Sorry to read about your hair problems. I am not a hairdresser by any means - hair challenged if anything. But I owe the state of my hair at almost 56 to not over-processing during the years. I greyed in my 20's (iron grey unfortunately - natural shade being auburn). I single processed it over the years to its natural auburn. Note that I have dry, coarse, naturally wavy, extremely thick "Irish" hair. I did not do highlights - actually hair is porous as it is due to coarseness so I appear to have highlights. What is your natural colour - can't tell from your post if it is indeed blonde. Frankly, I think at age 16 you need to give your hair serious rest. I know you won't want to hear this, but I think the best alternative is to cut your hair - as short as possible to still look feminine and to suit your face shape. The fact that your hair is thin makes over-use of the chemicals harder on your hair. I know a woman my age who also had easy access to hairdressers thoughout her life but at age 50 she was told enough was enough - perms, highlights and drastic changes in hair colour - had taken their toll and basically her hair was toast. I would hate for this to happen to you. I see 8 year old kids at the hairdressers having their hair highlighted - by my age, despite the gentler formulas available these days, hair will not be in good shape. I would start first with the haircut and then work from there. And I would steer clear of the black - if it is too start against your skin now, it will be even more so later in life - many black haired ladies go dark brunette. I too am very pale but with a serious yellow undertone. My sisters inherited the gorgeous Irish blue-black hair - how I wanted it - but during 50s and 60s they peroxided it blonde - well they ruined their hair. Actually they didn't even suit the blonde. I once tried on a black wig and laughed so hard - this is when I realized I had such a yellow undertone so had I been born with the black hair, it would not have suited me. So then I tried on a blonde wig - and I thought the black looked bad. This was during the days when everyone wanted hair like Farrah Fawcett's - but did not have the basic necessity - the proper hair type. I have the proper hair type - but don't suite the colour/styles. I really hope you can sort your hair out - it will take some time - this is for sure - but a year from now things won't seem so bad. Just too bad about your prom - so I would do whatever is necessary to start the fix-up now. When I was 5 I had a Toni permanent - my hair looked like Shirley Temple's before the perm - hairdresser should have refused to do it. Had to have it because my cousin with the straight hair refused to have one unless I had one too. My hair, which had been to my waist had to be cut to about 1 inch in length - while my cousin of course was pleased. I have hated going to the hairdresser ever since. And Saturday is hair dye day - can hardly wait. So best of luck to you - and since it is always on my mind - please watch what you use on your skin as well - take it easy on the acids/retinols as they are not for everybody - especially me.

I spent more than 4 years answering an 800 number help line for a major hair care company. I received MANY phone calls like yours over the years. Unfortunately there really isn't anything else that you can do to your hair besides cut it and leave it alone! If you apply ANY (read that ANY) haircolor over the artificial black that you now have it will do NOTHING. Lighter artificial haircolor cannot lift (lighten) darker artificial haircolor. The more you process your extremely damaged hair, the more it will break. Stop! Accept the fact that your hair will be black for the prom. As the previous poster stated, get the best short hairdo you can and just live with it. As you get it cut each month you will remove more and more of the damaged hair. When you have only your natural hair remaining you can try again with color or highlights. Good luck.

Some hair is tougher than others. The dimension of each hair strand and the strengh differs on every head. That being said when you do multiple processes on a head (which it sounds like you have done) the hair looses it's integrity. It looses the ability to hold color, hold shape, and it breaks. It is overprocessed and doesn't behave anymore.

Filler is used to add missing pigment when you go darker so the tone will be right. When you lightened colored hair and have to tone it or put another color on it, the color will lighten. Colored hair does not behave like virgin hair.

Sometimes hair tinted black will not lighten up to a light blonde. You can lift it to an orange, or a shade of yellow and you MIGHT get light blonde, but it is doubtful you can be a pale blonde given what you have said about your hair.

Bleach can only be left on so long regardless of the level it lightens to. You will only know that by doing a test strand. If you leave bleach on too long it will break or turn your hair to mush.

