fine line between brown and dark blonde

[Hollyfire3]

I am so confused. I posted on another thread but I think this needs its own thread. I guess I never really thought of it but...what is the very fine difference between dark blonde hair and light brown? I have a friend who was saying her hair is light brown, and then another person said no, her hair is dark blonde, so is she a blonde or a brunnete? And no, I am not talking about a blondnette shade, its hard to explain...the question is, what is the difference between lightest brown and dark blonde? I always thought brown was brown even if it was very light and dark blonde is really an oximoron. Pics would be much appreciated, I need some visual help too. for instance, and this is gonna be a Holly pic but....what color is this?: http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1939717888/nm0001061
Holly, not the other people.

[mzBANGBANG]

Hmm, Golden Honey brunette? I'm leaning toward light brown, or even closer to red in that pic.

[Salmonberry]

I'd definitely say brown, a light brown with caramel highlights.

[Hollyfire3]

So its definitly brown? The what is dark blonde? What level do you think the color in that picture is?

[vanillabones]

I have this issue. I have never known what color my hair is. I think it is light brown. My ex would tell me it is a sandy blonde. I'm not a blonde and I'm not a brunette. My hair color is like the woman in the middle in the picture you posted. *shrug* I like having virgin hair and the fact that nobody can duplicate it so I've stopped looking for an answer. When I get a hair glaze/gloss at the salon it always comes out too dark and she would use a lightbrown or dark blonde shade so I think coloring wish it really is in the blondes spectrum.

[Hollyfire3]

I have this issue. I have never known what color my hair is. I think it is light brown. My ex would tell me it is a sandy blonde. I'm not a blonde and I'm not a brunette. My hair color is like the woman in the middle in the picture you posted. *shrug* I like having virgin hair and the fact that nobody can duplicate it so I've stopped looking for an answer. When I get a hair glaze/gloss at the salon it always comes out too dark and she would use a lightbrown or dark blonde shade so I think coloring wish it really is in the blondes spectrum.

See, I think the woman in the middle has very light brown hair with a bit of copper in it, that is not blonde to me. I think that dark blonde isn't reall a color, its either brown or blonde, but that's just me. Your color sounds gorgeous! Mine is an goldenish (is neautral but is warmer) medium brown (dark brown roots) that i dye dark dark brown with reddish.

[Tota]

It really is a thin line when you think about it... I think Holly's hair is dark brown here. But I wonder how it looks outside, in the sunlight.

My hair looks dark brown inside and blonde when I'm outside and it's sunny. And to make things even more weird, half of my hair is without a doubt dark brown, but half is honey blonde. When you mix all this together, you get one confused head of hair.

ETA: I think this is a beautiful example of dark blonde hair: http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120113221951/haircolor/images/d/d7/Dark-blonde-hair.jpeg

[Hollyfire3]

It really is a thin line when you think about it... I think Holly's hair is dark brown here. But I wonder how it looks outside, in the sunlight.

My hair looks dark brown inside and blonde when I'm outside and it's sunny. And to make things even more weird, half of my hair is without a doubt dark brown, but half is honey blonde. When you mix all this together, you get one confused head of hair.

ETA: I think this is a beautiful example of dark blonde hair: http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120113221951/haircolor/images/d/d7/Dark-blonde-hair.jpeg

Thanks for the link, now see, I don't consider that blonde, is it blonde? Its a beautiful picture nonetheless. And yes, I am thinking that here, Holly's hair is actually brown....its so confusing, for all we know, it could look blonde in the sunlight!

[juliaxena]

I don't understand the difference either. I don't know the color of my hair and it is driving me nuts. I have no idea why I care about sonething so trivial but I am sick and tired of this dilemma. I'd post pics but my camera is crap and I don't think I get an accurate color on pics. Gah...

[Siiri]

To me it looks like she has medium brown hair (perhaps level 4) with warm medium light (level 8 ) highlight. I'd still call it brown because the base colour is so dark.

It really varies what people call dark blond or light brown. I think mine is dark blond but some call it light brown. Ashy shades are more often called light brown than warmer shades, because they somehow tend to look darker even when they are of the same level of darkness. In some hair dye charts level 7 is dark blond and 6 is light brown, but sometimes 7 is light brown..It depends on where the dyes are sold I guess. In coutries where dark hair is more common, even medium/light brown might be considered dark blond.

[Tota]

Ooops, I meant light brown, not dark brown :)

Yes, I think so too, it could look blonde in the sunlight.

Look at this colour chart: http://www.garnierusa.com/_en/_us/our_products/shades-haircolor.aspx?tpcode=OUR_PRODUCTS^PRD_HAIRCOLOR^N UTRISSE^NUTRISSE_DISCOVER&prdcode=P53001&varcode=603084245543&back=1
If you compare the darkest shade of blonde and the lightest shade of brown you can see the difference.

[Hollyfire3]

I don't understand the difference either. I don't know the color of my hair and it is driving me nuts. I have no idea why I care about sonething so trivial but I am sick and tired of this dilemma. I'd post pics but my camera is crap and I don't think I get an accurate color on pics. Gah...

We will try to help you, but, I think that deciding if your hair is blonde or brown will help you because who knows what the answer will be? I think even some medium browns are confused for dark blonde based on lightning, I think blonde is light, it is bright and it is not brown, not light brown either. The difference is just, its weird...I consider level 6 and lower brown, above that, you are blonde. I think it also depends on the person, Holly has always been thought of as a brunnete so i don't know one person who would say otherwise, but, a person who people think of as a blonde (from previous dye jobs for instance) could have the same light brown as Holly has hear and have it be called dark blonde, its all perception really.

[Greenfire]

I would have said caramel to the colour in that picture, but this colour chart defines it as just dark blonde:
http://ranosh84.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/hair-color-chart.jpg

You can see that the ash blondes can get pretty dark, almost to the point of looking the same as a light brown. The difference is in how the light hits them, where a brunette would never have the hair colour change several levels depending on the sunshine or a camera flash, a blonde will. A dark blonde can look brunette, or quite light, depending on how the light reacts with the hair. This is because of the translucency of the hair itself, even if it has more pigment in it than a light blonde hair, it is still a lot more translucent than a brunette hair.
Blonde hair lacks a medulla, and light brown hair has a broken one, with the darkest hair having a full medulla, so I'm sure that plays into how to tell the difference too if you possess a microscope capable of giving you a cross section of your hair!!

[Hollyfire3]

Ooops, I meant light brown, not dark brown :)

Yes, I think so too, it could look blonde in the sunlight.

Look at this colour chart: http://www.garnierusa.com/_en/_us/our_products/shades-haircolor.aspx?tpcode=OUR_PRODUCTS^PRD_HAIRCOLOR^N UTRISSE^NUTRISSE_DISCOVER&prdcode=P53001&varcode=603084245543&back=1
If you compare the darkest shade of blonde and the lightest shade of brown you can see the difference.

Thank you for all the help and I figured you menat light brown lol, and yes, it probably does look blonde in sunlight, but because Holly is thought of as a brunnete, people will call it brown most likely, even though its very light, on someone else, it may be calleed dark blonde.

[Greenfire]

sorry, edited my post above but you had already posted, so bump in case you missed it!

[Messyhair]

We just call those in-between, not-so-sures "blonettes". Like me.

[spidermom]

I looked up the definition in the dictionary, and blonde is most associated with fair skin and light-colored eyes. So I guess one way you could tell the difference is if the person in question has dark eyes and that ambiguous shade of light brown/dark blonde hair, you'd call it light brown.

[Hollyfire3]

I looked up the definition in the dictionary, and blonde is most associated with fair skin and light-colored eyes. So I guess one way you could tell the difference is if the person in question has dark eyes and that ambiguous shade of light brown/dark blonde hair, you'd call it light brown.

This is true, good point. Oh and Greenfire I think that color ideas vary so much between charts, its hard to tell exactly what a blonde or brunnete is based off of them, but thanks for the explanation, it makes sense:)

[Micayla47]

her hair is medium brown with gold brown highlights and the lady next to her has a color that's hard to describe, but i would say light copper brown.

[Tota]

The difference is in how the light hits them, where a brunette would never have the hair colour change several levels depending on the sunshine or a camera flash, a blonde will. A dark blonde can look brunette, or quite light, depending on how the light reacts with the hair. This is because of the translucency of the hair itself, even if it has more pigment in it than a light blonde hair, it is still a lot more translucent than a brunette hair.
Blonde hair lacks a medulla, and light brown hair has a broken one, with the darkest hair having a full medulla, so I'm sure that plays into how to tell the difference too if you possess a microscope capable of giving you a cross section of your hair!!

This is a great explanation! I was thinking the same but I'm not so good at explaining it as you are and most certainly not in English :S

Woohooo now I know after many years of doubt that I'm dark blonde! :cheese:

[xoxophelia]

Both women look definitely brunette to me although the middle one is more so auburn

[Katze]

This has been discussed a lot on this forum since I've been here, and I always read such threads with interest, as a 'former blonde' and decades long 'I'm gonna bleach because I was blonde as a kid.' :D

Blonde is subjective, and cultural. In places I've lived where fewer people are naturally blonde, I am considered blonde. Where I live now (for example) I am considered brown-haired. I do think of myself as blonde, again, 'since I was blonde as a kid,' but really, my hair is kind of bronze/hazelnut colored.

