But some tricks came in handy to let go from the chemical rut that is hair dyeing.
I'll sum up what had happened to my hair in the last few years:
- frequently dyeing it with medium brown to dark brown L'Oreal and Garnier dyes
- regularly getting a terrible result, the shade usually being too red or too dark, or looking plastic-like
- bleaching my hair with hair bleach from Garnier
- sometimes dyeing and bleaching multiple times a day because the shade had come out so wrong I couldn't come outside
- eventually having my hair chemically scrubbed at a hair dresser to get the dye off and to have it dyed in my natural shade. Scrubbing works good to remove color but is tremendously damaging. It makes some hair strands look like as thin as dust.
- constant use of drugstore hair products, never using serums or heat protection
I realised I needed some serious change. The first one would be giving up hair dye forever.
1. The easiest way to start was to have my hair dyed in my natural shade so that my natural growth wouldn't be different from the ends. If the last dye starts to change in color, you apply a non-permanent hair color all over your hair to even out the shade. I used Henna Pluss Color Mousse which was available at nature shops and can be rinsed out the next time I shampoo. You can see my article on the homepage. If you are looking for a solution like this, I advise you to go to a professional hair care store like ProDuo, they will tell you how to cover up the outgrowing shades with semi-permanent or even temporary solutions. I recently discovered the Syoss Color Refresher and tried it in the shade dark brown. The advantage of this is that it doesn't stain and almost gives the same result as the mousse. It's the same price but can be used 3 times. It works like shampoo and doesn't have to be left in, so no build-up. I prefer this solution over the Henna Plus Mousse now! It also gave good shine to my hair, while the mousse made my hair look more matte. It blended my outgrow with my dyed part.
I don't think my hair has grown much in these last 6 months due to stress. I'd say 8 centimeters, while my hair is 70 cm long. So a large part is still "dyed" which is why I dust my ends a lot. I don't care if my hair isn't super long, I just want most of my hair to be natural as soon as possible. To cut my ends, I have two major tips:
2. Get good quality fabric scissors instead of "professional barber scissors". These come both left and right handed at accessory stores. They slice through hair like a knife through butter, without the snipping sound that drugstore scissors make. They are designed to cut fabrics like silk and satin, so they couldn't be worse than hair scissors, on the contrary. Plus, fabric scissors are easier to find than professional hair scissors that would be just as good. Just make sure you don't cut paper, bandages, etc. ... with your fabric scissors!
3. To cut hair at home, there are a lot of tricks. Get a CreaClip to cut hair evenly, symmetrically and level, or just to pull it through different locks to see which hairs stick out to much from the others. The CreaClip usually comes with a smaller version for the bangs. Another good tip to cut split ends is to twist a lock and cut of any ends that pop out. It will make the hair look overall fresher and will make it feel smoother. Cutting ends is important even if they are still dyed. They have probably been damaged to most and since you are going to stop dyeing, the next ends will never look as bad as the last! May the next ends only be treated with styling tools and nothing chemical. Since I've been at my new college I haven't seen one girl with dyed hair. I notice how naturally fresh everyone looked. I'm the one with the makeup, dye and short skirts. The girls' hair looks so soft, fresh, souple, hydrated, shiney. That's what I'm trying to achieve. I'm sure it would also make me look younger. I notice that the fresh 8 cm is looking just like that: shiney, healthy, a bit cool even. The bottom feels almost crunchy, dry, warm, it rustles. And when I don't cut the ends it looks like the hairs around a dog's... you know what... So I cut my ends once a week!
4. I take a lot of vitamins and I eat a lot of nutrient rich foods in order to make my hair grow. I'm taking vitamin B, which is crucial for the strength of the hair's roots and because I had a vitamine B6 deficiency due to stress, I take vitamine D, vitamine A, but most importantly iron in combination with vitamin C. I notice when it's Autumn and I'm eating a lot of tangerines - I don't like oranges - my nails get rock hard. This proves how important vitamin C is for the building blocks of the body. Also, I finally found an iron supplement, at the nature store, called 'Gentle Iron'. It costs 15 euros but it lasts a month and I can tell you: I can't keep up with plucking my eyebrows,... everything is growing so fast on a daily basis! So this is making all my hair grow faster. It also gives more energy, of course, so nothing but good things.
5. Then, I've stopped using drugstore hair products. I wanted quality instead of quantity, so I only use the expesive Kerastase from the barber. I'm getting good results from every product of the brand and from every sample I've received from the barber. My favourite Kérastase product is Bain Divalent. It makes oily roots less oily and makes dry lengths more hydrated. It makes hair managable, frizz free, soft and souple. If you can only afford one Kérastase product, go for the Bain Divalent line.
I also buy L'Oreal Professional, which is slightly cheaper than Kérastase, which also gives amazing results every time. This is important to make the damaged part, but also the natural part, look as good as possible while recovering. I think all L'Oreal Professional products are the same in result, I love them all.
6. Other common tips to protect your new hair are sleeping on satin or silk, but I can't stand sleeping on something so slippery, so I suggest wrapping the hair in a satin pillow case. You can buy satin for a few dollars at fabric stores, I bought my satin pillow cases at the drugstore.
7. Using serum and protective spray of good quality will help you further.
8. Using a high quality anti-static ceramic brush from a professional brand will give you a better brushing experience during the day, when flyaways are bothering you. These brushes smooth the hair, not just detangle it. I first thought of bying a Mason Pearson brush, but I thought 80 euros was a bit much. I got a 40 euro brush at ProDuo in Antwerpen from Olivia Garden that is ceramic and has dots on the ends for a gentle touch and light scalp massage. I can't remember which brand. It still sounds like a lot but remember that low quality brushes usually lose hairs and that a good brush will last for ages.
9. If your hair is severely damaged, you may find the old part breaking. To ease the pain, you can get clip in extensions. I bought a claw clip with a ponytail of faux hair, in this case from Claire's for around 25 euros. It comes in a few shades. I also found a useful YouTube video on how to apply the claw clip. I love the heaviness of the hair, the shine, the elegance. I hope one day my hair will be that long again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RU8E4dfrmfs
Result: I'm not losing money on dye aka flushing down the drain; dye isn't getting in my bloodstream; no more stains; no more choking from the bad air; no more worries about which shade to buy; no more worries about damageing my hair; no more worries about the result, how red it will be, how dark it will be; no more frustration about failed results; no more dry and dull hair, no more damageing my hair; no more worrying about the sun hitting my treated hair or the heat tools further damageing my hair; the shade making me look unnatural and older no matter what.
My dyed part looks clearly drier and less souple, more dull, than my natural part at the top, even though they have the same shade, so I believe that natural hair is much healthier.
I hope I gave you some tips.
A girl can dream.
x
Helena
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