Should/can I go blonde?

[eks6426]

Well, it''s that time again...time to go to the hair salon. I have been struggling for years with hair color. My natural hair color is medium, mousy brown (I think??) with some grey. I''ve been trying to color it a medium neutral brown with lighter brown highlights. But color fades on me so much not matter what I do (I''ve tried all the color shampoos etc!)...and when it fades, it fades to a warmer brown which can sometimes look like it has an orange cast to it (not flattering at all!). So, one my girlfriends are trying to convince me that I should just go blonde...so that I won''t have the brownish-orange color...their theory is my hair color will have been lifted beyond orange so it won''t be able to fade down to it.

Does anyone have stories to share on going from medium brown to blonde? It is only 51 days until my wedding so I don''t want to blow it on this appointment.

Next, do you think blonde would work with my skin tone? I was thinking of more a dark champagne blonde..not platinum and certainly not really golden/orange. Thanks!

 

[moremoremore]

I def think now is the time to try something out...but I actually see darker, not lighter...I think you'd look great with a darker brown!

 

[Matata]

I agree with MMM, darker or with auburn or chestnut highlights would look great with your skin. My hair is about the same shade as yours and I had the "I want to go blonde" conversation with my hairdresser several times over the past few months. He''s opposed because of all of the bleaching it would take just to get my hair to the point where he could color it blonde. And, when you have darker hair, the maintenance of color so those pesky roots don''t show can be time consuming and expensive. Our compromise is blonde highlights. He can do that relatively easy and it''s a look I like particularly in summer.

 

[jorman]

I have gone from a medium mousy brown (which has become my natural color over the years- I was blonde until about 18 and now I make me blonde

)
Here are my before and after pics. I think I look much better blonde. The good thing about it is, if you don''t like it have your colorist put some warmer low lights in to darken it. I think you have great skin and that blonde would work well. I would do it now though, in case you don''t like it.

 

[Rockchick]

no no no...

don''t go blond. I have the same problem, mousy/grey hair, and colour fades VERY fast... So what?? I also see a more darker colour. Jorman looks great!, but blond is NOT for everybody. And so close to the wedding date? I wouldn''t do that.. Go with a darker brown then you have right now, with highlights. It will look great in you.

 

[jorman]

Rockchick- I see what you are talking about.

Date: 5/13/2005 6:19:39 PM
Author: Rockchick
no no no...

don''t go blond. I have the same problem, mousy/grey hair, and colour fades VERY fast... So what?? I also see a more darker colour. Jorman looks great!, but blond is NOT for everybody. And so close to the wedding date? I wouldn''t do that.. Go with a darker brown then you have right now, with highlights. It will look great in you.

I can see a deep brown with some auburn highlights (just a few)- similar to Julia Roberts in Runaway Bride (the Richard Gere, horseback wedding scene). Especially since her hair is long and her skin is so pretty. Fresh clean makeup on the wedding day, soft pinks- a teeny tiny bit of shimmer, yep- I agree. Don''t do blonde.
If you still want to try it after your wedding, it is up to you, but darker is safer with a wedding less than 2 months away. The trouble with blonde is the roots. I am constantly having to have them redone. Your color may fade with darker shades, but at least you don''t look like someone out of Romey and Michelle''s Highschool Reunion with a big black stripe down the center of your head. ("You look so good with blonde hair and black roots- it''s not even funny.")

 

[MichelleCarmen]

There''s no way to tell from the monitor screen if you''ll look good with blonde hair. I think your best bet is to put in either highlights or lowlights AND highlights.

Changing your entire color can be a PITA especially if you decided to go darker again because the darker colors NEVER stay put over the lighter color for more than four to five weeks.

My hair has been lightened and colored FIVE (?) times in the last few months (all over color and then trips to the salon for highlights and lowlights). . .I''m NEVER going lighter again because of all the hassle involved and the roots that poke through after only a week!

