Growing out your hair from blonde to your natural color can feel like a long, emotional journey. It’s not just about waiting for the roots to grow in—it"s about learning how to care for your hair during the transition and figuring out what works for you. In this article, I’ll share my personal story of how my hair transformed over three years, from frequent bleaching to embracing my natural shade.
Undoubtedly, there were highs and lows along the route. I made mistakes, tried ineffective products, and had to make multiple adjustments to my hair regimen. But I eventually figured out what was causing my hair to grow back and thrive. I’ll impart all of the knowledge I have so you can steer clear of the same pitfalls and begin your hair journey with confidence.
There are numerous pictures in this post that document how my hair has changed over time, from the brittle ends left over from bleaching to the shiny, healthy hair I currently have. Whether you’re just getting started or far along in your hair-growing journey, hopefully my knowledge and advice will be of assistance to you.
- Where to start growing hair
- Where I started
- The turning point
- My hair looked like this when I started caring for it
- Shopping for cosmetics
- I started with this
- How to avoid mistakes in hair care if you decide to grow your hair
- Thermal devices
- Inclusion of leave-in products in my care
- Combs
- Natural oils
- List of masks that helped me
- Refusal of coloring
- My hair after the last highlighting
- Video on the topic
- THE STORY OF MY HAIR 🩷
- How I grew my hair VERY QUICKLY? // From spoiled blonde to thick and long light brown
- How to grow hair quickly?
Where to start growing hair
Where I started
A brief overview to remind you of where it all started Since I was a young child, I have always had long hair. My mother used to braid it in different ways, wash it, and comb it. Up until around the time I was in eighth or ninth grade, I only used shampoo and didn’t use any balms. I had also never heard of masks. The most intriguing thing was that my hair looked amazing and didn’t fall out at all. It also shone brightly and healthily.
However, adolescence is a time when you experiment, search for yourself, and want to look different, and I was no different. I simply wanted to turn blonde with an intense desire! You can read about my experience in this post.
I highlighted for the first time in my life in the eighth grade. My mother had done my first, second, and third highlights when my hair was still long, waist-length, and naturally light brown. We can only speculate now as to what we were thinking at the time—the least expensive highlighter dye. The oddest thing, though, is that my hair did not suffer—for the time being, anyway. I decided to use Garnier "sandy blonde" hair dye in my ninth grade year because I wanted my hair to be consistently light.
My mother also highlighted my hair, and as you can probably imagine, that resulted in my hair taking on a reddish tint where the roots had grown out. Naturally, I didn’t like it, so two or three days after the dyeing process, I took the leftover dye, blended it for highlighting, and added some white strands to the top. I realize now how bad my hair was, but I didn’t seem to care. However, my experiments did not stop there because I needed a ladder.
My hair was straight and I could grow it out, so the coloring wasn’t too bad, but the layered cut was the final straw. My long hair was too long for a layered cut, so the hairdresser didn’t understand me. Ultimately, they chopped off a portion of my hair, and I didn’t have time to watch as my hair fell to the ground because they were cutting it up so quickly with scissors.
God, it’s a horror story! However, I thought the bob looked good when I saw it in the mirror! These teenagers, oh. My mother’s mouth dropped open when I got home, and she was unable to close it for a long time due to the damage I had done to her long hair. However, I enjoyed everything. True, but only temporarily. I thought I could quickly grow my hair back if I wanted to, but that didn’t happen. After six months, I started to notice that my ends were breaking, splitting, and falling out in strands when I got my hair cut.
After that, during my entire college career, I attempted to grow my hair longer. I dyed it maybe three or four times, I can’t recall exactly, and I didn’t understand how the blond hair that my mother has always had could turn into a panicle after a few stains. Since my mother has probably never had hair that is as long as mine, I was unable to grow my hair, which naturally grew, but the ends broke off and fell out. I started to wonder if I was destined to have short hair.
The turning point
The state of my hair, to put it simply, was what marked the turning point. After washing it and applying conditioner (which I had started using at the time), my hair naturally dried into a large tangled ball that became a matting. To be honest, there were moments when I just wanted to grab some scissors and cut the tangles out because I didn’t know what to do with it. I couldn’t even detangle my hair after washing it; without negativity and occasionally even tears, it resembled fluff or a broom after combing. My hair was empty within, which is how I got to this situation.
At the time, I had never given leave-in products a second thought. It got to the point where, after washing, I would just wait for the hair to dry, divide it into two sections, and curl it into soft curlers. I would then dismiss this and continue walking without combing because, when I did, the hair would have been so tangled that it would have been reduced to shreds. I was afraid to stay bald because it was frightening to touch them.
When my hair was in such a state, I found the SHKV group, a hair group, having joined it – having looked at beautiful photos of long, well-groomed, shiny hair – I began to choke with envy. I looked at my stubs – the ends, I cursed the moment when I started to dye / highlight my hair and the moment when I went to the hairdresser with the idea of \u200b\u200bmaking a ladder. Thoughts began to creep into my head – about growing my hair color, but I really didn’t like it all this time – I considered it mousey, gray, nondescript – and how can you even walk around with this and feel confident?
