Hair color help

[Jeni]

Ok I need some opinions about my hair color. If you look at my sig you will see my old color on the left (a light blond), the picture on the right is my new color (please ignore the weird bun waves and odd frizz I have going on, its been a bad hair day). The new pic was taken in the bathroom so the lights do make it seem slightly more orange then it is, but not a lot (I don't think). If I remember I will get my mother to take a picture in the kitchen like the other one.

Background- I love red hair, I want it but so far am too scared to do full henna. I do monthly cassia treatments so I have started adding ~1 tbl of henna to 1 cup of cassia (baby steps). I didnt let the henna sit, just threw it in, mixed and let sit on my head for 3-4 hours.

After 2 of these cassia with very little henna treatments I see definite color change, I just don't know if I like it.

So here is what I need of you helpful ladies (and gents):

(A) What color is my hair? My friend says its the color of honey :). My lovable cousin (age 4) says I have orange hair :(. Is it orange, like pumpkin/bozo orange?

(B) What do y'all think of the color? Should I go more red, more brown, leave it alone?

I pretty much need to know if I'm walking around with clown hair or if I am just being paranoid.

Thanks in advance.

*I should add that the blond on the left is not natural, its dye and I am no longer using chemical dyes (stopped in March) so staying/going back to that color is not an option. I kept the pic on the left so I could see how much red (orange, eek!) a little henna has added.*

[Aronomy]

I would go for a deeper red. (If you want to go down the henna path) or try and change it back to the lighter blonde. I'm more of a fan of cooler colors though, for blonde. If you like the color that's all that matters, and I wouldn't classify that in the clown category.

[Honey39]

Both colours are lovely, you have very pretty hair! That said, I will say I have a slight preference for the blonder colour on the left, which is just so gorgeous! The redder colour is lovely too, so it's a win/win situation. But personally, I prefer the blonder colour - is it natural? If it is, then that would be the deciding factor for me; you have stunning hair that grows that way naturally, would definitely leave it alone! Lol, but I like both, so do whichever one YOU like the best. Also, it depends I guess on skin tone and eye colour as well, which I can't tell here.

Enjoy your hair!

[Jeni]

Honey 39- Thanks! No that color is not natural (I wish it was). That color is straight out of a L'Oreal bottle. My natural color is more dark, tends towards warm, dishwater blond (I hate it). I stopped using chemical dyes in March.

My skin tone is warm, pale right now but I can tan and my eyes are green. Of the people I asked none thought either color was bad with my skin tone though I need to do my eyebrows, they are distinctly med ash brown (clashed with my dyed and natural color...)

Aronomy- I am actually a fan of cool blond tones too, if I was still dyeing my hair I would have left the color alone. I may try and go slightly more red, maybe going it a little at a time, give my family time to adjust. I've been a light blond (both naturally as a child and from a bottle) for 26 years and my family hates change.

I think what I want is strawberry blond, just not sure how to get it.

[melikai]

Hi Jeni

I'm not sure if it is just the lighting in the second picture, but it looks like it is too much of a rust colour - unless that is what you're going for. I don't use henna, so I'm sure one of the other henna heads can help more so than myself, but I think I would use more henna in your mix and/or less cassia.

If you're trying to decide between the two colours, I prefer the blonde. Of course since you have green eyes you can probably carry off red maybe even better than that shade of blonde, since it is a cooler toned one.

[brok3nwings]

Jeni i must say, i do think that the blonde was blah. in my opinion the blonde made your hair look thinner, with no vibrance, no presence, regular bleached light hair. Having this said i think your henna colour is lovely, i like most of the henna colours! If its healthy red colours look great, i hate when people use chemicals and have that terrible frizzy look. That is not your situation dear, you have lovely red hair right now. I just think that it can be a hard colour to go with your skin, if you are really pale that colour should be great!
If you want to change it i would keep very little henna, a lot of cassia and also a bit bit of indigo that would take the orange thing.
One of my favourites hair colour is strawberry blonde and you seam to be near it ;)

[annarose]

Jeni, I lean towards the ash/cool coloring too but since hennaing I love the color against my skin! I thought it might look weird since I'm pretty tanned and blue-eyed but it doesn't at all.

I don't regret the henna one bit and even if I did...hey I tried it, liked/disliked it and grew on!

My brows are med ash brown too and after I hennaed I put some orangy-red lip liner on them and they looked fabulous with my hair then! I was scared to do them but after that...I'm going to henna them today.

