Should I do a Balayage/ Highlights?

[cle90]

Anyone have any experience with either? I want something really subtle! Do you think it would suit me? Maybe some balayage around my face? Or would it look better without?

Here's some pics :) Thanks.

http://oi57.tinypic.com/1zfix6a.jpg
http://oi61.tinypic.com/161yxon.jpg


EDIT:
I have very ashy hair, and I find after dying my hair a few months ago that it really makes itself obvious in my roots. I wanted it to look seamless or blend better... I wonder if it is possible to do ashy highlights? What do you guys think I should do about it? Is there a way to make it ashy or at least look seamless? :( I asked the hairdresser for ashy hair -- dreadful! It's a nice colour but I want to stop dying it! :(

http://oi59.tinypic.com/j75jlu.jpg
http://oi60.tinypic.com/10xt646.jpg

[lapushka]

I'd leave it natural, but that's just MO. :)

[meteor]

You look really beautiful without any balayage/highlights! :D

But what I can say it does is it gives more of a summer-y, sun-kissed, golden shimmery look to the overall appearance and makes it slightly more warm-toned. Not everybody likes that effect, as it takes away natural contrast. :)

- The key is to get a great colorist because it's all about proper, strategic placement of foils / hand-painted highlights.

- Also, go to your colorist with multiple super-specific pictures of what you want to get. You need to discuss specifically where you want the lightest areas, etc.

- From my experience I would say: don't underestimate that Bleach is Bleach. It's very damaging, it weakens hair, which makes it harder to detangle and keep shiny and thick. After any contact with bleach your maintenance would have to increase very significantly: purple shampoos, toners, roots (if you want to keep it up instead of growing out) and lots and lots of conditioning.
Bleached hair does great with hydrolyzed proteins, pre-poo oiling, LOC oiling, silicones, ceramides.

- About prep: if you do decide on this, please don't wash your hair for as long as you can pre-bleach (sebum is protective) and do a very heavy coconut oil soak the night before your appointment (and add a bit more next day, as it rubs off) and do not wash it out. The bleach should be applied right on top of oil. Nowadays more and more hairdressers know about this coconut oil trick, but, just in case, warn your hairdresser in advance. ;)

Whatever you decide to do, Best of luck to you and Happy Growing! :D

[Seeshami]

Because you want something subtle I would say no. Doing it yourself is going to be tough. And finding a stylist that will not go to far will be hard. Contrast is in, grow out and maintenance are required. Are you that committed?

[ExpectoPatronum]

I think if you find a stylist/colorist who knows what they're doing, you can get a great result from balayage! While you look lovely without any highlights, I get the whole wanting something different thing! Balayage would be fun, especially if you only went a couple shades lighter than your natural hair color as opposed to platinum blonde highlights.

Just remember, lightening does damage hair and all that jazz. But I dunno. I don't really let the fear of damage stop me from doing things I want to my hair anymore. If you're the same way I am and you've made sure it's something you really want, I say go for it!

[lapis_lazuli]

Can I just say you are absolutely beautiful?! You have such, really delicate features, reminding me of a porcelain doll. And your hair? I would leave this pretty colour the way it is. Honestly! You look perfect just this way :)

[teddygirl]

You and your hair are gorgeous! I will say, the best thing about balayage is that you can get it done once and grow it out and it will still look great. Highlights will have roots, and will have that choppy look as growing out. Guy Tang is one of the hair stylists I drool over. If you get balayage done I wouldn't rec doing it yourself, otherwise it (most likely) will turn out choppy and look more like
this (http://i.ytimg.com/vi/maLLa-Gdbu8/hqdefault.jpg) rather than this (https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B1ATnq9IgAAc38U.jpg)

Either way, you'll look fantastic!

[spidermom]

I think it would look terrific if done well. However, it depends on your goals for your hair. If you want to grow it longer, stay away from bleach. It makes hair dry out and break off to some degree. Some people have resilient hair that can take bleach and do well enough, but my hair turns into crispy straw.

[cle90]

Thank you so much everyone!!! :) Yeah, I definitely wasn't thinking full highlights since I want to avoid the root issue (my hair is naturally a bit more ashy than the ones in the photos, so I thought a sort of ashy balayage would be nice). I was thinking something quite subtle, perhaps like this (https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/d9/cf/ae/d9cfae1b1a85de3a98c3fc9bdcbd7c52.jpg).

