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i been growing my hair for 4 months now i have natural dark brown hair but i been dying it black, it seens like a good dye and not harmful, is every coloring damaging to ur hair or just some?
Putting any chemical in your hair including dye is bad news. You should either STOP now or be prepared to find you need a 00000 buzz to start again.
There ain't no compromises.
Going by this logic, people should never shampoo or condition their hair.
In fact, if H20, i.e., water, is a chemical molecule, then, going by this logic, we should never use water on our hair either!
I know what you're trying to say, though. Hair dye - that is, the semi-permanent and especially the permanent ones - do damage to one's hair. The temporary dyes do less, but the permanent ones do a great deal, since they have to penetrate the hair shaft. If one bleaches their hair before dying it, which is often done before dying in bright colors, then the level of damage shoots up, for bleach is extremely damaging to one's hair.
To the original poster - it's best to stop dying your hair if you want to ensure that it remains healthy. There are some people who dye their hair with little to no damage, like Jason on this board, but it's still safer not to use dye.
Peace
Permanent dyes are the most damaging, temporary ones are the least. What kind of dye are you using?
I use a semi-permanent highlighter that lightens my hair about two shades lighter than it normally is, I follow it with conditioning agents made for color-treated hair. While coloring will do some damage to hair, you can minimize it by using special conditioners that smooth down and strengthen the hair cuticle.
If you are using a color darker than your own, consider a temporary dye that colors over your natural color. If going lighter, don't go more than a few shades lighter. My hair is in good shape, in spite of highlighting. But I never ever use heat, I always air dry, and I do deep conditioning treatments to keep it from any further damage. I also protect it from the elements, especially sun.
Also, when treating the roots, I only do the roots, and do not use any solution elsewhere. Many instructions have you treat the roots, time it for so long, and then do the rest of your hair. Totally unecessary if you used a permanent or semi-permanent color. Throw the rest of the solution out.
Semi-permanent color lightens the pigments in your hair, while permanent removes the pigments completely. Both use peroxide, which is very harsh on the hair strands. You want to minimize your exposure to peroxide as much as possible, which is why I went for highlighting, as my hair is exposed to the bleaching activity for the least amount of time.
Since you are going to a darker color, a peroxide-free temporary color would be your safest bet. Be sure to condition well afterwords (about 3 to 5 minutes), and wait 48 hours before you shampoo again. Use a mild shampoo, or one specifically for color-treated hair.
Of course, the best thing is to not color your hair at all. But I happen to like the brighter look that the highlighting does to my duller natural color. I now have it about the shade it was in my teens. I don't have unrealistic expectations of making myself a bleached blonde bombshell. ;-)
Carol
It's not damaging, as long as you're having professionally done. There is a night and day difference between over the counter hair dye and the dye they use in professional salons.
I've been having my waistlength hair dyed since I began growing it. I get nothing but compliments on it's health.