NATURALS WHO COLOR WITHOUT DAMAGE: Post Your Regimen!

[CocoGlow]

Hey Naturals!

I am interested in coloring my natural hair SAFELY... From what I have read so far, part of the safe course is choosing the right coloring product and the other part is developing a regimen that will ensure that the hair does not become dry, damaged, etc...

I use henna occasionally but now I am interested in real color...henna tends to make my hair very dry & brittle though no matter how many "moisturizing agents" I add to the henna gloss or how much I DC afterwards....

I have seen terms like Aveda, Bigen, Texture & Tones, Porosity Control, Protein/Moisture balance, etc tossed around in various threads ...but I have also read so many color horror stories so I decided to post this thread...

Please share your regimens/products and any tips you may have for a virgin head! I know your responses can help so many who are considering taking this big step.....

PS: Don't hesitate to state your opinion if you think that NO regimen in the world could protect me from color damage and give reasons why you feel this way...I am open to hear the truth either way....

Thanks in advance
NappyRina

 

[crazydaze911]

bumping...........

 

[KweenBeeDiva]

Hi

I got my hair done at a hair salon because I don't trust myself when it come to stuff like hair dye.

When I got home, I conditioner wash my hair using Mastercut Vitamin C conditioner (any cond. you got on hand will do).

I also baggie when I go to bed, using wild growth oil, cantu leave in, black earth moisturzing spray (it's white) and a boat load of EVOO. I rinse in the morning and my hair is very soft.

After that, the only thing I can tell you is to use a moisturizer and seal your ends. Also, use products geared towards color treated hair if you can. Cream of nature used to have a shampoo/conditioner for color treated hair, but they've changed. Also IC Fantastic hair gel has one for color treated hair (gel is in a blue jar)
I hope that helped some.
Good luck!

 

[MonPetite]

I have a review of my Aveda experience.

I got a demi-permanent black gloss to match my naturally black hair, and knock out my natural red highlights until my TWA grows out.

Otherwise I look like a red-head during summer.

Yeah...black to auburn in one season.

NO offense to copper-headed beauties on the board...but yellow undertones + red hair = Confused looks from those who see me.

The main thing is I used neutral protien filler as a leave-in the day before and made sure my hair had been conditioned the entire week leading up to it. I DCed right afterwards as well.

I also have many other color product reviews I learned a hard lesson by....

 

[CocoGlow]

Hi

I got my hair done at a hair salon because I don't trust myself when it come to stuff like hair dye.

When I got home, I conditioner wash my hair using Mastercut Vitamin C conditioner (any cond. you got on hand will do).

I also baggie when I go to bed, using wild growth oil, cantu leave in, black earth moisturzing spray (it's white) and a boat load of EVOO. I rinse in the morning and my hair is very soft.

After that, the only thing I can tell you is to use a moisturizer and seal your ends. Also, use products geared towards color treated hair if you can. Cream of nature used to have a shampoo/conditioner for color treated hair, but they've changed. Also IC Fantastic hair gel has one for color treated hair (gel is in a blue jar)
I hope that helped some.
Good luck!

Thanks KweenBeeDiva....

Do you baggie EVERYnight or is this something you did b/c you just got the color done?

Also, What product did the salon use to color your hair?

How long does it last?

I have a review of my Aveda experience.

I got a demi-permanent black gloss to match my naturally black hair, and knock out my natural red highlights until my TWA grows out.

Otherwise I look like a red-head during summer.

Yeah...black to auburn in one season.

NO offense to copper-headed beauties on the board...but yellow undertones + red hair = Confused looks from those who see me.

The main thing is I used neutral protien filler as a leave-in the day before and made sure my hair had been conditioned the entire week leading up to it. I DCed right afterwards as well.

I also have many other color product reviews I learned a hard lesson by....

Thanks littlegoldlamb...I love reading your reviews..

What is Neutral Protein Filler? Is it an Aveda product?

How long does the demi-permanent gloss last?

Was this your first Aveda experience? Would you go back?

What is it about Aveda that I keep hearing about--are their color products gentler on the hair?

What did you use to deep condition your hair before & after?

When you say you deep condtioned the entire week, does that mean EVERYday? I read about your overnight steam n' cap method, is this what you mean?

What will you use to wash your hair to prevent fading?

*************

Thanks ladies for your responses!

If you are natural and you color your hair without damage, keep the regimens/products coming.....this can help so many of us avoid horror stories!!!

 

[KweenBeeDiva]

Thanks KweenBeeDiva....

Do you baggie EVERYnight or is this something you did b/c you just got the color done?

Also, What product did the salon use to color your hair?

How long does it last?



