Trouble in Hair Paradise

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Dyeing hair can be so much fun, but it's a double-edged sword.


My hair was completely fried after going red and receiving a "lifter" to make it brighter than the original shade.  At least hair is resilient.  When I got my hair cut for the first time after the color damage, my hairdresser Sophy was able to cut away the most damaged area in my bangs and top layers.  It still doesn't look completely 100% healthy; but the damage isn't as obvious unless someone looks closely.


When dyeing your hair, you have to ask the question: Is it worth damage?  If your hair grows very fast, maybe it is.  You can keep cutting it, and it will grow back healthy.  However, if your hair grows at an extremely slow rate and it has taken you years to get it to the length you want, maybe you should think long and hard before dyeing.  You may have to live with those split ends and fried layers longer than you would like.


Also, red coloring fades like mad!!!  I waited a few days to wash after having it dyed, thinking that would really let the color set in.  It didn't matter.  Within two weeks, people were asking me if I had dyed it again, because it was a completely different, lighter shade.  It has also faded more quickly in some places than in others, which has resulted in lightened "patches."  When I was standing in the sun a few weeks ago, Trae said it looked like I had "frosted" my hair in certain places. Odd.


Sophy said if I didn't do anything else to it, it would just completely fade back to dirty blonde within a few weeks.  Some of the more "honest" people I know, told me my hair was starting to look just plain weird.

Family pic at the Peaks of Otter...Hair is fading in some places and looking patchy.  Banks are slightly tattered and frayed. Also, maroon isn't always the best color clothing choice for red hair....but oh well.  Red hair or not, I'm always a Hokie! :)

To bring out more of the red, I started using John Frieda Radiant Red.  I looked all over town for the product and didn't find it anywhere, so I ordered it online.  It has definitely made a difference!  John Frieda products are my fav! My hair looks way better than before!

After John Frieda: definitely a more natural and rich looking color for the Fall.

Hair looked 100% better after cut and red shampoo.  Damage is much less noticeable.   Isn't my sister-in-law, Sallie beautiful y'all?  

Going to great lengths to alter your natural color can come back to bite you.  When it comes to hair, this is mostly a vanity issue, not a matter of life and death, and of course, weird looking hair is not the end of the world. But it's not an ideal situation either. :/


So, is it worth it?  I say YES! :)  as long as we have remedies like John Frieda to come to the rescue and minimize or mask the damage.