The blond on you looks great, but I'm partial to blond too, it's just so darn hard to have nice long hair with it, I break off in chunks with bleaching :sad. A deeper red would look nice on you too. I say go for it, if it's too much, add a darkening agent to it, indigo, buxus and play with colors.

I'll bet you'd look great in alot of colors you'd never thought of :wink:

PS. I just changed my siggy to a recent henna pic (please excuse the gummy smile) but my brows are colored in this one too.

[Manako]

I would continue the henna, figure out what color you would prefer, and see if it is possible with your hair. Have you looked at hennaforhair.com? There is a section where they have color swatches with the recipes they used

http://www.hennaforhair.com/mixes/

Easy strawberry might be exactly what you are looking for, and the before shot shows the woman had a mousy shade of brown-blonde. I don't know what I would do without henna, I think my natural color is part of why I cut it off when I was younger.

[Islandgrrl]

I like the henna color, personally. It's pretty! If you're not sure you want to go darker, then stick with the cassia with only a little henna added.

FWIW, I use a 75%/25% cassia/henna mix on my grey, and it blends perfectly with the rest of my hair - color in my sig pic is natural.

[Xandergrammy]

Jeni, I agree with brok3wings- I'd call that color "strawberry blonde" and it looks lovely.

[Curlsgirl]

I like the blonde but I am also partial to blond colors. If I were to keep the henna I would go a bit darker too, maybe add some indigo? I know nothing about it. BUT I like both pictures!

[Sherri]

Honey 39- Thanks! No that color is not natural (I wish it was). That color is straight out of a L'Oreal bottle. My natural color is more dark, tends towards warm, dishwater blond (I hate it). I stopped using chemical dyes in March.

My skin tone is warm, pale right now but I can tan and my eyes are green. Of the people I asked none thought either color was bad with my skin tone though I need to do my eyebrows, they are distinctly med ash brown (clashed with my dyed and natural color...)

Aronomy- I am actually a fan of cool blond tones too, if I was still dyeing my hair I would have left the color alone. I may try and go slightly more red, maybe going it a little at a time, give my family time to adjust. I've been a light blond (both naturally as a child and from a bottle) for 26 years and my family hates change.

I think what I want is strawberry blond, just not sure how to get it.

Which L'oreal bottle did you get that color from? I feel as if I am close to the color of your orange and would like to be a little lighter blonde. i love the color in the first pic and would like to know exactly what color that is? My color in my sig is suppose to be Dark Blonde???

[Jeni]

Thanks everyone for the opinions!

I do really like the light ash blond but since I have decided to stop with the chemical dyes that is out of the question :(

Manako- I actually really like the "easy strawberry blond" I just don't understand how she went strawberry and not red, she just used henna. I did a strand test with just henna and it went RED. Maybe it's because she only left it on for 3 hours?

Islandgrrl- I love your hair color! I may try 75%/25% mix on some shed hairs. I did a 50/50 test and it was too "Lucy" orange (even after oxidation).

brok3nwings- I think my hair looks thicker in my new picture, whether that is because of the color or being better treated I haven't a clue. While I really liked the ash blond it was kind of boring, lots of girls had that hair color. I wanted something different!

I think I may get some buxus samples and see what happens if I add it to the mix. Oh and my mother looked at the picture and says it looks more orange then it really is so now I don't know what to think. I think I'm becoming paranoid...

[Jeni]

Sherri- I'm running off to class but when I get back I will see if I can remember what I used.

[Sherri]

Ok don't forget me when you get back. I usually don't use an ash color as they seem drab to me. But after looking at some color guides they say I am a cool tone and ash colors would be best for me. If I use golden they really pull the red out in my hair. If yours is an light ash blonde it might be what I am looking for. I don't want to go to many shades lighter as can spell for disaster! I am just tired of this red coming out in my hair so bad. Looking for more...like your first pic

[Jeni]

Sherri-Ok after looking at the L'Oreal site I think I know what the last color I used was*- Superior Preference Dream Blond in 9A Pure Orchid. This may be too light for you though (not sure how light you want), the 8A Sparkling lotus and the 7A Lilly Blossom are both pretty (and have nice names) and are ash colors which would fight the red you don't like. I really like the L'Oreal hair color and have had the most success with them. If you don't like any of the Dream Blond colors I would recommend the L'Oreal Excellence Creme, the tip pretreater helped my ends stay nice. I used 9.5A Lightest ash blond, 9A light ash blond and 8.5A Champagne Blond.