Thanks littlegoldlamb...I love reading your reviews..

What is Neutral Protein Filler? Is it an Aveda product?

How long does the demi-permanent gloss last?

Was this your first Aveda experience? Would you go back?

What is it about Aveda that I keep hearing about--are their color products gentler on the hair?

What did you use to deep condition your hair before & after?

When you say you deep condtioned the entire week, does that mean EVERYday? I read about your overnight steam n' cap method, is this what you mean?

What will you use to wash your hair to prevent fading?

*************

Thanks ladies for your responses!

If you are natural and you color your hair without damage, keep the regimens/products coming.....this can help so many of us avoid horror stories!!!

I used there color (I guess Mastercut color RV#4, which is a brownish/burgendy) I baggie right after I get home and from then on once or twice every two weeks.

The last time I got it dyed was in August, but it does fade, I say about Nov/Dec, but I don't mind. (You can see the brown more than before, but it's at it's prettiest in the sun!). Last year every three months. The key is moisture.
HTH!

 

[justNikki]

I got some highlights in February. I haven't had any issues. I just do my regular routine of co-washing and conditioning 3-6 times a week and DTing once a week. Oil is also an important part of my life and I usually protect my hair at night.

I also colored my hair regularly when I relaxed and never had a problem due to color because I've always taken great care of my hair.

ETA: There are a few naturals on NC.com who color regularly and have 3c/4a hair that is definitely healthy. It's possible.

 

[CocoGlow]

Thanks again ladies!

Doin' Tha BUMP!!! BUMP!!!

 

[MonPetite]

Thanks littlegoldlamb...I love reading your reviews..

Awww! Thank you!

What is Neutral Protein Filler? Is it an Aveda product?

Nope. Check my Sally's review album!

How long does the demi-permanent gloss last?

3-5 months, I don't use color conserving shampoo or conditioner, so it may last longer depending on how well your hair takes color and what you do to preserve it.

Was this your first Aveda experience? Would you go back?

Yes it was and yes I would. It's on the pricey side though.

What is it about Aveda that I keep hearing about--are their color products gentler on the hair?

Yes. They are not petroleum based!!

What did you use to deep condition your hair before & after?

REDKEN SMOOTH DOWN BUTTER TREAT AND VATIKA OIL (See my Salon and Ethnic review albums).

When you say you deep condtioned the entire week, does that mean EVERYday? I read about your overnight steam n' cap method, is this what you mean?

Yes it is. I should have been clearer. However A DC the night before would do.

What will you use to wash your hair to prevent fading?

Eh-heh...well...I just use my normal stuff. Plus, I review products all the time...so I knew going into it that it would fade quickly....

*************

Thanks ladies for your responses!

If you are natural and you color your hair without damage, keep the regimens/products coming.....this can help so many of us avoid horror stories!!![/quote]

 

[jenteel]

Was this your first Aveda experience? Would you go back?
i have been coloring my hair with aveda hair coloring for 4 years
i used to go to the school but then i decided to go to a salon for consistency
What is it about Aveda that I keep hearing about--are their color products gentler on the hair?
before aveda that i used revlon, creme of nature colors, loreal ....u name it
box colors made my hair extremely dry!
i have the best results w/ aveda
my hair is not damaged
have decided 2 stretch my color touchups to every 6 months
i don't mind my dark roots and want 2 preserve my healthy hair by not processing it often

-i don't suggest permanent color for every1 b/c some hair is 2 fragile
aveda has very natural hair colors:
99% natural semi permanent hair colors
97% natural permanent hair colors
i have been using aveda hair color since 2004

What did you use to deep condition your hair before & after?
i deep condition every time i wash using a mixture of stuff
i deep condition w/ la bomba, aubrey organics gpb or a mix of coconut milk, oils, & lustrasilk shea butter cholest.
What will you use to wash your hair to prevent fading?
i don't really use anything to prevent fading
2 me the color evolves in a sense which i don't mind

i have used a rinse over the permanent color 2x this winter
to vary the color
i used posner and clairol beautiful collection
my routine:

i pre-poo the night before i wash
i wash my hair in 6 braids
i conditioner wash/ayurvedic wash 1-2x a week

i clarify 1ce a month or after heavy product usage
i lo-poo meaning i dilute the shampoo w/ water
i concentrate on cleaning the scalp

i can't say i am loyal to any particular shampoo
but i use aveda shampoo/cond after a fresh color job

i personally don't recommend highlights
each time i have it resulted in breakage (even if very mild)

i moisturize every night with scurl moisturizer or new era moisturizer
sealing with castor oil

 

[CocoGlow]

WOW..thanks littlegoldlamb & Jenteel!!

