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Well - it's not that gray...I have patches and strands but not enough to be...anything. But I'm hoping in a few years I can really work the white.
Tonight we went out shopping and I was perusing all the various selections (my - what two years will produce in variety) and grabbed a cool ash blond - for dark hair and gray...blah blah blah...
husband yawned.
Then I grabbed a nice, dark but neutral brown. "Boring."
Red. He kept pushing for red...to which I assured him, no shade would look natural at my age. Not that I'm concerned with that, because I don't consider coloring one's hair a natural thing anyway...and most of my life mine was tinted in shades of purple, orange or copper, none of which really had a subdued effect.
And again, he said RED.
I laughed and grabbed the boldest, most obnoxious and artificial red they had - the Feria Ruby. Held it up to the family for a vote. 5 year old said yes. Husband said go for it. The women next to us cringed.
(Unfortunately permanent, so I've crossed over again.)
So tonight, my hair glows a most eccentric and wonderfully frightening shade of rah-rah-rouge with silly highlights from the white underneath. I expect it to either turn pink or orange, but right now it's truly fire-engine loud.
Will I keep this? Nah, probably not...it is...wow...yeah...a bit much...would have died for this much color 25 years ago.
I think next will be a neutral, boring dark brown...but for now I am as close to Manic Panic a 40+ year old should ever be.
I like your hair! A few months ago I ended up with orange hair thanks to a heavy handed henna treatment, very pretty but not quite "me" if you know what I mean.
I'm about 50% grey and 50% whatever color it is when reddish hair looses it's pigment. Combine that with pale ruddy skin and there is nothing to me, no contrast at all. I'm a complete washout. I lived like this for a couple of years, believing that I was allergic to hair dye after a particularly nasty experience at a salon that ended up with hair loss, a peeling scalp, swollen glands, and a course of antibiotics. I kept some color in with the henna, but it wasn't a good look for me. Last week I got desperate and bought a box kit from the store and did the 48hr skin test with no reaction so I took the plunge and went dark blond. Feeling bold, the following week I added light golden brown lowlights by combing the dye thru my hair in selected sections. The overall effect may not be as amazing as a salon job, but it was cheap and my head didn't turn into a pumpkin.
At my age (50) I'm not chasing the pretty reddish hair of my youth, I now look best when it matches my eyebrows so that's what I'm shooting for.
I'm normally glowing alabaster, but since I have a penchant for outdoor activities and sunblock only lasts so long, my otherwise hidden freckles have shown themselves (and two small but evil age spots on my checks...I see more hydroquinone in my immediate future) it throws another wrench...perfect pale is easy to make do with but once spots come in to play...really demands my caution in color.
Normally. I broke that rule last night.
At least right now my freckles kinda match my hair.
Someone needs to come out with a vegetable-based dye for brows, available outside the salon...I will occasionally do mine to match with a fine paint brush, gently tinting the hair only (steady hand has she) but would rather not have to use that 'hazardous' product going on my head...otherwise my eyebrows are so weak they match nothing.
I started coloring my hair many years ago after people started referring to me as "blond". Nothing against blonds but I had always had light auburn hair growing up and it was a shock to realize how much color I had lost in my hair with age. It wasn't really "blond", it was lack of pigment. The dark blond I used (actually dark golden blond) put so much color on my head compared to what I have naturally that I was thrilled. The lowlights (light golden brown) help because I really want darker hair, but I don't want to deal with a major "roots" issue. This blond looks OK because my hair pulls red and I got a bit of the strawberry going on, I just look like a lighter haired version of my younger self.
I agree with you about the eyebrow dye. My hairdresser used the hair color on my brows once or twice but didn't want to do it the last few times I went in. I think she could tell the dye was causing some issues on my head because it was flaky and red, and even though she continued to dye my hair (until my final, horrible reaction) she didn't want to risk the eye area.
To the OP....Put some sort of brown in as strips in a couple weeks. It will look so pretty with the red and brown mix. I suggest going with a wash out type. Manic Panic makes browns that would be good for that. Or Jazzings
I looked at the photos in your profile and have to say that I don't like you as well as a redhead as I do with the darker brown hair. If I were you, I'd see a professional (someone really good with color) and have her give you some highlights that won't get brassy or turn red. You don't have to do your whole head, and they will grow out over time, so roots won't be that much of an issue. Also, as someone who had red hair for a while, I found that the color faded too quickly, and it was hard to keep it pretty. I've since totally gotten the red out and am much happier.
After years of having a single process color done and highlights on top of that, I'm now continuing with the highlights but letting my own natural color grow back in. My hairdresser said I don't have that much gray yet and that my natural color is a perfect base for highlights, so why spend the extra money when I don't have to. It will cost less just to do the highlights, and my hair will end up in better condition.
Location: Prescott Valley, Az (unfortunately still here)
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After this weekend, I'm going back to Blonde hair again
My brown hair is getting too drabby for my age (33, but will be 34 on January!!). And just need a new look for the new decade coming up real soon.
I used to have blonde hair for 8 years (since I was a sophomore in high school, when I first bleached my hair). I was blonde all the way until I moved here to Prescott Valley (for the last 5 years I've been my natural brunette since).
But I really like to have a new look. Besides, people had always said (the ones who knew me back home, when I saw them again last year) that the blonde looked a lot better on me than the darker hair. We were going to have that lady do it (she was a retired haircolorist), but we couldn't find the time or money to do it, last year, when I went back home for 2 weeks. Bummer!
So, I'm doing it sometime either next week or next month. But I'm doing it to start the new year (in 5 months) on a different path early.
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