Blondes definitely have more fun
May 7, 2015 9:37 AM Subscribe
I don't think I want to get pulled into some exhaustive hair dyeing routine, but I hate the color of my hair while it's short. What are my options?
I have a back story familiar to many blondes. As a child I had platinum blonde hair, and as I grew it got darker until now it's a bland dark blonde/brown dishwater color. The sun lightens it quite nicely - I rather like the shade, in fact, and get compliments on it - but this takes some time, so the roots are the dishwater color and the ends are light blonde, with the change starting at around my ear and fully hitting at shoulder length. Well, this week I cut my hair off at the ear, so all that remains is the dishwater color.
The difference is quite noticeable (someone asked me if I had dyed my hair), and the shade is not complimentary. I have pale skin and light eyes and would look better with either a very dark color (if I could snap my fingers and make the change, I would, but I sense it would be hard on my hair and costly to maintain) or the lighter blonde that I had on the ends.
I don't plan to maintain the short cut, which is why I hesitate to get involved in dyeing, since at some point I'd get my natural locks back, and unless I'd want to maintain the dyed color forever, I'd have to endure some growing out process at some point anyway. However, my hair grows very slowly, and I don't want to have this color for months.
I thought about a temporary dye, but I worried it would never quite wash out and that it would interfere with the sun's natural process.
I looked at lightening sprays like this, but the reviews that mentioned hair damage scared me, as my hair is already thin and prone to being dry and brittle. I already use the John Frieda Lightening Shampoo and Conditioner (and have for over a year), so unless there is a better lightening shampoo/conditioner on the market, that option is covered.
Do those old home remedies, like lemon juice and honey, ever work? Surprisingly I couldn't find a metafilter question about this.
Any other options I'm not thinking of? Thanks.
I have a back story familiar to many blondes. As a child I had platinum blonde hair, and as I grew it got darker until now it's a bland dark blonde/brown dishwater color. The sun lightens it quite nicely - I rather like the shade, in fact, and get compliments on it - but this takes some time, so the roots are the dishwater color and the ends are light blonde, with the change starting at around my ear and fully hitting at shoulder length. Well, this week I cut my hair off at the ear, so all that remains is the dishwater color.
The difference is quite noticeable (someone asked me if I had dyed my hair), and the shade is not complimentary. I have pale skin and light eyes and would look better with either a very dark color (if I could snap my fingers and make the change, I would, but I sense it would be hard on my hair and costly to maintain) or the lighter blonde that I had on the ends.
I don't plan to maintain the short cut, which is why I hesitate to get involved in dyeing, since at some point I'd get my natural locks back, and unless I'd want to maintain the dyed color forever, I'd have to endure some growing out process at some point anyway. However, my hair grows very slowly, and I don't want to have this color for months.
I thought about a temporary dye, but I worried it would never quite wash out and that it would interfere with the sun's natural process.
I looked at lightening sprays like this, but the reviews that mentioned hair damage scared me, as my hair is already thin and prone to being dry and brittle. I already use the John Frieda Lightening Shampoo and Conditioner (and have for over a year), so unless there is a better lightening shampoo/conditioner on the market, that option is covered.
Do those old home remedies, like lemon juice and honey, ever work? Surprisingly I couldn't find a metafilter question about this.
Any other options I'm not thinking of? Thanks.
I have the same hair as you described and I do my own highlights at home using a kit with a cap and pulling the hair through. I do it 2-3 times a year... It really brightens things up without being noticeable in a bad way or expensive to maintain...
posted by catspajammies at 9:57 AM on May 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by catspajammies at 9:57 AM on May 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
I used to get decent results by putting lemon juice and vodka on my hair while walking or sitting in the sun. Then I started buying home highlight kits and putting in highlights just in front, a couple at a time. Overall that worked out well, except that occasionally one or two highlights would get really brassy and I'd have to bleach and tone the crap out of them, and that's not for the faint of heart.
At this point, I am going to a salon for "partial foils." The hairdresser had noticed what I was doing and pointed out how much money I was spending on boxes of highlighter which I would use a tiny bit of and then throw away.
posted by BibiRose at 10:02 AM on May 7, 2015
At this point, I am going to a salon for "partial foils." The hairdresser had noticed what I was doing and pointed out how much money I was spending on boxes of highlighter which I would use a tiny bit of and then throw away.
posted by BibiRose at 10:02 AM on May 7, 2015
One time at camp, we all got lice. (This is relevant, I swear!) So I've seen the results of vinegar and lemon juice rinses on about 60 girls.
The darker and/or thicker the hair, the more clownish the result. For natural dishwater blondes, it worked nicely speeding up the natural sun-bleaching technique.
posted by politikitty at 10:22 AM on May 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
The darker and/or thicker the hair, the more clownish the result. For natural dishwater blondes, it worked nicely speeding up the natural sun-bleaching technique.
posted by politikitty at 10:22 AM on May 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
If you're willing to pay for salon highlights, they can do this really nicely - they make them very fine and blended in, and leave a thin layer of un-dyed hair on either side of your part so your roots don't show.
posted by amaire at 10:53 AM on May 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by amaire at 10:53 AM on May 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
I am in the same boat -- platinum to dishwater. What I would not give to be all dishwater and not be a slave to the bottle. I get color and highlights to cover gray every 6 weeks. I would go all dishwater if not for the gray. I'm in my early forties and not quite ready to be gray.
