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View Full Version : I'm really thinking about going to my natural color again.



maborosi
December 4th, 2013, 09:27 PM
I've been thinking really, really hard lately about abandoning henna altogether and any other dyes and just going back to my natural color- maybe using cassia blends to warm my color up and give me strength and shine.

Here's the thing though- my hair is naturally blonde (level 7 on the roots going to 8 and higher) and my eyebrows are extremely, extremely dark (I'd say level 2). This gives me incredible anxiety because I used to get teased mercilessly about my super dark, thick brows and fine light hair. People said nasty, rude things about how my hair was "fake" and that I needed to "stop dyeing my eyebrows" or "lay off the bleach", etc. This was a decade ago, and when I was 12 was the last time I ever saw my natural hair color because I started trying for brown/black/etc. I see it on the roots from time to time, and it looks really pretty, but I'm just not sure I'm ready for that again.

I'm worried that everyone will call me fake again and make fun of my hair and brows like they used to.

However, I have one male coworker- the only other person I know who has this combination naturally (probably level 8 hair and level 2 brows). He's got blonde hair and mega-thick coarse eyebrows and super pasty skin like me and he looks awesome. Nobody ever says anything disparaging to him about his hair- they all compliment how cool it is. Whereas I got teased into dyeing mine, I feel a pang of jealousy whenever I see him because I'd love to rock my natural combo- in my dreams...

I have coppery red hair now and very light eyebrows. A lot of people think it's my natural color and suits me well.
I really like it, too, but I'd really also like to see my natural state again. Don't get me wrong, though, I love the red enough to really want to keep it. It's just difficult for me as a personal decision because I want to be "true" to myself, on one hand.

Does anyone here rock this combination? I'm seriously thinking about it. Looking at how much time I invest into root touch-ups because my hair grows so fast, how much insecurity I have over everything, it just makes me kinda sad. I'd be committing some kind of fashion faux pas just for letting my hair grow out naturally :( But I feel like I should enjoy the color I have naturally and just grow and not care what the world thinks.

~maborosi~

Yozhik
December 4th, 2013, 09:39 PM
I was just talking to a classmate about this - she was speculating that maybe it's a Russian thing (she is of Russian descent), because both of us know a number of people in the FSU who specifically have this combination of blonde/light brown hair with dark or black eyebrows.

She actually dyes her hair black because people always asked her if she bleached her hair, though. :-/
BUT, my good Russian friend thinks that the most attractive (Russian) males are blonds with dark eyebrows.
Oh, and I just remembered, a guy friend of mine has dirty blond hair that lightens up a lot in the summer and very dark brows - he's self-conscious because he thinks other people think he dyes it, but I think it looks really cool! :thumbsup:

So maybe it's a cattiness thing? Because I think it's incredibly attractive on both males and females. :)

Anyway, the point is, if you want to stop dyeing your hair, do it! It'll look great! And if people comment on your highlights, think about how some people would pay tons of money in the salon for what you have naturally. :) :flowers:

HintOfMint
December 4th, 2013, 09:49 PM
I've seen the dark-eyebrows-light-hair combo and thought it looked striking and gorgeous. I also like bold, dark eyebrows so I think it's cool when they stand out. And I know that combination definitely occurs in nature, so I never think "oh how fake." So you have at least one fan here.

It takes courage and a certain irreverence to embrace how you are in the face of critics, even the well-meaning ones (they exist!). However, you said that the last time you saw your natural color you were 12. I don't know how old you are now, but I know that middle schoolers are a particular breed of cruel and critical. They would talk smack about Victoria's Secret models if they went to school with them. It varies by region, school, city, state... etc., but the level of random criticism definitely decreases as you get older and it gets easier to be yourself.

I personally don't think you'll be making a fashion faux pas with your decision to grow out your natural color. As far as acquiring a healthy dose of irreverence, maybe look to people you know or maybe even celebrities or public figures who have unconventional lifestyles or personalities and still manage to thrive.

Good luck!

maborosi
December 4th, 2013, 10:51 PM
Thanks you guys. I appreciate the kind words.

I'm actually German/Finnish! :) My dad's side is darker-skinned and darkhaired where my mom's side is light skinned and light haired. I seemed to get a mix of both.

Here's a picture of the current color (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=170&page=611&p=2581951&viewfull=1#post2581951). Toward the top 3-4 inches is like my dream color that I've always wanted- a soft sort of copper. In all the years I've dyed my hair, that's what I've wanted. Right there- that color. Before henna, I could never get it because my hair wouldn't hold conventional red dyes/ But now that I am starting to achieve it, I feel sad because I worry I will never see my natural color again. I think that's why I'm so bummed out about this.

