope or is there some way I can salvage and redeem it? Should I just get it cut or if I leave it and condition the hell out of it, will it regain it's normal good condition and go silky and curly again?
Hi Kenickie,
I am NOT a hairdresser, but I know two guys who solved the bleach-damage problem the following way:
First, wash out any remaining bleaching cream with some shampoo if you haven't done so yet.
Second, gently towel-dry your hair and soak it with some pure fresh lemon juice - buy a few lemons and squeeze them to get the juice. This will restore the (normally) acidic pH of your hair and your scalp, while the Vitamin C in the lemon juice may neutralize any remaining oxidants (eg. hydrogen peroxide) in your scalp. Leave all your hair thoroughly soaked for 2-5 minutes - protect your eyes, lemon juice bites!
Third, rinse again and apply a generous amount of a good conditioner, leave it in for a few minutes. Now you may untangle your hair if needed.
Fourth, rinse again and apply quite a bit of an "anti-frizz" gel, an oily liquid that consists of dimethicone and cyclomethicone and not much more.
Finally, let your hair air-dry and brush it gently, and apply a bit of pommade-type grease after it has dried. It will feel funny for a few days, but this procedure offers the chance to get close to the "silky" feeling within a few days after these procedures.
Of course, all this will not exactly restore the hair structure the way it was before, but it minimizes the damage, and there is a good chance the curls will be back in a few days. (By the way, modern hair dyes and bleaches should include a tube with strong conditioner in each package...)
On this board we do recommend staying away from bleaches and aggressive dyes, but if you still want to dye the new growth, say, two months from now, you now know a way to keep the damage at bay, and make sure you apply the bleach only to the new growth. At some point in time, you may simply want to dye your hair back to its original color, or did you bleach your eye brows, too, to make it look like your natural hair color? Hope your eyes didn't get hurt...
Having said all that, I do think it will still be possible for you to enjoy your hair, including its new color, now that the deed is done. Do NOT cut it, I don't think you'll have to.
Best wishes, and good luck!
Hans-Uwe
I suffered the same thing, i went from black to blonde and it totaly wrecked my hair, BLONDE IS HAIR WREAKING ! lol well for me it is. BUT dont get it cut, try some things, believe me...when i had all my hair cut i was depressed for weeks!!!
Hmm, well I've had it trimmed, only about an inch and a half thankfully though so it's still at least medium length.
The hairdresser said it wasn't actually in to bad a condition and she suggested finishing bleaching/dying it, which I may do after a few strand tests (I learnt my lesson on this one, they're always a good idea).
It's a lot less clammy and stuck together now, and has a bit of a wave, but the curls aren't back totally yet, does anyone know if they will return after lots of conditioning and a few weeks, as I do love my curls.
Stop dying it for about 3 months. In that time, try different shampoos and conditioners. Switch around. Use hot oil treatments. Do NOT dye it for a while after that even. When it looks better, get it trimmed some.
I have dyted hair because mine is long but going grey.
if you dont have to dye the entire head dont.
kathy
Hi Kathy,
I think the hot oils are good. However, if things get better, what would be the point of trimming just a bit? Or would you recommend a trim only if the ends are still dry?
Personally, I'd recommend a trim only as a LAST resort, i.e. if the hair breaks and splits up like crazy, not if it's just a bit dry as a result of the bleaching.
If the ends of dyed hair are a bit dry, most hairdressers would administer MAJOR trim of some 5+ inches - something that is clearly unacceptable for Kenickie, and unnecessary in my opinion.
Nevertheless, thank you for contributing your experience. This is indeed a tricky problem.
Hans-Uwe
Speaking as a reformed bottle blond I can sympathise - I loved being superblond but I wanted my hair longer and the breakage just stopped me from achieving my maximum length. But please don't rush out and get it cut just yet - that way lies only pain and misery! Stick with it, condition well and never ever comb when wet - the one good thing about bleached hair is that it dries much quicker anyway so leave it until it's at least almost dry. I also used to find that I didn't need to wash my hair nearly as often when it was blond, so I'd stay away from the shampoo as much as possible and let it settle down on its own for at least a good few weeks then take another look at it and see what you think. By that time you may have gotten so used to it you will wonder what you were worrying about in the first place.