Hair dying questions

[Jiffer]

As a child I was a towhead blond. As I aged, my hair slowly darkened. (Why did nobody tell me this would happen?!) For several years I dyed and highlighted it. Eventually I stopped dying it, but still highlight it . . . always at a salon. So my natural "dark blond" color, which can tend to be mousy is highlighted with light blond highlights.

I'm now considering just dying it at home.

So what happens if I get a box of blonde dye that is darker than my highlights and lighter than my natural color and put it on my head? Will all of my hair appear the same color? Or will my highlights still appear lighter? Is there a risk of it doing something strange, like making my hair green or orange?

There was a short period of time where I dyed my hair a dark auburn color and did it myself. I had my hairdresser do it initially, mostly because I was going from bleached platinum blond and didn't want to take any chances! This time it seems safer to just do it myself since I'm not doing anything too drastic, but thought I'd see if anyone has any advice.

Thanks!

[ehirsch83]

As some one who has done both at home and in salon- my advice is- go to the salon if you want stay lighter.

99% of the time, at home jobs turn out yellowish or you end up frying your hair.

I have found it is worth it to spend the $$ for a professional and professional products(and I used to go to GBS or Sally's and buy the dye and the developer... It just isn't the same as high end salon products.

[indysteel]

This is something I leave to the professionals. I've not overly vain about my hair, but I'd be so upset if it ended up being a weird color. That said, I get highlights about twice a year. They're too expensive to maintain more frequently. I otherwise get all-over color that's about half a shade lighter than my natural color about every 12-13 weeks (I have dark hair with a lot of grey around my face). When that color first goes on, you can't really see the highlights much anymore, but as that top color fades, the highlights start to come out again, although they're more subtle. I usually get a lot of compliments--especially when I'm in the sun--when the color is at that stage because it looks more natural than fresh highlights (at least on me).

[Aggie_Ama]

Most people I know who lighten their hair too much or highlight it at home end up ruining it to straw. I dye mine a medium ash blonde to cover my gray and use Nice and Easy, this color is very close to my natural color but the biking puts natural highlights in it for me. If I ever feel like keeping up with the maintenance of highlights I would leave it to the pros myself.

[jessmarimba]

Much more difficult to go lighter than darker at home. To really lighten hair, you need to use some pretty potent chemicals, and that's where your chances of green or orange, etc. come in. Darker you can just dye over the natural color, but lighter you have to strip some of the natural pigment out of the hair first. I self-dye darker sometimes out of boredom but lighter always takes me to a salon!

[GLC1968]

If you do what you are asking - ie. use a permanent color over hair that is partially virgin and hair that is already processed, you will not see an overall evening. The virgin hair will take on the color of the new dye and the highlighted hair could do any number of assorted things. And yes, green is a possibility. I did something similiar years ago and my hair turned purple (I was working with much darker colors than you are but still....)

Either 1) go with a demi-permanent color (washes out in 30 shampoos but it doesn't really....it just fades) where all it will do is deposit color over your existing. It will deposit color in a different rate on your two different types of hair and it'll likely look overall darker than you expect, but it's less risky than a permanent die that removes and then deposits.

Or 2) go to a professional.

This is coming from someone who dyed her own hair for over 20 years in between bouts of using a professional. You do not want to mess with double-processed hair. Single process (ie. all your highlights have grown out and you are going to dye all the virgin hair) is easy to do at home.

[Crankin]

I had been getting highlights for 30 years, as my blonde hair got darker and darker. But, with the advent of my short hair cut, which means the highlights last about 6 wks., I started getting all over color (single process, I guess). The result is that when it is growing out, it looks like very expensive highlights. It also means that I can go at least 3 months between coloring, sometimes 4 months. My hair looks dark before it gets colored, but as long as there is not a lot of grey, I try to go as long as I can. This wouldn't work for someone with longer hair, though. What I've learned is: I can't tolerate color with bleach. So, my hair color is a little more on the reddish side than I would like, because I can't get the ash color the bleach gives you. But, I never was a platinum blonde, more like golden.
So far, I only have a little grey near my temple, on the left side. It looks like blonde when it's growing out, so far, OK. When my hair gets more grey, I will have to make more decisions; do I color it darker and get some highlights, or just stick with the all over blonde color? I think #1 will be too expensive, as I go to an expensive salon, which I trust fully. I would never do even the single process on my own. I know too many people that look terrible fromt his.

[Veronica]

Lucky me - I started going gray at 19. I get my hair done every 5 weeks. My hair and nails grow really fast, probably because of all that protein I eat. My hair and my arms/shoulders are my vanities. I'm too young to be so gray.

Veronica

[Blueberry]

I'm starting to think about this.

I had very blonde hair that also has gotten progressively darker. In the last 6 months, it also has *way* too many gray hairs. All of a sudden. Bleh.

[gnat23]

Lemme know when you're ready to come over to the Crayola Side.

-- gnat! (I got this!)

[SheFly]

Lucky me - I started going gray at 19. I get my hair done every 5 weeks. My hair and nails grow really fast, probably because of all that protein I eat. My hair and my arms/shoulders are my vanities. I'm too young to be so gray.

Veronica

I got you beat - my first gray was at 16 . I, personally, gave up and embraced it after 25 years of both salon and DIY coloring. As someone who has had BAD at home hair colors, take thee to the salon - especially with hair that is already treated.

SheFly

[GLC1968]

Lucky me - I started going gray at 19. I get my hair done every 5 weeks. My hair and nails grow really fast, probably because of all that protein I eat. My hair and my arms/shoulders are my vanities. I'm too young to be so gray.

Veronica

Ha, me too. I just gave up a few months ago and I'm *almost* 100% natural again. I'll be there after my next cut on Saturday. Shefly was one of my inspirations, actually. She looks so damn cute with her natural color!

I do have you beat in one way though. I had to color my hair every 3 weeks to keep the grey at bay! Dark brown natural hair and super white grey, all around the face, does not an easy color life make. I'm so glad to be done with it for good.

[Aggie_Ama]

Lemme know when you're ready to come over to the Crayola Side.

-- gnat! (I got this!)

I want to do some soft purple peekabo highlights but my husband poopoo'd that. Probably best, my office would probably flip out.

[SheFly]

Ha, me too. I just gave up a few months ago and I'm *almost* 100% natural again. I'll be there after my next cut on Saturday. Shefly was one of my inspirations, actually. She looks so damn cute with her natural color!

Aw, shucks . Pics! We need to see the new do!

SheFly

[GLC1968]

Aw, shucks . Pics! We need to see the new do!

SheFly

It's all a tad bushy right now (and I have a swollen eye) so I'll take some on Saturday after my cut. It's about time I updated my facebook photo anyway.