I got highlights for the first time and I'm afraid of s...

M

mtmaria

New Member
Hey all,

I got highlights for the first time on Tuesday. I have natural black hair and I got caramel highlights.

I work out everyday...and everyday for me is a HUGE SWEATFEST since I sweat after just 2 minutes of doing Cathe!

My question is, is all the sweating going to be bad for my highlights? and also how often do I shampoo and condition it?

One final Question: is it okay to blow dry and straighten my hair with a flat iron without ruining the color?

Sorry for all the questions...just don't want to ruin my hair since I spent $100 to get it done
 
Hi there! I have been having my hair highlighted for years.

Sweating doesn't do anything bad to the highlights. And believe me, I SWEAT!!!

I also shampoo and condition and blow dry my hair daily. And use a flat iron on occasion. Doesn't affect the color at all. Over time it might fade a little. But I don't think that has anything to do with washing or styling.

Enjoy your highlights!
 
RE: I got highlights for the first time and I'm afraid ...

>Hi there! I have been having my hair highlighted for years.
>
>Sweating doesn't do anything bad to the highlights. And
>believe me, I SWEAT!!!
>
>I also shampoo and condition and blow dry my hair daily. And
>use a flat iron on occasion. Doesn't affect the color at all.
>Over time it might fade a little. But I don't think that has
>anything to do with washing or styling.


I agree!

My hair is naturally jet black too..almost blue black. I had it lightened with caramel highlights. See my avatar/profile pic. I shampoo/condition and blow dry it daily. No problems. I do need to go get it re-done though about every 8-10 weeks.. otherwise black roots start showing and it fades just a little. Totally worth it the $$ :)
 
I also have black hair and got some caramel highlights about 3 years ago. I just love them. Since they're just highlights, and the color is subtle, I only have to go about 3 times per year. Thank goodness for that, as it is expensive. It never even occurred to me to do anything differently, and my colorist never said anything. I use the same products I used before.

I agree it's worth every penny, as my very dark hair was starting to look a bit harsh against my aging skin, and the highlights soften things up.
 
I KNOW this will sound gross... My hairdresser recommends to not wash your hair everyday. She works out every day at a local gym and doesn't wash her hair afterwards. She pulls it up in a ponytail and washes her body, doesn't even get her hair wet. Then she blow drys her sweaty head after her shower. You can't tell. It doesn't stink either. Her hair looks better "dirty". Some of the other hairdressers wash their hair only once a week. She goes every three days. I've tried it and it does work. I especially get more volume if I let my hair naturally dry in the ponytail after working out.

BTW, I recently had my hair colored a shade darker (level 5 brown) and had caramel highlights. I had to prepare my hair for going back to a level 6 brown (my favorite shade!). I accidentally stripped a lot of color out of my hair when I took it to a level 6 golden blonde back in December.
 
Well, I'm a brunette and have been coloring my hair for about 13 years, and highlighting for probably 3. Sweat has done nothing worse than make my hair wet and my skin sting.

Don't sweat it. (ha ha)
 
>I KNOW this will sound gross... My hairdresser recommends to
>not wash your hair everyday. She works out every day at a
>local gym and doesn't wash her hair afterwards. She pulls it
>up in a ponytail and washes her body, doesn't even get her
>hair wet. Then she blow drys her sweaty head after her shower.
>You can't tell. It doesn't stink either. Her hair looks better
>"dirty". Some of the other hairdressers wash their hair only
>once a week. She goes every three days. I've tried it and it
>does work. I especially get more volume if I let my hair
>naturally dry in the ponytail after working out.


I don't think it's gross: but I only wash my hair 3-4 times a week. In between, I'll freshen it just using water, or just spritz a humectant in it. Cathe once posted about this very subject, and she sometimes just runs conditioner through her hair in the shower and rinses it out.

Most hair does look better 'dirty' than freshly washed, and I've heard that washing too often (ie: every day) can overstimulate the sebaceous glands, making the hair tend to be even oilier. NOT washing helps them calm down, provides the hair with natural oils.

