What distinguishes a "real" blonde from a "fake blonde?"

[Blondieee]

Hey everyone! So I am getting ready to go back blonde and I want it to look natural. And I'm just wondering…what distinguishes a "real" blonde from a "fake" blonde? Obviously if the girl has really dark roots, it's obvious. But it looks nicer if it looks natural.

I found some pictures I want to take to my hair stylist to show him what I'm looking for. So I'm looking for your opinion.
For each picture, could you tell me if you think it's 1) natural blonde hair or 2) color treated blonde hair
And if you could tell me does it look 1) natural or 2) fake

This will help me decide what pictures to show him and how exactly I want my hair to look. Thanks so much!

Picture 1
http://i57.tinypic.com/2lcrxon.jpg

Picture 2
http://i62.tinypic.com/300wklg.jpg

Picture 3
http://i59.tinypic.com/ermtlz.jpg

Picture 4
http://i60.tinypic.com/n4i1lj.jpg

[ghost]

Picture 1 and 4 look like natural blonde hair, two and three look like dyed blonde hair (you can see roots), but still in the natural color spectrum, if that makes sense. I think when a lot of people think of "bottle" or "fake" blonde, they mean a bleach and tone that's lighter than a natural level 10 (lightest natural blonde)...white-blonde, pretty much. Asking your stylist to keep your shade of blonde in between a level 7 (medium) to 10 will keep it more in the natural spectrum, and so will using shades that work with your own coloring: warm blonde if you have warm coloring, ash if you have cool :)

[Gamma Vector]

What ghost said.

Also, another giveaway is flat color. Ask your stylist to put in some VERY VERY SUBTLE highlights and lowlights. And I mean SUBTLE. You should barely be able to tell they're there, even when looking for them. Just enough to keep it from looking all one color, you know? Because nobody's natural hair is all one color. Sun happens, and even the lightest of blonds gets lighter where the sun hits.

[wilderwein]

What ghost said.

Also, another giveaway is flat color. Ask your stylist to put in some VERY VERY SUBTLE highlights and lowlights. And I mean SUBTLE. You should barely be able to tell they're there, even when looking for them. Just enough to keep it from looking all one color, you know? Because nobody's natural hair is all one color. Sun happens, and even the lightest of blonds gets lighter where the sun hits.

A millon time this! Also the hair underneath for example if you go for a level 8 blonde, it will be a 7. So around your face you should have lighter blonde highlights, rest hair on the top layer the blonde color you want, and underneath definetly a darker blonde than the blonde on the top. I agree with ghost that 1 and 4 seems natural

[Johannah]

What ghost said.

Also, another giveaway is flat color. Ask your stylist to put in some VERY VERY SUBTLE highlights and lowlights. And I mean SUBTLE. You should barely be able to tell they're there, even when looking for them. Just enough to keep it from looking all one color, you know? Because nobody's natural hair is all one color. Sun happens, and even the lightest of blonds gets lighter where the sun hits.

This, AND take a look at your skin undertone. If your skin undertone is cool, golden blonde can look fake and if your skin undertone is warm, ashy blonde can look fake (not necessarily, but in general).

[Tristania]

This is probably way too obvious, but make sure your eyebrows match. I would also say that brassiness is a pretty good indication of bottle blonde.

[lapushka]

Easy. The difference between a real blonde and a "fake" blonde is the health of the hair. The darker you are, the more bleach you're going to have to undergo - which is not good, especially not if you want to grow long. Not that it can't be done, but it'll be more challenging. I also agree pictures 1 & 4 look most natural. But you can never hide roots, certainly not with darker hair.

[meteor]

I could be completely wrong, but to be honest, all 4 pictures look to me color-treated/enhanced (via foil highlights/handpainted balayage), can't put a finger on why, maybe because of the location of lightness areas? :hmm:

The only big difference between pictures 1 & 4 (more "natural" looking than the rest) is that their natural base appears to be blonde, and the base of # 2 & 3 is more brown or "blonette". So 1 & 4 have the base color much closer to highlights/balayage added to them. Also, pictures 2 & 3 look like there were lots of highlights/foils used (in high contrast to natural base) and picture 2 had finer, densely-placed highlights (closer to dense "baby-lights" technique, but too contrasting in color) and picture 3 had much chunkier and more sparse highlights. Picture 4 looks to me like more of an ombre, maybe hand-painted technique?
Anyway, that's probably how I would approach it if I were to try and get the same results from the same base. :)

The real way I can tell if blonde is natural is *brightness*. Natural blonde (on adults) is almost never as bright as blonde with artificial highlights or sun damage or something else added to "enhance" it. Natural blonde tends to be easily muted and, in many lights, looks blonette rather than "real" blonde.

