I have ruined my very long hair by beaching it

[HorribleDryHair]

I had a manic episode and during which I dyed my almost black very dark brown hair blue. In order to do this I had to "lift" it about 8 shades (I think). I couldn't afford to go to the hairdresser who said it would it be about £400, others outright refused to do it at all, so I did it at all at home. I got my hair to platinum blonde so the dye took and it is the color I wanted it to be, but it keeps breaking. My hair is getting shorter! It was waist-length but now is chest-length and I haven't cut it. Unfortunately it grows slowly - I can see it's only grown an inch or so in 3 months. So I need to salvage what is left. I do hair masks and have an anti-tangle brush. Is there anything else I can do. If I dye it back to the original colour would that help? I don't want to lose all my hair 😭 should I get it trimmed?? Due to past sexual trauma I absolutely do not want short hair. I have not had short hair since I was a child. It has always been at least shoulder length. I won't get it cut shorter than that. Someone mentioned Olaplex (at home not salon) but I tried the leave in mask / conditioner once and it didn't seem to make a difference. I bought the shampoo (number 4?) but I didn't rate it. So I haven't another bottle as it was so dear. I normally use L'Oreal or Pantene level of expensive shampoos. But I would be willing to spend a bit more if anyone can recommend something that would stop it being so brittle. It also knots really easily. So to avoid having to brush it I just wear it in a bun all the time. Should I wear a satin bonnet? My hair is very thick but the actual hairs are very fine according to my hairdresser. Thank you for reading x

Just on Olaplex, it’s Number 3 you need - ie the bond repairing pre shampoo treatment.

If I dye it back to the original colour would that help?

No, it won't. Sadly, you have burnt your hair. The only remedy is to cut it and let it grow.

Please give Olaplex another go. It’s a miracle cure!
I have Olaplex no. 0 and no. 3. I put no. 0 in my dry hair, followed by no. 3.
I know it’s so, so expensive but I think you need to be quite generous with it the first few times. Which is hard as every drop is like 50p lol! But you need to just bite the bullet if you want to save your hair I think.
Also, put it on in the evening and leave it over night. I know the instructions say there is no point leaving it for more than 4 hours but in my experience the longer you leave it, the better it works. So definitely always leave over night, then wash in the morning. I just use normal shampoo followed by a deep conditioner, so I’ve no experience of the olaplex shampoo and conditioner. But no.0 and no.3 definitely, definitely work!
Good luck! It’s awful, isn’t it?

And don’t dye it again, you will just make it worse.

You need Olapex number 3 but it’s not an instant fix, you won’t notice a difference straight away but it will be working away in the background repairing in the background. Your hair sounds like it needs moisture - maybe use olaplex once a week as a leave in treatment and get yourself a really moisturising conditioner? Garnier hair food is good.

Henna treatment wax might help. It's colourless.

Dying it again will make things worse as pp's have said. But I'm fairly sure that putting it up into buns will be damaging ir too. Can you wear it down instead while it grows out?

Colouring won't make it worse, and you can save it. Go to a salon and ask for a full darker colour and olaplex 1&2. The improvement will be instant. If you're worried about the cost, try salons outside of the larger towns and cities; they're often much cheaper. Afterwards, apply coconut oil overnight, weekly, and heat protection spray before drying/styling. It'll be fine.

You absolutely need to get it cut to trim off the split ends to stop them splitting further.

Thanks for the replies. I live in London so maybe that is why it is so expensive. Maybe I will try some out of town hairdressers near where the rest of my family are based (Midlands).

I can't wear it down it just looks so shabby 😬 and it knots almost immediately so then I look like I haven't brushed my hair. What is the best style if not a bun? A plait?

I will give the Olaplex another go, is the Olaplex they do in hairdressers the same as the one you can buy? I will try and leave it on for longer, thank you for that idea x

I'd try a loose plait instead of a bun - when your hair is brittle you want to avoid having it pulled tight or outting strain on it as that will cause it to break. If you get the ends trimmed that will make a big difference to how it looks when it's down and helps prevent split ends from splitting even further.

If you can't afford to keep up Olaplex treatment frequently, I've found Fanola conditioner has really helped my bleached hair - sometimes I leave it for a few minutes but once a week or so I leave it for around 10 and my hair feels alot better afterwards.

I don't think dying it a darker colour would do more damage as such, but I would get advice from a hairdresser first - depending on the tones in the dye, if you go brown you could end up with a green tinge and it might be difficult to get the dye to take evenly because your hair will be porous after bleaching.

When you wash/ rinse your hair try to have the water as cool as possible, and make sure your hair is brushed and tangle free before washing - it will break more if you have to detangle it when it's wet. Dont rub your hair dry as this will cause damage and breakage - wrap it in a tshirt in the same way you would make a towel turban - less heavy and soaks up more moisture.