IF you were talking about the woman on the left of the pic you posted, her hair is nothing I would call blonde. It reminds me of my sister's - sort of a chestnut brown - but the lady in the pic looks like she has highlights, too. Sorry, I am ignorant when it comes to celebrities. :)


I looked up the definition in the dictionary, and blonde is most associated with fair skin and light-colored eyes. So I guess one way you could tell the difference is if the person in question has dark eyes and that ambiguous shade of light brown/dark blonde hair, you'd call it light brown.

Once more, I have to quote Spidermom, as she so often hits the nail on the head. :)

Brown eyed blondes are very rare, especially after childhood. And then there is the eyebrow criteria, or other body hair. However, by both of those, I would be considered blonde (light eyes, burn don't tan, blonde eyebrows and lashes) and I really don't think I am blonde anymore - again, this subjective attitude is very representative of the fact that I live in Northern Europe, where many women (and men) have my color hair. Most women I see with this color - in between, hair-colored, tawny, diry blonde, caramel, dark blonde/light brown, ash, mousy, call it what you will - bleach it, and some dye it.

One example I thought was funny of an in-between was the last James Bond (sorry, forget the actor's name) - everyone kept calling him 'the blond Bond' and I was like, uh, he has hair like mine, he's not blond at all! But I think, because they usually don't bleach, men with this hair color (my DH included, see album pics) tend to be considered blonde, whereas women are only really considered blonde if their hair is the color of butter.

The idea of 'I was blonde as a kid so I should bleach now' is so funny. I really enjoyed the book 'Blonde Like Me' where she deconstructs this, especially as a former bleach bandwagon rider. :)

[vanillabones]

See, I think the woman in the middle has very light brown hair with a bit of copper in it, that is not blonde to me. I think that dark blonde isn't reall a color, its either brown or blonde, but that's just me. Your color sounds gorgeous! Mine is an goldenish (is neautral but is warmer) medium brown (dark brown roots) that i dye dark dark brown with reddish.

Her hair does seem pretty red to me. And do you know if she dyes it? My hair is very ashy but I've had a lot of summer sun but I've never taken a picture of it outside! I don't know what her hair color is :doh:

[Hollyfire3]

Her hair does seem pretty red to me. And do you know if she dyes it? My hair is very ashy but I've had a lot of summer sun but I've never taken a picture of it outside! I don't know what her hair color is :doh:

I don't know if the woman in the middle dyes her hair but I know Holly does, it looks most natural at a lighter brown with ashy or goldenish highlights. Try taking a picture outside, but remember, the sun will change the color a lot, it may not be that representative of the color but post it along with a picture in natural light so we can decide if your hair is dark blonde or brown.

[Greenfire]

Brown eyed blondes are very rare, especially after childhood. And then there is the eyebrow criteria, or other body hair. However, by both of those, I would be considered blonde (light eyes, burn don't tan, blonde eyebrows and lashes) and I really don't think I am blonde anymore - again, this subjective attitude is very representative of the fact that I live in Northern Europe, where many women (and men) have my color hair. Most women I see with this color - in between, hair-colored, tawny, diry blonde, caramel, dark blonde/light brown, ash, mousy, call it what you will - bleach it, and some dye it.



He'll kill me if he ever finds out I posted this, but this is my brown eyed blond son last year when we were in Mexico! He's 13 now, and as light as ever, I tease him that he's going to look like Owen Wilson when he's older, and really, this is the best hair on him! We expected his hair to darken long before now, but while it has darkened a great deal, it's still many shades lighter than most people his age.

http://i34.servimg.com/u/f34/13/64/99/00/connor10.jpg (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=77&u=13649900)

We actually tease him about that pic cause it looks like he's growing in darker hair! This is what it looks like in normal lighting though:
http://i34.servimg.com/u/f34/13/64/99/00/23117810.jpg (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=78&u=13649900)

Even though it's wet... it's still pretty darn blonde! My hair was that colour when I was very young, it's now likely a very dark blonde. (tell ya when it grows out!) He hates his hair, which is a shame because it's so gorgeous on him. (he would rather be Harry Potter than Drake Malfoy when he was little, but always got stuck being Malfoy)

[juliaxena]

Brown eyed blondes are very rare, especially after childhood. And then there is the eyebrow criteria, or other body hair. However, by both of those, I would be considered blonde (light eyes, burn don't tan, blonde eyebrows and lashes) and I really don't think I am blonde anymore - again, this subjective attitude is very representative of the fact that I live in Northern Europe, where many women (and men) have my color hair. Most women I see with this color - in between, hair-colored, tawny, diry blonde, caramel, dark blonde/light brown, ash, mousy, call it what you will - bleach it, and some dye it.




So what if I have green eyes, eyebrows lighter than my hair but eyelashes in black?:confused: I am a really weird mix.

[LadyCelestina]

I was once told that the breaking line between "dark hair" and "light hair" was how it reacts when dyed light red (red,not orange) - that "dark" hair would have just a red glow,while "light" hair would actually be red.

But that's probably crap :p

Those women...the one in the middle looks like a warm darkest blonde,the other is a light to medium brunette in my eyes.

[cooklaezo13]

My hair is right on the line between brown and blonde. I have light green eyes and dark brown eyebrows and lashes.
When my hair gets in the sun a lot, it becomes a true honey blonde. But I try to avoid that, because it really makes my hair dry and have splits.
To further complicate matters, my hair has natural highlights and lowlights, so some parts of it are more blonde and some parts are a true brown.

[henné]

I have the same issue with my hair ... Some call it 'dark blonde' and others 'light brown.' When talking about my hair color, I never really know what to call it ... I remember once as a teen being called 'blonde' and getting really pissed off about that :D I really don't know why I reacted like that anymore ...

[henné]

My hair is right on the line between brown and blonde. I have light green eyes and dark brown eyebrows and lashes.
When my hair gets in the sun a lot, it becomes a true honey blonde. But I try to avoid that, because it really makes my hair dry and have splits.
To further complicate matters, my hair has natural highlights and lowlights, so some parts of it are more blonde and some parts are a true brown.

I would consider you light brown down pat ... Don't see any blonde, at least in the pics in your signature.

[TiffanieJean]

Light brown. I don’t see much blonde in her hair. More red brown then blonde brown.

[vanillabones]

Okay I took some pictures before I have to get ready for work. *This is going to be very pic heavy

Indoors:
http://i47.tinypic.com/2u8ctnc.jpghttp://i50.tinypic.com/29kz3n9.jpghttp://i49.tinypic.com/5p3adz.jpg

On my porch it's not very sunny out:
http://i50.tinypic.com/6pz190.jpghttp://i46.tinypic.com/i5x155.jpg


http://i46.tinypic.com/2dgjhwh.jpghttp://i46.tinypic.com/33cmywi.jpg

All taken with my iphone unedited.
Okay feel free to help me I think it is light brown :)

[Tota]

vanillabones I agree with you - light brown and very pretty!

[Siiri]

Vanillabones, it looks like neutral light brown to me. It's a really beautiful colour :)

[vanillabones]

Thank you Tota, I really like growing virgin hair

[twoLs118]

I would definitely say your hair is light brown (and very pretty at that!)

I was always told my hair was "dirty blonde" growing up

[Glacier]

http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/t424/Glacieration/roots_zps231ac194.jpg

Here's an example of my hair, which I consider dark blonde.

I think the difference between light brown and dark blonde is as others have said, the degree of color change in different lighting. I'm currently growing my hair out so I can only use the roots as an example, but in strong sunlight they can appear white, in shadows very dark! It's a dynamic color :)

[Olafwa]

Looks light brown to me. :D Glacier's is definitely blonde. - I had always assumed that the only difference in blonde, and dark/dirty blonde hair was the darker root color. Otherwise if it's not that yellow golden color, your a brunette... That's just my own thought process though. :)

[Hollyfire3]

http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/t424/Glacieration/roots_zps231ac194.jpg

Here's an example of my hair, which I consider dark blonde.

I think the difference between light brown and dark blonde is as others have said, the degree of color change in different lighting. I'm currently growing my hair out so I can only use the roots as an example, but in strong sunlight they can appear white, in shadows very dark! It's a dynamic color :)

see, my sides are much much darker then this, I certainly have no blonde in my hair...lol. My friend, the one with on the fence hair, is leaning more toward blonde I think with all these pictures...and Vannillabones, your hair is abeautiful shade of light brown!:D

[Hollyfire3]

Looks light brown to me. :D Glacier's is definitely blonde. - I had always assumed that the only difference in blonde, and dark/dirty blonde hair was the darker root color. Otherwise if it's not that yellow golden color, your a brunette... That's just my own thought process though. :)

so true, i see i like this too

[Springlets]

To me it looks like she has medium brown hair (perhaps level 4) with warm medium light (level 8 ) highlight. I'd still call it brown because the base colour is so dark.

It really varies what people call dark blond or light brown. I think mine is dark blond but some call it light brown. Ashy shades are more often called light brown than warmer shades, because they somehow tend to look darker even when they are of the same level of darkness. In some hair dye charts level 7 is dark blond and 6 is light brown, but sometimes 7 is light brown..It depends on where the dyes are sold I guess. In coutries where dark hair is more common, even medium/light brown might be considered dark blond.


