What is the absolute worse thing you've done to your hair?

Notty · 04-06-2008, 01:20 AM

Growing up in the 60's when hair like Cher and Twiggy were a must. My sister and I used to do anything to have straight hair. We gave each other perms - no curlers but just put on the solution and combed with a fine tooth comb until it was absolutely bone straight! Then we'd put it up in large rollers the size of soup cans and sleep on them all night! Can't imagine how much sleep we got! This worked until the humidity came out

What did you do to your hair?

Riot Crrl · 04-06-2008, 02:06 AM

Hm! That's a hard one as my crimes are many.

To begin with, there was Sun-In. Augmented when I ran out by lemon juice and hydrogen peroxide. It was the 80s and I thought that fried looking hair looked cool.

I escalated to the form of Sun-In that was a boxed peroxide and ammonia process (don't know whether that's still available) and later other boxes, and finally bleach.

I used as much Aqua-Net Extra Super Hold as I could get. There were no such things as flatirons at my local in those days, so my friends and I devised a techique to flatiron with a curling iron. We would actually spray, backcomb, and then do this, and marvel at the awesomeness of how the ratted hair looked when flattened. I couldn't do the back of my hair like this every day, so I cut it all short and focused on the long, floppy, fried bangs.

A couple years later, I ended up growing it out. I had no idea how to deal with long hair. I screwed it around on top of my hair with the shampoo, like on shampoo commercials. I inserted the comb/brush at the top of my head and yanked it down as hard as was necessary.

I happened across a random article about long hair care in a beauty mag. It didn't say anything about which products to use really (that I remember) but it did give tips like, only shampoo the roots and then condition the length. Go ahead and leave in some conditioner. To detangle, start at the ends and work up. This changed my life.

I practiced this diligently, though I was still using some of the grossest products out there, and brushing it out. I left in conditioner. I combed and brushed much more carefully than I had been. I didn't use styling products or heat.

I had my hair dyed back to match my roots. My friend who was in beauty school dyed it for me, free, using me as a model for her grade. To hear me talk, you might not realize this is the only salon color experience I have ever personally had, and it turned out awesome. (I see and hear about other ^&% ups all the time, and I think part of the key was I only had one.)

I let my natural color grow out, while following this same routine for about five years. Everything was pretty much OK. My hair grew long.

Then I started to go grey, and Feria entered the picture. Boxed blonde dyes were awesome when I was a teen and had different goals, so they'd be awesome now, right? Wrong. Dullness, awfulness, damage and boredom. After about ten years, I wanted dark red hair really bad. So I thought if the blonde Feria dyed it blonde, the red Feria would dye it red.

Ack. It rinsed out within days. I dyed it constantly. I loved the color but realized dying it every week was not normal or good. Plus my hair was long so it took me 2-3 boxes. However, it would only rinse out enough to look seriously funky, not enough to go back to blonde just by shampooing. Some stain was going to stay in there, just not enough.

I don't recall quite what my reasoning was at the time, but I decided to try semi-permanent instead of "permanent" color. I chose sort of a wine color, which looked like a nice dark red. This too, was awesome at first. It actually stayed in great for a month or so, which was better results than I had from the "permanent" dyes. Then, slowly, the pretty red color began to rinse away, and the funky purples and blues stayed.

Dejected, I ColorFixed. ColorFix is not supposed to remove semi-permanent dyes at all, so I didn't know what to expect. I was encouraged by the strand test. I put it on all my hair.

At first after rinsing it, it seemed to have worked, but was rubber-bandy. It could stretch out a very long way, and this alarmed me. I tried not to touch it until it dried.

It did dry into a version of normal hair that was no longer rubber-bandy. It had a spectrum of shades of light and weird hair. It had removed all the deposited dye, but the shades of what the ammonia and peroxide had done underneath were not it's job to handle. I also did have slight blue-tinged ends where the semi-permanent had not completely lifted, but I didn't really care. I let it rest for a while then put three boxes of blonde Feria back over it.

It looked presentable, but definitely not my hair's best. There were still blue/green tinges but they were only at the very ends, like an inch, and my hair was so long that if they bothered me I could have easily just cut them off.

I then continued to use the same shade of Feria until a couple of months ago.

And that is most of the gross stuff I have done to my hair! Sorry for the novel, LOL!

ZigaZaga · 04-06-2008, 03:19 AM

Ohhh it is hard to "out do" you two! The worst thing for me was letting my hair get cut at a Hair Show (was paid to do it). The stylist said she would just take a bit off my blunt chin length hair, but when she actually cut she cut way short under the top layers really close to my head. A V shape in the back and short on the sides. Then she left the top crown layers chin length (hanging over the short stuff). Then she took thinning sheers to my top layers. I could not see what she was doing as there was no mirror but I was boiling inside. That was a dumb dumb thing for me to do. Tears big time. I had to go to my regular stylist and he felt so sorry for me he did not even charge me to "fix" it as best he could. Took a long time to grow out.