Anyway, if it were me I would keep the natural hair color so I could forget hair color forever, or get a few selectively placed flaxen highlights around the face. Anything you do to go blonder, including highlights, is going to lift the pigment, and you will have to maintain it or else have roots. Be careful with the amount and frequency of highlights because pretty soon those highlights color your whole head. Your dishwater might look too dark now but it is what nature intended and I think we all look best with our natural hair color, whatever it turns out to be (except gray in my case). It's really a dark ashy blonde. Soon, it will be highlighted naturally and you can always brighten up your lipstick and blush to liven your face before then. Good luck with whatever you choose.
posted by Fairchild at 10:57 AM on May 7, 2015
Anyway, if it were me I would keep the natural hair color so I could forget hair color forever, or get a few selectively placed flaxen highlights around the face. Anything you do to go blonder, including highlights, is going to lift the pigment, and you will have to maintain it or else have roots. Be careful with the amount and frequency of highlights because pretty soon those highlights color your whole head. Your dishwater might look too dark now but it is what nature intended and I think we all look best with our natural hair color, whatever it turns out to be (except gray in my case). It's really a dark ashy blonde. Soon, it will be highlighted naturally and you can always brighten up your lipstick and blush to liven your face before then. Good luck with whatever you choose.
posted by Fairchild at 10:57 AM on May 7, 2015
I have your hair, only it comes in brunette these days before bleaching out blonde from the sun. I got hives the one and only time I tried dying my hair to make it more blonde. I shall never do that again.
Things that work naturally to enhance the effect of the sun:
More time in full sunlight.
Exposure to salt water, whether at the beach or in the tub at home.
Peroxide, which you can get in a spray bottle for under $2 at Walmart. This tends to go much more platinum blonde than other things.
Going swimming in a chlorinated pool.
I used to do lemon juice plus being in the sun as a kid. The smell attracted bees. I don't recommend it as a method. Salt and peroxide and chlorinated pool water do not attract bees.
my hair is already thin and prone to being dry and brittle.
You might try adding gelatin to your diet to help feed your hair and using an oil, like olive oil, to condition it, even if you just do so once a week. I used to do olive oil in the shower when I had problems with dry skin/hair. Surprisingly, the absolute best solution to dry skin turned out to be adding good quality sea salt to the bath (the kind that is rich in multiple minerals, not just salt). And it lightens hair. So you might try adding sea salt to your bath to address both problems at the same time. I highly recommend Celtic Sea Salt as the best brand of sea salt I have ever tried.
Best of luck.
posted by Michele in California at 10:58 AM on May 7, 2015
Things that work naturally to enhance the effect of the sun:
More time in full sunlight.
Exposure to salt water, whether at the beach or in the tub at home.
Peroxide, which you can get in a spray bottle for under $2 at Walmart. This tends to go much more platinum blonde than other things.
Going swimming in a chlorinated pool.
I used to do lemon juice plus being in the sun as a kid. The smell attracted bees. I don't recommend it as a method. Salt and peroxide and chlorinated pool water do not attract bees.
my hair is already thin and prone to being dry and brittle.
You might try adding gelatin to your diet to help feed your hair and using an oil, like olive oil, to condition it, even if you just do so once a week. I used to do olive oil in the shower when I had problems with dry skin/hair. Surprisingly, the absolute best solution to dry skin turned out to be adding good quality sea salt to the bath (the kind that is rich in multiple minerals, not just salt). And it lightens hair. So you might try adding sea salt to your bath to address both problems at the same time. I highly recommend Celtic Sea Salt as the best brand of sea salt I have ever tried.
Best of luck.
posted by Michele in California at 10:58 AM on May 7, 2015
I used to use lemon juice to lighten my hair because I was concerned about the damaging effects of dye. Honestly, once I switched to semi-permanent dyes, my hair became healthier (plus they worked way better). Lemon juice is an acid. It's not great for your hair either.
In my experience, semi-permanent dyes don't work well to lighten your hair, but they work really well to darken it. So I'd do a dark shade that lasts around 6 weeks, and you'll find that it has some after effects for a couple of months beyond that, which is about what you want, right? Then let it grow out naturally.
Or the highlights thing. Highlights growing out don't look as bad as full-cover dye growing out, as long as you only get a few.
posted by lollusc at 5:59 PM on May 7, 2015
In my experience, semi-permanent dyes don't work well to lighten your hair, but they work really well to darken it. So I'd do a dark shade that lasts around 6 weeks, and you'll find that it has some after effects for a couple of months beyond that, which is about what you want, right? Then let it grow out naturally.
Or the highlights thing. Highlights growing out don't look as bad as full-cover dye growing out, as long as you only get a few.
posted by lollusc at 5:59 PM on May 7, 2015
I have dishwater blonde hair and get highlights in golden blonde and strawberry blonde. They are expensive, but I like the way I look 1000x better (so it's PRICELESS) and they are very low maintenance in that I can go in every few months or whenever I feel like it and they look fine when faded/grown out.
Your hair is short now, it's a good time to experiment. If you don't like it, you'd probably be impressed how close to your natural hair a colorist could get you so you don't have to wait to grow it out naturally.
I used to be afraid of damaging my hair, etc, but the brightness and control over my hair color is soooo worth it. Just my two cents.
posted by easter queen at 9:38 PM on May 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
Your hair is short now, it's a good time to experiment. If you don't like it, you'd probably be impressed how close to your natural hair a colorist could get you so you don't have to wait to grow it out naturally.
I used to be afraid of damaging my hair, etc, but the brightness and control over my hair color is soooo worth it. Just my two cents.
posted by easter queen at 9:38 PM on May 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
Oh, and the color will make your strands seem thicker and possibly more lustrous, depending on your natural texture.
posted by easter queen at 9:40 PM on May 7, 2015
posted by easter queen at 9:40 PM on May 7, 2015
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posted by mochapickle at 9:53 AM on May 7, 2015 [1 favorite]