I would have said caramel to the colour in that picture, but this colour chart defines it as just dark blonde:

You can see that the ash blondes can get pretty dark, almost to the point of looking the same as a light brown. The difference is in how the light hits them, where a brunette would never have the hair colour change several levels depending on the sunshine or a camera flash, a blonde will. A dark blonde can look brunette, or quite light, depending on how the light reacts with the hair. This is because of the translucency of the hair itself, even if it has more pigment in it than a light blonde hair, it is still a lot more translucent than a brunette hair.
Blonde hair lacks a medulla, and light brown hair has a broken one, with the darkest hair having a full medulla, so I'm sure that plays into how to tell the difference too if you possess a microscope capable of giving you a cross section of your hair!!

These are both excellent posts and explain pretty much everything. And yet there is still confusion abounding....

I don't quite understand why one would think that dark blonde is an oxymoron; it should be the same as a person having dark brown, dark auburn, or dark red hair. It's simply the darkest part of a certain color category. Blonde hair ranges from platinum white to what most people call dishwater or "dirty" blonde. The latter is different from light brown in (usually) level, pigmentation, reaction to bleach, and reaction to light. If you visit a hair stylist, s/he could show you an accurate hair color chart and perhaps explain the difference more.

I would say the woman in the picture has medium brown hair with a lot of blonde highlights. I would still call her brunette because you can tell that is her natural color, and even with the highlights, her hair is overall dark enough to still be considered brunette.

[vanillabones]

Thank you to everyone for complimenting my hair color.

[petali]

I also have a weird issue with my hair. As a baby, my hair was definitely blonde. But now, as a teenager, my hair at the roots is dark brown. But when I'm in the sun, I see tons of random golden highlights. My ends are blonde, I think, but only in the sun. Otherwise, with indoor lighting, it is mousey brown. Oh, and both of my parents have very, very dark brown hair, almost black.

[Mesmerise]

To me it's more the shade of the hair than the depth of colour. Still, if I see hair that has brown in it... I see it as brown more than blonde. I call my DD a brunette, but people have told her she's blonde. She gets upset because she can SEE THE BROWN in her hair. And for the record, my DD's hair is quite a bit lighter than Holly Marie Combs' hair in the picture.

I sometimes think more people just want to call themselves blondes than actually ARE blondes, so people with light brown hair will lay claim to being "dark blonde" instead of just embracing their brown hair :D. To me blonde is... well... blonde... that real light, golden colour that has NO BROWN in it.

There's nothing wrong with being a brunette!! Then again, if someone wants to call themselves blonde, who am I to say anything?? I'll probably just think "okaaaaay" in my head, but I won't bother calling them out on it.



This has been discussed a lot on this forum since I've been here, and I always read such threads with interest, as a 'former blonde' and decades long 'I'm gonna bleach because I was blonde as a kid.' :D

Blonde is subjective, and cultural. In places I've lived where fewer people are naturally blonde, I am considered blonde. Where I live now (for example) I am considered brown-haired. I do think of myself as blonde, again, 'since I was blonde as a kid,' but really, my hair is kind of bronze/hazelnut colored.

Brown eyed blondes are very rare, especially after childhood. And then there is the eyebrow criteria, or other body hair. However, by both of those, I would be considered blonde (light eyes, burn don't tan, blonde eyebrows and lashes) and I really don't think I am blonde anymore - again, this subjective attitude is very representative of the fact that I live in Northern Europe, where many women (and men) have my color hair. Most women I see with this color - in between, hair-colored, tawny, diry blonde, caramel, dark blonde/light brown, ash, mousy, call it what you will - bleach it, and some dye it.


Your hair colour kind of reminds me of my husband's, and he used to have real platinum blonde hair as a child, but it's darkened into adulthood. To me it's still kinda blonde, because while it's darkened a lot it doesn't really look "brown". I suppose to me you can be blonde and have the same level of darkness as someone with brown hair, but the actual colour will be different. To me that's the real difference between "dark blonde" and "light brown"... it's a hue or shade not darkness of hair. Two people can have the same sort of depth of colour and yet one will be dark blonde and the other light brown to me.

[Katleen]

I'm also on that thin line somewhere... I actually always thought of my hair as brown, even though I was very blonde as a child, and in the sun my hair bleaches to almost white.

Then people started telling me that no, I was a dark blonde, no doubt about it. My sister was the blond one, I was the brown sis, so kind of confusing for me.

I am actually an ashy 7, and the only thing I can do with it, colorwise, is to highlight it in very cool and ashy shades. If I put warmth in it, I look washed out. If I put anything darker than a 7 ash in it, I look washed out and much much too pale.
Too bad, because I really like the look of dark hair and light eyes (mine are blueish grey), and I love red hair, but it doesn't work with my skin tone.

Funny thing is, now we are both older, my sister and I actually have the same natural color :-)

[Springlets]

I sometimes think more people just want to call themselves blondes than actually ARE blondes, so people with light brown hair will lay claim to being "dark blonde" instead of just embracing their brown hair :D.

Your hair colour kind of reminds me of my husband's, and he used to have real platinum blonde hair as a child, but it's darkened into adulthood. To me it's still kinda blonde, because while it's darkened a lot it doesn't really look "brown". I suppose to me you can be blonde and have the same level of darkness as someone with brown hair, but the actual colour will be different. To me that's the real difference between "dark blonde" and "light brown"... it's a hue or shade not darkness of hair. Two people can have the same sort of depth of colour and yet one will be dark blonde and the other light brown to me.

I actually quite agree with people having the same depth of color and yet depending on the shade, one can be blonde and one can be brown. And I think most people who experience the 'light blonde growing up turned dark when older' thing are the ones who talk about still being blonde when some might think they're brown. It seems to me that, like you and your daughter, people who grow up with actual light brown hair have no problem with it, and probably object to being called dark blonde.

[UltraBella]

The difference between dark blonde and light brown is very subtle and many people are confused by it.

Let me show you a photo of myself and my friend M, she has light brown hair and I have dark blonde hair. (I have her permission.)

http://i908.photobucket.com/albums/ac282/beyondbeauty76/CB609144-7380-4890-97B4-79FCA9E165D9-1019-00000240F0DDE568_zpsbe004d17.jpg

My hair can photograph dark or light, here's a few examples :

Dim indoor lighting.

http://i908.photobucket.com/albums/ac282/beyondbeauty76/00900ff681a04330aea7e46130f7ccdd.jpg

Natural light.

http://i908.photobucket.com/albums/ac282/beyondbeauty76/e93e06ae.jpg

[MORE]

UltraBella: you are drop dead gorgeous! Your hair is just amazing:inlove:

[spookyghost]

I would have said caramel to the colour in that picture, but this colour chart defines it as just dark blonde:
http://ranosh84.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/hair-color-chart.jpg

You can see that the ash blondes can get pretty dark, almost to the point of looking the same as a light brown. The difference is in how the light hits them, where a brunette would never have the hair colour change several levels depending on the sunshine or a camera flash, a blonde will. A dark blonde can look brunette, or quite light, depending on how the light reacts with the hair. This is because of the translucency of the hair itself, even if it has more pigment in it than a light blonde hair, it is still a lot more translucent than a brunette hair.
Blonde hair lacks a medulla, and light brown hair has a broken one, with the darkest hair having a full medulla, so I'm sure that plays into how to tell the difference too if you possess a microscope capable of giving you a cross section of your hair!!

Ok Greenfire-did you get a masters degree in hair?!:lol: Where did you learn so much?

Looking at your chart I now know why my hair dresser is having a hard time coloring me back to my natural ash blonde color! That chart has five different ash blonde colors to choose from. Well it doesnt matter anymore anyway because Im done with colors and all chemicals. Im just doing black tea rinses to help with shed/breakage and to darken my hair somewhat. And so far its working for both the breakage and color. I just wish the last color I got was a little more closer to my natural color. Two inches down from my part turned out more coppery or auburnish? The rest was a more ash color. And of course no one else sees this-just me!:rolleyes: It makes me feel paranoid or that Im beeing way too picky. But to me its coppery. I cant believe no one else sees it.

And my hair dresser just thinks she's going to try another color every six weeks or so-NOT! Thats what upsets me about the top two inches of my hair. I wish it was closer to my color because Im not getting it colored again. I guess I should be happy that no ones sees the coppery color because I guess that at least means it doesnt look bad.

[juliaxena]

Ladies, either light brown color is also affected by different light conditions or I am dark blonde. But I don't think I am. Yet my mother, sister and friends say I am dark blonde. It is crazy. I will post a bunch of pics one of these days and put it to a vote on here.

[spookyghost]

UltraBella: you are drop dead gorgeous! Your hair is just amazing:inlove:

I second that!:D

[MintChocChip]

I'd consider myself to have dark blonde hair. I suspect even if I had light brown hair I'd still consider myself to have dark blonde hair. It might have something to do with the fact I was always blonde as a child. (Light blonde as a young child and then honey blonde as I got a bit older.)

I don't think I'd consider myself to have light brown hair because I still have my 'I'm blonde' hat on. :D

My hair colour changes depending on what time of year it is too, like a lot of people it's lighter in the summer.

This is what my hair looks like in May:
http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj600/LucyLilyPad/cropped01_zpsc39a9de1.jpg

And January:
http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj600/LucyLilyPad/bigsmile01_zps5aec2386.jpg

Dark blonde or light brown? Mystery continues. :p Although I will always consider myself to be dark blonde, I expect. :o

[Tota]

Now I want to see what you think my hair colour is. First (when going dye-free) I thought I was light brown, then my hair grew longer and seemed lighter, so I thought it was blonette, now I think I may be dark blonde ... I would be great to know after so many years of confusion:)

These pics are taken inside, first pic without flash, second with flash:

http://shrani.si/f/2P/oa/3XE7YB1y/img3059-2.jpg

These two are taken outside, first pic is not on the direct sunlight, second is on direct sunlight (on a very sunny day):

http://shrani.si/f/32/TM/rFYM67J/img2579.jpg

So what sayeth you? I would love to hear my hair looks like Daenerys' Targaryens, but I know that's not going to happen lol :D





ETA: Oh wow MintChocChip you're so adorable! I think you're dark blonde too.