On your general point, I actually think that unnatural color can sometimes end up looking even more "natural" than what even nature gave us... a lot depends on taste and skill of colorist, as well. ;)
And of course, beauty's in the eye of the beholder! ;)

[lilin]

I agree, pics 1 and 4 look the most natural to me. :)

[hannabiss]

I like the way #4 look to me it looks the most natural

[maborosi]

The first thing that gives it away is the condition of the hair for me.
I have not seen many bottle blondes who are able to keep their hair in really good shape. The more you have to lift, the more damage you'll deal with.
My mom and my sister mitigated the damage and were able to grow pretty long, but they're already natural blondes, they just go for a different shade.

In b4 someone mentions eyebrows- most people's eyebrows don't match the hair on their head, or body, or whatever. Most natural blondes that I know have brown or very dark brown brows. I have actually not met too many natural blondes with light eyebrows.

[kidari]

Only 1 looks natural to me but 4 looks like the best color job. I think 3 is a giveaway when the underneath section is so much darker, it looks like they did a partial highlight and left their natural color on the underneath sections of hair or dyed that part with one solid block of color. Naturally blonde hair may be darker towards the back of the head than in the front around the hairline but it usually lightens on the ends with wear and tear over time. People who are naturally blonde tend to get the best results when they go blonde with the help of lighteners and dyes because their hair lifts easier and only needs a tiny nudge, plus the roots blend better. I think if you are a natural blonde but don't feel like your natural hair is blonde enough it can easily be done and can look natural and healthy. However, if you are medium brown and darker, it's going to be very high maintenance and much more difficult to achieve a natural result.

[RavenRose]

I would agree that eyebrows are generally a shade or two darker. Although I am actually an exception- my hair is naturally about a level 8 1/2 and my eyebrows are naturally level 10- but so baby fine they almost disappear on my fair skin.

[Pinni]

I think number 4 looks most natural, like medium brunette who has been a lot at beach/sun. I would personally like to have that color. My eyebrows look lighter than my hair but I think they actually are much the same color.

[Babyfine]

My son graduated with a natural blonde, very light hair. they are both about 20 now-her hair is still quite blonde. It is down to her BSL. It is fine textured, straight, and very beautiful, healthy and shiny. I think it would be hard for a bottle blonde to get hair that healthy looking although perhaps not impossible with the right treatment. I have seen some great bottle blondes on this sight that have amazing hair.
My hair is the natural color you see in my avatar(although it is colored with a demi perm to cover grey) I have done blonde highlights in the past on my hair but I always had some damage and breakage no matter how gently I treated it. The damage always came when my hair got longer then shoulder length, if I kept it shoulder or shorter it may have been alright. But then again, my hair is very, very fine, and quite fragile, with curl pattern, and requires several lifting steps to go blonde.

[teddygirl]

The first thing that gives it away is the condition of the hair for me.
I have not seen many bottle blondes who are able to keep their hair in really good shape. The more you have to lift, the more damage you'll deal with.
My mom and my sister mitigated the damage and were able to grow pretty long, but they're already natural blondes, they just go for a different shade.

In b4 someone mentions eyebrows- most people's eyebrows don't match the hair on their head, or body, or whatever. Most natural blondes that I know have brown or very dark brown brows. I have actually not met too many natural blondes with light eyebrows.
Me! I'm a natural dirty blonde now (was white blonde growing up), and my eyebrows are much lighter. Semi invisible most of the time =(

[HairPlease]

I'm a bottle white. I consider my hair to be in much better shape than most non LHC virgin hair. But, I baby the living snot out of it. I still consider it to look unusual, although people comment on thinking it's natural, but no human has white hair without being old enough for grays or being albino. So on 20 year old me, maybe it looks totally fake. So, yeah, my avatar. But damage is a big factor. Most bottle blondes do not take nearly enough care of it.

A really really big fake out though is yellow. If I see excess yellow, my brain goes "FAKE" immediately. Even more so than damage, or white hair on someone young. Because damage can happen to virgin hair, and white can happen to anyone, but yellow, that is totally fake. Not pearly blonde yellow, I'm talking about bleach yellow. Canary undertones.