* I have been dying my hair for ~12 years, all different colors and even later when I stuck to ash blond I bounced between shades. I also never just did my roots, always the whole head, I'm lucky my hair didnt fall out with the amount of dyeing! So the color in the left picture may very well be different then if I had been using that shade for years. Just wanted to let you know. Oh and I had done 2 cassia treatments when that was taken which gave it better shine and added very light golden tones.

Good luck. I like your hair color in your sig though I wouldn't call it dark blond, it looks brown to me. I understand fighting the red, I did for years, funny now I want the red...

[Blueglass]

Jeni if you want a tawnier color you can use http://morrocco method in Marigold and a little Light Brown. It, would I image be closer to your natural color. I do not favor the use of indigo. If you ever wanted to lighten it, you will have green hair.

[Jeni]

Alright I got my mother to take a picture of my hair in the kitchen, it is way less orange then the picture in my sig. I can't post a picture here but I will put one in my album.

Of course I was starting to like the orange-y color...Now I think the color looks kind of boring. I think I will try more henna, or maybe just let the henna sit for dye release. Would that give me more red or would it make it more orange?

My mom says I should leave it alone but what fun would that be?

[Cinnamon.locks]

Jeni, i love the orange color. it's not weird orange, it is kind of a coppery blond color (to my eyes.) I have a darker shade than yours but in the summer my hair reaches the nice, coppery blond color you have right now. I'm a natural redhead, but the color is more cinnamon red than coppery blond, and i henna about six times a year to get the color richer and more vibrant.

Now it all depends on you, do you want to go a darker red? or more brownish than red? perhaps you could add 2 tbsp. of henna the next you use the Cassia and see if you like the color ? as i said it depends on you, what you want and like.


I actually love your hair color right now, but that is just me.
of course i would love to have Nightshade's red color, it's beautiful and brilliant. if you wish to go that red, such a blood red color (which i also adore.) i'd suggest you ask Nightshade for her recipe and try it. but if you want a more brown color instead of red, just visit Hennaforhair.com
there is a mixes section that tells you exactly what to do and how to mix to obtain the exact color you desire.


Hope to see more pics of your hair, have fun, henna can always be grown out or stripped, so just enjoy.

[*BelievingAgain]

Hi Jeni!

First up, I think both colours are great in their own way. I can understand how apprehensive you may be going for a warmer/darker henna-ish colour, but why not give it a try?
I think the colour you have now, but a little warmer & richer, would look even better.

I hope you can get past the family thing, you must do what feels right in your heart, not anyone else's. If you love it, then so should your family. I love the owl in your profile BTW, everytime there's a post from you, I sit and stare at that picture for so long. It's so cute!

Hope you can come to a happy and comfortable decision on your hair. It's already enviously beautiful, so enjoy it, no matter what you decide! :flower:

[Jeni]

Cinnamon.Locks- I actually have started to really like the orange color too, I was just worried it was too pumpkin. Now I am kind of sad my hair doesn't look that color (outside of the bathroom). Your hair color is really pretty btw. I think I want to stay light, I have never liked myself with dark hair, it just doesn't match my personality (if that makes any sense). I'm thinking strawberry blond, I'm just worried about going past copper penny into bozo.

*BelievingAgain-You are right about my family. It isn't my parents that is the issue, it's my grandmother and aunts, they have their opinions and feel the need to share them, freely. I'm just being a weeny really, I just know if the red is unflattering I will be informed, through constant comments (mostly back handed ones).

The owl was a rehab animal we had for a few weeks a couple months ago (he flew into a car grill during mating season). I named him Tigger.

I think I may try slightly more henna and maybe I will let the henna sit for dye release, would that give me more red or less orange?

[melikai]

Jeni -

Just took a look at your album photo and the colour looks MUCH nicer than I thought it looked in the sig picture! It's really really pretty.
If you decide to change it and make it more intense, I'm sure it will look great, but I wanted to let you know that as-is it looks very lovely.

[Sherri]

So sad :( I tried the L'Oreal shade finder and it says those shades are out of my range (9A). I guess that is just to big a leap for me.

[Jeni]

melikai- Thanks! I think I am going to go for more red, push it more to a strawberry blond but I'm happy to know it looks pretty now.

