Home hair colour for already highlighted blonde hair? UPDATE: SUCCESS!

BlondeHeadOn

I think I'm probably going to be asking the impossible - but if anyone knows the answer, you MSE people will!

I am a natural blonde, but now I am over 50 my hair is turning darker (not grey, but darker Wierd I know but my Mum has the same colouring and did the same thing - never went grey, but went progressively darker in hair colour).

So far I've been having my hair foil-highlighted with two colurs of blonde at the hairdressers, which has been okay-ish but is now not really working because
a) my roots are now quite dark, and don't seem to get 'lifted' any more by the highlights at the roots,
and
b) constantly having 'highlights on highlights' means that the ends of my hair are now very light and in bad condition,
and
c) my hairdresser doesn't seem to have any other suggestions
and
d) I am now getting fed up of paying £70 or more regularly for hiar highlights that don't give me the result I want. :(

Soooo....... I've been wondering whether it's worth trying a home hair colour. It would have to be one that could cope with highlights though, and I would prefer to be kind of streaked with different colours rather than looking like Bet Lynch on a bad day . I only want about 2 shades lighter than the dark roots, so from the blurb I've read that should be okay for home colouring(?)

I have a feeling the responses are going to be along the lines of "You must be joking!", or "No chance...", but if anyone does have any suggestions please do let me know.



PS I don't want to just let it all go mousy brown, as this really doesn't suit my skin colouring. I tried some wigs in different colours, and brown makes me look quite ill. Coppery colours or butterscotch might work okay though.

carebabe

about a couple of months back i had full head foils done. was okay for a few weeks then the roots showing was not a good look. not wishing to spend time and lots of money having salon foils done regularly ive gone back to using niceneasy every 5 weeks. i use one that has tonal highlights

esmy

I'm your age and was also a natural blonde. My hair just began to 'lose' colour as I got older which is maybe the blonde version of going grey.

I have only once had it highlighted at the hairdressers which was definitely not a success, so I've done mine myself for about 20 years. I've found providing you don't go too light, you don't get a block colour - after all your natural hair has many different colours/textures in it so I suppose it doesn't all take up the colour in the same way.

I use L'Oreal Preference in a colour called California which is pretty close to what was my natural colour. It's around £6 a box and lasts me about 8 weeks as the root regrowth blends in somehow. I go a little bit darker in Winter sometimes but anything approaching brown looks awful on me. Make sure you get the right blonde for your skin tone - they seem to have either gold or ash tones and ash tones don't suit my skin tone at all.

I'd say try it out - you can always go back to the hairdresser if you don't like it. Let us know how you get on!

BlondeHeadOn

Great ideas, thank you to both carebabe and esme!

I shall investigate the colour ranges in both niceneasy and l'Oreal Preference. Ash tones don't suit me either, so I will definitely have a look at California. I was naturally a more golden-y blonde.

One more question: how easy are both of these to use? Is it a long faff with lost of stages, or very quick? I have never used a home colour before, so I am not sure what is involved.

£6 a box sounds a lot better than £70 every 8 weeks - this would be a real result!

:T:T:T

esmy

You apply the L'Oreal Preference to damp hair - some others I've used in the past are applied to dry hair. You need to read all the instructions carefully AND do the skin test recommended as some people have serious allergies to the ingredients. .

Basically you mix two bottles (colour and developer together), apply to your roots first by parting your hair with the nozzle on the bottle, then apply to the lengths of your hair, leave for the recommended time, rinse, apply the conditioner supplied and rinse again. All done in 30 - 45 minutes. The second time you do it you can just do the roots and cover the lengths for a very brief time before rinsing off. I can do mine (thick, layered and shoulder length) with one box - any longer I think you'd need two.

I do my own but a friend gets someone else to apply it so she doesn't miss anywhere.

The conditioner in the packs is usually very good so don't skip this step. I use a deep conditioner once or twice a week, currently Elvive Triple Resist which I really like, and a colour protect shampoo.