[lapushka]

I'm a bottle white. I consider my hair to be in much better shape than most non LHC virgin hair. But, I baby the living snot out of it. I still consider it to look unusual, although people comment on thinking it's natural, but no human has white hair without being old enough for grays or being albino. So on 20 year old me, maybe it looks totally fake. So, yeah, my avatar. But damage is a big factor. Most bottle blondes do not take nearly enough care of it.

A really really big fake out though is yellow. If I see excess yellow, my brain goes "FAKE" immediately. Even more so than damage, or white hair on someone young. Because damage can happen to virgin hair, and white can happen to anyone, but yellow, that is totally fake. Not pearly blonde yellow, I'm talking about bleach yellow. Canary undertones.

Now I'm curious. What's your natural color? From the look of your avatar, I naturally thought you were older than 20. I would *never* have guessed 20! :)

[HairPlease]

It's a very slate-blonde color. It's essentially dark gray with slight golden undertones in the light, about 5 shades darker than my avatar. :)
My friends joke that I must have gotten really stressed out once and my hair just turned white. :p

[lapushka]

It's a very slate-blonde color. It's essentially dark gray with slight golden undertones in the light, about 5 shades darker than my avatar. :)
My friends joke that I must have gotten really stressed out once and my hair just turned white. :p

Haha. Still that's quite a few shades darker then, more like a blonette? How do you keep roots from showing? :)

[HairPlease]

Haha. Still that's quite a few shades darker then, more like a blonette? How do you keep roots from showing? :)
I wear a LOT of hats! Lol. It's kind of inevitable that a half inch is going to show it's ugly head every once in a while. If you catch me at the totally wrong time. I do my roots once a month though, so a half inch is the worst that will happen. :run:

But I suppose blonette would be the word for it. It is truly ashy with no hint of red anywhere which is a bit unusual. It lightens to a more golden-blonde in the summer sun (if you see a picture of me when I was a little one). :)

[DollyDagger]

Of the 4 choices I thought #4 looked the least natural blondish. To me it looks the most dry and damaged. The other 3 all look like theyre highlighted on possibly a dark cool ashy blonde base.
Blondes roots will be naturally darker than the lengths but the same tonality be it cooler or warmer.

[chen bao jun]

I'd have to see the face, but none of them look natural to me. #1 only looks as if the pic is taken from further away and you can't see her part, which is where the roots show up first.
#1 does also look as if she has healthy ends/fresh hair cut.
I have to see the face because natural blondes have skin color and usually (not always) eyebrows and eyelashes that 'go with' the hair color. Even if a person who is lightening their hair is very fair, there is generally something that doesn't look right when they are a bottle blonde.

I do want to point out 'looks nice' and 'looks natural' are two different things. I think you are unlikely to be withstand the scrutiny of observant people if your blonde hair is coming out of a bottle, but most people are not very observant/don't care. So long as it looks good. Again, without the face showing, its hard to tell, but none of the women you picture, from hair alone looks unattractive and and the only one that I think people will remark on would be #2, because she has LOTS of roots showing and also her hair looks drier and possibly damaged. But if it happens that she is prettier than the other 3 in facial features, I guarantee you that everyone will swear she is the natural blonde.

[Blondieee]

Thanks for your opinions everyone! I hope the blonde turns out well and looks pretty and natural :)

[MINAKO]

I also don't think that any of these examples are totaly untouched hair, 1 and 4 just started out with a lighter and ashker base color.

[chen bao jun]

Of the 4 choices I thought #4 looked the least natural blondish. To me it looks the most dry and damaged. The other 3 all look like theyre highlighted on possibly a dark cool ashy blonde base.
Blondes roots will be naturally darker than the lengths but the same tonality be it cooler or warmer.

Yes, one of the loveliest things about natural blondes is the way their hair is not all the same color and usually underneath the canopy goes into lovely darker shades whether reddish or brownish, but very complex and not--I can't explain--not in streaks the way it happens when its unnaturally highlighted/foiled? Very expensive foiling does better at this but its still always too--not blendy enough. And as I said, the other things don't match. the natural blondes I have known have this delicacy of skin, whether its rosy or its more on the peaches and cream side (more yellow toned) that somehow matches with their hair, and eyelashes and brows--all goes together. People whose hair gets darker from their childhood blonde have beautiful skin that matches their adult hair--it somehow looks different though just as nice, when the person is attractive--its generally somehow subtler and softer? Less contrasty? Though natural blondes aren't always high contrast. I don't have the words for what I'm trying to say.