AND still even after that, I have allowed those darned stylists to use those hated thinning sheers on my hair. Man they are fast pulling those out and using them before you know what is happening! (Tears again!) I have fine hair and it really is the worst tool around.

Now I say before I even sit down, NO THINNING SHEERS!!!

amy51373 · 04-06-2008, 05:09 AM

The worst thing I ever did or had done to my hair was during my straightening phase. I'd had perms and had perms brushed through straight like Notty so I could have straight hair but always had them done by my mother. Usually when I permed she used those big fat pink rollers because with my natural curl I had a few uneven areas and regular perm rods were too small.

One day I decided to go to the salon to get my hair straightened. The stylist brushed some really thick relaxer on my hair and I was kinda suprised since most people I knew that had gotten this done had just regular perm solution, not a thick lotion type stuff. Well come to find out later she had used something WAY to harsh on my hair because about a month later I noticed these tiny hairs sticking straight up. So much hair had broken off the top that you could literally see a line around my head where the new hair was coming back in if I wore it straight...that's about when I started letting it go natural. I haven't had it chemically straightened since then. I suppose that's why it's still so thin on the top of my head.

Night_Owl · 04-06-2008, 05:23 AM

Several years ago I let the wife of a co-worker bleach my hair. She was just out of beauty school and wanted practice. I had never been blonde before so I jumped at the chance. She pretty much fried it, though I only cut a bit of the bottom. I told myself it would be okay.

Once the roots started really showing (a medium brown) I decided to dye it back to a "natural" color, which looked okay. Then I decided to add some streaks, using an at-home streaking kit. My streaked sections broke off at about an inch long. I had little fuzzies all over my head.

Just over 3 years ago I went from long hair to short hair over the span of a couple months and decided that I wanted to start the new year off with a new color. At this point I had light red hair (i had to bleach my brown in order to go that light) and wanted to be a light brown. I figured that doing the brown on top of the red would make it too dark so I grabbed the box of bleach and then dyed the brown over the bleached hair.

It came out with a nice green tinge to it.

So the next morning (New Year's Day) I ran to the store (thank god it was open, the first year big retailers were open on that day) and bought some more bleach and some red dye.

Then I bleached out the green and threw on some red that I knew would look good. It came out Ronald McDonald red. So I added brown on top of that. It still had a bit of a green tinge so I added another box of red. By this time I had an okay color.

That's right people, 2 bleaches and 4 colors, all within a 24 hour period!

I'm so lucky that my hair never fell out. You'd think that I'd have learned, but NOOOO. Over the years I have bleached and streaked my hair to death. I color, on average, once a month and have done pretty much every color and every brand there is.

In the past year I've gotten much better though. I don't touch bleach now and only use Natural Instincts. I'm one good-sized trim away from healthy-ish hair, all of the bleached parts will be gone. I take much better care of it thanks to this site and have even thought of going back to my natural color the next time I go really short.

Vaneda · 04-06-2008, 05:34 AM

My worst:

One summer, as a teen, I totally ruined my hair. Nearly every sunny day I would go swimming in my parents pool, lay out in the sun with baby oil on my skin (so yeah, hurt my skin too), and spray Sun-In on my pool-water dampened hair. I would lay there until my hair dried, re-wet my hair by taking a swim, and then reapply Sun-In. I ended up with fried, bleached, GREEN/BLONDE hair.

At the end of that summer I literally had to have my hair cut super short. I had ruined it beyond repair.

Maudie · 04-06-2008, 07:12 AM

Probably using a straightening product called "Curl Free" was my worst. However, I also "ratted" my hair. I even went through a phase where I would put my long hair on the ironing board and use an actual iron to straighten it.

Brooke789 · 04-06-2008, 07:23 AM

I think the absolute worst thing I ever did was in college I dyed my hair black. Well, it turns out black was too dark for me and it just didn't look good. So, I decided to try to wash it out. I washed (shampoo & everything) my hair at least 8 times a day trying to get the color out. (It was one of those 24 wash dyes). But it never would come out, I did this for probably 4 or 5 days until my scalp was burning 24 hrs a day from all of the washing.

I also remember in junior high school when I straightened my hair using curling irons -- I'd let the curling iron get as hot as possible and then run it over soaking wet hair. When my hair stopped sizzling it was done.

JuicyTube · 04-06-2008, 08:01 AM

Aside from getting it relaxed, many times I have literally fried my hair with a flat iron after putting oil on it.

Wish I was smarter back then.

Notty · 04-06-2008, 08:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brooke789

I also remember in junior high school when I straightened my hair using curling irons -- I'd let the curling iron get as hot as possible and then run it over soaking wet hair. When my hair stopped sizzling it was done.

Oh my gosh - I so did that - actually there is a flat iron out there right now that promises to dry your hair and straighten it at the same time. Be just awesome on our hair wouldn't it?NOT

Notty · 04-06-2008, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZigaZaga

AND still even after that, I have allowed those darned stylists to use those hated thinning sheers on my hair. Man they are fast pulling those out and using them before you know what is happening! (Tears again!) I have fine hair and it really is the worst tool around.

