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    9 Genius Tips To Save Your Color-Damaged Hair

    It gets better! You probably won't have to buy a wig! (Probably!)

    So you've dyed your hair! Maybe you went purple.

    Did you want a splash of blue?

    Red? I understand. The Fifth Element is one of my favorite movies.

    But! It! Gets! Better! Do not let yourself be defeated.

    Listen, drastically bleaching and dyeing your hair even in a professional setting means serious chemical changes to the very cells of your body — the hair follicles become very porous and filled with tiny holes, because you're sucking the color (and proteins) out of them to lighten them up. That doesn't happen without some damage along the way. Now that you've gone and done it, you've got to have a battle plan. Here are your options.

    1. Don't keep throwing bleach at the problem.

    2. Use a clarifying shampoo instead.

    If your new color is too dark, use a clarifying shampoo to lighten it up. Dawn (yes, the dish soap) will also suck a messed-up color out of your hair, it'll just dry it out afterward too.

    If your color is too light, use a dye darker than the one you used, but for half the recommended time, checking it every five minutes and washing it out when it's the color you want. Those Color Removal Kits at the drugstore also work, but they're not miracle workers.

    If you're nervous about your own abilities in this area, you might want to call it quits and go to a professional — always a good idea.

    3. Try a homemade hair mask.

    Or give a professional one a go.

    4. But avoid products with silicone dimethicone in them. They will DESTROY color-treated hair.

    5. Let it go!

    6. Brush the pain away.

    7. You have permission to be filthy now.

    8. Steer clear of the heat. (For real.)

    9. Time heals all wounds, and it will get better the less you mess with it.