My mom always tells me its annoying how hyper observant I am. I know that most other people don't see all this but take in a more general picture. they look and say 'attractive' or 'not attractive'. While I notice all these detail things and often think 'attractive, but something is off, somehow.'

I was at a party the other day and spent a lot of time (I do this with people in general, of all types) the differences between two blondes, one was about 12 and very flaxen but possibly will not change as her older sister is still very blonde naturally (but currently has pink hair) and the other is someone I've known from childhood who is still very blonde naturally at age 19, but was never flaxen, got a lot of gold tones and the underneath is goldy brown. she has got, not blue eyes but golden brown hazel eyes and it was fascinating to look at differences in their skin tones, etc that made the one girl look perfect with her brown eyes and pale but warm skin tone and the other look perfect with her blue eyes and very very extremely white with just a touch of rose skin. The older one was wearing mascara, of course. I've always noticed that blondes with the light eyelashes pretty automatically darken them up--but the little girls transparent eyelashes looked just fine.

[MINAKO]

Posting this for comparison.
http://i38.tinypic.com/14bbt2.jpg

I know she didnt put any color in her hair exept for alot of sunbathing, but most blonde firls i know do try to mimic that effect with fake highlights which results in a more streaky look as Chen mentioned before. Now both can look nice.its just a question if the possible damage would be worth it depending on how light of a color one wants to achieve.

[DollyDagger]

Posting this for comparison.
http://i38.tinypic.com/14bbt2.jpg

I know she didnt put any color in her hair exept for alot of sunbathing, but most blonde firls i know do try to mimic that effect with fake highlights which results in a more streaky look as Chen mentioned before. Now both can look nice.its just a question if the possible damage would be worth it depending on how light of a color one wants to achieve.

About a million differently shaded individual strands there..that blurr and blend and make a gorgeous cool-ish toned blonde..gorgeous

[MINAKO]

I think it also the way uncolored hair reflects light due to the cuticles that have not been lifted.
At the exact same shade natural hair will always have more dimension to its color.
However, with this topic the Olaplex thread comes to my mind. I think everyone who considers bleaching should at least read into it.

[wilderwein]

I think it also the way uncolored hair reflects light due to the cuticles that have not been lifted.
At the exact same shade natural hair will always have more dimension to its color.
However, with this topic the Olaplex thread comes to my mind. I think everyone who considers bleaching should at least read into it.

TOTALLY AGREE!
Thats also why is so hard to indetify natural hair color. It's the way it reflects light. And it can look like a million different colors, depending on the light source, but dyed hair it basically looks the same, always.

[Wavelength]

I was at a party the other day and spent a lot of time (I do this with people in general, of all types) the differences between two blondes, one was about 12 and very flaxen but possibly will not change as her older sister is still very blonde naturally (but currently has pink hair) and the other is someone I've known from childhood who is still very blonde naturally at age 19, but was never flaxen, got a lot of gold tones and the underneath is goldy brown. she has got, not blue eyes but golden brown hazel eyes and it was fascinating to look at differences in their skin tones, etc that made the one girl look perfect with her brown eyes and pale but warm skin tone and the other look perfect with her blue eyes and very very extremely white with just a touch of rose skin. The older one was wearing mascara, of course. I've always noticed that blondes with the light eyelashes pretty automatically darken them up--but the little girls transparent eyelashes looked just fine.

The natural-golden-blonde-with-brown-eyes version used to be called "October blonde". I always liked that phrase, as it describes the warmer tone very well.

[Swan Maiden]

Oh neat about October Blonde. My daughters hair is a touch redder than mine, like a summer bear, but instead of my bluegrey eyes, she has giant coffee colored eyes. Someone told me upon seeing her coloration that there are scholarships for blonde hair/brown eyed people (I have no clue how reliable or accurate this is).

[MINAKO]

I also know someone who has naturally rather light blonde hair and super deep brown eyes which is the oddest combination ever to me. Not even black hair and light blue eyes do catch my attention more than this. Didnt know the term october blonde but i like it alot.

http://i39.tinypic.com/2eurbfb.jpg

[chen bao jun]

MINAKO, that girl's hair is beautiful. that is exactly what I meant in terms of the subtlety of the real thing the way nature does it.