[Rosetta]

It depends on where the dyes are sold I guess. In coutries where dark hair is more common, even medium/light brown might be considered dark blond.
Or the other way round, over here in Finland (where we both live) something like level 8 blonde is already considered "light brown" by most people :wink: And you have to be about platinum, or at least level 10, to be really considered blonde... (I don't myself agree with that though.) Like Katze also said, it's a cultural thing.



I don't quite understand why one would think that dark blonde is an oxymoron; it should be the same as a person having dark brown, dark auburn, or dark red hair. It's simply the darkest part of a certain color category.
Completely agree!

MintChocChip, I see what you mean - by your first photo I'd definitely call you dark blonde, but by the second not so sure :)

Tota, I hope not to disappoint you but to me your hair looks like light brown, in all those photos :)

Btw, I thought blonette was more or less the same as dark blonde...? That hard-to-define colour between sure-fire blonde and sure-fire brown :) That's at least the idea I've got from the blonette thread here.

[Tota]

Tota, I hope not to disappoint you but to me your hair looks like light brown, in all those photos :)

Btw, I thought blonette was more or less the same as dark blonde...? That hard-to-define colour between sure-fire blonde and sure-fire brown :) That's at least the idea I've got from the blonette thread here.

Well I should take it like a big girl I guess :D

I also think blonette would be something in between - a colour that you may say it's light brown, but then hesitate, because you're not really sure, but still can't say it's dark blonde. The best of both worlds ;)

[papera]

I would have said caramel to the colour in that picture, but this colour chart defines it as just dark blonde:
http://ranosh84.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/hair-color-chart.jpg

You can see that the ash blondes can get pretty dark, almost to the point of looking the same as a light brown. The difference is in how the light hits them, where a brunette would never have the hair colour change several levels depending on the sunshine or a camera flash, a blonde will. A dark blonde can look brunette, or quite light, depending on how the light reacts with the hair. This is because of the translucency of the hair itself, even if it has more pigment in it than a light blonde hair, it is still a lot more translucent than a brunette hair.
Blonde hair lacks a medulla, and light brown hair has a broken one, with the darkest hair having a full medulla, so I'm sure that plays into how to tell the difference too if you possess a microscope capable of giving you a cross section of your hair!!

Greenfire, you described my hair! :D
In the dark it looks quite dark, in bright sun light people are surprised how blond I am. Depending on the light my hair can also look quite coopery. And sometimes it has this golden, sometimes rather orange reflections, and sometimes translucent, again depending on the light.
Another funny thing about my hair colour is that people call me light-brown haired in the winter time, and dark blonde in the summer.
Anyway the definition of light-brown vs. dark blonde seems to depend mostly on the personal definition of each individual, so I figured I can be so individualistic to call myself a dark blonde regardless of other opinions! :p

[juliaxena]

Could all you kind people vote on my poll about what hair color I have? It will mean so much to me to finally know!
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=101091

Thank you!!!!!

[Katze]

I sometimes think more people just want to call themselves blondes than actually ARE blondes, so people with light brown hair will lay claim to being "dark blonde" instead of just embracing their brown hair :D. To me blonde is... well... blonde... that real light, golden colour that has NO BROWN in it.

There's nothing wrong with being a brunette!! Then again, if someone wants to call themselves blonde, who am I to say anything?? I'll probably just think "okaaaaay" in my head, but I won't bother calling them out on it.



This. There is a lot of socio-cultural baggage about being blonde or not. Blondes have more fun, and all that. So if you once were blonde, you tend to think of yourself as blonde! Like it or not, there are racist/hierarchical/beauty image issues tied in with being blonde or not.

I was the 'blonde sheep' in my family as a kid, and used to being called pretty and commented on, so of course, in my teens when it went dark, I followed my older cousins and started bleaching. With blonde eyebrows, it looked 'natural' but was always yellowish/brassy and I had horrible scalp problems too...



The difference between dark blonde and light brown is very subtle and many people are confused by it.

Let me show you a photo of myself and my friend M, she has light brown hair and I have dark blonde hair. (I have her permission.)

http://i908.photobucket.com/albums/ac282/beyondbeauty76/CB609144-7380-4890-97B4-79FCA9E165D9-1019-00000240F0DDE568_zpsbe004d17.jpg

My hair can photograph dark or light, here's a few examples :

Dim indoor lighting.

http://i908.photobucket.com/albums/ac282/beyondbeauty76/00900ff681a04330aea7e46130f7ccdd.jpg

Natural light.

http://i908.photobucket.com/albums/ac282/beyondbeauty76/e93e06ae.jpg

I would agree with you totally, UltraBella. You're dark golden blonde, I'd say, and your friend is brown haired. Something about the complexion here, too...you're rosy, she's pale. Yet others might call you both blonde, or both brown-haired...

My problem is I am definitely both rosy and pale (I blush easily, also freckle and burn) but my eyes are hazel - dark or light? When your hair and your eye and skin color change radically in different lighting, it is hard to classify yourself!


I'd consider myself to have dark blonde hair. I suspect even if I had light brown hair I'd still consider myself to have dark blonde hair. It might have something to do with the fact I was always blonde as a child. (Light blonde as a young child and then honey blonde as I got a bit older.)

I don't think I'd consider myself to have light brown hair because I still have my 'I'm blonde' hat on. :D

My hair colour changes depending on what time of year it is too, like a lot of people it's lighter in the summer.

This is what my hair looks like in May:
http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj600/LucyLilyPad/cropped01_zpsc39a9de1.jpg

And January:
http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj600/LucyLilyPad/bigsmile01_zps5aec2386.jpg

Dark blonde or light brown? Mystery continues. :p Although I will always consider myself to be dark blonde, I expect. :o

Your hair looks an awful lot like mine! Again, when I lived in New York City, I was referred to as 'the blonde', but here in northern Europe, my hair is 'brown.' Just like there I was very tall and big for a woman, and here I am small. It all depends on what you are being compared to!

In California I got sun streaks...here I don't. For me, how I wash my hair and what lighting it has makes it look more or less blonde, more than seasons since we rarely have a summer as dry and warm as this past one.

[kitschy]

This is my daughter. Her hair is her natural color. If it were short and she regularly wore hats to keep her hair protected it would be dark like this shot of the top of her head.

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/561490_10152151539990525_1388632630_n.jpg

But she wears it long and it is this shade which I would call a dark blonde.

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/550640_10152151525140525_1382155262_n.jpg

[xoxophelia]

I'd consider myself to have dark blonde hair. I suspect even if I had light brown hair I'd still consider myself to have dark blonde hair. It might have something to do with the fact I was always blonde as a child. (Light blonde as a young child and then honey blonde as I got a bit older.)

I don't think I'd consider myself to have light brown hair because I still have my 'I'm blonde' hat on. :D

My hair colour changes depending on what time of year it is too, like a lot of people it's lighter in the summer.

This is what my hair looks like in May:
http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj600/LucyLilyPad/cropped01_zpsc39a9de1.jpg

And January:
http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj600/LucyLilyPad/bigsmile01_zps5aec2386.jpg

Dark blonde or light brown? Mystery continues. :p Although I will always consider myself to be dark blonde, I expect. :o

I don't know if you photoshopped these at all but I would have actually called you auburn or a dark strawberry blonde XD

Ultrabella: you photos actually confuse me further. I think with dyed and highlighted hair, it makes it more difficult to tell the difference between a natural dark blonde and light brown because the highlights contrast so much with the natural roots. Your roots for example, are the same color as your friends. If she got highlights done, would she also be considered dark blonde? Or, light brown with highlights?

[lunalocks]

I am a dark blond. I have blue eyes and pale skin and was a towhead til age 11 or so when it began to darken. Some people call my hair light brown, but I still consider myself a blond! even tho it has darkened. If I am in the sun a lot, it lightens up considerably (when I was 30 I lived on a sailboat for the summer and it lightened to the color of honey.) Now I have lovely golden hairs mixed in with the darker ones. And when light shines on it is is red! I have cousins who were shocked after seeing me in person after many years because my high school photo at my grandma's home showed my hair to be very red!

So I would say, those who started out with fair, blond hair as a child, have dark blond hair in their later years, and those who started out as brownies, remain brownies.

[Hollyfire3]

Ladies, either light brown color is also affected by different light conditions or I am dark blonde. But I don't think I am. Yet my mother, sister and friends say I am dark blonde. It is crazy. I will post a bunch of pics one of these days and put it to a vote on here.

Brown hair can be affected by light too! :) Not to worry, this is not a blonde or brown deal breaker! My hair is reddish in the sunlight but is still dark, its just natural tones. To me, your hair is brown, no questions asked.

[Katze]

I thought UltraBella's pics were of her natural hair color? I had forgotten what that is, though...gotta go look...her hair in the pics looks like hair that 'goes blonde naturally' though of course since her friend has her hair scraped back it is indeed hard to compare, you're right.

But I don't think it is correct or fair to refer to highlighted hair as blonde, unless the natural color is indeed blonde!