Sherri- huh even the darker ash blond (the Lilly blossom 7A)? I admit to never actually paying attention to the shade finders, I forgot they don't recommend you go more then 2(?) shades lighter or darker (I have done from a dark plum to blond).

What is your shade number?

[Sherri]

melikai- Thanks! I think I am going to go for more red, push it more to a strawberry blond but I'm happy to know it looks pretty now.

Sherri- huh even the darker ash blond (the Lilly blossom 7A)? I admit to never actually paying attention to the shade finders, I forgot they don't recommend you go more then 2(?) shades lighter or darker (I have done from a dark plum to blond).

What is your shade number?

Jeni I am almost sure I have been using (6) I believe it is in warm tone though. It blocks out all of 7 except the top natural one and all of 8 & 9. Will let me use 10 which is platium though.

[brok3nwings]

Sherri im sorry to ask but why do you want to change your hair colour? It is simply lovely!! Blonde is so hard to mantain... have you considered going just one level lighter but keeping those wonderful warm tones?

Jeni your colour is wonderful! It is very simillar to strawberry blonde, i think that if thats the colour you want you have to use a lot of cassia too, not just henna otherwise you end up with red hair. I think that when your hair has enought build up it will have a stunning colour and your family will just stare at you eheh ;)

[Sherri]

brok3nwings Thanks for the complement:) The color I have is hard for me to maintain. Have to color roots every 4-6 weeks. My natural color is a mousy brown/blonde. I try to stay close to my natural color so it's not so obvious when it grows out. I am starting to gray a little to and am not yet ready for that.

[brok3nwings]

Sherri hmm...so what your telling is that you want a colour that goes easy with your grays is it? Well i think you shouldnt go too light then...more for a medium blonde

[Jeni]

brok3nwings- thank you! I definitely plan on using more cassia then henna. I have done a 100% henna test on some shed hair, pretty color but just not me.

Sherri- Huh wonder why as a 6 you cant go to a 7A but then as I said, I never paid attention to what they recommended so I'm not sure how it's "suppose" to work. You said you could use the "natural" 7? Do you not like that color, not ash enough? The color you have now is very pretty.

[Sherri]

Just got back from Wallie World and looked at the Dream Blonde shades and the 7A Dark Blonde is very pretty should work fine for me. I was using Nice n' Easy Dark blonde. Also seen the one you recommened I beleive was 8A Medium blonde and thought that one might be better. Will have to wait as they are pricey. Almost double what I pay for the other. I am scared I might need 2 bottles? With the other I just used 1 though.

[Jeni]

Glad you found some shades you think will work. I haven't the foggiest idea if you need 2 bottles or not, you have a lot more hair then I do. If you used only 1 bottle of N&E you may be ok with just 1 bottle of this stuff. If it were me I would get 2 boxes, it would really suck to run out in mid-dye. If you don't use the second bottle then you can use it next time you dye.

[Sherri]

I know that would be so sad, right. To run out in the middle and have half your hair done. Although I could come up with a creation(Ha Ha). That is what I did last time. Bought 2 and ended up saving one for a root touch up. i never dye my whole head unless doing a new shade.

[brok3nwings]

Sherri im glad you found what you were looking. Dont forget then to show us your new colour!! I think you did the right thing by looking for the ash and not the natural...with all the red you have in your hair the natural would make a very fake and full of brassiness kind of blonde. Good luck!
If i were you i would make a strand test first... ;)

[Sherri]

I won't do a strand test. I have been coloring my hair so long that as long as I stay close to my shade I am OK. I will post pic's though. I wonder if it makes a difference paying for the more expensive dye than the cheaper stuff? I wonder if you get better color outcome?

[brok3nwings]

Sherri i wouldnt go for the price but for what other people have to say about it! I personally care too much about my hair so i would consider very well what kind of stuff i would putt on my hair...when i did some highlights at home i used the "wella" from the professional stores and the colour was great. So i dont think you should say no to what have been adviced to you just because it is a bit more pricey. It will come more expensive if its not a quality stuff

[Sherri]

Yes, I guess I had the mentallity that hair color...is hair color. I probably need to get reviews on some products first. When hair was sorter I didn't worry as much.

[Jeni]

I have always used a well known name brand hair color (feria, l'oreal, etc). I wouldn't necessarily say the Dream Blond is any better then some of the other brands. I just picked it because I'm a sucker for new products. If you find the same color in another brand that is cheaper you could go for that (the Dream Blond comes with shampoo...not worth the extra money). Stick to name brands though.