Wavelength, I never heard that term 'October blonde' before, I like it.

This girl is from an interesting family hair colourwise. Her mom is Greek by nationality (Greek-American) and out of a whole family of very dark brunettes with dark skin and (mostly) straight hair and eyes so dark brown that they look black, only she turned up as a very fair skinned and freckled natural blonde with curls so spirally that she can actually look as if she has kinky hair (however now she's discovered leave in conditioner so that doesn't happen so often.)

She has light blue eyes--a blue grey.
She's well into her 40's and still naturally blonde. (and still trying to stay out in the sun like her family all can, except for her, and still failing. she's got kind of a complex about 'not looking Greek').

she married a man with medium brown hair and they have six kids--
#1 medium brown hair brown eyes
#2 the October blonde, her hair is wavy
#3 very light blonde, very very curly exactly like Mom, blue eyes
#4 medium brown hair, very fair, blue eyes
#5 very light golden blonde, blue eyes
#6 Almost platinum blonde, blue eyes, straight hair--but he's not twelve years old yet, will probably stay blond considering family history/pattern, but probably not quite as light as he is now

The fascinating thing to me is, no trace of the Greek. Nobody's got black hair and eyes or even close to it. when you see them with their cousins, who have all got that other look it's like--what on earth happened?
Nature having a laugh--genetics are amazing.

Forgot what color the husband's eyes are. I suspect brown, because they might still have kids with brown eyes if he has blue, contrary to what they used to teach in health class --that is,that two blue eyed people can't have a brown eyed child--but it is less usual. Two blue eyed people USUALLY have all blue eyed children.

[cathair]

This is probably way too obvious, but make sure your eyebrows match. I would also say that brassiness is a pretty good indication of bottle blonde.

This isn't actually true. My best mate at school was a natural white blonde, which developed into a warmer blonde. She had black eyebrows.

[chen bao jun]

MINAKO, I adore that black hair, blue eyes combination.

They used to call that "Irish brunette" (if it went with that super fair freckly skin) regardless of the actual ethnicity of the person

I knew a man once who had black hair and light grey eyes--stunning. I believe that he actually was Irish in background. The hair was really black, not dark brown. It even still looked black next to mine. the combination of the steel grey eyes and the very black eyelashes was something. No, I was not in the least attracted to him, but definitely could not stop staring, so very striking.

Note: this was way before the 'Goth' craze and was back when people did not normally dye their hair and I am positive that the black hair was natural. It had all those highlights and variations of natural black hair. In my opinion, dyed black hair usually looks even worse than dyed blonde hair in terms of being totally flat, lifeless and lightless looking, usually (MINAKO, you are an exception--maybe its because its henndigo?) But maybe its because its still true that people generally dye their hair black to hide grey, and then their older looking face doesn't match and it looks so harsh. I am honest to goodness scared to death to try to cover my grey, because I have black hair and I fear getting that look--the shoepolish hair dye look, I think of it as. I 'd way rather be grey.

[MINAKO]

Hahaha, i was totally after this type of boys in my very early highschool years, i remeber a particular one from a summer vacation, so probably thats why it came to my mind. Black hair with blue, grey or amber colored eys sure catches attention. The preference for that faded, but i remember it vividly.

i did have a time when i would color my hair with blue-black bix dye and it did look horrible, thinking of chridtina aguilera way back in the days when she had black hair, so inky and dead looking cause it absorbs all the light.
i think i'm a natural level 1 at the roots but the henndigo keeps it dimensional, allowing for blueish and reddish tones depending on the light, sometimes even greenish. a bit like crows feathers in the sunlight, just not that intense.
when i go silver i will gladly accept that, alone the PPD puts me off enough when it comes to chemical dyes. :(

[Olivia23]

Sometimes the only way I can tell if they are a fake blond is if the eyebrows are black or if they have dark roots.

[AutobotsAttack]

I guess you can only tell when that persons roots come in? Idk I've never really paid attention. But that would be my guess. Also I'm guessing natural blondes have natural low lights and high lights? If someone is a bottle blonde I figure maybe they will have one even bleached tone throughout the hair

[stachelbeere]

I agree with Chen about needing to compare the blonde to your face, your eyes, brows and lashes. Although judging by your skin tone all four seem well-matched but it's hard to say...
I also agree about the finely-woven highlights and low lights and that the colour cannot be flat.


