Help! Mystery Hair Color

[Mehry]

Guys, I'm having an identity crisis.

Does anyone else out there have trouble identifying their hair color? I've always considered myself (I confess with some resignation) a pretty solid dark ashy blonde. But when I had my hubby take some nice from-the-back pix upon joining LHC, somehow I wasn't seeing so much ashiness anymore - there's even some reddish sheen in sunlight. My little girl's hair is about the same color and just as baffling - in indoor light it seems pretty ashy with some gold highlights, but in overcast light there's a very definite auburn happening in their somewhere.

The lighting here is natural afternoon light through filmy curtains ... if that makes a difference to you ...

https://mehrysmusing.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/abbybeanhairsm1.jpg

Help! What color is our hair?

[lapushka]

I think that's a light to medium golden blonde, like a honey blonde; very pretty.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

I would say a dark blonde with a little red thrown in there? Very beautiful, in any case:)

[meteor]

Drop-dead gorgeous! :thud:

Maybe it's light-brown/blonette or "tawny" ? Maybe around level 7 ?

Whatever it is it's stunning! :D

[Ingrid]

It looks like a light brown, tan colour to me. Beautiful!

[MsVenus]

I personally would call it a lightest chestnut brown base with some subtlest golden honey highlights. But it looks to be level 7 neutral overall imo which is called dark neutral blonde. You both have very lovely hair.

[spidermom]

Pretty! I go along with honey blonde.

[Nedertane]

My money is on light brown, but I'm not sure whether to say golden or auburn!

Augh, there's another user with almost the EXACT same color, but I can't recall her username. If she pops up, I guess she can tell you haha.

[wilderwein]

Hmm I think all the above suggestions are kinda right, BUT one picture in one lighting it cant show the real color. You should take some more pictures in different lightings and ask us again

[Mehry]

Sweet! Thanks ladies, this is helping. But just for accuracy's sake (this is been driving me ridiculously crazy), here's a couple more.

https://mehrysmusing.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/p1540832sm.jpg

https://mehrysmusing.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/hairpic1.jpg

https://mehrysmusing.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/hairpic4.jpg

Thanks!

Anyone else have this problem, or are most of you pretty settled about your hair identity?

[lapushka]

See, I'd call that a medium to dark golden/honey blonde.

[wilderwein]

I tend to agree with lapushka

[meteor]

Augh, there's another user with almost the EXACT same color, but I can't recall her username. If she pops up, I guess she can tell you haha.

Any chance you are thinking of Phalaenopsis? Very similar gorgeous texture, too. ;) You can see her siggy (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/image.php?u=11010&type=sigpic&dateline=1340488347)in OP here: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=91938



Anyone else have this problem, or are most of you pretty settled about your hair identity?

I have similar hair color naturally and yeah, I have hair color identity issues... But I just try to ignore them and I never correct people when people call my hair blonde or brunette or chestnut or whatever, because I don't know myself... After a certain length this chameleon hair color looks blonde on ends anyway and the roots are always darker, and it always looks different in different lights - it's just a chameleon/blonette kind of thing. :D
You might enjoy the Blonette Pride thread: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=80416

[Bindi]

I would say a mix between honey and auburn. The pic of you and your daughter is so cute! :)

[Nedertane]

Any chance you are thinking of Phalaenopsis? Very similar gorgeous texture, too. ;) You can see her siggy (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/image.php?u=11010&type=sigpic&dateline=1340488347)

That's her, thank you! Does she call her own hair light brown?

Also @Mehry, yes, I had hair identity issues for years up until recently lol. I started just straight up calling my hair blonde after a string of incidences over a couple weeks in my junior or senior year of college. For whatever reason, during that time, a bunch of people who had either just met me, or otherwise didn't know me would describe me as a"young blonde girl " haha. So, I figured "okay, that's how most people automatically perceive it, so that's how I'll call it". For what it's worth, my hair hovers around level 7 (some parts are darker, some lighter), which is generally accepted as medium to dark blonde.

[Crystawni]

Tawny, mayhaps? My mum described hers and my hair, (which morphed to a lighter, blonder version in my eldest daughter) as tawny, like a lion's mane. It's also a level 7, but has just about every colour in it. :)

[Five of Five]

Looks like a beautiful, shiny dark blonde to me, too :crush:

I have a similar colour in the underlayers of my hair!

[BrendaLoan]

I have no idea, but I'm leaving this here --> :thudpile: your hair is stunning!

[AmberLouise]

I would say light to medium reddish brown, personally I don't think it looks blonde at all.

[endlessly]

In the first picture, I'd definitely say that it's more of a honey blonde, maybe a very, very light golden brown. But, in the second picture, it definitely has more red notes in it, so it's tough to tell.

I also have had plenty of hair identity issues, so I understand what you're going through! I always thought my hair was reddish brown, but it turns out that it's actually more of an ash brown - I suppose it doesn't help that I've colored it off and on for 10 years, so there's no telling what the true color is anymore!

[Avis]

I'm constantly having hair color issues. I've always thought my hair is black. But every once in a while I'll sit and look at it and think "wait, is this black, or really really dark brown?"

It happens. I just try to constantly remind myself that yes, it is black. Pictures help since it's black in all different kinds of lighting (except sunset which makes it looks dark reddish brown, but my skin also looks orange which I know it's not).

You and your daughter have a beautiful hair color.