Now I say before I even sit down, NO THINNING SHEERS!!!

I was still going to a hairdresser for the past few years and loved the way she did my hair straight; and yes she used the Thinning Shears on my hair constantly. Decided not to go to her anymore when one day last May I asked her to style it curly. She didn't know how to do it? Was completely frazzled I would ask her to do it. Needless to say that was the last time I went to her. Now I've been curly since then; this past week went to CHI and Jonathon told me that my hair was thicker at the roots and showed me how thin my hair became as it got to the ends. Thanks thinning shears!

msgiblet · 04-06-2008, 08:19 AM

A hundred years ago, back when I was in high school, my girlfriend and I colored my shoulder length hair. It looked great!! Then right after that we permed it. OMG!! It totally burned up every hair on my head. I went home crying and me and my poor Mom tried everything to fix it, but it was hopeless. She took me to the salon the next day and they did hot oil treatments and still, HOPELESS! I ended up having to get it cut to about 1/4" all over. I think I cried for a month. I look back at pics now and it really was a cute cut.

Then years later, I had a girlfriend highlight my hair. Again, OMG!! I looked that some kind of mutant skunk. So I went out in the middle of the night to a 24-hour drugstore with a knit cap on my head (in the dead of summer!) and got color and dyed it back to my natural color.

Now, I never let anyone other than a professional touch my hair! I'm too old to deal with any more hair traumas like that again -- sometimes the money you save just isn't worth it.

Notty · 04-06-2008, 08:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by msgiblet

Now, I never let anyone other than a professional touch my hair! I'm too old to deal with any more hair traumas like that again -- sometimes the money you save just isn't worth it.

Same thing here - must be my age - finally learning something in my old age!

Suburbanbushbabe · 04-06-2008, 08:33 AM

Texlaxed and hotfoiled (2-step). I would do each service 2-3 weeks apart. Did this for 8 years. Wondered why hair wouldn't grow. Then it broke off gradually.

LoloDSM · 04-06-2008, 08:58 AM

Chemical straightening ten years ago (some Rusk product) and a flat iron practically every day after that grew out. I suppose I deserve all the bad hair days now.

jillipoo · 04-06-2008, 09:06 AM

When I was about 12 or 13 in the early 70s, I watched the commercials for Sun-In and thought it perfectly reasonable for a dark brunette like me to get sun-kissed blonde hair. So, my girlfriend and I bought a bottle of the stuff and went to the beach. Her chestnut hair got lovely highlights. My hair turned the most garish shade of brassy red in the universe. And I had one of those shag haircuts -- remember those? -- so the effect was even more hideous.

My mother refused to let me fix it. My penance was to suffer through it growing out. Talk about trauma!

SoaringSiren · 04-06-2008, 09:50 AM

I'd say the worst was when I got my hair thermally reconditioned to finally get it permanently straight. Regular relaxers never worked on me, so I was quite excited.

Took 8 hours to get it done.

They must've gone through my hair with a straightener at least 4 times. By the end I was hungry, I had to go to the bathroom, and was very VERY cranky.

I knew I would never want to go through a process like that again, but I was happy with the results. Only when it grew out I had to constantly straighten the curl that was coming in or else I would look ridiculous! It took a year and a half to grow it all out.

The straightened hair is gone now, but I know a good portion of the curls I have atm are damaged because of all the straightening I did. Bummer.

Arlene · 04-06-2008, 11:36 AM

Years ago I used to use the in home straighteners. The hair by my part broke. My hair looked fried.You would think I'd learn after that. Nope, then I decided to try a perm solution and comb it through.

I finally gave up on straighteners.

Then I started blow drying and using a flat iron constantly.
My hair was straight but looked terrible.

I finally decided a couple of weeks ago to let it go natural.
The only thing I use a blow dryer on now is my bangs.

curlycaramel · 04-06-2008, 01:48 PM

Dyed my hair Honey Blonde... I'm naturally very dark brown, So it looked really odd. not to mention it was dark and lovely dye I was using.
First off I went sunkissed brown, that looked nice I should have stopped there but my boyfriend told me I would look nice if I had hair the color of Beyonce...When I was growing up I always liked the color of T-boz and Mary J Bliges hair, So thought sure someone else thinks it will look good I'll give it a go.. Not realizing Beyonce's Hair wasn't her hair so she could go all kinds of blondes.... I liked it at the time, but looking back it was wrong.

lazy loops · 04-06-2008, 03:08 PM

I used to tend lawn & gardens, walk, etc., in the sun without protection, badly drying & sun-bleaching my hair. I *think* the last of that damage was removed two yrs ago.

I allowed my previous stylist to give me highlights & I had no idea what "bleach" did to hair. That was going on 2 yrs ago this coming fall & I have about 6-in remaining.