This isn't actually true. My best mate at school was a natural white blonde, which developed into a warmer blonde. She had black eyebrows.

I think we must have had the same friend haha - my friend had icy blue eyes, she was very fair with a touch of rosy and her hair was almost platinum blond at the age of 11. And she had black eyebrows - all natural. She said that when she was born her hair was black but it lightened as she was growing up. I wonder what she looks like now... okay, I facebooked her! Her hair is ashy now and she puts highlights in it. Her eyebrows are still quiet dark though.


MINAKO, I adore that black hair, blue eyes combination.

They used to call that "Irish brunette" (if it went with that super fair freckly skin) regardless of the actual ethnicity of the person

I knew a man once who had black hair and light grey eyes--stunning. I believe that he actually was Irish in background. The hair was really black, not dark brown. It even still looked black next to mine. the combination of the steel grey eyes and the very black eyelashes was something. No, I was not in the least attracted to him, but definitely could not stop staring, so very striking.

My mum has this kind of look - light blue/grey eyes and dark hair (not quiet black but very dark brown), light freckly skin. I didn't inherit her colouring though; I've got brown hair with a reddish tint, clear hazel eyes and yellow/gold skin (especially if it's tanned). And I'm a clear spring if you're into colour seasons.

My 5 year-old niece is very interesting and striking! She has clear hazel eyes (apparently like myself) and yellow/gold skin (I think like myself, too, I think) but very light blonde hair, with a touch of gold. Not quiet the October blonder (love the term btw)


Hahaha, i was totally after this type of boys in my very early highschool years, i remeber a particular one from a summer vacation, so probably thats why it came to my mind. Black hair with blue, grey or amber colored eys sure catches attention. The preference for that faded, but i remember it vividly.(

same here! I've always wanted to date a blue eyed, dark haired, fair skinned guy with some light freckles (super Freudian and freaky, this is exactly my mum's look). But that never happened. And my boyfriend now is of Indian heritage (as in India - just in case it gets misunderstood). Big brown eyes, black thick hair, strong black brows, coffee coloured skin... eeerm yeah, close enough. :p

[chen bao jun]

So funny who you admire and who you end up with. I always liked 'constrasty' guys. I think my favorite was light skin and very black hair (Freudian also, this is like my dad). But all the same color, no, no matter what color it was, light or dark. My husband is definitely all the same color. Black hair, black eyes, black skin (he is very, very dark, I have very rarely seen people darker. He's not the usual black people color which ranges through shades of brown --he really is almost black). No contrast there. But now he is more attractive to me than any other guy--it started with the personality, though I always noticed that he was very goodlooking, just not my type.

I have heard it said about men, if they always date a certain type of girl and suddenly you see them with someone completely different looking--beware, that will be THE girl.

[LauraAlaina]

I think number 4 is the only virgin hair in that list- i could be wrong. it is often hard to tell without touching the hair.

[stachelbeere]

So funny who you admire and who you end up with. I always liked 'constrasty' guys. I think my favorite was light skin and very black hair (Freudian also, this is like my dad). But all the same color, no, no matter what color it was, light or dark. My husband is definitely all the same color. Black hair, black eyes, black skin (he is very, very dark, I have very rarely seen people darker. He's not the usual black people color which ranges through shades of brown --he really is almost black). No contrast there. But now he is more attractive to me than any other guy--it started with the personality, though I always noticed that he was very goodlooking, just not my type.

I have heard it said about men, if they always date a certain type of girl and suddenly you see them with someone completely different looking--beware, that will be THE girl.