Mine has gold highlights so I now look dark caramel blonde.

And I have to disagree with the 'once blonde always blonde' theory: both my brother and my DH's brother were briefly blonde as babies/toddlers, and darkened quickly. My brother has ash brown hair and BIL dark brown, almost black.

I know a naturally blonde young woman who was born with black hair that was slowly replaced by blonde growing in. A very strange look indeed. Her whole family apparently were like that as babies, and they are all still relatively light haired.

[UltraBella]

I don't know if you photoshopped these at all but I would have actually called you auburn or a dark strawberry blonde XD

Ultrabella: you photos actually confuse me further. I think with dyed and highlighted hair, it makes it more difficult to tell the difference between a natural dark blonde and light brown because the highlights contrast so much with the natural roots. Your roots for example, are the same color as your friends. If she got highlights done, would she also be considered dark blonde? Or, light brown with highlights?

Our roots aren't the same, her's are a level darker than mine and have a warmth that mine do not have. Besides some thin blonde highlights, my roots are the exact same color as my length, so I think it's pretty easy to see my natural color.


I thought UltraBella's pics were of her natural hair color? I had forgotten what that is, though...gotta go look...her hair in the pics looks like hair that 'goes blonde naturally' though of course since her friend has her hair scraped back it is indeed hard to compare, you're right.

But I don't think it is correct or fair to refer to highlighted hair as blonde, unless the natural color is indeed blonde!

Mine has gold highlights so I now look dark caramel blonde.


I have some thin highlights but other than that - the main color you see is my natural color. I own two salons, so I am simply categorizing by color chart standards and my daughter and I are considered dark blondes, while M is not. Personally, I don't mind being considered a blonde, a light brown, whatever is okay with me - my color is my color regardless of it's label.

Here's another set of examples, myself and my daughter have the exact same hair color, plus another pic of M with her hair down. (M is the middle picture.)

http://i908.photobucket.com/albums/ac282/beyondbeauty76/eb884b634b3e3c2e48c42e4ddccf69ee_zps54e70f60.jpght tp://i908.photobucket.com/albums/ac282/beyondbeauty76/911e06e3d59afab7050fe413104fc629_zps58d6408e.jpght tp://i908.photobucket.com/albums/ac282/beyondbeauty76/0f069b1b4b92c41647cf411a088321f4_zpsc86bf7d8.jpg

In my photo above with the sunglasses, I do not have any highlights, unless the sun gave them to me. In the photo below, I do have highlights, but they're fairly subtle and I think my natural color is easy to distinguish.

http://i908.photobucket.com/albums/ac282/beyondbeauty76/0c54a848.jpg

[jacqueline101]

It looks brown to me I think the dark blonde comes from light brown that in the summer fades to a blonde.

[Rufflebutt]

That's the same color I naturally have. Medium red-brown.

[Charybdis]

And I have to disagree with the 'once blonde always blonde' theory: both my brother and my DH's brother were briefly blonde as babies/toddlers, and darkened quickly. My brother has ash brown hair and BIL dark brown, almost black.

Agreed. I was golden/honey-blonde until I was about 4, when it started to really darken. It darkened fast, and was almost my current dark brown by the time I was seven. My sister's hair color as a toddler was similar, but didn't darken as early -- you can still see blonde highlights in her natural color when she was 8 or 9, and her adult color is about 1 level or 1.5 levels lighter than mine (still unquestionably brunette).

[Springlets]

And I have to disagree with the 'once blonde always blonde' theory: both my brother and my DH's brother were briefly blonde as babies/toddlers, and darkened quickly. My brother has ash brown hair and BIL dark brown, almost black.

I know a naturally blonde young woman who was born with black hair that was slowly replaced by blonde growing in. A very strange look indeed. Her whole family apparently were like that as babies, and they are all still relatively light haired.

I think what that poster meant was that anyone who had light blonde hair until a significant age (usually around high school) that darkened to that dishwater/hard to tell color, you are still blonde. Most caucasian kids start out tow-headed, but usually if they're going to end up with dark hair, it turns before they go through puberty. My brother started out with white hair like mine, but then by the time he was 4, it had darkened to a medium brown. My boyfriend also started with blonde hair but by the time he was 8 or so, it had darkened. On the other hand, all of my friends who had light blonde hair up until or past high school have darkened to either a level 7 or 6 and I consider them blonde. Even with people I just met or see on the street, I can usually tell who "used to be blonder" or went through this same process. This is an extremely common occurrence and dark blonde is the most common natural blonde for adults, so I think it's kind of sad that some people don't consider it blonde anymore.

I also think it's silly to say "I only think of blonde as light and sunshine-colored". Is it acceptable to say then that "I only think of brunettes as dark and coffee-colored." Therefore light and really dark brunettes are out? Or "I only think of red as medium and firetruck-colored." Auburns and strawberry don't count then?

UltraBella I can see the difference in your root color and your friend's, and I can definitely see why she is a brunette and you are a blonde. Although they look almost the same level of darkness in the first picture, yours has that lack of depth, warmth, and richness that is typical of any blonde whether dark or light.

[hairhair]

I have this issue too. Some people's hair just "looks" blonde, but then you realise it's brown, even dark brown. Sometimes I actually think that blonde is its own shade -- in my case, for example, my hair used to be very light blonde but has darkened as I've aged. Now it's almost black when wet (my avatar pic shows it with colour in, my old avatar showed the true colour), but some people still call it dark blonde?

[juliaxena]

Our roots aren't the same, her's are a level darker than mine and have a warmth that mine do not have. Besides some thin blonde highlights, my roots are the exact same color as my length, so I think it's pretty easy to see my natural color.



I have some thin highlights but other than that - the main color you see is my natural color. I own two salons, so I am simply categorizing by color chart standards and my daughter and I are considered dark blondes, while M is not. Personally, I don't mind being considered a blonde, a light brown, whatever is okay with me - my color is my color regardless of it's label.

Here's another set of examples, myself and my daughter have the exact same hair color, plus another pic of M with her hair down. (M is the middle picture.)

http://i908.photobucket.com/albums/ac282/beyondbeauty76/eb884b634b3e3c2e48c42e4ddccf69ee_zps54e70f60.jpght tp://i908.photobucket.com/albums/ac282/beyondbeauty76/911e06e3d59afab7050fe413104fc629_zps58d6408e.jpght tp://i908.photobucket.com/albums/ac282/beyondbeauty76/0f069b1b4b92c41647cf411a088321f4_zpsc86bf7d8.jpg

In my photo above with the sunglasses, I do not have any highlights, unless the sun gave them to me. In the photo below, I do have highlights, but they're fairly subtle and I think my natural color is easy to distinguish.

http://i908.photobucket.com/albums/ac282/beyondbeauty76/0c54a848.jpg

To me it seems there is a shade in between missing. It looks pretty obvious to me. Could be just my screen, but I am darker than you and lighter than your friend. My crappy camera may not show it but I definately think there is still a shade in between.

[Mesmerise]

And I have to disagree with the 'once blonde always blonde' theory: both my brother and my DH's brother were briefly blonde as babies/toddlers, and darkened quickly. My brother has ash brown hair and BIL dark brown, almost black.

I know a naturally blonde young woman who was born with black hair that was slowly replaced by blonde growing in. A very strange look indeed. Her whole family apparently were like that as babies, and they are all still relatively light haired.

Yeah, I know a few people who were blonde as kids but definitely darkened to brown, even dark brown, as adults. I wouldn't say they're blonde just because they were once blonde ;). I think the colour you end up, is the colour you end up!

This is my daughter, and it shows her hair... I call it light brown, but there are those call it blonde... I just see the brown tones in it and say it's brown.
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t295/ahri22/P1010121.jpg

[Katze]

To me it seems there is a shade in between missing. It looks pretty obvious to me. Could be just my screen, but I am darker than you and lighter than your friend. My crappy camera may not show it but I definately think there is still a shade in between.

I think so too, since my hair is somewhere in between. UltraBella still looks blonde to me, even if I know she has highlights in the pictures, and her friend still looks brown haired. Can this also have to do with complexion? Eye color?




This is my daughter, and it shows her hair... I call it light brown, but there are those call it blonde... I just see the brown tones in it and say it's brown.
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t295/ahri22/P1010121.jpg

that looks golden blonde to me! Also, again, her complexion makes her look like a warm blonde too...

[Springlets]

Could these be the missing links in the chain?
This (http://www.lorealparisusa.com/_us/_en/default.aspx#/?page=top{userdata//d+d//|diagnostic|main:pdp//objectid+HCo12_38//{pdp_tab:pdp_overview//objectid+HCo12_38//}|media:_blank|nav|overlay:_blank})
This (http://www.lorealparisusa.com/_us/_en/default.aspx#/?page=top{userdata//d+d//|diagnostic|main:pdp//objectid+HCo6_19//{pdp_tab:pdp_overview//objectid+HCo6_19//}|media:_blank|nav|overlay:_blank})
And this (http://www.lorealparisusa.com/_us/_en/default.aspx#/?page=top{userdata//d+d//|diagnostic|main:pdp//objectid+HCo12_22//{pdp_tab:pdp_overview//objectid+HCo12_22//}|media:_blank|nav|overlay:_blank})?

These all look like your hair to me, Katze. :)

And I also completely agree that the little girl has golden blonde hair. I don't see any brown tones at all.