Indeed, I think I grew accustomed to having light hair and being a blonde. I even matched the color of my makeup to my hair because I enjoyed the way it made me feel.
I laughed at the idea of "homemade masks and lotions for hair" even after finding a recipe for an onion hair mask. At the time, I was thinking, "ugh." My hair philosophy is that what nature provides will be what doesn’t smell, but you can disagree. I still kind of agree with this statement because, up until I ruined and killed it with my hands, I naturally had nice hair.
I sat down, thought and a brilliant idea came to my head – I need to try to return my hair to its former appearance, I had good hair, so why am I walking around with a broom on my head? My hair at that time did not completely satisfy me, even if I managed to bring it to a divine appearance with curlers, as soon as I went outside, this light fluff flew in all directions, it was terribly uncomfortable for me to live with such hair on my head, it may seem funny – but it is so. I found an onion mask on the Internet, printed out its recipe and in January 2013, from the beginning of the year I began to make an onion mask for the roots. I think about the masks I have tried, I will write separate posts in the future
My hair looked like this when I started caring for it
After the onion mask, I used a mustard mask, as well as oils – castor, peach, burdock, jojoba. I think that my hair care had just started to form, but it was far from ideal. I hadn"t found my ideal shampoo or ideal mask yet, I read a bunch of reviews and wanted to try everything, I got into it very quickly and became a hair maniac quickly, without even noticing it, I started buying new products after noticing the first results on my hair, they started to comb, I won"t say it was easy – but for me it was a mega result, which means the masks work, and it"s not just stupid advice.
Shopping for cosmetics
I started buying products that I didn’t understand because I was obsessed with my hair.
I started with this
Indeed, as you can see, it’s a nightmare come true.
I had a really awkward ladder, too.
And these are my first intermediate outcomes. I was ecstatic back then.
How to avoid mistakes in hair care if you decide to grow your hair
Once more, what did I do? After three years of care, I arrived at these suggestions, but I will go over everything at once in my description.
Thermal devices
I first determined that the hot air from a hair dryer had damaged my hair. I had just moved away from my parents at the time, so only my mother had a hair dryer. I did not buy one for myself, so at first, I found it unusual when wet strands of hair were scattered over my shoulders on a towel. At that time, I used a hair dryer ruthlessly to dry my porous, dry, blonde-dyed hair after every wash.
However, I was unaware that my hair was drying until I used a towel to create a turban and walked like that for about fifteen minutes before taking it off and starting to comb it. I now know that wet hair should never be combed! I combed my wet hair, and I still do, since improper products have occasionally left my hair tangled. I quickly broke the habit of using a hair dryer; I don’t use one at all these days.
Inclusion of leave-in products in my care
These were initially mass-market sprays, like "Gliss Kur" and "L"OREAL ELSEVE," but they eventually developed into professional brands, like Kapous. I then began using silicone oils, of which Garnier Fructis Elixir Transfiguration oil is still my favorite. It significantly changes the way the ends appear. Of course, silicones merely give hair an external sheen and well-groomed appearance—this is a subject for another article. However, after using them, my hair actually almost stopped breaking and falling out and started to look much better.
Combs
The next crucial step was, of course, switching out the combs. When I took one look at them, I gasped because they were all in such horrible shape. Our combs have a big impact on the health of our hair, so check them to see if you have any broken ends. Could it be the comb? It is very likely. I got rid of the bad combs and replaced them with a wooden comb and a comb with natural bristles that I still use today. I got my comb from Deval.
Natural oils
For hair care, oils are my favorite. I have been using them almost since the beginning of hair care, and I still do. While many people argue that hair cannot be restored, I agree that it is impossible to have completely ruined hair; the only thing you can do is cut it off. However, in order to prevent the rest of your hair from becoming that way and to look healthy, it needs to be nourished and moisturized, especially in the summer when the sun is scorching and in the winter when we have hats, heating, and many other little details.
I want to draw attention to winter here and say that many girls let their hair show in the winter because it’s so beautiful. I used to do the same, but after reading a lot of articles, I want to say that doing so will quickly kill your hair because wind and cold damage hair. Do you really need beautiful hair in the cold at such a high cost? I don’t. I never complain because my hair is protected when I wear my jacket hooded down. Take note of this subtlety.
I began purchasing oils in large quantities. I began by ordering castor and burdock oils from the pharmacy. Later, I placed my first order for butters, or solid oils, like coconut and cocoa. These oils did not make a splash on my hair, I found it difficult to wash them off, and my hair became dirty quickly after using them, but I did not refuse the oils because I believed I had purchased a poor quality product and that other girls would not recommend oils without good reason. I was not mistaken.
My doubts about the efficacy of oil masks were dispelled after I purchased the "parachute" oil, which is coconut. My hair had not previously been this way after using balms and homemade masks; my love affair with coconut oil began with this oil. I’ve currently tried a lot of coconut oils, but the oil of La Taranguel—which I bought at the Indian fair—has won me over. Argan oil, grape seed oil, and palm oil are also some of my favorites.
