Love coloring/dyeing your hair but hate how damaging it is? Well, we’re here to help! We created a simple guide to first understanding what color is all about and then some key tips on maintaining it.
Permanent Color
When permanent hair color is something you love or want to explore, chemicals are involved (whether your lightening or darkening hair) and will chemically alter your hair. These colors remain until hair grows out or you decide to change the color.
Bleaching/Hair lightening
Unless your hair is already a lighter color, (generally blonde) hair strands would need chemical agents such as bleach, ammonia or peroxide to achieve a lighter hue. When hair goes through color changes, you are altering (actually damaging) its natural state (say hair is black), to achieve your desired shade (let’s say blonde). What’s happening is that in order to achieve the new color, your original color needs to be “lifted” or removed. In doing so, the protein bonds that make up hair, are broken down (with the chemicals stated earlier), leading to weak, dry strands and often times a change in curl pattern.
As time progressed, so have safer ways of coloring hair. However ingredients still matter and a lot of hair dyes contain a ton of harmful and corrosive chemicals:
Rinses/Semi permanent hair color
This is type of coloring doesn’t stay in hair very long. It will normally fade after the first or few shampoos and don’t require your natural hair color to be “lifted.”
Hair Coloring
This method comes in the form of waxes, sprays and even chalk to achieve a very temporary but fun way of changing your hair color.
Natural Dyes
Henna, cassia, indigo, etc. are great natural alternatives used to achieve a different tint or hue in hair color. Henna is often times paired with highly acidic and naturally “staining” fruits and vegetables to help release its dye before application (giving you an idea of what color will show on your hair). For those that want to cover grey hairs, these types of dyes can be very fun to experiment with because your original color has been naturally “lifted” and your greys become an open canvas for color.
Wigs/Weaves
If all else becomes too messy, damaging or time consuming, wearing a colored wig or weave can give you the type of hair fun you're seeking without altering your natural tresses.
Rule of Thumb
Deep condition
When coloring, whether you’re using permanent dyes or natural dyes, hair tends to dry out at a more rapid pace than it normally would. Prior to coloring, a protein treatment such as LaJAshley’s Green Apple Dream Protein Conditioner can help to prevent extensive damage from permanent dyes to hair. Deep conditioning every week after coloring will be the best way to treat your hair and give it the moisture it needs.
Trim
Since the ends of hair are the oldest, trimming your hair will be very important because your ends will damage faster than the rest of your hair. Pay very close attention to you ends and don’t be afraid to seal daily with LaJAshley’s Chamomile Chair Dry Hair Elixir or Vanilla Bean Pomade
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