I have been dying my hair for about 7 years now. I have used both home hair dye kits as well as visits to salons to have my hair done. After having a few bad experiences with certain salons (eg. Colorists dying my skin as well as my hair, bad and wrong coloring... etc... ). Although it has been lighter colors in the past that was done by salons ( as I am naturally medium-dark brown ), I have been fully dying it myself with at home colors that are very close to my natural shade. No highlights, just full color. I have made an appointment at a VERY prestigious salon in my area where the colorists and stylists are literally the best of the best. I am going to have a full highlight done, in a fairly bright blonde.

I have heard that if you dye your own hair with boxed color kits at home, and then have it lightened by a professional to a bright blonde, the colors can react and cause hair to literally fall out. I am EXTREMELY nervous about having it done, but really want a blonde shade. Is this true? Should I be worried my hair will fall out?

Thanks!

First of all, note that hair doesn't fall out because of dyeing. It might break off. Falling out implies that it won't grow back.

Each time you color or bleach your hair, it accumulates damage to the hair shaft that was dyed. Usually it's worse near the ends because that section's been around the longest. Oxygen in the air also slowly damages the hair.

Hair isn't alive. There's no blood supply and, therefore, no energy supply to help hair heal or get better over time. Of course, new growth is always fine.

If the damage to your hair accumulates to the point that the hair shaft has no strength, it will break. That will happen whether it's done in a salon or at home. There's nothing in the chemicals, themselves, that will react and cause your hair to break.

I can't promise you that your hair won't break off. Sometimes salons are harder on hair than people who color at home (but not often). Some salons use bleach (Effasol) to strip color from the hair if they're going lighter. Also, if you want your hair as light as it sounds, they will have to use hair bleach. Don't be scared of that word. Bleaches aren't all that bad.

If you're very worried, call the colorist and ask for a strand test a few days before you get it colored. Have the colorist do the strand test on the head, without clipping a strand. That way, you can observe it over a few days along with its normal treatment. If it starts to break off, then you probably should not have the whole head done -- you should wait until your hair grows out a bunch and then do it.

By the way, the single most damaging thing that people do when doing a touchup is to overlap. If you've been careful and have tried not to overlap (it's impossible, but at least you can try to avoid it), it will almost surely not break. If, on the other hand, you color the whole head each time you do a touchup, then there is a much more significant possibility of severe breakage.

And one more thing... A small amount of breakage is normal. Hairs fall out every day, and that should not be a cause for concern.

I too color my hair at home due to problems with salons in the past. I always dye my hair then wait about a week then go to the salon to have my stylist highlight my hair. I have been doing this about every 4 months for the past 3 years. My normal hair color is medium brown also and I have never had any problems. My hair is extremely healthy and my stylist tells me I have lots of hair.

THANKS! Makes me feel MUCH better!

No Problem, and good luck to you! :o