I just want it to look natural is all! I am not sure I quite like my current hair, but I am really glad you all have such nice things to say. I'll have to look at it differently. If it suits my face and colouring, that is best. :)

[Gamma Vector]

Okay, first off, you CAN ABSOLUTELY HAVE LONG HAIR AND BALAYAGE/HIGHLIGHTS. Seriously, I have auburn hair, which was TBL until very recently (hairdresser accident, but I digress). I bleached about 16 inches of it in an ombre style, and had no problems at all. Seriously, if you look at my avatar, the blond part that's showing is not the lightest part. The very ends were WHITE. I had no significant breakage, and my hair was not straw. It was quite soft, and plenty manageable. So don't let anyone tell you that you can't have long hair if you use bleach. My hair is fine to medium texture and curly. It has always tended to be dry and tangly, and I still managed to live just fine with the bleach. Unless you have very fine or delicate hair, you should be fine.

Now, I will say that you can't be neglectful of your long hair if you use bleach. I'm not a saint, but I put in the effort with my hair. I oiled it regularly, used plenty of leave-in conditioner, and kept up with protein treatments as well. I deep conditioned it every other week. I had been off sulfates and silicones for several years, and I stayed off them. I did not use violet shampoo, though I did use a white vinegar rinse on it every so often. I slept with it loose, but always flipped it up over my pillow. I didn't wear it down too often, preferring braids and buns. I was gentle with detangling it. I trimmed it a bit every month, though I never S&D'd. Basically, I paid less attention to it than some members do their hair, but more than your average Jane.

This (http://i.imgur.com/BXXTaRg.png) isn't a length shot, but it gives an idea of how long my hair was, and the contrast from the ends to the roots. Sorry I don't actually have a length shot. I hadn't taken any in about three years until my most recent cut, hilariously enough.

Now, enough about my hair, and on to your hair. First off, let me agree with literally everyone else in here that you are quite lovely. And I think you would look GORGEOUS with balayage. Not bright platinum streaks, but something subtle, like you said. Maybe with the lightest parts being a honey blonde or strawberry blonde. Around your face and lighter on the ends, I think. Yes, yes, absolutely lovely.
Something like This, (http://imgur.com/YFxQ4qv) or this, (http://imgur.com/aICQ2ju) or this, (http://imgur.com/ud4q7Aw) I think. Sorry they're all on wavy/curled hair instead of straight. Most of my hair inspiration pictures are of wavy or curly hair, because mine is curly.

Balayage tends to grow out nicely if it's done well. And it's not nearly as much of a pain to keep up as full color is, if you don't want to grow it out. And as for the idea that you won't be able to find a stylist who will do it right...Well, there's a general fear of stylists around here. Your hair is short enough that most good hairdressers shouldn't have any trouble with it. The best advice I can give you is to find somebody who specializes in color. Google salons in your area. Look into their hairdressers, see examples of their past work. Check craigslist and browse the smaller hairdressers facebooks and instagrams. There are PLENTY of awesome colorists out there. I had mine done in a salon the first time, though I later maintained it myself. The one thing I wouldn't recommend is doing it yourself. I have a LOT of experience coloring hair (no, I'm not actually a hairdresser, but hairdressing is the family business and I really like to color hair) and plenty of experience with foils and I STILL went to a salon the first time. It's darn near impossible to see the back of your own head well enough to foil it, and ten times harder if you're not used to foils in the first place. Once I had the "road map" laid out, I was able to go in and continue the pieces I wanted blonde further up, but even that was tricky.

There's a pervasive culture around here about not doing "bad" things to your hair. Heat styling and bleaching are the devil, lol. I'm not really a believer in that. Yes, heat is damaging. Yes, so is bleach. But either of them can be used in moderation without ruining your hair five-ever. And at the end of the day, it's YOUR hair. If YOU want highlights, then go for it! Don't worry about whether it's in style, or whether the LHC will approve. Do what makes YOU feel beautiful, honey. No matter what it is, I promise it's the best thing to do.*

"Contrast is in," they say. Bah, so were shaved eyebrows, once. Who cares what's "in" if it's not how you want to look? As for the growing out period, like I said, a subtle balayage grows out into a very subtle ombre, and eventually you can hardly tell it from the natural ends of your hair. Chunky, high contrast highlights are a pain to grow out. Sun-kissed balayage is not. I say find a colorist whose work you like, take in some pictures of what you want, and go for it!

*DISCLAIMER: This sentiment comes from the punk with the half-shaved head and facial piercings. "Subtlety," "conformity," and "self-consciousness" aren't really in my lexicon. Plus, I'm a hedonist with a pretty laid back attitude about life in general, especially the parts which grow back. YMMV.