[Katleen]

To me that's blond hair mesmerize...
I think a lot has to do with complexion. And also with what you're used to seeing I think. Here in Belgium, I feel like most of the population is dark blond by nature, and everyone is very keen on coloring their hair to stand out, and look different, because seeing everyone with the same hair color is quite boring :-)

We even have an expression for that particular color in Dutch (well it's my flemish dialect but still...): boerenpaardenkarrenhondenhaar (it's really hard to translate but involves farmers, their horses and carriages and their dogs :-) :-) )

[palaeoqueen]

I think that dark blonde isn't reall a color, its either brown or blonde, but that's just me.

I don't understand this, of course dark blonde is a real colour. You could just as easily say that light brown isn't a real colour and all hair that isn't coffee coloured or darker is therefore dark blonde.

My hair is dark blonde and it annoys me when people call it brown. Not because I have anything against brown hair but simply because it's inaccurate and I can't abide that sort of wrongness, it really irritates me. I suppose I am rather pedantic and precise in my thinking at times (I'm a scientist, I have to be).

[Maverick494]

I've tried to take a stab at my interpretation of the line at the blondette thread, but I'll post it here too:

To me the cross over to the brown spectrum starts here:
http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/1821/lightbrownhaircolor.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/225/lightbrownhaircolor.jpg/)

And everything starting from a shade lighter than that is still in the blonde spectrum, like for example this:
http://img844.imageshack.us/img844/8208/30194224126966436271437.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/844/30194224126966436271437.jpg/)

It is of course possible for someone to be a light brown in winter and a dark blonde in summer.

[Amorice]

I heard once that the difference between blonde and brown was whether or not it goes through the "red stage" when bleaching. Brown hair will lift to red before it goes blonde, blonde just gets lighter. Which is why a lot of blonde highlights in brown hair will look coppery, because bleaching until the red is gone in one go would kill your hair.

But maybe this was just a bunch of hooey, I don't really know.

[Mesmerise]

And I also completely agree that the little girl has golden blonde hair. I don't see any brown tones at all.

The light shining on it makes it look more blonde I think... to see it without a flash, you get more of the brown tones. It does have a shiny/golden look though... but I don't necessarily see the gold = blonde, more gold = golden brown!

[Kapri]

I heard once that the difference between blonde and brown was whether or not it goes through the "red stage" when bleaching. Brown hair will lift to red before it goes blonde, blonde just gets lighter. Which is why a lot of blonde highlights in brown hair will look coppery, because bleaching until the red is gone in one go would kill your hair.

But maybe this was just a bunch of hooey, I don't really know.


Amorice, when I look at level 6 hair colour which is described as light brown and then level 6 hair colour which is described as dark blonde...it is about the level of orange versus the level of yellow tones. The brown shades do have a more 'orange' warmth in them. It is a question of degrees of and types of warmth. I have just found a wonderful shade of demi-permanent colour called brunette dark ash blonde. It acknowledges the connection between brown and dark blonde and is a true dark blonde with a depth to it that ensures it colours grey well.

I think that dark blonde and shades of english 'mouse' hair colours are so elegant. I wish I had fully enjoyed mine when I was younger. They suit the complexions they are intended for.

I like brown hair but dark blonde with its ashy/yellow=based undertones is so much more flattering against my skin.

[MintChocChip]

I don't know if you photoshopped these at all but I would have actually called you auburn or a dark strawberry blonde XD


Not, photoshopped! Aw, well that's awesome! I love red hair so I'll take that as a big compliment. :D

[EtherealDoll]

I think the following picture illustrates the difference between dark blonde and light brown very well.
The model in dress has dark blonde hair and the one in jeans has light brown hair

http://i40.fastpic.ru/big/2012/0929/c9/6bb37583dbb566e2d6f625a2a66448c9.jpg

Source:thefashionspot.com

[jasper]

To me, it is a subtle warm and cool difference. If dark hair is a warm shade, it looks like light brown to me, if it is a cool shade (sometimes called ash) it looks like dark blonde to me.

[Springlets]

When I go on Pinterest, I see a lot of examples of the perfect light brown or dark blonde:

Light brown:
http://pinterest.com/pin/20758848253581819/
http://pinterest.com/pin/41236152809349677/
http://pinterest.com/pin/41236152809350435/
http://pinterest.com/pin/41236152809349369/
http://pinterest.com/pin/41236152809349014/

Dark Blonde
http://pinterest.com/pin/41236152809349007/
http://pinterest.com/pin/92042386105744175/
http://pinterest.com/pin/41236152809349377/
http://pinterest.com/pin/41236152809349000/
http://pinterest.com/pin/41236152809349330/
http://pinterest.com/pin/41236152809342966/

[SlipJig]

When I go on Pinterest, I see a lot of examples of the perfect light brown or dark blonde:


CHOP'D

Very interesting to look at the links, I think I would agree with all your classifications... there is a subtle but definite difference, isn't there?

Both colours are so pretty and so often underappreciated, but braiding and things tend to show up nicely on these colours of hair, and they go with nearly every colour of clothing....

Can you tell I'm part of the club? :)

[juliaxena]

To me, it is a subtle warm and cool difference. If dark hair is a warm shade, it looks like light brown to me, if it is a cool shade (sometimes called ash) it looks like dark blonde to me.

I think this could actually be the missing link between dark blonde and light brown (not blonette - from what we have seen, blonette means at least 5 different shades, just check the thread). Perhaps that is why so many people say I am dark blonde while I don't think I am that, but when people show pictures of light brown, it looks too dark.

[EtherealDoll]

When I go on Pinterest, I see a lot of examples of the perfect light brown or dark blonde:

Light brown:


Dark Blonde


To me, the only picture with dark blonde hair is the second one, all the other ones are clearly light brown. And all the pictures you posted as "light brown" are actually more medium brown.

I am from a country where there're lots of blondes, maybe that's why I think that dark blonde means literally dark blonde, as in it's still blonde but darker - it doesn't have brown undertones.

I'm starting to get a feeling that there's so much confusion with dark blonde colour here because on some reason some light brown haired people can't admit their hair is brown, not blonde even if they were blonde as children. There is a term "blonette" here, so why not call yourself that if you're so uncomfortable that you have brown hair (general you).

[Lissandria]

To me, the only picture with dark blonde hair is the second one, all the other ones are clearly light brown. And all the pictures you posted as "light brown" are actually more medium brown.



Add the third one "blonde" which is clearly blonde IMO and I completely agree with you! :)

[palaeoqueen]

I'm starting to get a feeling that there's so much confusion with dark blonde colour here because on some reason some light brown haired people can't admit their hair is brown, not blonde even if they were blonde as children. There is a term "blonette" here, so why not call yourself that if you're so uncomfortable that you have brown hair (general you).

I disagree, I think a lot of people just don't know the difference. This is at least in part fuelled by society's obsession with bleaching hair to a light yellow shade that is not actually close to any natural shade of blonde.

I do see your point about people wanting to be blonde when they're not (and I do know someone who fits into this category) but I don't think it's the norm.

[Springlets]

To me, the only picture with dark blonde hair is the second one, all the other ones are clearly light brown.

What's interesting about the second picture is that on the left side, it looks yellow so I see why it falls into your category of dark blonde. But on the right side, it has no yellowness and therefore I think would fall into your category of "light brown". The color on her right side matches with the other pictures I labeled as dark blonde. To me, this clearly illustrates how dark blonde hair can appear "light brown" or yellow depending on the light it is in. The difference for me is that even when appearing "light brown", it has an ashiness that a true light brown does not have.

I think this is the lightest brown I can find (the lower half of her hair especially): http://postimage.org/image/6xlxfgs9z/

I can see the difference in coppery/brown shine compared to yellowish/ash shine, like this:
http://postimage.org/image/47rxpiqn3/

[FrannyG]

I had this confusion all of my life. To me, my (original) hair always looked light brown, but every hairdresser I went to told me it was dark blonde.

The other problem I had was that often my hair photographed much darker than it actually was, depending on where the photo was taken. In any case, when I decided to go light blonde, I managed to achieve it with regular box dye, with no brassy highlights.

Since those dyes are meant to only take one's colour down by 2 shades, the I suppose my original hair really was dark blonde.

Now, my hair is mostly naturally white, so the dilemma is over for me :)

[UP Lisa]

I consider myself to be a Level 7. Indoors my hair does look light brown. My kids always tell me that my hair is brown. However, my husband considers it blond. I have hazel eyes and very fair skin. My eyebrows and lashes are dark brown.

My youngest son used to have white blond hair. He's 15 now, and although it has darkened, he is still a blond. An ash blond. I don't think anyone would say he had brown hair. He has gray eyes.

[cmg]

And I have to disagree with the 'once blonde always blonde' theory: both my brother and my DH's brother were briefly blonde as babies/toddlers, and darkened quickly. My brother has ash brown hair and BIL dark brown, almost black.

My mother had almost platinum blonde hair ("very light pearl blonde") until she was around 14 or so. If I hadnt seen the hair samples and the pics I wouldnt have believed it. By the time she turned 17 it was dark brown bordering pitch black and stayed that way until she died.


I know a naturally blonde young woman who was born with black hair that was slowly replaced by blonde growing in. A very strange look indeed. Her whole family apparently were like that as babies, and they are all still relatively light haired.

That's so funny with the changing hair colors. When I was born I had black hair that went away when I still was a baby. It turned into a quite dark red and stayed that way until I got white (except for a shady, sandy stage that would have been called grey if my hair hadn't been red).