I really like that red, but I don't know. Sometimes I think it doesn't go well with my skintone, or that it looks fake, or whatever. My family used to love to give me crap about it because it wasn't blonde. They would ask me, "What's wrong with your natural self?" and then I'd feel bad because I like this color more than my blonde. :/

I guess this is all just a really contentious issue for me that's gonna take some serious thought and soul-searching.

~maborosi~

ravenreed
December 4th, 2013, 11:10 PM
While growing out dye takes time, it isn't like it's a permanent choice. I grew out my mine a couple years back because I wanted to see what my natural color looked like and if I still hated it after about 20 years covering it up. Ultimately, after taking forever to grow out the dye I went back to it, but I am glad I did it. If nothing else, it confirmed how much I dislike my natural color on me.

Flor
December 5th, 2013, 01:02 AM
Well, I think you should really stop worrying about what others will think/say about your hair color choices and figure out what is it that YOU want. Imagine you live among the most supporting and non-judging people EVAR!!! Whatever it is you decide to do - your decisions will be approved and supported! Unconditionally. Now think. What will make YOU most happy? What do YOU want to see when you look in the mirror?

restless
December 5th, 2013, 01:16 AM
Ack, there´s so much I want to say regarding this topic, but I dont seem to be able to find the right words and write them down but here goes:

You know, kids can be cruel and the teenage years are tough. Trust me, I know...
Im sure your hair and eyebrows were just fine the way they were back then and if your colours had been any different, the kids wouldve found something else to pick on instead. Sometimes you just cant get it right no matter what you do.

You let them knock you down and decide how you feel about yourself many years ago but why continue to this day? If you want to see your natural hair and eyebrows again then do so. The days as an insecure kid/teen are over, youre an adult now and so are your class mates. People grow up and change, they mature (well, most of them). Im 100% sure that if you met the bullies today, they wouldnt behave like they did back then, but even if your appearance still dont please them- who cares? You cant please everybody anyway, so please yourself first and foremost.

So, what Im trying to say is that I think you should do whatever the heck you want to. Be proud of yourself! Personally I think the combination of dark and blonde is lovely :)

YumiYume
December 5th, 2013, 01:52 AM
Hi, I understand what you are going throu, being teased is never fun but what matter is what you like, your job is not to please them, your job is to please yourself :). you should be able to look in the mirror and see "this is me!" and not "hope others who sees me are happy because I fit their taste better" :).

I am from sweden and I used to get teased about that to when I was young, I was the middlechild of 3 so I was the "blend in between" (with the same father&mother, the rest of my siblings have other fathers/mother). I got teased a lot in shool to for having long hair and not being like the others and so on..

my older brother: blonde (hint of red undertone), light blue eyes, light eyebows and eyelashes and really light cold-toned skin,
Me: the same light blonde (hint of red undertone), dark greenish eyes, dark eyebrows&eyelashes and light but warm toned skin
my younger sister: dark brown hair, dark greenish eyes, dark eyebrows&eyelashes and really light cold toned skin

the reason I have been dying other colours before and then trying for the right shade of copper is because I myself was unsure what was me, what I liked to look like, what I thought was pretty and not what others thought :). My boyfriend prefers red but supports my desision, I am still not sure, but I want to see how I would be natural, maby I dont look washed away in the end

Last year I had my own to the ears and was not sure what to do. I was thinking not to keep it because of how long it would take to grow out and that I liked copper, and I am a larper and that fitted my character anyway. I dont remember my whole conversation in my head back then, but I have now decided to grow it al out, and with dark eyebrows I do not have to paint them in, and I like them bigger as they are.

when the colour start growing out (mine is like an inch), it looks just gray, but I can compare it to my fase a bit and I do like the softness and they seem to blend good together. it is not the same as when I was a teenager ofcourse, it is darker now but it is clear that it is blonde and the contrast between brows and hair is still there. I have lurked a lot in the giving up dye thread and it is very inspiring, and that is how I found this thread to :)

good luck :flower:

YumiYume
December 5th, 2013, 02:26 AM
this picture is what made my desision, yes I know it is computermade and I will never look like that but it looks so soft in colour, so beautifull blended together like I think natural coloration does. she have blonde hair and darker brows (even if they are not that dark) Ofcourse there is lot of inspiration pictures i the giving up dye thread to, but it is hard to tell when other colours are disturbing so before joining there I googled a lot first :P

http://cache.desktopnexus.com/thumbnails/735099-bigthumbnail.jpg

(http://cache.desktopnexus.com/thumbnails/735099-bigthumbnail.jpg)