I preferred gelatin lamination over all the homemade masks because it produces incredibly beautiful hair in just one application. I’ve been taking courses in it for the past 1.5 years.
It can seem like a long road to grow out your natural hair color, especially after years of bleaching, but it is achievable with the right care and patience. I’ll talk about my own three-year journey from blonde to my natural shade, the difficulties I encountered, and the essential techniques that kept me from making frequent hair care errors. I gained knowledge about preventing damage, preserving the health of my hair, and appreciating the beauty of my natural color during this process. I’ll include pictures of my progress along with the tips to encourage others on their own hair journeys.
List of masks that helped me
- Mask with pepper tincture for hair growth.
- Mask "Russian field" with red pepper for hair growth.
- Mask with onion juice.
- Mask with aloe juice.
- Mask with mayonnaise (homemade or store-bought)
- Mask with egg yolk.. Mask with yeast.
- Mask hair lamination with gelatin.
- Mask with burdock oil.
Refusal of coloring
My hair started growing longer as a result of not blow drying it, using oil and other homemade masks, switching up my comb, and adding silicone leave-in products to my hair care routine. However, my hair was apparently so damaged that the ends continued to break off as it grew, so what was the problem? I started experimenting with organic masks, bought new shampoos, balms, and masks, but my hair broke even after all of that. in paint.
I was forced to give up paint because I was so accustomed to having blonde hair. Of course, some people would disagree and argue that if I had colored and tinted my hair professionally, this issue would never have occurred, but! I opted not to risk it and gave up on blonde because paint, especially blonde, is damaging for my thin hair.
It was difficult for me because I wanted to highlight or dye my hair, which I regret doing twice after it was almost fully restored. This validated my theory—painting my hair is not recommended.
My hair thanked me and pleased me with shine and reduced brittleness after I gave up highlight and paint for a year, but a hunchback can only be fixed by death. And in May 2014, I went for highlighting and chose to have it done at a salon because my hair had reached halfway through its natural color and I needed to cut the ends. I watched a program about highlighting at the time and saw a girl who had been beautifully dyed; she had just changed, and I think it’s obvious how that affected me!
Here I am, sitting in a chair and leafing through magazines, waiting for my turn. I was tormented by doubts, but I got it into my head that nothing would happen after one highlighting, and I was only going to highlight the part of my hair that had grown out – that is, my own color, the white ends – highlighted earlier, we did not touch. This is my last fatal mistake. When I was highlighted, I liked everything, my hair was shiny, elastic, soft and beautiful, everyone liked my new look and my transformation, I became brighter – of course, I liked it, I no longer smelled like a gray mouse and I blossomed and smelled sweet, but how long did my joy last? no, exactly a month.
My hair after the last highlighting
My hair looked like this before and after highlighting.
A month later, I started to notice a lot of broken and fallen hair—not just at the ends, but all the way through—which made me anxious because I had spent so much time fighting for the hair’s beauty. Would I really lose everything in a month?
I quickly dug out the hair maniac inside me that had fallen asleep for a while, and began to take care of my hair many times more actively than before. My goal was to bring my hair back to life and maintain its length. First of all, I was afraid for her, of course I didn’t need a rat-like, but long ponytail, I think everyone understands that it looks poor at best and long hair should not have translucent ends. I hadn’t yet managed to grow my ladder to the end, and she trimmed the ends for me, trimming them – making a new one. It’s probably not hard to guess why I don’t like hairdressers and don’t go there anymore, now my mom cuts my ends for me, and I’m happy with everything.
Where to start growing hair? | Begin by trimming damaged ends and avoid harsh chemical treatments. |
From blonde to natural color | Let your natural roots grow out, gradually cutting off the blonde over time. |
My hair story | Over three years, I transitioned from bleached blonde to my natural brown, focusing on healthier hair. |
How it changed over three years | My hair became thicker, shinier, and easier to manage after leaving chemicals behind. |
How to avoid mistakes in hair care | Stay away from frequent dyeing, use heat sparingly, and stick to gentle products. |
Lots of photos | Documenting progress with photos helps track changes and motivates growth. |
Reverting from blonde to your original hair color can be a drawn-out but worthwhile process. I’ve discovered over the past three years that consistency and patience are essential. Even though I made a few mistakes and it wasn’t always easy, each step I took got me one step closer to having stronger, healthier hair. Even though it seemed to be moving slowly, I was able to see the progress by taking pictures of the changes.
Paying attention to the needs of your hair is one of the most significant lessons I’ve learned. Utilizing the proper products for your hair type, getting regular trims, and deep conditioning all make a significant impact. My natural shine and texture were also restored by staying away from heat tools and harsh chemicals. I noticed improved overall hair health, increased volume, and decreased breakage over time.
Treat yourself and your hair with kindness if you’re just beginning the process of growing longer hair. Since every person’s experience is unique, don’t give up if it takes longer than you anticipated. Prioritize keeping up a healthy hair care regimen, and don’t hesitate to consult experts for guidance when necessary. Ultimately, the key is to determine what works best for your hair type and to stick with it.