I heard once that the difference between blonde and brown was whether or not it goes through the "red stage" when bleaching.
This might be a practical way too look at it. But there are a lot of scandinavian blondes that are dark blondes, and they can have alot of red pigments left turning up when they are trying to bleach it.

/ CMG

[cmg]

ETA: I think this is a beautiful example of dark blonde hair: http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120113221951/haircolor/images/d/d7/Dark-blonde-hair.jpeg
No that is definitely not a dark blonde. If anything, then a medium blonde but a very warm, perhaps reddish shade.

My stepdaughters have platinum blonde hair when they are bleached, either by the sun or artificially. They are then called "light blondes" by people, which is incorrect. Their own hair is light blonde, which is called "scandinavian blonde" by many, but this shade very rarely occurs in nature. The "real" scandinavian blonde is medium or dark blonde as it is named in the trade. In this thread some of you would want to call this particular shade light brown, which is misleading.

Lots of people are confused about the blonde shades and the difference about blonde/brunette. People in the trade seem to have a different opinion about what is dark blonde than the general public. Springlet's example-links show exactly what I mean. People tend to think of the blonde shades to be lighter than they really are. EtherealDoll and FrannyG emphasize this very well with their comments. Here is what I think, because of how the trade looks at it:
Springlet's example of "light brown" nr 3 is really a dark blonde. Perhaps also the alternative nr 5, but that one is hard to tell because of how the photo is taken.
Subsequently nearly all of the "dark blonde" examples are really medium blondes!


I think this is the lightest brown I can find (the lower half of her hair especially): http://postimage.org/image/6xlxfgs9z/
She has blonde higlights, not brown ones.


I can see the difference in coppery/brown shine compared to yellowish/ash shine, like this:
http://postimage.org/image/47rxpiqn3/
She has had every conceavable shade in her hair, including strawberry blonde and red. She is naturally brown being of greek ascent, but it is very difficult to find pictures of her natural hair.

/ CMG

[cmg]

I keep spamming this thread :D

So these are examples of medium blonde (some may border on light blonde):

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR1_9jH8sGBKLVof7gmZQ265awARgMS9 tXrDLuF-HvS8QWVptyK_dWfzg
(Above is sold as medium blonde, it seems just a tad too dark on my screen. The below sample is more like it in bright lightening)
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS_fB0ywgUGNgVf5-sVQ4tGQqSv0_4zo3n-fMpqdJaJ09fLB7WsI84T2g
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTxpSZDI5TsIhN6BQdb0x1pw7XUAZbAR 9XWFyj8GB_RKaSZo-NGPbmoYQ
https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT6qHZUmVW_0wOkar-OZOoiqlo-e8Ioteb9WVS6vi0lBMB8ExYTXPZh-Mk
https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRdrLVHy4hN-ZlhwPImcapyR-DiI9a0S6OVxPNIAE2U4acxyQdksQ
https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTGcA51hY-PJRW9Lf-NEDiab3KPwtM5-KvW13Q5XSG5khurgYKlqO_h0A
http://nevnarien.se/images/2007/s_kopia__1192655718_2400485.jpg

Some treatments or sun bleach on medium blonde hair can look like this:

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSX6xe7oBDVzwyOi3cfNJsj7Y39Zd8V5 b1mHVhfGyXcKNp_tq5UjARowwA
https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQGV9ea8163mnH-VXUh8foM-5j6YBwmr7gfku9PKUVoe5KxYJa6
https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRxRF_jL-MWmIww8Wi21sSkBwwosaw0aG7Ui84O4aTqC6XQA17rAQ
https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRmG6rvXsTw4ej2QV8v7MigXDu_jrTPF cdj6NYjc0VXr4TCtD4y37TT1w
(above person has medium/near dark blonde hair that has been bleached nearly one shade)

Skin color can play tricks:
This person seems to have medium blonde hair with blonde highlights:
https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ1x1jDsPvqY9Gchwcqx0uBTZYuyXQXE JyedslAU8HOIKJGINXsCQ

And these are dark blondes:

Many dark blondes appear to have almost steel grey hair in some lights.

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRXa5uZf_Ns_e3xLWvudktvRPZwWdtTl tz8rI5lu6PlLf9Y7h8S0g
https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTGCUeuJOsqIuiMJcR-0JF1bUJNIxFhFnsTqny0LCS8bIDVNywUhHQsvq8
https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRnYJHtCeCyBLFv7kuEYelk_Qrn43zdg RjccozNz9kBe2Y_MMdMlwX4oA
https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSgroUiz9sWQDEC0TY9MyW8HSHe9LVZ7 WIYEKwZj8NYNcq49UiH696NbQ
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQNVd56vtQ9mwyp8wnrJ5qY6Al9LM3Xy eqEH7Deu7GI-UI2vopI8Yz8lQ

Here comes a tricky one. I think dark blonde is the range, but it's a type hazel shade:
https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTPXIZJyHzSgGcXneQHlDYUp8_pmYjzF fDOS-Y1GbSVQ7FezBoNBQ

The lightening can play tricks:
Here is a probably light brown haired woman, appearing to be dark blonde (with highlights):
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTluhTwXkqqwLFJ5JSxUOubG305r2Ozk fXOao0Q908wUmURfGltsLIGRRw

vanillabones: I might call what I see on my screen light brown or dark blonde, but you may call it what makes you feel comfortable! It appears to have some warm shades in it so it may qualify as light brown.

Glacier: You hair is light or medium blonde on my screen. Never dark blonde.

Katleen: I am sure you can find red shades that work even for you!

UltraBella: You and your friend look like two very georgeous sisters! But on my screen your hair appears to be more on the medium blonde side rather than dark blonde, but this could just be the shine *serious shine envy* No really, you are medium blonde, I'm sure. M is still darker, she qualifyes as a light brown on my screeen.

juliaxena: A little hard to determine if you can't see any pictures.

/ CMG

[Noctifer]

So I have been following this thread for a while and only gets more and more confused about the difference between dark blond and light brown.

Many of the the pictures that have been shown here as dark blond has i always considered as light brown.

And what colour would you guys say my natural colour is, most people i know say light brown but i have heard dark blond, thow only once or twice.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v285/Mirindia/blogg/Kort.jpg
Best picture i could find right now, it is about six years old

[cmg]

Those both pics are taken in very different lightening conditions. Noctifer, if you can call yourself blonde or not also depends on the amount of pigmentation in your hair. If it is very resistant to bleaching from the sun, then you might be a light brunette. Was your hair lighter when you were a child? You seem to have lots of pigments, and fair amounts of both dark and red ones. I think you are somewhere between dark blonde and light auburn/brown. I also suspect you are going darker with age, perhaps light brown fits you best today. What do you prefer? :D

On the other hand, only the hair industry benefits from exact descriptions. We should be able to call ourselves whatever makes us feel good.

Here is some reading about hair pigmentation in general:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hair_color

MfG
CG

[Noctifer]

If you by both pictures means the avatar and the picuture i posted, both are taken beside a window just not as noticeable in my avatar, the avatar is taken whit flash whilst the posted is not. the posted is by the looks of my roots today the one that is matching my natural colour, 4 months of not dyeing the hair so got some good roots showing up. The flash in the avatar really messed the colour or maybe i have that much red/golden tones in it.

Nope pretty much always had the same colour. But i know when i was younger people used to ask if i got highlights after the summer months. I dont know if it longer gets affected by the sun, as I'm not out in the sun as much as i was when i was when i got asked. And I dye my hair about ever third month.

[LadyTheta]

[QUOTE=Noctifer;2325131]

The photo within the body of your post in most clearly, truly, beautifully and richly *brown*. Gorgeous. Love it.

[cmg]

Thats the signature. And yes, it appears to be a rich brown but the color temperature is very different from the cool lightening in the posted photo (and also from the flash-light-avatar). But if she has dyed hair then it is difficult to tell what her natural shade is.

/ CMG

[palaeoqueen]

My stepdaughters have platinum blonde hair when they are bleached, either by the sun or artificially. They are then called "light blondes" by people, which is incorrect. Their own hair is light blonde, which is called "scandinavian blonde" by many, but this shade very rarely occurs in nature. The "real" scandinavian blonde is medium or dark blonde as it is named in the trade. In this thread some of you would want to call this particular shade light brown, which is misleading.

Lots of people are confused about the blonde shades and the difference about blonde/brunette. People in the trade seem to have a different opinion about what is dark blonde than the general public. Springlet's example-links show exactly what I mean. People tend to think of the blonde shades to be lighter than they really are. EtherealDoll and FrannyG emphasize this very well with their comments. Here is what I think, because of how the trade looks at it

I've really enjoyed your posts and completely agree with everything you've said. Thanks for taking the time to post all this info and the links :) Are you a stylist?

[juliaxena]

I am sorry cmg, I was rearranging my albums, I guess that's why you can't see them. All I know is my hair looks very light sometimes so accoording to what many people said, I am dark blonde at least sometimes, otherwise I am really really light brown LOL.

[cmg]

I've really enjoyed your posts and completely agree with everything you've said. Thanks for taking the time to post all this info and the links :) Are you a stylist?
Thanks. No, that's not my main profession. I have worked as a stylist a few years though and gotten a lot of experience and background information in artificial hair dyes that way. I have worked exclusively for two major brands and also done some stuff with makeup, while having a shop at one time. I love this work but it is not my main education. And for myself I prefer natural products rather than chemical stuffs. It helps to know what you are doing though.