[lucah]

i think, natural is better

[cle90]

I have very ashy hair, and I find after dying my hair a few months ago that it really makes itself obvious in my roots. I wanted it to look seamless or blend better... I wonder if it is possible to do ashy highlights? What do you guys think I should do about it? Is there a way to make it ashy or at least look seamless? :( I asked the hairdresser for ashy hair -- dreadful! It's a nice colour but I want to stop dying it! :(

http://oi59.tinypic.com/j75jlu.jpg
http://oi60.tinypic.com/10xt646.jpg

[lapushka]

You're going to do balayage/highlights over dye? That's even going to need *more* bleaching as dye is harder to lift than natural color is. I doubt that this route will bring you closer to your natural hair. The best thing you can do is have it dyed close to your root color (by a colorist). I'd recommend that over highlights.

[meteor]

Oh so you had old dye on your hair? That complicates matters a bit. You must always tell hair colorist about the specific dye you used before (and on which areas), better still - bring box of your old dye to your appointment. Well, colorists always ask that question anyway. If you are experienced, you might want to use a dye removing product in advance though, but if not - I'd leave it to professionals.

Looking at your hair color and at the pictures of what you want to achieve (that's pretty high contrast ombre, not exactly "sombre"/"subtle ombre", IMO), I'd say the only way to get ashy tones is by using a toner (after you lift to the desired level with bleach) to achieve the "ashiness". I think your haircolor is dark enough to produce some brassiness, I'm afraid, so a toner (and later purple shampoos/conditioners) would probably be necessary, IMHO. :flower:

[cle90]

Yeah I'm super upset. The whole point of my getting the colorist to dye it was to match it to my roots! A month or two later and look at the difference! I use blue and purple shampoo conditioner, too. It is so wrong. And they will not even give me my money back or re-do it because I "waited too long" (how was I to know it would turn orangey brown?)

Thanks so much Meteor! It means a lot. I'm just worried about the cost is all! And the condition of my hair.

[Seeshami]

The virgin snow manic panic anf similar items helped me mask a lot of orange for my wedding. It could help

[meteor]

Oh yes, toning is definitely something that can be done at home! :agree:
To avoid damage, you can use direct deposit-only dyes, like what Seeshami suggested above. You can mix a bit of it periodically with your conditioner to keep brassiness at bay, you can use purple shampoos/conditioners, you can even use drops of food colorant in conditioner to counteract the tones you don't like...
To tone down specific tones it needs to work according to the color wheel (see here: https://www.haircrazy.com/articles/hair-science/colour-theory-for-hair-dyeing/)

[Gamma Vector]

Yeah I'm super upset. The whole point of my getting the colorist to dye it was to match it to my roots! A month or two later and look at the difference! I use blue and purple shampoo conditioner, too. It is so wrong. And they will not even give me my money back or re-do it because I "waited too long" (how was I to know it would turn orangey brown?)

Thanks so much Meteor! It means a lot. I'm just worried about the cost is all! And the condition of my hair.

Okay, what you're experiencing is NORMAL.

Your dye is fading. This happens. It happens more with some hair than others, but it ALWAYS happens. (And for some reason, I've found that people with ashy brunette natural hair tend to fade dyes the worst...Not sure why) This is why the salon wouldn't fix it. According to them, it just needs to be re-colored again. And then again in a few months. Like I said, normal.

You have a few options: You can either keep dying the length to match your roots, and slowly grow out the dye and cut it off.
Or, you can dye all of your hair, and keep it up forever.

OR you can do what you were originally planning to do, and get it blended by a colorist. You will probably have to grow it out a bit, though. Wait until your roots are about ear length, then get it blended, for best results.

It's doable, though not all stylists are able to do it. What you want isn't an ombre or highlights, really. What you want is literally for someone to color over the already-dyed section of your hair, then fade the new color up into your natural color as you would an ombre. If this is done well, then as it fades the ombre effect will become apparent as the dyed part gets lighter and warmer. You may still have to use toner on it occasionally to keep it from getting too brassy. But, the effect should be one that looks a lot better as it's growing out, with the eventual goal being to cut off all the dyed parts (if you want to keep your natural hair color and not have to dye it).

Also, it's worth noting that, technically, you don't "dye" hair. You color it. I'm using "dye" and "dyed" in my above advice because that's what most people in this thread are using, and I don't want to be misunderstood. But, generally speaking, it's hair color, colored hair, coloring hair, etc. Your hairdresser will usually take you more seriously if you phrase it that way.

EDIT: Seriously, find a really good colorist in your area, one with a reputation, and talk to them about the problem. Unless you live way out in BFE, there are people who can fix this for you.