To Dye Or Not To Dye Natural Hair?

    This post is inspired by my own indecisive desire to chemically treat my perfectly fine, beautifully healthy, natural hair. I crave change. I crave spice, pizazz, spunk, class, sexy sophistication. I just want my personality to fully reflect my hair and vice versa. I’m bored. I can visualize the color in the perfect spot as I style my naked, colorless hair. Do you ever feel this way? 

    Some of you are probably wondering, well why don’t you henna? Or try a non-permanent rinse?
I’ve been there and done that. There comes a time when henna and rinses just don’t cut it. It isn’t enough. What I want is a pop of color, not a subtle hint that only the sun can pick up. So…then…why thehesitation, just do it right? Or wrong?

    The truth is, chemically treating your natural hair with hair dye is like a total oxymoron. Why color treat my hair with harmful chemicals? Didn’t I just relieve myself from the dreaded chemical relaxer? …And now here I go with yet, another chemically ridden product? Sigh. Hypocritical dare we say?

    I beg to differ. Choosing to chemically treat one’s hair with a permanent hair dye is the personal decision of the individual. Keeping it healthy, and maintaining the health is what comes with the territory of a permanent dye job. Ever seen color treated ladies with fried, crispy looking ends? Ew. The last thing an individual considering permanent hair dye would need, is to transform their supple, fully moisturized, juicy curls and coils into lifeless, fried frizzies. 
 
    So the key and solution to wanting desperately to change things up a bit with color is: Know Your Stuff. Just like the chemical relaxer, permanent hair dye contains harmful, drying chemicals that permanently alter the hair structure. So, of course, protein treatments should be used most often to help build back, or sustain the structure that has been altered. Color treated hair can tend to be more porous, thus, making it more susceptible to dryness. Moisture treatment should be done as well to help keep a healthy balance of moisture. 
 
    So whatever you’re doing with your colorless hair, you will up the ante a bit for your colored hair. Try alternating between protein and moisture treatments weekly. Since my wash days are always on Sunday, and there are typically 4 Sundays in a month, I will treat my hair every consecutive Sunday followed by a co-wash, like this: Moisture Treatment, Protein Treatment, Moisture Treatment, Protein Treatment. This way, there is no room for my hair to lose out on any TLC. Committing to color treated hair means committing to a new, improved regimen.

So my last words? Just do it. I used to tell myself that I wouldn’t ‘treat’ myself to a nice dye job until I reach my hair goal length of waist length…but I’m changing my mind. It’syour hair, that’s on your head, that’s attached to your body. As long as you stick to a good, consistent hair regimen that promotes healthy hair; you and your gorgeously colored tresses will be just fine.

So…To Dye Or Not To Dye Natural Hair? Are you color treated? What do you do to maintain healthy, color treated hair?

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