/ CMG

[Springlets]

My stepdaughters have platinum blonde hair when they are bleached, either by the sun or artificially. They are then called "light blondes" by people, which is incorrect. Their own hair is light blonde, which is called "scandinavian blonde" by many, but this shade very rarely occurs in nature. The "real" scandinavian blonde is medium or dark blonde as it is named in the trade. In this thread some of you would want to call this particular shade light brown, which is misleading.

/ CMG

I find this very interesting since I so often hear that so many people in Scandinavian countries have natural very light blonde hair. I have known some Scandinavians and traveled to Germany, and while I did see slightly more natural very light blondes, I could still definitely see that the majority of blondes were naturally medium to dark. Hence I feel it's pretty sad that although medium to dark blonde hair is the most common, many people don't consider it as blonde anymore.

I think this link also gives a good basic idea about levels (they have the standpoint that level 6 is light brown though): http://haircolor.wikia.com/wiki/Level_8

If you have time, could you take a look at my thread on hair color levels (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=79074)? I've always hoped someone who had worked with these kind of things could make sure it was correct. :o (although I name level 7 as dark blonde and level 6 as darkest blonde/lightest brown).

[Lianna]

Screen brightness can make a huge difference, my dusty coral shirt looked bright pink on my friend's monitor. :)

People who can only see yellow, brown, red or black clearly don't know about hair color levels and tones. Light brown and dark blonde are very easy for me to diferenciate, since I colored those shades on and off since I was 14 (and medium blonde).

I've tried to explain this for years...and now I'm just tired. Like UltraBella said, my color is my color regardless of what is called. :)

[cmg]

I........Hence I feel it's pretty sad that although medium to dark blonde hair is the most common, many people don't consider it as blonde anymore.
Yes that's true.


I think this link also gives a good basic idea about levels (they have the standpoint that level 6 is light brown though): http://haircolor.wikia.com/wiki/Level_8

If you have time, could you take a look at my thread on hair color levels (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=79074)? I've always hoped someone who had worked with these kind of things could make sure it was correct. :o (although I name level 7 as dark blonde and level 6 as darkest blonde/lightest brown).
Perhaps it is not possible to have a definite color level chart with numbers. I have noticed the different manufacturers sometimes use different numbers for the same colors. And also there may be differences between different product versions for the markets in US and Europe etc. This is not uncommon in cosmetics. I will look at your links as soon as the server problem allows me to do that :mad:

/ CMG

[DaniVerde]

Here...I think that I qualify as a dark (ash) blonde:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/420461_542718879078530_1481344309_n.jpg

[palaeoqueen]

Here...I think that I qualify as a dark (ash) blonde:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/420461_542718879078530_1481344309_n.jpg

I would say you're more medium than dark blonde.

[blaketob]

Yeh I deffinately fit along this category. My avatar pic makes my hair look brown but on other pics and lighting it looks way lighter!

[Feles]

Be free to analyze my haircolour (growing out dye) :

Indoors in natural light coming throw window:
http://i10.aijaa.com/t/00079/11133587.t.jpg (http://aijaa.com/pwEAXi)

http://i8.aijaa.com/t/00983/11133585.t.jpg (http://aijaa.com/3LsBoK)

In summer sunlight:
http://i3.aijaa.com/t/00224/10807156.t.jpg (http://aijaa.com/4VDDdb)

[one_fine_lady]

I would consider your hair medium brown

[lapushka]

In summer sunlight:
http://i3.aijaa.com/t/00224/10807156.t.jpg (http://aijaa.com/4VDDdb)

Judging by this, it's clearly a dark blonde.

[papera]

Judging by this, it's clearly a dark blonde.

agreed, the roots are definitely dark blonde :)

[UP Lisa]

To me, that's just the way her brown hair looks with the sun hitting it.


quote=lapushka;2330240]Judging by this, it's clearly a dark blonde.[/quote]

[Siiri]

Feles, to me it looks dark blond. In the last picture the sun light seems to be indirect, and there it does look quite light. In the rest of the pictures it looks more ashy so it tends to look a bit darker, almost light brown.

With hair colours I usually go by how they look in indirect sunlight. I take my hair colour pictures in our balcony that's facing north, and since we live up here there's only enough light in the summer to do this.

[mcgg417]

I'd consider myself to have dark blonde hair. I suspect even if I had light brown hair I'd still consider myself to have dark blonde hair. It might have something to do with the fact I was always blonde as a child. (Light blonde as a young child and then honey blonde as I got a bit older.)

I don't think I'd consider myself to have light brown hair because I still have my 'I'm blonde' hat on. :D

My hair colour changes depending on what time of year it is too, like a lot of people it's lighter in the summer.

This is what my hair looks like in May:
http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj600/LucyLilyPad/cropped01_zpsc39a9de1.jpg

And January:
http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj600/LucyLilyPad/bigsmile01_zps5aec2386.jpg

Dark blonde or light brown? Mystery continues. :p Although I will always consider myself to be dark blonde, I expect. :o

I think you are dark ash blonde at the roots and medium strawberry blond at the length. The contrast is striking.

Now I want to see what you think my hair colour is. First (when going dye-free) I thought I was light brown, then my hair grew longer and seemed lighter, so I thought it was blonette, now I think I may be dark blonde ... I would be great to know after so many years of confusion

These pics are taken inside, first pic without flash, second with flash:



These two are taken outside, first pic is not on the direct sunlight, second is on direct sunlight (on a very sunny day):



So what sayeth you? I would love to hear my hair looks like Daenerys' Targaryens, but I know that's not going to happen lol


Well I think you are a true dark blonde in those pictures :)

[mcgg417]

Now I want to see what you think my hair colour is. First (when going dye-free) I thought I was light brown, then my hair grew longer and seemed lighter, so I thought it was blonette, now I think I may be dark blonde ... I would be great to know after so many years of confusion:)

These pics are taken inside, first pic without flash, second with flash:

http://shrani.si/f/2P/oa/3XE7YB1y/img3059-2.jpg

These two are taken outside, first pic is not on the direct sunlight, second is on direct sunlight (on a very sunny day):

http://shrani.si/f/32/TM/rFYM67J/img2579.jpg

So what sayeth you? I would love to hear my hair looks like Daenerys' Targaryens, but I know that's not going to happen lol :D





ETA: Oh wow MintChocChip you're so adorable! I think you're dark blonde too.


I'd consider myself to have dark blonde hair. I suspect even if I had light brown hair I'd still consider myself to have dark blonde hair. It might have something to do with the fact I was always blonde as a child. (Light blonde as a young child and then honey blonde as I got a bit older.)

I don't think I'd consider myself to have light brown hair because I still have my 'I'm blonde' hat on. :D

My hair colour changes depending on what time of year it is too, like a lot of people it's lighter in the summer.

This is what my hair looks like in May:
http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj600/LucyLilyPad/cropped01_zpsc39a9de1.jpg

And January:
http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj600/LucyLilyPad/bigsmile01_zps5aec2386.jpg

Dark blonde or light brown? Mystery continues. :p Although I will always consider myself to be dark blonde, I expect. :o

Tota did you have lighter hair as a child? I started off platinum blonde and it has darkened to what is definitely a brown shade.

[Ingrid]

In my opinion, unless your hair has a gunmetal shade in certain lights, or looks green under fluorescent light, it's definitely brown.

Plus, if your hair is blonde (dark, medium or light) you'll still look like you have white or very light hair under direct light.

[tigress86]

Interesting point, Ingrid.

After my hair color removal I have been inspecting my hair with a flashlight to see how the formerly colored hair and my virgin roots will match tone wise and I have noticed that the formerly colored hair reflects slightly golden tones under direct light and the virgin roots only reflect white.

[irodaryne]

So I've always considered my hair more light brown than dark blonde (though it's also kind of auburn when the light is right and now I just don't knooooowwwww. I'm going to quote myself from the auburn pride thread to show you my hair inside and outside and maybe we can see what everything thinks because like.... the defining lines between light brown and dark blonde are weird and confusing and I've been told dark blonde, light brown, and auburn.


Hah okay, so these pictures are from before my big chop in February (probably a month or so after my profile pic was taken? And with my hair in it's natural state and not straightened, which I did for my profile pic)

The first picture is inside, and the second picture is outside the same day with the afternoon sun shining on it

https://40.media.tumblr.com/3b4d96e56c15f51d398305df76819d8b/tumblr_nwmv9lvRdB1th6riso1_540.jpg https://41.media.tumblr.com/a2b9516adcd3c3af7936b1a30dcc2837/tumblr_nwmv9lvRdB1th6riso2_540.jpg

[jt623]

Level 6- level 7 is light brown- dark blonde. Some hair charts call level 6 dark blonde, and some call it light brown. Dark blonde hair looks much lighter when wearing black clothing, and can sometimes appear brown in low lighting.

[Ingrid]

Interesting point, Ingrid.

After my hair color removal I have been inspecting my hair with a flashlight to see how the formerly colored hair and my virgin roots will match tone wise and I have noticed that the formerly colored hair reflects slightly golden tones under direct light and the virgin roots only reflect white.

It's by no means scientific, and based on my artistic observations, but I think it makes some sense :shrug:

Also, natural hair is pretty reflective, so it will tend to reflect some elements of surrounding colours. Like if your hair is dark blonde and you stand next to a large red object (such as a brick wall for example), it will appear more brown. Or if you have black hair you're outdoors on a bright day, it will appear blue in certain lights as it reflects the sky.

Most people probably don't really think that in depth about colours :lol: