I have a problem -- I am addicted to color!

[cafe_au_lait]

Am I the only one who feels like this? My hair is growing and in the best condition it has ever been in, DESPITE the bleach and double process hair color I applied at a salon 6 months ago (which, maybe because I was natural then, has left little to no damage in my fine now texturized hair).

The catalyst of my problem -- Now, the previous color has turned bronzy and my off-black roots have grown out about 3-4 inches, and I CANNOT SEEM TO RESIST THE URGE TO RE-COLOR! What is wrong with me? I was looking on Feria's web site and they have some of the most BEAUTIFUL browns and blondes... I know I am going to break down -- and take my hair with me into the abyss of addiction.

What should I do? Should I just submit myself to having a grazing-shoulder length permie-colored-and highlighted bob and forget any hopes of growth? I don't know how to resist the rainbow of colors that keep calling me...

 

[RainbowCurls]

Hmm... I think I'm addicted too!
I recently bleached so I could dye some of my hair purple. Now I'm considering bleaching all of my hair!

If the colour hasn't affected the health of your hair then I'd say just go for it.
But I think permanent colouring does eventually adversly affect the health of hair... so...
is colour or length more important to you?

At the moment, for me, it's colour. I'm transitioning so the length is getting chopped gradually anyway.

 

[cafe_au_lait]

Hey! Thanks for your reply! Yeah, I think color is more important to me right now than major length -- I do have layers right now that I want to grow out to be even with the rest of my hair, so maybe I should just get a few demi-permanents until Christmas time. By then my hair should be grown out just enough, and I can color away with more roots than permie-colored hair (which I know I really shouldn't color over again). You should think about going to a salon for your bleaching -- I went and this Turkish man used Loreal professional "organic bleach" and color on my hair, and then he loaded it with expensive Kerastase conditioners, which could be another reason why I had little to no damage...

Does anyone know if you can color over permanent color safely, say, 6 months apart? For instance -- I I colored my whole head in a Feria red shade, then 6 months later colored my whole head in a Feria brown shade -- is that extremely damaging? Am I stuck with a permanent color I choose forever? I fust feel that permie-color is the only way to go, since demi-permanent can't change the color of your hair...

 

[honeisos]

Girl I'm a color addict too ... I HAD to color my hair black to stop my madness.

I have been coloring my hair since the age of 14 and have not stop since ... I have been every color there is including green ... LOL that was funny ... right now I'm trying for red ...

But, the black color won't let me ... I think that's a good thing .. I would be blonde right now if I did not have the black in ...

 

[cafe_au_lait]

Adding hard-to-remove black is smart... I should take notes!!!

But I just can't help feeling that, while I WANT to do what's best for my hair, I also REALLY WANT to be young and spontaneous and just have FUN with my hair -- please don't ask me why "fun" when it comes to hair seems to equal DAMAGE...

So I think maybe I have found a sort of middle ground. I am going to let Aveda put a deposit only bronzy dark brown color over my whole head, included my bleached ends -- they say that the deposit-only formula leaves the hair in better condition than before, so hopefully it will be therapeutic to my hair AND provide a little color. Also, I will let the stylist give me a few blonde and light brown highlights to fulfill the rest of my color fix. I know with conditioning my hair can take highlights. Eventually, my color goal is to just let the deposit-only brown wash out slowly, leaving me with my natural off-black base color and retouching the highlights.

Aaahhh, the tedious journey towards settling into a hair ROUTINE, which I believe is key to long hair (ever notice that people with short hair cuts are often more impatient/spontaneous? I have. And while those can be good qualities, I'm gonna have to conquer mine to grow my hair!) ........... Texture? Check. Color? Slowly getting there. Next -- Length!

 

[Desert Skye]

Your addicted to color? I have not seen my head totally dark brown ( my natural color) since 8th grade. I wore jet black, brown,red, and blonde. I love to have color in my hair and I think I look so boring without it. It is true, it will damage your hair, no doubt about it but if you give it extra TLC, the damage wont be too bad and will stay relatively healthy.

