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6 Things That Might Happen If You Stop Coloring or Dyeing Your Hair

Touching up your roots, brightening your base, adding partial highlights or lowlights…there are seemingly endless ways to dye your hair. And you’ve tried them all. Over and over again. Which makes you wonder what your real color is--and what might happen if you stopped dyeing your hair altogether. Here’s what happens if you stop coloring your hair.

Every Hair Coloring Term You Might Need to Know


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1. You might save money

Whether you’re keeping it simple with a boxed dye job or have a standing appointment with your stylist every month, coloring your hair--and maintaining it--costs a pretty penny. You can save hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars every year by sticking to au naturel strands.

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2. And your hair might feel healthier

While hair dyes and techniques have come a long way since their follicle-frying beginnings, they do still leave some damage. Taking a hiatus from color will help your hair return to its previous state--especially as dyed ends get chopped off.


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3. But it might be harder to style

Especially if you have naturally straight hair. Healthy, non-processed strands are smoother, silkier, and thus, more slippery--which is a good thing until it comes to holding some of those pretty twists and braids in place.

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4. And your hair might look thinner

For finer-haired ladies, a coat of color can thicken strands, making them look--and feel--temporarily thicker. And that’s just with a single-process color. Many women also add highlights and lowlights to give hair depth and the illusion of fullness. Without this, your mane may fall flat and appear lank.

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5. You might need to reboot your regimen

You’d think that you’d use less products on healthy, non-colored strands, but you might find that you suddenly need things like texture sprays and waxes to wear--and hold--some of the same styles you sported before.

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6. And you might get bored

People typically dye their hair to refresh their look and express their style and individuality. And while there are certainly many perks to leaving your hair as is (mainly saving loads of money), you might soon find yourself in a rut and itching for something different. Whether you go for new cut (or back to coloring) is entirely up to you.



Jenny Jin Headshot Vertical 2023

Beauty Director

Jenny Jin is PureWow’s Beauty Director and is currently based in Los Angeles. Since beginning her journalism career at Real Simple magazine, she has become a human encyclopedia of...