My Do: Color, pt 2

So these are my results using L'Oreal Feria Wild Ombré. I'm really happy with how it came out. Read my post on the coloring process here.

Africa pendant necklace from Asase

Since I had to use bleach to get this look I will be giving my hair extra love in the shape of weekly deep conditioning and probably some hot oil treatment as well. I can already feel that the bleached ends are drier than before. My goal is to keep my hair as healthy as possible despite the bleach. 

The day after coloring I deep conditioned my hair and just applied some leave in. I did not use heat instead I let my hair air dry to minimize the stress on the hair right now. I will try to air dry as much as possible (which I do anyway) now that my hair is extra sensitive. 

The next step, which should have been the first step actually, is to trim my ends. Like I said, I should have done that before I colored my hair but I didn't feel like I had time since I started the whole coloring process at 10pm. But in the next couple of weeks I will definitely trim my ends. 

So would I recommend you to bleach your hair? No. If your goal is healthy hair (and length retention) you should stay away from bleach and color. Partly because of them being harmful for your hair and partly because it's easier to care for untreated hair. And if you are new to the natural hair journey defiantly wait and learn to care for your hair as it grows out of your scalp before you color or bleach it. 

However if you are planning to bleach or color your hair make sure your hair is at optimum health. Before and after color/bleach deep condition your hair . Some may need an intense protein treatment others may be fine with a hot oil treatment or a water based deep conditioner. Know your hair enough to tell what your hair needs before coloring/bleaching. Also, if you're a newly to box color you may want to go to a professional to get your hair colored/bleached. Like I wrote in my previous post I colored my hair regularly for over ten years and I knew what I was doing and what to expect. I also knew that if for some reason I messed up my hair completely then cutting it off would be a given and I'd be okay with that. 

Also don't re-color or bleach your hair right away if you aren't happy with the results. I'd give color at least two weeks and bleach a month before I'd re-do. And during that time I'd do protein treatments and deep conditioning treatments to  nurse my hair back to health and prepare it for the coming abuse. 

looks lighter than it is in this pic

Please do your research before selecting a box color! And have realistic goals, some do not work well on dark hair.