I'll definitely be checking out Aveda when I finally get some color.

My hair is naturally very dry & porous (I'm guessing it is porous b/c it does not retain moisture well at all)...I know that color can potentially make my napps a true desert and I want to avoid that as much as possible ..so I'll be doing more research on Aveda color

Thanks again...

If any other Naturals are coloring without damage..please post your regimens!! This info is VERY helpful for us color virgins.....

BUMP!

 

[MonPetite]

Bumping for NappyRina.

 

[Ms_Twana]

I'm bumping and I have questions.

Was this your first Aveda experience? Would you go back?

Yes it was and yes I would. It's on the pricey side though.

Was this your first Aveda experience? Would you go back?
i have been coloring my hair with aveda hair coloring for 4 years
i used to go to the school but then i decided to go to a salon for consistency

I have been really thinking about going to an Aveda salon. Well, it's a salon that uses Aveda products exclusively. But, I was really concerned about them working with my natural hair. Do you ladies basically just get color and go home, or do that style your hair as well?

i personally don't recommend highlights

each time i have it resulted in breakage (even if very mild)

So do you just recommend coloring the entire head?? Why do you think your hair breaks from highlights??

I also wondered about how to get highlights on natural hair. It seems like it would be really difficult on hair like mines, that is very tightly curled/coiled. But, I guess that's the case for coloring the entire head as well.

OP: Did you ever get some color??

 

[Curlee_lurker]

So do you just recommend coloring the entire head?? Why do you think your hair breaks from highlights??

Highlights = bleaching. It's a lot of processing to lift the color, and possibly add a toner on top of that. I suppose it depends on what color you're taking it to, but every time I've gotten highlights my hair was bleached as light as possible and then color deposited on top to get it the color I wanted.

 

[Ms_Twana]

Highlights = bleaching. It's a lot of processing to lift the color, and possibly add a toner on top of that. I suppose it depends on what color you're taking it to, but every time I've gotten highlights my hair was bleached as light as possible and then color deposited on top to get it the color I wanted.

Oooh. I thought highlights and streaks were the same thing.

Thanks!!!

 

[crazydaze911]

Was this your first Aveda experience? Would you go back?
i have been coloring my hair with aveda hair coloring for 4 years
i used to go to the school but then i decided to go to a salon for consistency
What is it about Aveda that I keep hearing about--are their color products gentler on the hair?
before aveda that i used revlon, creme of nature colors, loreal ....u name it
box colors made my hair extremely dry!
i have the best results w/ aveda
my hair is not damaged
have decided 2 stretch my color touchups to every 6 months
i don't mind my dark roots and want 2 preserve my healthy hair by not processing it often

-i don't suggest permanent color for every1 b/c some hair is 2 fragile
aveda has very natural hair colors:
99% natural semi permanent hair colors
97% natural permanent hair colors
i have been using aveda hair color since 2004

What did you use to deep condition your hair before & after?
i deep condition every time i wash using a mixture of stuff
i deep condition w/ la bomba, aubrey organics gpb or a mix of coconut milk, oils, & lustrasilk shea butter cholest.
What will you use to wash your hair to prevent fading?
i don't really use anything to prevent fading
2 me the color evolves in a sense which i don't mind

i have used a rinse over the permanent color 2x this winter
to vary the color
i used posner and clairol beautiful collection
my routine:

i pre-poo the night before i wash
i wash my hair in 6 braids
i conditioner wash/ayurvedic wash 1-2x a week

i clarify 1ce a month or after heavy product usage
i lo-poo meaning i dilute the shampoo w/ water
i concentrate on cleaning the scalp

i can't say i am loyal to any particular shampoo
but i use aveda shampoo/cond after a fresh color job

i personally don't recommend highlights
each time i have it resulted in breakage (even if very mild)

i moisturize every night with scurl moisturizer or new era moisturizer
sealing with castor oil

highlights on top of the first dye job or any highlights at all? i never had problems with highlights, but doing my whole head was HORRIBLE. i know better now thanks to LHCF but wont dye again until my hair is a bit longer and/or more of the relaxer has grown out to prevent double processing...

 

[Evolving78]

i tried to go really light a few months ago and it didn't damage my hair. but it changed to the texture a bit and i don't care for that too much. i like my old hair texture because it is a lot more coily. this stuff i'm working with now take a little more for it to coil/curl up when i do my wash and go. so be care for about your texture loosing up. i'm going to twist my hair one of these days and cut off the ends or i might have my barber trim my hair to get rid of it.

oh and i do nothing but wash and gos
i cowash daily
shampoo and deep condition weekly
i use qhemet hydrating balm or giovanni direct for leave in
and fantasia ic gel (green or blue)
wrap hair up at night with satin scarf
get a lining every two weeks
hot oil treatment with shea butter (melted)

 

[LuyshuZ]

bumpers...

