Are you Blonde? Share your tips and tricks (natural and bottle welcome!)

[Rini]

I did a search and couldn't find a thread for Blonde hair care, soooooooo..........

I'd love to hear your routines, problems and solutions, fave products, things to avoid etc. for Blonde hair.

I've recently returned to Blonde, having been a happy henna head for a number of years. My natural colour is a "dark blonde" shade with an ever increasing silver presence. The increasing silvers just made the henna red too hard to maintain so last year I went back to blonde. My present routine is CO washing every 3 days or so, various oil leave-ins (Jojoba, coconut, camelia....depending on the need) and I use Goldwell toners (pearl and violet) to cut down on the orangeness left over from henna. Therefore, my main challenge is the orange/brassy tones, but I do think it is getting better as the old henna grows out and my ashy blonde roots come in. My colour of choice is Loreal Excellence Light Ash Blonde which I use on my roots-only whenever I notice a colour difference. I don't pre-lighten or do any other highlighting. I find my natural silvers give lovely platinum streaks The main difference in my hair care now compared with when I was a red-head is that I avoid ACV as I had heard it can give warm tones to hair over time.

So that's me I would LOVE to hear from other Blondes!

[Riot Crrl]

Whee, I'm in the exact opposite situation as you, your before picture looks like my after picture lol! I don't have blonde now but I did for most of my life, so I hope I can answer.

These are my things.

- Do not listen to people with darker hair when they tell you things like "Yes, this rinse/Halloween hairspray/shampoo out hair color will shampoo right out!" These things could stain light hair more permanently than that, if not totally permanently.

- If you like vinegar rinse, consider cheapo white vinegar. Works great, cheap, no staining.

- I had to be careful with leave-ins and stylers. Seemed like just about anything could make it appear dark n' dreary. Especially oils. (I'm actually liking my darker color now because I'm able to rock more oil.)

- Avoid the substance known as "protein filler." Not protein treatments, protein FILLER. It's in small bottles at the beauty supply store, and some use it as a protein treatment because it's really cheap. Its main intended use is to temporary fill in damage to help color go on more evenly. It is a bunch of hydrolyzed keratin and stuff. But even the "neutral" can go greenish on blondes.

That is about all I can think of for now!

[FrannyG]

Hi Rini! I'm pretty sure that when you last saw me on the old board I was blonde. I think you were away from the board during the time that I decided to go brunette. It seemed like a good idea at the time, as these things always do, but as I'm predominantly silver these days, the roots would show days after touching them up. It was very high maintenance, and really, I've always been a blonde at heart

So I had to remove the brown dye and then dye my hair back to light blonde. Like you, the part of my hair that had the darker dye on it is much more golden than my new growth is. I'm not letting it get to me too much, as I can't be bothered with toners and such.

When I touch up my roots, I make sure I do roots only, but in the rinsing process, the length does take in some of the colour, so that does help cut down on the brassiness.

The biggest change I've made is using products that are more specifically for colour treated hair. They don't allow the colour to fade as quickly, hence my hair doesn't get too brassy. I will say that in some flash photos my hair looks far more brassy than it does in real life, indoors or outdoors.

I've been using ACV rinse for years, and I've never really noticed that it deposits colour on me, but I do suggest that you use plain white vinegar. That seems to be what most blondes do.

I also use jojoba oil or coconut oil on my ends.

Well, I guess I really haven't told you anything you don't already know, but you are correct when you say that once more of your own unhennaed hair grows in, you will definitely see much less brassiness. In fact you probably won't see any at all, once the old formerly hennaed hair is grown out, especially now that you have a few silvers. My new growth has no brassiness whatsoever.

I don't know if this will help you at all, but I find that L'Oreal's Preference seems to resist fade longer than Excellence. They both have the same shades, just with slightly different formulations.

Anyway, you look wonderful. I'm surprised to say that I don't miss "Rini red" at all.

[blondecat]

Natural blonde [also in South Australia lol].

I use a honey rinse after conditioning [very dry hair, only wash once a week]. It helps to even out the tones and be not so 'brassy'
1/2 cup of honey in warm water. If you want to you can do a vinager rinse over the honey rinse. Both brings up a good shine.
cold water rinse as well, no matter the weather. Brings up a good shine also.

Avoid chlorine [pools]

A camomile rinse might help your hair tone.

I am sure I will think of something later, I'll be back

[Sian100]

I am a bottle blonde; I've used high lift colour for the last two years, but previous to that, I used bleach and Sun In, so the lower lengths my hair are quite fragile- so fragile that I don't dare try to correct the slight colour difference in the upper part and lower parts of my hair. (yes, I too have more goldeness in the length than the roots, though I am not entirely sure why - probably just different colouring products).

Brassiness and any hint of goldenness at all is probably the biggest problem for me- my skin tone just doesn't suit it; for this, I use Superdrug wash in, wash out temporary colour in Cool Blonde. It is basically purple liquid. I mix this with some cone-rich conditioner or another and leave in on my hair while I attend to other tasks in the shower.

