Does Dying your hair Damage It?

In 2022, when Billie Elish first came out with her iconic blonde hair style, the whole world sensed something new and extraordinary. Her whole aura changed unapologetically.

( Never underestimate the power of hair!!)

But as tempting as a new aura is, hair dyeing horror stories and botched hair jobs make us double-check our desires, especially where hair damage is involved.

Is your hair dye good or bad for your hair? Will it damage your natural hair? How did Billie's iconic blonde hair remain so iconic till the end? 

Keep reading to know the answers to some of your burning questions on the connection between your hair's health and the hair dye you choose.

DO HAIR DYES DAMAGE YOUR HAIR?

  Hair dyes don’t directly damage your hair (that is - if you apply it right) rather, it puts your hair at a very high risk of damage by restructuring your hair strands. Permanent or semi-permanent hair dyes and the process of bleaching contains harmful chemicals ( such as peroxide and ammonia) as well, which have the tendency to strip your hair of it’s natural oils and moisture, causing more dryness and breakage. 
This is why we recommend coloring your hair with safer options like the hair makeup from Curlfit. This option causes zero damage and you won’t have to worry about dealing with breakage.

To understand how the dyeing process works, let's go behind the scenes of getting a new color.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DYE YOUR HAIR?

 If you want your hair to match your favourite celebrities new look or you want to go several shades lighter, then bleaching will be required in the process.

And how exactly does bleaching your hair work?

In order for the bleaching agents to reach the cortex of the hair strand- that's where our hair's melanin a.k.a natural pigment is stored, the ammonia or monoethanolamone (MEA)  in it damages the protective protein layer called the cuticle, by lifting it for dye penetration. The cuticle is structured to retain moisture within the hair strands and protect the hair from external hazards. Therefore, since the cuticle is affected, our hair loses the ability to retain moisture because it becomes more porous, causing the hair strands to dry up quickly leaving the hair less elastic and prone to more breakage. Then the perioxide reacts with the chemical makeup of your hair to remove your natural hair pigment. Most times the perioxide used isn't "smart", so it also removes what your hair needs such as keratin and it's natural oils.

After bleaching, your desired hair dye will be introduced into your hair to change the chemical makeup of your cortex and the results will be the change of your hair color. The effects (either long or short term) of hair dye depend on your hair structure and type of dye used.
For instance, Permanent hair dyes sit at the deepest layer of your hair and therefore your hair structure is more compromised than with semi-permanent dyes; although semi-permanent dyes still put your hair at risk of damage, because the cuticles are still lifted. Thick hair may require longer application to lift or change the protein structure of the hair.

Visually, color damaged hair looks voluminous but dry, faded and brittle. So how did Billie maintain her colored hair? Easy, she adopted practices to reduce hair damage and dryness,therefore maintaining the lustre of her hair and it's health.

HOW TO PREVENT HAIR DAMAGE AFTER DYING YOUR HAIR

1. INTRODUCE MOISTURE INTO YOUR HAIR WITH LEAVE-IN CONDITIONERS, HAIR OILS AND A CONDITIONING ROUTINE

If you’ve dyed your hair - moisture is your bestfriend. Leave-ins and hair oils are your best bets to ensure your hair is always moistured. Minimize the use of shampoo, because shampoo cleanses both dirt and your natural oils. And that's the last thing you want stripped from your hair.  Instead you can Co-wash, which performs both the functions of cleansing and moisturizing ( shampoo and conditioner). You can use your regular conditioner to Co-wash.

2. AVOID OVER-PROCESSING YOUR HAIR

Just like how a sheet of paper becomes more and more fragile as you paint it, your hair becomes more and more brittle when you keep processing already processed hair. Instead of using hair dye, you can use hair paint wax from Curlfit. since they don’t contain harmful chemicals such as ammonia and perioxide. 

 Relaxing, Heat Styling, and Re-dyeing compromise the strength of your hair and can put it at more of a risk of damage.

3. HANDLE YOUR HAIR WITH CARE

Treat your hair as gently as you would treat an egg. Rough handling your hair when combing, detangling or styling can cause split ends and fairy knots. The safest way to put your hair is in a protective style best for your hairtype. Kinky curly hair is more fragile and therefore a protective style that doesn't tug on the roots of your front hair is very recommended.

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Have a favorite celebrity hair dye look? Tell us in the comments below!? I ll go first- yours!