Yes that's my hair with COLOR IN IT!! *Gasps! After I vehemently promised myself never ever to touch a pack of hair dye even with a 10 feet pole again because of the destruction hair dye caused me years ago, I found myself longing and drooling and ogling over colored hair since I became natural...
You know I am natural now right? Okay just checking! :)
I was able to convince myself that since my hair is natural now it can withstand the adverse effects of color better than relaxed hair- FACT.
I however did not want to take a huge leap so I decided to play it safe...Here are the steps I took to ensure that my self color process would not leave me in tears down the line.
Step 1- I thoroughly clarified my hair days before the D-Day with a bentonite clay mask- Follow this link HERE to see how I make my mask.
Step 2- The day of, I bought the Crème of Nature Honey Blonde hair dye-
Before application, I twisted the section I was coloring into about 10 twists then coated the tips with 100% black Jamaican oil- to serve as a protective barrier basically to prevent the hair dye from breaking down the hair cuticle completely since the health of my hair is always my priority.
Step 3- I decided to apply the color to the last 3- 2 inches of the front of my hair, I really wanted to just give my hair some highlights and nothing too dramatic. Again this was to mitigate any major setbacks that could arise from dying my hair...this step is highly recommended especially for those who have never dyed their hair before.
Step 4- I wrap the colored sections of the twists in foil and waited about 30 minutes to 45 minutes. Once I saw that the hair was colored I washed the hair out and followed with a deep conditioning hair mask for at least an hour.
Air dried and styled!!
The final result looked really good but let me tell you I could instantly feel that the colored hair was more fragile, it felt thinner and more stringy! Since coloring my hair, I have seen an increased number of split ends and single strand knots so my hair is always heavily sealed to combat that.
So you see, why I titled this post Color with Caution. I colored the very ends of my hair that I can easily snip off if they become too unhealthy looking, compare that to having to chop off 5 - 6 inches because the hair dye has damaged the entire hair...with this decision, I can enjoy having a different look with colored tips and I can also sleep easy knowing that if the tips get damaged and I have to snip them off, it won't set me back on my hair journey!
Win Win I say :)
*At home hair coloring is risky. Coloring should be left for experienced cosmetologists.
Xxx
Dabs