I lighten my hair by probably four or five shades with the high lift (darkest reddish blonde to very light ash violet blonde) so the roots annoy me no end, though I would say it's something I notice more than other people. I actually dye my roots every two weeks, though certainly not the whole head that frequently. I basically do the whole head every 4-6 weeks, and the parting I use the most every 2 weeks. It probably takes 10 mins for application for parting only, plus 45 mins hanging around. For the whole head, since I use a brush to apply it, it takes half an hour to apply (and yes, I apply to the back of my own head by using two mirrors- I am very talented in that respect ) then 45 minutes hanging around.

I think it's worth it. One tube of tint costs about £9 from Sally, and those massive 2 litre bottles of 40 vol hydrogen peroxide only cost about £3 (though they would look a bit suspicious should the police ever call to my house ), and I've only bought them once this year, in January, so the hair colouring stuff only costs about £25 a year, which is approximately US$50, or €31, so not really that expensive to maintain.

Regular conditioning, i.e. no less than every other day, also seems to help me, as the length of my hair dries out really quickly. I also think the colour looks darker if my hair gets greasy, so that's another reason why I wash frequently.

I don't really do anything else special. I used to do deep conditioning treatments, but hardly ever bother now. Conditioners filled with cones and regular trims are my best allies.

[FrannyG]

I just read Sian's post and she mentioned something very important that I forgot. I agree with her about regular trims. They are essential to me. I cut off a quarter of my growth bi-monthly, but of course, as with everything else, your needs may be different.

[Katze]

I'm a blonde...sort of. I was blonde as a kid, I have blonde eyebrows, and when my hair is freshly washed it definitely looks (sort of) blonde. Does that count?

Actually I think I am two-toned - ashy dark blonde/light brown virgin roots, various stages of grown-out bleach length. Although I bleached, starting with sun-in, for about (GASP) twenty years, and do prefer light blonde, I have now mostly sworn off lightening my hair and am learning to enjoy, as Rini said, the platinum highlights (silver hair) coming in on its own. The damage and brassiness just isn't worth it, and I want really long hair.

Currently at BSL, about 1/3 my length is still bleached. It's very orange/yellow/gold, which, when clean, looks good, BUT when dirty, and the rest of my hair is darker looking, looks really brassy and fake. Updos often look really bad, as the ends are not only thin and dry but a radically different color from my hair at the roots.

Also, I find I have the typical "blonde" hair problems - somehow, I feel like fine hair and lighter hair are intrinsically connected, with many finehaired natural blondes darkening to what I call "hair colored" hair as they get older, but keeping that fragile, translucent hair. In addition to the white eyebrows, I BURN like a madwoman when exposed to more than 15 minutes of direct sun.

Recently I wanted to buy some sunscreen bronzing powder, and one brand had just two colors - "for blondes" and "for brunettes." the "for blondes" was pink and peach-ish in tone; the "for brunettes" more cinnamon, and suited me better. Odd, because I really FELT blonde buying powder to enhance my nonexistent tan.

I think I spend way too much time thinking about "am I blonde" just because I spent so many years thinking of myself as blonde.

[Delenn]

I'm probably no help since I am notoriously lazy with color maintenance, in fact I only re-henna every 3 months or so even with my blonde roots! (eep!) I bun most of the time so it really isn't too noticeable, that's my preferred defense. =p

With my natural color the only things I actually did to it was let the sun do it's thing or let a stylist add highlights. I loved the highlighted look I was able to get when I found someone who was patient enough to do it right, I have a lot of hair so just slapping some streaks on there wasn't going to cut it for me. Sadly that stylist shut down her business without warning and I hadn't found anyone like her since then and that happened in like 91-92. I would probably still be blonde if she was around!

[Phalaenopsis]

I also think it goes a bit together, blond hair and fine hair.
I'm a dark blonde and luckily I don't really have problems with brassiness. (Lush has a Violet shampoo that is supposed to be great for blondes and greys to keep the brassiness away)
Chammomile and honey do wonders for my hair. Makes my hair shine a lot more

I also have to be really careful in the sun, not only for my skin, but also for my hair. One time I had really light, translucent ends because I only protected the top of my head.

[Rini]

Oh wow!! So GOOD to see blondes I haven't seen in ages: blondecat, Sian (who had the original archived Bottle blonde thread) and Franny Thank you so much for joining in and sharing your blonde tips

Riot, you are a henna head now? That's so cool! hehehehe Interesting about the oils comment making your hair darker. Some oils seem to do that, and some don't. I have just discovered Camelia oil which is in the latter category, so that's great!

Katze, I could totally relate to your post. I was born white blonde and gradually over the years darkened to my current blonde. My colouring is quite odd though: hazel eyes, yellow tones to my very pale skin. I wasn't sure I suited "Rini Red", and I'm not totally convinced on the ash blonde, but it is my natural hair tones that should suit me best right? Are you babying your ends then, even though they have damage? I am keeping mine for a couple of years I think, then starting the gradual trims. I really want to get back to the length I was when I was doing henna, then start to grow it out again.

Thanks again girls....can't wait to read more from the blondes