This doesn't work as well if you use a lot of product in your hair (styling creams, hairspray, whatever) because that adds to the dirtiness.

Confession time: when I'm off teaching, I will sometimes let my hair go for as long as I can without washing. Once, it was two weeks. I brushed every day, and my hair got a nice 'natural oil' treatment.
 
>
>
>I don't think it's gross: but I only wash my hair 3-4 times a
>week. In between, I'll freshen it just using water, or just
>spritz a humectant in it. Cathe once posted about this very
>subject, and she sometimes just runs conditioner through her
>hair in the shower and rinses it out.
>
>Most hair does look better 'dirty' than freshly washed, and
>I've heard that washing too often (ie: every day) can
>overstimulate the sebaceous glands, making the hair tend to be
>even oilier. NOT washing helps them calm down, provides the
>hair with natural oils.
>
>This doesn't work as well if you use a lot of product in your
>hair (styling creams, hairspray, whatever) because that adds
>to the dirtiness.
>
>Confession time: when I'm off teaching, I will sometimes let
>my hair go for as long as I can without washing. Once, it was
>two weeks. I brushed every day, and my hair got a nice
>'natural oil' treatment.

Agree Kathryn. I don't wash my hair everyday either. In fact, because my hair is so long, I sometimes just wash it once or twice a week. It actually takes like 5 days before it gets that 'dirty' look. It really helped when I stopped using conditioner on my scalp. I no longer get that greasy look like I did when I washed my hair everyday or every other day. I find that washing my hair too often dries out the ends and makes my scalp look too greasy.

C
 
I don't wash my hair with shampoo every day because the color fades too fast. I generally do every other, with the in-between day either not washing at all (surprisingly, these are usually my best styling days) or rinsing and sometimes using conditioner if I've worked up a sweat.

Marie
 
> She works out every day at a
>local gym and doesn't wash her hair afterwards. She pulls it
>up in a ponytail and washes her body, doesn't even get her
>hair wet. Then she blow drys her sweaty head after her shower.

I just couldn't. I'd feel soooo icky.

>Some of the other hairdressers wash their hair only
>once a week.

My head would be so greasy and itchy. I can't even imagine.
Maybe with certain kinds of hair it's okay, but not mine. I've been doing the same thing for years and my hair turns out soft and shiny.
I've got to wash it every day, sometimes I'll skip one day but that is about it. I really think it depends on the hair.
 
It really does depend on the hair. My hair is so dry, washing it once per week would be optimal. But when I get up in the morning, my hair looks like a rat's nest, and the only way to make it behave is to drench it with water.
 
Dani, I'm with you. I have to wash my hair everyday or my scalp is so itchy - and (gross part here) when I scratch it, there's all sorts of gunk under my fingernails. YUCK!

I've had highlights for 8 years now. Sweating, washing and conditioning doesn't phase the color. I do think that it's best to wait 24 hours after it's been colored before washing though. I don't know if that's a true fact or if I've just confused that rule because it holds true with perms. Yes, watching Legally Blonde for the first time, I caught the fib on the witness stand! :p

Diane
 
Diane, that's most likely product residue... one of the reasons modern folks wash their hair so much, lol.

:)

Marie
 
Yes, everyone's hair is different and holds color differently. I get my hair colored to cover the gray that grows right in the front. I'm more concerned about my color than my highlights washing out. I do notice that if I overdo the washing, my highlights will get a brassy tone by my next appointment. It's not very noticeable though. Also, I have long hair and the ends tend to dry out if I wash it too much.

I don't use many products everyday. After I wash and condition my hair with Loreal Professional Series for colored hair, I apply a leave in conditioner starting at the middle and towards the ends. I use some mudd stuff after I style and a touch of hairspray. The days I don't wash my hair, I only need to add a little hairspray after I style it.

It took me awhile to get over not washing my hair everyday. But, it works for me.
 
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