HTH

carebabe

niceneasy is applied to dry hair. again important to do the skin test as with any hair colourant. i leave the product on for 45 mins. i buy extra boxes to have in when on offer. a colleague with lighter blonde hair uses the niceneasy too. comparing our hair to others who spend eye watering amounts at the salon on colouring there is very little difference.

caringa

carebabe wrote: »

niceneasy is applied to dry hair. again important to do the skin test as with any hair colourant. i leave the product on for 45 mins. i buy extra boxes to have in when on offer. a colleague with lighter blonde hair uses the niceneasy too. comparing our hair to others who spend eye watering amounts at the salon on colouring there is very little difference.

I too use nice and easy and have found it to be one of the best.

BlondeHeadOn

I will investigate the niceneasy range as well, thank you!

Actually, I discovered I have a free box of 'Perfect 10' hair colour that I won in a Marie Claire gieaway about a year ago, but then chickened out of trying. Has anyone tried the Perfect 10 range?

I think the bit that out me off about the 'Perfect 10' freebie was the 'permanent' bit, but I may need to use this anyway if I want to lighten dark roots...?...?

littlerat

I'd just try a home colourant as said - I'm currently using the loreal paris blondisemme type thingy range, they can lighten my dark blonde hair to a nice light blonde (natural looking light blonde, not white blonde). Mine is more of a pain as I have to go for neutral-ash blondes, not golden. My hair still have natural highlights and lowlights, even with all the colouring, bleaching, recolouring I've done - really unless you go very very dark, or extremely pale white blonde, your hair should retain natural variation in the colour.

I've not tried perfect 10 but it's got some good reviews.


One word of warning, even with going from dark blonde/mousy brown to light blonde, your hair can go through an orange stage - it's normal, don't panic and rinse it off. Or you'll have orange hair.

My hair is very resistant so I have to leave many things on longer than stated times (upside is mine also takes that extra time for the same amount of damage so I've not accidentally made my hair fall out, yay) - keep an eye during the process, and if you don't do a strand test 1st, check the colour now and then as different people find it effects their hair at different rates

Your other option is try semi permanent colours. The loreal casting creme gloss ones can slightly lighten/lift colour, but only slightly as they have no ammonia or peroxide. I guess maybe half a shade, but can change the colour rather than lighten. You can also get semi permanent blonde dyes with low peroxide that lighten up to 1 shade which may be an option.



Or, say screw it, and dye your hair red You only live once!

BlondeHeadOn

littlerat wrote: »

I'd just try a home colourant as said -

Or, say screw it, and dye your hair red You only live once!

This thought has occured to me already, but I'm not sure I'm that brave!

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:


Many thanks for the helpful replies. I think I might try the 'semi-permanent' route first, just because I'm not brave ebough to go for the all-out permanent yet. I'll feel a bit safer if I can wash the colour out evetnually if I don't like it!

Of course, if we ever get any sunshine I can wash my hair and dry it in the sun a few times, that usually works at least a bit over the summer. Not much chance of that recently though...

:cool:

BlondeHeadOn

Well, after spending several weeks dithering and reading every review possible on different brands of hair colour, and also watching loads of YouTube videos of reviews of different products, I finally took the plunge and coloured my hair yesterday ....

and ....

I am really really happy with the results!

I ended up going with John Frieda Precision Foam in the colour Natural Blonde 9N, as it looked like the easiest to use (and the colour was the one recommended when I did the questionnaire bit of the John Frieda website). It was extremely easy to use, and my hair has come out looking very natural with tonal effects throughout. The highlighted ends (which I was worried about ending up like white straw with the extra lightening) have not got lighter at all, but now blend beautifully with the rest of my hair. As do my dark roots, which are now a lovely blend of colours to match the ends. This stuff is magic!

Also it comes with black disposable gloves, which for some reason I thought looked quite cool!

All in all I am very happy that I was a big brave girl and tried a home hair colour - I will definitely be using this product again.