Your best bet would be to go to a hairdresser that specializes in color...not just someone that says they do on a card. You need someone that does a lot of corrective haircolor. Go in for a free consultation and find out if your hair is in good enough shape to recolor. IF it is in good enough shape and you can't get the blonde you want you could get a nice shade of brown or dark blonde. It will cost big bucks to correct this.

In all likelyhood you will need a haircut. The length will depend on your hairs integrity. The best thing you could do is cut it off and start fresh.

I am not recommending this at all, but IF you are determined to do it yourself, I would be very careful and do a test strand before you do your whole head. Don't try to lighten it to blonde, lighten it enough to get it out of the black stage and use a demi color rather than a permanant color since it is much less damaging. A good demi (which you mom should be able to get if she has a license) will actually make your hair look more shiney and tighten down the cuticle of the hair. Your mom or aunt should be able to help you with a product and color suggestion.

Good luck, I hope you find something that works for you.

maybe you could try to dye it a lighter brown and then get highlights. if you do dye it yourself- use natural instincts. it makes your hair feel even softer and healthier. if that does not work and you end up having to go to prom with black hair, you could experiment with glitter hairspray or headbands, hairclips, and other accessories in bright (not goth) colors

Olivia, I am PRETTY sure your post is kind of moot since she is most likely out of high school and probably close to being done with college by now! Check the dates of the original posts, some date back almost 8-9 years. Hopefully you can help someone who is having a problem now though! :)

ok so i am a musical theatre kid and i just got a role that requires me to be an old man. Last year, I had another old man role and dies the entire thing platinum and put shoe polish in it... That is a big no no to repeat. So i wanted to put a white streak in my hair and dye the rest of it dark. I have put the blonde streak in it, and soe of it is kinda fried. I am dying it black later in april. But i am curious if there is anything i can do to save the bleached part. Suggestions???

So, in a month i want to dye my hair a whiteish blonde,it is already a light blonde, but i have dyed it probably 5 times to get it this colour after dying it dark brown close to two years ago. My hair is damaged from so much dying, an straightning it everyday.Im scared to have it dyed, as it is already so damaged an dry, so should i go through with it? i have stoped straghtning my hair as much for the past month an am going to continue to for the next month , is there anything else i should do to make it more healthy? what are good conditioners? or are there treatments that really work to make it healthy?

any help about this is apreciated .

Kelly, I would leave your hair be for a while. See a professional salon for guidance. Let it grow out and keep the ends well trimmed to prevent further breakage.

As for growing strong, healthy hair, my advice is gelatin. Yes, the stuff that makes Jello, well, Jello! You can either eat a bowl of Jello a day (my work provides an employee dining room that has a salad bar with Jello) or use gelatin packets at home. When I first started doing this I bought Knox Gelatin in packets from the grocery store, right by the Jello. I would make a cup of tea in the morning, make the water boiling hot or the gelatin won't dissolve all the way, then add the gelatin and stir until it is completely dissolved. Add sugar or whatever you want (the plain, unflavored gelatin has a slight lemon flavor to it) and drink it before it gets cold or you will have tea-flavored Jello.

I did that for about two months and my hair started growing like a weed, about 1.5 - 2 inches a month. Then I changed jobs and didn't go back to the gelatin. My hair stayed healthy but grew a lot slower. Now, about 15 years later, I started eating the Jello off of the salad bar every day and in the last six months my hair has grown over 10 inches (I had cut it off and donated it to Locks of Love) and it is so thick I can't get a hair band around it 4 times for my ponytail, I can only go around it 3 times.

I have always had straight and healthy hair until I dyed it blonde myself back in the 80's, that was the worst thing ever and would never do that to my hair again.

Go to a professional and get a good haircut and maybe they can do something for the interim until your natural hair grows back healthier.

What are the best shampoos and conditioners to help woth damaged hair, and to use after bleaching hair