It really is interesting! The way your husband looks sounds really fascinating, he must have the most beautiful dewy and glowing skin texture. And in a way he is very much contrasty - black skin, white teeth and white eye whites. He can probably wear very bright colours. I thought about my boyfriend in that way and the way he looks and realised that even though he doesn't have the Irish blue-grey eyes and black hair (which is very a very 'clear' type as opposed to 'soft' and 'non-contrasty') he is in the clear spectrum and can pull off similar colours to the ones I can, which is interesting. And yes, I agree about the personality thing - you're with a real human not a wax sculpture :)

[chen bao jun]

It really is interesting! The way your husband looks sounds really fascinating, he must have the most beautiful dewy and glowing skin texture. And in a way he is very much contrasty - black skin, white teeth and white eye whites. He can probably wear very bright colours. I thought about my boyfriend in that way and the way he looks and realised that even though he doesn't have the Irish blue-grey eyes and black hair (which is very a very 'clear' type as opposed to 'soft' and 'non-contrasty') he is in the clear spectrum and can pull off similar colours to the ones I can, which is interesting. And yes, I agree about the personality thing - you're with a real human not a wax sculpture :)

Thanks, Stachelbeere.
My husband is not that kind of black, if that makes sense. I know what you mean; my mother used to be like that, with the dewy and glowing skin texture. She still has gorgeous smooth skin, but at 84, she's not dewy and glowing. Both of them could probably wear very bright colors but they don't. My husband never wears anything except blue and grey. Pale blue. Well, he does wear white shirts. My mother refuses to wear colors like red and is always in blue or brown.
Both of them are always giving me blue things to wear, which I don't like much, for me the louder color the better.
colors aren't only what suit you physically, I guess, but mentally. I'm not a shy person at all, while both of them are quiet and don't like to draw further attention to themselves (they both naturally attract a lot of attention).
My husband reminds me of a sculpture in wood, if that makes sense. Probably it doesn't. Maybe partly because he keeps this perfect figure, although he is now 57. He always works out and has always had this slender but perfect shape, the broad shoulders, the slim waist, etc. etc. yes, just like a bad romance novel lol

Maybe that's why I never read bad romance novels...

When I got married, my husband's sisters were in the wedding, he has three but there is only one who is as dark as he is and who resembles him--it was interesting, my bridesmaids had to wear different colors because we could not find one color that suited all, as they were all very different looking. My husband's sister looked best in the bery pale powder blue. She looked best in that color--and so did my college roomate, still best friend, who was at that time a natural blonde so fair that everyone thought she was bleached, until they looked at her properly. a natural platinum blond, or 'towhead' as she used to say sometimes. They were the only two who could wear it, and wow, they could not possibly have looked more different, at two completely opposite ends of the human spectrum.

YOur boyfriend sounds very handsome.

It is very interesting what colors people wear best. I myself do best in the 'autumn' colors--though I love to be loud, I have to wear orange, not true red and golds and greens, not blues. People always think I should dress in red, and black and white, and navy and typical 'winter' colors, because I have very black hair and olive toned skin, and I look just wretched in those colors, actually.

I have known natural blondes who look fantastic in bright red and loud colors, and others who had better not stray away from pastels, and also some who wore autumn colors best--your hair color says little about your 'season' I think, its more the undertones of your skin, somehow? Whether your skin is dark or pale, you either have a cool undertone or a warm one, mine is definitely warm, but other people who look as if they have similar color to me are cool and there are of course warm and cool people in every hair color. though I think most natural redheads tend to have warm undertone. I can't recall ever seeing a red-headed 'winter'.
Of course now this thread will be flooded with natural redheads who are cool-toned, hopefully not too mad at me. I am sure there must be some. I just have never seen them--yet.

[JadedByEntropy]

From a 'natural' blond friend whos moms a stylist: only do highlights if you want 'real' blond. Get lots of various levels of the same general blond pallet and each time pick a different place to put them so all the hair becomes lighter over time. This constant highlight addition also blends out roots into 'hasn't gotten sun yet' look of natural blonds.

[rkathleen]

The first one looks the most natural to me, but I think that they are probably all dyed. I echo those who think that damaged hair seems more obviously dyed, and #4 looks damaged to me.

I was born white blonde and am now 'golden blonde', according to various hairstylists. I don't really know these terms well...I like 'October blonde'...maybe I'm that! Anyway, I know that even though my color has changed a lot over time, my hair has a 'look' that dyed blonde hair does not seem to have. It looks really different in different sorts of lighting and reflects light in a funny way. I was told by my old hairstylist that naturally blonde hair lacks an inner core layer of cells that other types of hair have. This is why it looks kind of translucent, and why it is often very fine. I think that this might be why most dyed blonde hair does not look very natural -- it doesn't have that translucent look, and it is often thicker than most kinds of natural blond hair.

But whatever the dye color is, I think that if hair looks healthy and has a wide range of highlights and lowlights, then most people won't think to ask themselves whether it is dyed.