How to Grow Out Your Hair Color and Go Back to Natural

Most of us, if not all of us, have gone through a colorful hair phase. From bright reds to deep purple's, we've all had our fair share of hair colors. Some colors we've either regretted or outgrew entirely. I remember when I outgrew my curly hair with blue tips style.

If you're someone that's just beginning their healthy hair journey, you've probably come to understand that consistently dying your tresses can be harmful to your roots. Frequent dying can prevent growth, and ruin curl patterns. If you've dyed your hair and are searching for a healthy way on how to grow out hair color, you're at the right place.

Growing out your hair color is a lengthy process that requires patience, and dedication. There will be different awkward phases that will have you itching to grab that box of dye and recoloring your hair. However, if you want to get back to your standard hair color, you'll have to resist the temptation and understand that the destination is much more satisfying than restarting to fulfill instant gratification. Trust me; your hair will thank you once you've grown out all of that color and fully begin a healthy hair journey. Growing out hair can be hard but it's worth it!

Follow these tips and get that clean slate you're wanting. No matter what kind of dyed hair you have from highlights, to fully lightened, to darker locks, or thoroughly bleached, the first step to growing out your hair color is to allow some time for your roots to grow. You'll need to know how to grow your natural hair in a healthy way.

Before you begin the process of de-coloring, almost every hairstylist you encounter will give you the same advice: be patient with your hair.

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Knowing When To Go Back To Natural

Most of us love to zest up our look by changing the color, adding highlights, or bleaching. No matter the method, our hair strands will suffer if we're not careful. There are chemicals in hair dyes that can dry out hair, and create brittleness and breakage that will be difficult to fix. By dying hair too frequently, your hair loses gloss. Frequent dying outs you at risk for hair damage. This damage has the potential to be irreversible, unless, of course, you shave your head.

Yes, we can always call our hairstylists, the actual superheroes, but those visits can be even more damaging if we're not attacking the root of the issue. It's best, to be honest about what's going on with your hair, and dig down to the roots. First, you'll need to know how to find your natural hair color.

Luckily, more and more stylists are recommending to put the box of color down and rock your natural hue. Finding a stylist that's willing to help you grow out your hair color will be easy!

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Start Planning

Before you begin the process of reverting to your natural hair color, you'll need to plan. Work alongside a colorist can help you find the best means for what you're trying to achieve. Make sure you let your stylist know what products you have been using. Also, if you have pictures of your natural color show them to your stylist. Colored natural hair requires more maintenance than normal. It may take a while to revert back.

Prepare yourself for the weeks of growth that will have your hair looking a little wild, especially if your natural hair color and your current hair color completely contrast. By accurately planning, you will be able to manage this practice that will surely test your patience.

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Say So Long To Highlights

Highlights are lively, and a great way to add radiance to your overall hair look. However, sometimes highlights can be tiring to upkeep. Highlights can also be disastrous if not done right. If you feel as though you're tired of your highlights taking over your look, its time to plan and revert to your usual color. Natural hair highlights aren't hard to evert from.

There are different types of highlights that require various kinds of growth processes to create natural-looking locks seamlessly. If you've gone the balayage route, you won't have to fret over growing these out. Just visit your stylist every six weeks, for routine upkeep, and you'll be back to your regular hair color.

If your highlights start from your scalp, then it'll take a bit longer. No matter what colorist you choose, they should use lowlights to contrast with your highlights, and space them out. By doing this, you'll let your natural hair color, and your highlights blend to create a multi-tonal look. This will help reduce the effects of the highlights that you want to grow out.

If you'd like to soften the contrast between your natural color, and your highlights, your colorist should use a toner to create a middle color that'll help ease your standard color back into full effect.

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Bye, Bye Pastels

Within the past few years, the unicorn hair trend has sky-rocketed. I mean honestly, who doesn't want to look like a unicorn for a month or two?

It's a vibrant way to spice up your look, but not necessarily a style to keep past a few months. So, if you're entirely over being a unicorn, you'll need to take some steps to get back to normalcy, or at least be a unicorn with not as bright hair.

Thankfully, these dazzling colors are not terrible to ditch. In most cases, unicorn dyes are temporary and easy to wash out. You won't have to worry about waiting until your hair grows out. Typically, your hair color will fade, and by this point, you should be visiting your colorist.

You'll need to apply an all-over, non-toxic, dye that can minimize discoloration. It should be your natural shade, or something closest to it. Also, your colorist may suggest adding some highlights or lowlights to add depth to your hair during this time. It may seem pointless because you're trying to get back to your natural color, but it will assist you during the process, and help you maintain a healthy-looking style.