KittyBird
December 5th, 2013, 03:19 AM
I had very dark brows and light blonde hair as a child, and people often thought the colour was fake. Even after I hit puberty and my hair darkened to blonette, many people still didn't believe that it was my real colour. I never let it bother me, I like the dark brows/light hair combo. I've seen it on many girls/women and it looks pretty. If you want to wear your natural hair colour, do it. You shouldn't care about what other people think about your appearance :flower:

joflakes
December 5th, 2013, 03:40 AM
Oh lovely, it sounds like you're doing some soul searching and aren't so happy at the moment with your hair. :grouphug:

You know what? I don't think you should care what anyone else thinks. If your current colour is your dream one, stick with it. I learned long ago not to listen to people! I have red hair and dark eyebrows that really, really don't match. I don't care and not once has anyone commented on them or called me fake or anything. Teenagers suck.

I hope you decide what to do soon. :blossom:

clioariane
December 5th, 2013, 04:20 AM
Do it! Rock your natural locks. Your hair/brow combination sounds beautiful :)

I spent most of my teens and early 20s dying my hair because I thought being a brunette was 'boring'. Growing it out was the best thing I ever did for my hair.

inanna
December 5th, 2013, 06:10 AM
There's no rule saying you have to love your natural colour. If you want to keep rocking the henna, for you, that's fine and doesn't mean you're being any less true to yourself. However, you shouldn't dye or not dye your hair to comply with the preferences of others. Not even us LHCers who are very good at talking people in and out of things. ;)

If you spend a bit of time looking around the boards you'll see that just about everyone has gone through "I wish my hair was more like someone else's and less like mine". The blondes sometimes want to be brunettes, the brunettes sometimes want to be redheads, curlies sometimes want to be straight and the straighties would sometimes love some curls. It doesn't help that as a kid, you can get teased by others for breathing.

Speaking as someone who has the opposite problem, ie. my eyebrows have always been pale enough to be non-existent to the casual observer, I sympathise with the constant dying and trying to match your hair with your brows. I've personally found going natural and not having to worry about roots, ever, to be totally awesome in the long run despite being difficult while growing out my natural colour. But I'm sure you'll get full support from LHC either way! :cheer:

browneyedsusan
December 5th, 2013, 06:37 AM
Making fun of your appearance sounds incredibly immature. If you are indeed young, let it ride because it will probably pass. (Still, I know a few people my age who are snarky about others, but they're catty and gossipy about everything. I think some people never learn social niceties and just don't grow out of it.) Seriously, who DOES that??? Teenagers, maybe?

You do what YOU like. The rest of the world can suck it. I henna my hair because I like it. Mom has never colored her hair, has always liked her natural color, and has even made a few back-handed remarks about my blazing red. Too bad. I like it red. Stinks to be her. :wigtongue:

I'd put a few comebacks in my arsenal, brace for verbal assault, and cut those Sassypantses off at the knees.
1) I look fake, but I have real feelings. How would you feel if I said something like that to you--(Pick one: their weight, choice of dress, car, education, lack of handiness, some other flaw...)
2) Thank you for those kind words. You know how to compliment a girl. --Continue with: "I'll bet you're super fun to live with!"
3) Meow!
4) Ouch.
5) I like your shoes. (big smile)
6) That's okay. They can talk about me if they want. I'm trying not to gossip anymore. Please let me know if I slip up.

I've got lots. I taught highschool.

If verbal fencing isn't your style, that's okay too. The important thing is to know that some people always find faults in others. It's just how they're wired. Stinks to be them. They must be unhappy inside. You, on the other hand, are FABULOUS! You have smoke and fire hair, and snow-white eyebrows! You've got it all! :cheer:

maborosi
December 5th, 2013, 07:07 AM
Thanks everybody for the really nice and supportive comments.

I am a very shy and self-conscious person by nature, so it's difficult for me when people decide to be mean-spirited for no reason.

~maborosi~

Salmonberry
December 5th, 2013, 11:29 AM
I say go for it. Your natural hair color sounds like mine. My eyebrows are also a little darker than my darkest head hair. I also got teased for being blonde in elementary/junior high. Then in high school most of the trendy, fashion forward girls started getting highlights and going blonde. Go figure. I say, it doesn't matter who thinks your hair is fake or not. It matters how you feel about it.