BTW the only reason why I am not blonde right now too is I am waiting for these darn highlights brown highlights from May to go away. I usually do my own coloring and I get very good results but since it was a special occassion, i thought it would be nice to go to a salon and get it done. boy was I wrong...my hair is rather dry and the color is ugly.The worst coloring experiences I have had are never by me, it always the stylist. I swear once I grow these out I am going to be the only one to color my head.

 

[cafe_au_lait]

Glossy -- wow! I am impressed with people who can SUCCESSFULLY color their own hair, because although I am good when it comes to doing other things to my hair, my at home color sessions always seem to have a mind of their own...

And I was even more impressed with you when I looed at your album!!! Your highlights look great, just what I ultimately want when my current bleached ends and the deposit bronze color I'm getting grows out. What color brands do you prefer as far as good color results AND your hair's health?

And to Blaxy -- your hair color threads inspire me as well! Are you planning on using a dark color to keep yourself from coloring, or is there a way to take it out when you want to go light again in the spring and summer months? I WANT to stop myself from coloring for the health of my hair, but I DON'T really want to be stuck with boring black hair (I keep trying to accept it, but it really doesn't flatter my skin tone).

I'll make you guys two promises:

1. I'm gonna figure out this album thing as soon as I get a moment to chart my haircolor/texture progress, and
2. I'll update this thread on my Aveda hair color experience. Wish me luck!

 

[firecracker]

I am addicted also. I have always had color or a cellophane since high school. I choose color over relaxer in March and did the BC. I am wearing a cognac/red mix my stylist put together four weeks ago. I want a new color already!!

 

[Desert Skye]

I DON'T really want to be stuck with boring black hair (I keep trying to accept it, but it really doesn't flatter my skin tone).
:

I feel the same way with my hair. I think i look so boring and tired with black hair. I am jealous of all you people who can keep your natural hair and still look great. But Im not one of them

For the longest time I have been using African Pride Sahara Shimmer Highlighting Kit. It claims it is not damaging to relaxed hair but it really is if you are not careful. I use it though because I find that color compliments my skin tone very much so I will probably still use it. The color in the recent pics though are not done by me, but by this evil professional colorist. Whatever she used on me mad my hair dry so i have to take extra extra care of my hair and keep lots of moisture and it is getting back to health.

What I do to keep my hair healthy with all this nonsense I do to it is I deep condition once a week with Miss Keys or other dominican conditioners. I find my hair loves oil so I use Mega Care Shea Butter Oil (smells SOOO good!)I try to keep away from the blowdryer ( it is torture to my hair it hates it) I trim my ends every so often and i sleep with a cap on. I also take flaxseed oil suppliments.

 

[cafe_au_lait]

I think your professionally-done highlights look really good on you! Just keep moisturizing, I'm sure the health of your hair will stable out after a month or so of care. Whenever I get my hair colored, it does the EXACT same thing -- it dries out at first but with conditioning and little direct heat, it seems to regain its health after a couple of months, even the highlighted parts (I don't know if this is really possible, but when I look at loose hairs they always have the naturally shedding "bulb" at the end, and the hairs themselves seem very elastic). I have never tried the Dominican conditioners besides in the salon (I don't know where to buy them), my hair LOVES Joicio K-Pak Reconstructer as a deep conditioner with heat. Actually, I think that our hair is very similar in texture, so this might work on you! Hey -- I think our skin is very close in color, too (I am brown with an almost orange undertone, ESPECIALLY when I get tanned, which is often being from FL -- weird, I know), which would explain why we are both unsatisfied with our natural hair color... I just wish that I could obtain the growth that you have, though. But I must admit that I AM quite impatient with my hair, and "bored" means either "bleach" or "chop" for me... Maybe I can be consistent for several months on end this time and reach armpit length by, say, December 2005. If not, I'm chopping and bleaching something fierce!