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Banish the Bleach

There are plenty of reasons why we decide to bleach our hair. Sadly, bleaching is the unhealthiest route when it comes to your hair. So, while its fun to have platinum or silver hair, it doesn't take long before your hair can start to look dry, brittle, and damaged.

Reverting to your natural color from a bleached color is probably the most prolonged process needed to grow out of your hair color. The first step to growing out your bleached hair is to have your colorist apply a dye that is just a few shades darker. You'll have to repeat this method multiple times. Use a darker color each time until you reach your desired natural color.

After achieving your natural color, your roots will grow out and begin to blend with the rest of your hair. You'll have to ensure that you use hair masks to prevent your hair from dehydrating and becoming even more brittle. This process, as mentioned before, will be extended, but beneficial when you finally acquire the look you want.

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Come Out of The Darkness

When you're trying to revert from dark to light tresses, the transitional period can look a little more awkward. With dark roots transitioning from light hair, it's easy to pass the phase as an intentional ombre, but the opposite is somewhat trickier.

If you're progressing from dark tresses and have bright roots, the ombre excuse usually won't cut it. The color change will look awkward. The best way to manage growing out hair color is to be patient and take the proper steps. It'll be tempting to attempt to bleach your hair to match your light hairstyle. Due to the way bleach can be damaging, that's not the best idea.

For this kind of change, you'll need to rely on your colorist deeply. As you work alongside your colorist, you'll have to take things slowly, and gradually work with your highlights to ensure that you blend your multi-toned hair in an unnoticeable way. You'll need to have your colorist give you subtle highlights to lighten your overall look until you're back to your regular light style. If you accurately plan, this phase of growing out your hair color won't be so bad.

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Alternatives To Dying To Change Color

If you're ever wanting to change your look without committing to anything permanent, there are various ways to get a new style without causing any real damage.

Clip-Ins

If you're looking for a color change, you can get clip-ins, or even purchase a wig. Clip-ins and wigs will allow you to get a color change that isn't permanent.

Hair Mascara

You can also use products like hair mascara. Hair mascara is a small wand that applies just like eye mascara, but it is used on hair instead. There are many colors to choose from too!

Hair Chalk

You can also use hair chalk, which are oil-based pastels that you can pick up at any craft store.

Colored Hairspray

Colored hairspray is another option, which can be picked up at any hair store. When using colored hairspray be careful and try not to use a color that can leave a stain.

Semi-Permanent

The aforementioned colored techniques typically take 2-4 shampoos to take out. Another way to add some vibrancy to your look is to use a semi-permanent dye. The dye isn't like regular dye because it sits on the outside of the hair cuticle and is more like a stain than a permanent change. The good thing about semi-permanent colors is that they last longer than chalks, and sprays. Semi dyes usually take 4-12 shampoos to remove.

Demi-Permanent

The next way to add some color to your look is to use a demi-permanent. Demi-permanent isn't as strong as permanent, but it's perfect if you want something to last for a more extended time than the methods previously mentioned. However, just as long as this technique lasts, it also takes much longer to remove. Demi-permanent takes 12-28 shampoos to remove.

When it comes to demi-permanent you also have to be careful how you do it. You can risk leaving a stain that's difficult to remove from your hair. Keep in mind that when you're choosing to use any of these products, you'll have to ensure that you use the right products that fit what you're looking for in hair-care maintenance, especially if you're trying to have healthy, moisturized and itch-free hair.

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Benefits of Growing Out Your Hair Color

There are many benefits to growing out your hair color. The most important advantage is that when you decide to put down the dye and live in your natural hue. This is the first necessary step to maintain a healthier hairstyle. Knowing how to grow hair out will help you tremendously.

If you're wanting to achieve a natural kinky curly look, reverting to your natural hair color will be beneficial. Dyed curly hair can still be healthy, even during the reverting process. Doing this will help your tresses grow to be bouncy and soft, and most importantly, chemical-free! Of course, that's if you use synthetic-free products to maintain your locks.

Now that you've seen our tips on how to grow out your hair color, here are some key pointers. Resist, resist the want to dye your hair while you're transitioning from one color to natural. Find a colorist! Make sure you find someone you trust that will not only give you great tips on how to maintain during transitions but also work with you to help you get what you want.

Plan, plan, plan! Once you decide that this is the journey you want to take, make sure you plan, and plan again so that you can have a game-plan for what you wish your end-style to look like. Lastly, make sure you remain patient in the midst of your hair journey and enjoy your fresh, new, and natural locks!


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