[spidermom]

One way to differentiate between blonde and brunette in an ADULT is the color of your eyes. If they're brown, go with brunette. If they're blue, gray, or green, go with dark blonde.

When I was younger, it was really difficult to tell whether my hair was light golden brown or dark golden blonde. In some lights, it looked the same color as milk chocolate. Now it's most definitely a silvery golden blonde - one advantage of age.

[Mehry]

Wow, thanks, ladies! I'm super liking the sound of "light chestnut" and "tawny" and so forth. I think I'm going with honey/tawny for my daughter - hers is a shade lighter, actually, and has more blonde blonde around the face. For me, people I've asked in person generally say light brown, and I've gotten chestnut once or twice, so I'll rest my case there.

And I'm way flattered someone brought up Phalaenopsis in comparison ... her hair is sooo pretty! I've gotten so sick of my color issues I was seriously considering henna or something ... not so sure, now. :)

[MINAKO]

Amazing hair, i love the silkyness! Looks like a straight up level 7 golden blonde to me, i am also considering that the camera often pics up more red then we would actually see in reality, but definitely the hue will still be too warm to look ashy. Whatever, i think your hair would look fantastic with any shade if it matches a description or not. :)

ETA: i love this parti ular chart to identify shades. Some others can be confusing with fashionable names and not properly grouping the lightness and variations of hue.
http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/sleekhair/PM-Color-Swatch.jpg

[wilderwein]

Oh also dont forget your eyebrows color!

[Rosetta]

See, I'd call that a medium to dark golden/honey blonde.
Me too! Really lovely colour.


One way to differentiate between blonde and brunette in an ADULT is the color of your eyes. If they're brown, go with brunette. If they're blue, gray, or green, go with dark blonde.

Hmm, not sure how the colour of eyes would affect one's hair colour? Both are what they are, separately from each other. ;)

[Nique1202]

I feel the pain of "how the heck do I describe this colour" in spades. My hair mostly looks like a rich dark brown indoors and in the shade, but when direct light hits it every strand turns bright brown-gold. In the sunshine sometimes it looks not much darker than yours except in the shadowed bits between my waves, and a hairdresser even described my hair as light brown once after only seeing it under very bright lighting.

I've settled for dark golden brown as a description, but I'm still not totally happy with it. Even my "white" hairs don't look white, they're more like extremely thick-coarse pale gold hairs. Eventually they'll take over and I'll probably just go blonde in my old age. :laugh:

[gwenalyn]

I agree with others, your hair looks very golden to me and not at all ashy.

[summergreen]

That is an absolutely stunning colour! Beautiful! I agree with dark honey/golden/caramel blonde :)

[Shibe]

I'm not good with colors, but I see a hint of red- perhaps what the poster above me said- a nice caramel blonde. I imagine in the direct sunlight it has a lovely golden sheen!

[jenrjen]

I'm no help with the hair color, but I just wanted to say that the length shot with your daughter is ADORABLE!!
Cutest thing I've seen all day. I'm going to have to get my kiddo to do one with me this weekend!

[Crystawni]

Wow, thanks, ladies! I'm super liking the sound of "light chestnut" and "tawny" and so forth. I think I'm going with honey/tawny for my daughter - hers is a shade lighter, actually, and has more blonde blonde around the face. For me, people I've asked in person generally say light brown, and I've gotten chestnut once or twice, so I'll rest my case there.

And I'm way flattered someone brought up Phalaenopsis in comparison ... her hair is sooo pretty! I've gotten so sick of my color issues I was seriously considering henna or something ... not so sure, now. :)

There's a Tawny Support Group thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=6685) if you're interested, too. :)

[Mehry]

http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/sleekhair/PM-Color-Swatch.jpg[/QUOTE]

Minako - This chart is perfect! Defintely either 7G or 6G. Problem solved. Y'all are fantastic. :)

[DreamSheep]

I'd go with light chestnut brown over blonde actually (even though I sort of consider my natural colour blonde when now a lot of it has darkened) :)
Your colour is to die for!

[JellyBene]

Looks like a level 7 neutral tone to me ;) neutral hair tones can appear ashy in some lights, warm in others.

[Vanilla]

Your hair is very similar in shade as mine, though yours has more reddish tones to it. I'd say you are a dark strawberry blonde.

[Mehry]

I'm no help with the hair color, but I just wanted to say that the length shot with your daughter is ADORABLE!!
Cutest thing I've seen all day. I'm going to have to get my kiddo to do one with me this weekend!

I'd really love to see a thread for mommy/daughter LH's or couple LH's or something roughly involving intra-familial LH's. Maybe we should start one! :)

[Lunearia]

Looks very soft! Really pretty!

[ghost]

Your hair looks blonde to me, like a level 6 (dark) or 7 (medium) golden blonde.

[Johannah]

I'd say medium/dark honey blonde.

[mcgg417]

Medium to dark reddish-golden blonde is what you are :o

[iYaap]

Both of your shine are blonde but the rest seems brownish to me, strange. Anyway, this is the cutest picture I've ever seen!

[dansyl]

it looks golden brown to me but also has a tint of red

[RavenRose]

:thud: stunning! I would say it is neutral, I can see hints of coolness, along with the warm tones...

That chart is very helpful!

[Christine_O]

That's the color I had in my 20's and 30's. It had darkened from white blonde. I continued to identify as blonde until it got even darker. So it's light to medium brown now.

Whatever it is, it's amazingly beautiful.