 

[AGBF]

OK...I looked at your picture and I read all the advice. My advice is not to do anything wild before your wedding. I know it is an important day and you want to look your best, but 51 days before it does not seem the time for radical experiments! You have the rest of your life to try different colors!

I had hair that was so dark brown that many people called it "black". One guy in grad school called it "raven hair". (I still remember that! Good try!)

I never did any of the bleaching my friends did as a teen. I was too afraid because my hair was SO dark that I thought it could become a mess. (I had friends who went blonde and swam in chlorine and ended up green, etcetera. I am sure we all have!)

When I hit my 30s I decided to try everything. I mean, I didn't set out to try everything, but I ended up trying everything. I was a redhead, an ash blonde, a platinum blonde, and then-trying to get back to my natural color because I had just adopted a brown haired baby-to ash brown. As my colorist said, EVERYTHING she did looked natural on me. (She stipulated that she couldn't be sure if my natural color, which she had never seen, looked natural on me, though!)

My point? Everything looked *natural*, but what was really the most flattering? Although I have been platinum for some time, I think the dark hair framed my face better. I am glad my wedding pictures show both my natural color and my natural hair-do. I would wait until after the wedding to make a change. But whatever you do, keep us posted!

Deb

 

[movie zombie]

if your hair grows fast, you''re going to hate those dark roots even more. going to get the roots done every 3 weeks gets old fast, not to mention the expense and the damage to your hair. but if you''re going to do it, i agree with those that advise to wait until after the wedding....fade factor to orange?! not a very pretty wedding picture.....

peace, movie zombie

 

[Kaleigh]

Don''t do it!! It is a huge PITA, and you want to look like yourself on your wedding day. If you want to do something do it AFTER the wedding. Mabe a henna rinse, or something to brighten the shade you have now. I am a slave to my hair, have to go every 4 weeks. I was born very blonde and refused to give it up.

 

[MissAva]

Can you and should you are two differnet questions. Can you go blonde sure anyone can. Should you I dont think so. I think any change this close to your wdding is asking for trouble. I tried to make my hair darker on my birthday and wow I am still regreatting it. I have pale blonde hair and thought I would be nice to have dark blonde/ light brown hair. Nope it absolutely look awful. And I was so sad when I went to see my bf and my hair was still off. Right now I am growing it out and let me tell you lighter color roots look just as odd as darker ones. I would ask your SO how he feels. PLus do you really want ot chance hurting your hair just before you have to get hundreeds of pictures taken. I think you ought to wait until after your wedding to change anything. JMO though.

 

[Jennifer5973]

I agree with everyone who sayd don''t do anything major right before the wedding... I''d have them liven up your natural color with some highlights or highlights and lowlights, but keeping the base the same. I''ve died my hair my own color (or as close as they could get it) before for body and more depth and tonality--that''s an option too, and there are no roots.

You are so pretty--just get a little boost to the hair and do the soft pinky make-up and you will be a radiant bride!

 

[movie zombie]

good advice, jenn5973!

i like the idea of ''matching'' existing hair color. even highlights could go wrong so i''d stick with as close to natural color as possible, adding depth of color and luster.

peace, movie zombie

 

[Judi W]

I went today and got some "chunk" blonde (actually more "golden") highlights as well as some low lights. I am really pleased with it, as it turns my mousy brown to life....and it''s fun for the summer on "boring" brown hair. You look like your skin type is very natural for blonde but I don''t think a radical change is a great idea before your wedding.
Small steps - arerarely regreted ones.

 

[yellowfan]

I think highlights would be a great choice with a few lowlights. I always get 2 colors and leave my base the same, works out fine

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 5/14/2005 11:59:24 PM
Author: yellowfan
I think highlights would be a great choice with a few lowlights. I always get 2 colors and leave my base the same, works out fine

This is the best way to do it. . .I cannot emphasize enough how lame roots are! My hair looks terrible right now. It looks bad even after having to many glasses of wine! lol

(hehehe)

 

[yellowfan]

oh no Michelle! I thought things were fine by now! What color did you end up with?


by the way hows the boys?

