no-‘poo/low-‘poo for dyed hair

2021 edit: i no longer subscribe to or support the “all-natural” label. more here.

the long awaited post is here! (and the long awaited source list is on its way!)

we’re finally going to formally address going no-‘poo/low-‘poo with dyed hair!

when i first decided to follow my hippie heart and become a no-‘poo-er, i had dyed hair…that had been dyed over dye…over dye.  it wasn’t a good hair situation, haha. i’m a natural brunette that accidentally dyed my hair almost black, let it fade, lightened it to a honey brown, dyed it to a medium auburn brown, let it fade, and then dyed it dark brown (wait for iiiiit….)… all within a year and a half and all out of a freakin box! before that, i dyed it dark brown every month to 2 months. and this was post-bleach blonde, post-cherry coke, and post-black-underneath hair. my hair hadn’t been it’s natural color since about the 7th grade. no joke. like i said, it wasn’t a good hair situation!

my hair started to split on the ends in between my yearly cuts (yes, yearly), and i was SO fed up with my hair. i knew i wanted to stop dying it, so i also decided to look into “healthier” shampoos to help my hair, too.

little did i know that my life was LITERALLY going to change because i decided to not dye my hair. but that’s a story for another time i suppose.

so is going no’poo/low-‘poo with dyed hair possible? YES.   is it safe? YES.
but here are a few things to consider before your switch (or during!)

some things to consider:

• how damaged is your hair?
  – ANY type of permanent/semiperm/etc, hair dye is damaging. period. end of story. it sucks, i know! so for example, if your hair is dry and breaking with your current store-bought shampoo/conditioner/products, chances are that the bs/acv routine isn’t going to the best option for you. long story short, if your hair is damaged, go low-poo. if your hair is healthy, you can try no-poo, and always keep low-poo in your back pocket 😉
• are you okay with your dye fading quicker?
  – you won’t be using the specialized shampoos that help color last. my hair dye faded between 3/4 of the time and 1/2 the time it would’ve usually taken with the bs/acv routine. i know that’s a deal breaker for some people. but that’s where low-poo is your best bet! low-poo won’t fade dye quickly like no-poo.
• are you okay with finding more natural dye alternatives?
  – because your hair will thank you! and it’ll fit into your no-poo/low-poo routine!
• are you going to continue to dye your hair?
  – if you’re an avid dyer, chances are no-poo isn’t the route for you. you can try low-poo. never think you need to stick to commercial products! but please do keep in mind the damage will be more apparent. the damage is the same as it always is, but commercial products smooth out hairs and “glue” split ends together. you don’t get that with no-poo/low-poo.

how to successfully transition away from commercial hair products as a “dyee” :

• only wash your hair every few days or longer. it’ll be less harsh on your color-damaged hair.
• keep. your. hair. moisturized!! whether that means CO masks weekly, or raw honey conditioning every wash (or both), you have to listen to your hair. YOU know YOUR hair better than anyone.
• eat right & supplement when you need it.
• avoid heat as much as possible! whether than be a curling iron, blow dryer, or hot shower, it’s all heat to steer clear of.
• nurse your hair back to health!! & be patient with it! you may need to treat it with a heavy dose of protein (egg yolks), or seal in some serious moisture (raw honey). it’ll get better as time goes on.
• use a boar bristle brush to pull scalp oils to the ends of your hair. your own scalp oils and sebum are magic for your hair!

some other posts you might find helpful:
– low-‘poo options
– no-‘poo resource page (where you can find info on everything from deep conditioners to salon trips to troubleshooting)
– coconut oil mask

any tips from fellow dyers out there?