Good luck. From experience, it's not going to be a quick process but it will improve. If you can face it,I would try to get as much trimmed off as you can cope with, the more damaged hair you get rid of, the less you have to worry about whilst the healthy hair is coming back

My satin pillowcases have made a huge difference to knitting of DD hair, only cheapy ones from Amazon but will help

Olaplex mask left on overnight is good, the leave in cream as well especially before using a hair dryer. I think semi permanent colours can be quite conditioning for bleached hair. I used one recently on highlights and it helped. Smooths the hair fibres down and fills in gaps. And you might want to once it starts growing out. I wouldn't bleach again though even just the roots as it will overlap and cause more breakage.

"I will give the Olaplex another go. Is the Olaplex they do in hairdressers the same as the one you can buy?"

Yes and no. #1 & #2 are marketed as salon use only, but you can sometimes find them online.

Olaplex works best during colour processing when the hair's cuticle is open. Applying the higher numbers as one would do a conditioning treatment produces almost no effect. You need #0 & a full colour. Your hair is brittle because you've stripped the colour pigment out; a full colour will add some moisture and elasticity by replacing it, and the Olaplex will repair the broken bonds while the peroxide in the tint has the cuticle open.

Olaplex didnt help with my bleached hair, my hairdresser recommended a conditioning shampoo, neal & wolf got it back to being shiny again in no time

Hi OP, my hair sounds very similar to yours, fine hair but lots of it so was actually very thick. I went very slowly from my natural colour of almost black, very dark brown hair to many shades lighter. All was going ok until my last lot of bleaching the ends - I had baylage colouring. My hair starting breaking off, was thinner and my wavy hair turned straight.

The next time I went to the hairdresser I got a good bit taken off so that it was shoulder length and coloured it back to my original colour which doesn't seem to have done any harm and has made it look better. I also started using Aveda Invarti shampoo, conditioner and hair treatment which does seem to have helped as my hair is visibly and also feels thicker at the roots. I also give my scalp and hair a good brush to stimulate the roots daily. This has all taken time and there doesn't seem to be a quick answer and my hair is still not back to it's original condition yet but it is so much better than it was. My hairdresser says it will get there it just takes time. I also have a lot of stress in my life just now and we think that has not helped the condition of my hair also.

I think I will try Olaplex and see if that helps as sounds good. Ine thing I know for sure I will never bleach my hair again!

Oh no! Though I'm agreeing with those who say it may be saved. Seconding advice of Olaplex, etc

Protective hairstyle, yes, loose plait as mentioned- try a silk or satin scrunchie for both ends and ponytail.

Hair masks, as already mentioned by others. I would also oil the ends daily. I wouldn't go for the trim yet, personally.

And good luck!

Find a salon that has k18. Its expensive but a little goes a long way. You need to shampoo your hair no conditioner then use this and leave it 4 minutes and style with it left it. Over time it will become stronger. It’s been a god send to my hair!

Vo5 hot oil saved mine when I bleached it and it turned crispy. Worth a try and not very pricey.

I agree with a loose plait instead of anything that will pull on it.

Definitely no more colouring because the process will create even more chemical damage. Even semi- permanent lift the hair cuticle a bit to get the colur to take. Avoid.

If its breaking off, your hair needs the bonds that have been damaged to be repaired. Olaplex does this, but given cost concerns, try Pureplex intensive repair treatment (superdrug).

Your hair will also need hydration... try hair masks that are described as 'moisturising'.

Use a leave-in treatment as well to protect your hair day to day.

No heat styling, that's heat damage plus mechanical damage (from brushing/ wrapping the hair).

Get a trim as short as you can bear to prevent split ends travelling up the hair strands.

Silk pillowcase/ bonnet helps prevent more physical damage.

Try to minimise any touching of your hair e.g. loose plait (no tension) silk scrunchie/ low ponytail (careful not to make band too tight, that can cause breakage too) and just leave it alone.

Over time, it will improve - and grow!
Good luck.

Get it cut to try and minimise breakage and then olaplex or another bond builder this is what will help trying to repair the broken bonds. I think no 3 is the bond builder most of the other olaplex products won't make any difference though. Olaplex is pricy but there are other bond builders out there as well.

Why not go to a training salon? I've been the Vidal Sasoon one and Joshua Galvin. I get a wash, cut and blow dry for £10! The students are always supervised and I've never had a bad cut. Only downside is that it takes longer than a regular salon.

www.goodsalonguide.com/salons/joshua-galvin-central-academy

www.sassoon-academy.com/en/academy/uk/Models-Wanted

I bleach and use Olaplex 3 and 6, will be buying 0 soon too as it does help in time.
Silk pillow case and scrunchie (if you tie it up)
If you can afford it go to the salon for the Olaplex salon treatment