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 5/15/2005 12:10:19 AM
Author: yellowfan
oh no Michelle! I thought things were fine by now! What color did you end up with?


by the way hows the boys?

Right now my hair is three shades of medium & dark blonde plus VERY dark brown roots!

Since I''m not working in an office (I work from home) my hair doesn''t have to look perfect, so I''m currently letting my locks grow out a bit and am planning an all-over dye in two weeks. I tried blending with lowlights similar to my own hair color, but realized this just makes my hair look worse as it''s growing out . . .I''m expecting that by the time my hair is fixed, it''ll have cost me over $1500 in dye jobs!

Boys are good. . .we took them to the beach today and they had a blast. We came home with petrified barnacles to play with

 

[eks6426]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I agree that doing a drastic change right before my wedding was probably not a good idea, so I decided to save my truly blonde trial for AFTER the wedding. The color you saw in the picture was actually colored too....on my March appointment I went quite a bit darker...more like Courtney Cox Arquette ...with minimal highlights. My original idea was that the dark would look better, but instead it just seemed to wash me out. So, that's what got me thinking about blonde. I took everyone's advice to my salon and here's what my stylist came up with:

We kept my base color (to reduce the dreaded roots!) which was pretty similar to what it was in the picture (the dark faded out), then added 4 different shades of highlights in the honey/carmel families. It is now very multi-texture-colored. I actually wanted the lightest highlight to be a more true light blonde but instead the stylist wanted a more natural look rather than a truly highlighted look so the lightest color is a bit darker than I expected. She said it is easier to go back in and add brighter/bolder highlights later than it is to try to take them out. I am overall pretty happy with the color IF it stays and does not fade down. I do think I'm going to go back and have her add the lightest blonde highlight just so I have more contrast. I go tonight for my up-do trial #2 so I will try to post pictures of the trial plus my new hair color.

Thanks again everyone!

 

[AGBF]

Date: 5/16/2005 10:00:19 AM
Author: IslandDreams
I go tonight for my up-do trial #2 so I will try to post pictures of the trial plus my new hair color.

Superb!!! I was just about to ask for a picture of the new color!!!

Deb

 

[Erin]

I realize there are probably tons of shampoos who claim the same effects, but I can''t recommend strongly enough... John Frieda Brilliant Brunette. You can choose either the maple to honey or chestnut to something depending on whether your hair is light or dark brown. I''ve been using it for one month and OMG, it smells good, it leaves my hair silky, but most importantly it''s actually retaining and EMPHASIZING my highlights!!!!! I have dark brown hair with tri-tone highlights - I actually love my hair more now after a month of using this shampoo than when I first had the highlights done. Highly, highly recommended.

 

[belle]

i will second erin''s recommendation of the john frieda brilliant products.

they are wonderful.

 

[Rockchick]

Date: 5/18/2005 12:17:26 PM
Author: belle
i will second erin''s recommendation of the john frieda brilliant products.

they are wonderful.

Great! I was wondering about those, I just thought that it was another name which was overpriced. Now i''m gonna try it!

 

[Mara]

i love highlights in darker hair....if you feel like you must do something, consult with your stylist re: some changes that won''t make you look totally unlike yourself so close to the wedding. it can brighten up things arond your face and a few subtle colors would make a huge difference.

i think you actually would look fine blonde...i personally am not sure much darker would be better as it appears you have fairly pale skin that may look too washed out, BUT it depends on what you put in besides just making it darker...i am personally not a fan of the super dark hair and pale skin look but that is just my preference.

i have very dark hair and olive skin and i need highlights to liven up my hair and make it brighter or else i just look like a dark cloud. i also swear by the RIGHT STYLIST who can make good recommendations based upon their experience since obviously I am not an expert even of my own hair!!