You could try gradually weaning off the henna. Maybe start adding cassia into your mix at higher and higher proportions each time you do your roots. If you're doing all henna now, maybe do 90/10 henna/cassia. Then 85/15, 80/20, 75/25 etc. until you're at all cassia. You'd probably get a cool looking ombre thing going on and it wouldn't drastically show your roots as you grow it out.

Bambi
December 6th, 2013, 09:28 AM
Your natural combo sounds lovely, I loooove dark eyebrows so my answer is probably biased;). Do whatever makes YOU love and appreciate YOURSELF most.

maborosi
December 11th, 2013, 08:12 PM
Thanks everyone. What I've decided to do is to just not henna for a month and see if my color starts to come in and see how I feel about it. If I don't like it, I can always henna over it, I figure!

~maborosi~

rainfortheend
December 11th, 2013, 09:09 PM
Two words. Cara Delevingne.

Gorgeous model rocking your natural color combination.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gSdimR6m-fA/URkzfjQNMII/AAAAAAAABDU/7rboRcYuWhE/s1600/alexa-chung-cara-delevingne-british-fashion-awards-winners-08.jpg

http://lamodellamafia.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/la-modella-mafia-Cara-Delevingne-x-Style.comPrint-SpringSummer-2013-photographed-by-Matt-Irwin-3.jpg

maborosi
December 11th, 2013, 09:32 PM
Wow, how pretty! She has the same really thick brows I have! :D

She's super pretty and it looks really good on her.

~maborosi~

Arete
December 11th, 2013, 09:46 PM
One of my friends has thick dark eyebrows and blonde hair. I think she looks great and I'm sure you will too!

UP Lisa
December 12th, 2013, 07:23 AM
My brows have always been darker than my hair. I only remember one person ever mentioning it, and that was my dentist. He asked if I dyed my brows. It didn't bother me, and it is not something I've ever worried about. There are other things about myself that have been much harder to accept.

browneyedsusan
December 12th, 2013, 01:17 PM
Rose Tyler from Dr. Who has dark brows and blonde hair and is adorable. link: http://zarbi.wikia.com/wiki/Rose_Tyler

Sofialu
January 27th, 2014, 04:27 AM
I've been thinking really, really hard lately about abandoning henna altogether and any other dyes and just going back to my natural color- maybe using cassia blends to warm my color up and give me strength and shine.

Here's the thing though- my hair is naturally blonde (level 7 on the roots going to 8 and higher) and my eyebrows are extremely, extremely dark (I'd say level 2). This gives me incredible anxiety because I used to get teased mercilessly about my super dark, thick brows and fine light hair. People said nasty, rude things about how my hair was "fake" and that I needed to "stop dyeing my eyebrows" or "lay off the bleach", etc. This was a decade ago, and when I was 12 was the last time I ever saw my natural hair color because I started trying for brown/black/etc. I see it on the roots from time to time, and it looks really pretty, but I'm just not sure I'm ready for that again.

I'm worried that everyone will call me fake again and make fun of my hair and brows like they used to.

However, I have one male coworker- the only other person I know who has this combination naturally (probably level 8 hair and level 2 brows). He's got blonde hair and mega-thick coarse eyebrows and super pasty skin like me and he looks awesome. Nobody ever says anything disparaging to him about his hair- they all compliment how cool it is. Whereas I got teased into dyeing mine, I feel a pang of jealousy whenever I see him because I'd love to rock my natural combo- in my dreams...

I have coppery red hair now and very light eyebrows. A lot of people think it's my natural color and suits me well.
I really like it, too, but I'd really also like to see my natural state again. Don't get me wrong, though, I love the red enough to really want to keep it. It's just difficult for me as a personal decision because I want to be "true" to myself, on one hand.

Does anyone here rock this combination? I'm seriously thinking about it. Looking at how much time I invest into root touch-ups because my hair grows so fast, how much insecurity I have over everything, it just makes me kinda sad. I'd be committing some kind of fashion faux pas just for letting my hair grow out naturally :( But I feel like I should enjoy the color I have naturally and just grow and not care what the world thinks.

~maborosi~

I don't have this combination personally, my eyebrows are a shade darker than my hair or at least they were when I was natural but look at Cara Delevingne, she has the thickest dark eyebrows against blonde hair and now everyone sees it as cool and wants that so I think times have changed for the better and you may get lotsa compliments this time round ;)