 

[jenteel]

I'm bumping and I have questions.

I have been really thinking about going to an Aveda salon. Well, it's a salon that uses Aveda products exclusively. But, I was really concerned about them working with my natural hair. Do you ladies basically just get color and go home, or do that style your hair as well?



So do you just recommend coloring the entire head?? Why do you think your hair breaks from highlights??

I also wondered about how to get highlights on natural hair. It seems like it would be really difficult on hair like mines, that is very tightly curled/coiled. But, I guess that's the case for coloring the entire head as well.

OP: Did you ever get some color??

i don't recommend color @ all
b/c it is a chemical
even if only 2%
i have good results but my hair is very strong
i moisturize it alot
do alot of treatments
and most importantly only color my roots every 4-6 m
i don't care abt dark new growth
i think it's the same thing as those who stretch relaxers
u prevent the chemical from over processing the old hair
i have seen no changes in texture
but i recommend aveda if 1 wants to color
b/c i have tried so many brands that i can say it has treated my hair the best

good ?! did u ever color op?

highlights on top of the first dye job or any highlights at all? i never had problems with highlights, but doing my whole head was HORRIBLE. i know better now thanks to LHCF but wont dye again until my hair is a bit longer and/or more of the relaxer has grown out to prevent double processing...

curlee_lurker already broke it down
the diff is bleach - it breaks down the hair texture
i think the "amount of lift" also affects the level of damage
i highlighted my hair maybe 4 times since i've been natural
the time i highlighted to the platinum blond range and darker
i suffered the most damage
my highlighted pieces were str8er which was not a benefit to me
esp. since i have varying textures as it is
ultimately i saw breakage over time
it wasn't immediate

i highlighted when i was relaxed 2
but the lift wasn't too much(bronze)
so i didn't suffer from breakage

 

[Valerie]

I have coloured my hair using hair colourants, also highlighting kits, which are L'Oreal, African Pride and Wild lights by Schwarzkopf, the colours I used was blonde, crazy red and crazy violet and the colours gave out fine, however, what I did do was add aloe vera gel and castor oil to the colouring mixture, and you have to deep condition your hair. African pride tends to be a little more drying that Schwarzkopf and L'Oreal and I allowed my hair to grow out completely, then I did highlights again, I went to the Aveda salon and it was done professional and although it came out very nice, I felt that they were not as vibrant, as when I did it myself. I would also suggest that you use cassia obovata as a deep conditioner to strengthen your hair and also use the colour glazes by John Frieda, to prevent colour fade, especially if you are going to use the colour red, as red has the smallest molecule and change your shampoos to more colour treated as they are more gentle, because I am growing my hair longer, I now would concentrate on doing the sides and front and middle, not the whole like I have done before, also adding cornflour to your hair dyes also, helps to thicken and strengthen your hair strands.

 

[jenteel]

I have coloured my hair using hair colourants, also highlighting kits, which are L'Oreal, African Pride and Wild lights by Schwarzkopf, the colours I used was blonde, crazy red and crazy violet and the colours gave out fine, however, what I did do was add aloe vera gel and castor oil to the colouring mixture, and you have to deep condition your hair. African pride tends to be a little more drying that Schwarzkopf and L'Oreal and I allowed my hair to grow out completely, then I did highlights again, I went to the Aveda salon and it was done professional and although it came out very nice, I felt that they were not as vibrant, as when I did it myself. I would also suggest that you use cassia obovata as a deep conditioner to strengthen your hair and also use the colour glazes by John Frieda, to prevent colour fade, especially if you are going to use the colour red, as red has the smallest molecule and change your shampoos to more colour treated as they are more gentle, because I am growing my hair longer, I now would concentrate on doing the sides and front and middle, not the whole like I have done before, also adding cornflour to your hair dyes also, helps to thicken and strengthen your hair strands.

wow excellent info!
if i ever go back 2 coloring myself i will try ur suggestions

 

[Valerie]

You're welcome Jenteel!

 

[Cheleigh]

Good thread. I'm getting my hair colored this Saturday--we'll see how it goes.

 

[momi]

I have the top part of my hair colored only... I take really good care of my hair - but there is a marked difference in the colored portion. The texture is looser and it is the driest part of my hair. I only touch up the color twice a year or so.

I enjoy having a little color in my hair - so I am willing to pay the price.

Having said that - maybe you should consider only adding color to a small portion of your hair and not an overall color...

HTH