I never read the reviews, just saw it the store and bought it, but I'm pretty adventurist with chemical dyes.

[CopperHead]

I think your hair color is beautiful! One thing about henna is, everyone gets their own unique color, depending on the starting color and mix they use. I have never seen two colors exactly the same. :)

[manderly]

Ok, I'm going to be the one voice of dissention. I'm sorry, I agree with your cousin. That is bozo-clown orange.

I would use a little more henna to bring that to a redder tone. I am not a fan, and I'm sorry to be the one nasty voice in the room, but I'm being honest.

[Jeni]

manderly- Hee, can't be mad for honesty! Since starting this thread I had my mother take a picture of my hair in the kitchen, it is not orange at all, there is a slight reddish hew to it but nothing like the bathroom lights made it. I cant post a picture i this thread (not talented enough) so I put it in my album.

I have decided to go more red and am currently sitting here with a mud of cassia and henna. Hopefully I will get more red but not go bozo colored. The thing I like about the bathroom picture is the color is bright but yea it is very close to bozo the clown. Again, I appreciate your honesty.

CopperHead- thank you. Yea that is one reason I like henna, no one really looks the same. I also think most of the time the color people get is more natural looking then the red from box dyes, but that is just my opinion.

I think I'm going to change my sig picture and add the kitchen pic of my hair, show the difference that light can do.

[Blueglass]

I favor the dark blonde on the right. I think that's the best one, really, the easiest to live with.

[manderly]

Jeni, now that you've posted the 3rd photo I can say that I like that color.

Henna is hard if you photograph it wrong (I used to freak at the bozo orange I'd see in my self-photos).

Seeing the new kitchen image has won me over. It's not bozo clown, and I can officially call that strawberry blonde.

I hope you get the color you want out of your new mix.

[Sherri]

Jeni I think your haircolor is very pretty. Post another pic when you get your mudd off. I would love to try Henna but am not brave enough.

[Steph0087]

my favorite one is the picture on the far right - what a pretty color!

[Jeni]

Thanks y'all! I do like the picture on the right, it's just not...enough, if that makes any sense. I want a color I don't see on 1/2 the people at my school (like the blond on the left). Hopefully the mix I have on my head right now will give me more red but not send me over to orange. Though I may be equally upset if I don't see any difference.

I'll try to take a picture of my hair in the next few days. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

[Sherri]

My fingers are crossed. I dyed mine today with colorsilk (cheapie brand) Med Ash Blonde. I can tell it lightened a little but hair is still wet. Does anyone know if I can oil (jojoba) right after a color?

[krash1980]

You hair color looks like a light amber, I think you should dye it medium blonde.

[Katze]

It looks strawberry blonde in most of the pics.

While I am personally a fan of natural (the color nature intended to match skin and eye color...) I also bleached my hair for 15+ years or so, as I was always bored with "blah" dark blonde. If you are considering going natural, look for some threads on "hair colored" or "tawny" hair - just a few names we came up with.

Henna can be really beautiful, and it does deepen the more you use it. It is a commitment, though, so you should probably do a strand test (or several strand tests on the same strand) to see what it will do on your hair. Personally I only had disasters with henna, but I have such a red complexion that even green eyes weren't enough to balance it out.

www.renaissancehenna.com is an "alternative" supplier who has before and after pics of different natural hair colors, and she is a very nice person, too.

Nightshade, a member here, has done a LOT of research on natural hair dyes - check out her articles, posts, and blog...

Back to the color. It's not bad, but it is kind of pale. Without seeing your face it is of course hard to tell if it suits you, but it is good that you are being cautious!

hope you find what works!

Katze

[BlackfootHair]

With henna, many factors can determine the color results...age, time left on, terps...

Once I put henna on my hair and since it was turning my latex gloves orange, I immediately rinsed it out of my hair...I was a pumpkin head! Looking back, that was probably some really great dye release and would have turned out awesome had I left it on for 3-4 hours. But it wasn't what I was looking for, so I didn't like it. So I can understand your slight timidness with henna.

With whatever mix you go with, at least you'll be strengthening your hair! :D

ETA: What I like about henna over box reds is that it does look more natural. With box color you have chemicals that alter the natural hair color and deposit new tones. With henna, it leaves your natural tones alone and just deposits the Lawsone color. So, you have a color change, but it's a transparent one over your natural color! :D