Growing out bleach blonde highlights…help!

[Idreamlong]

So, I am thinking of growing out my blonde highlights, however because the highlights are so blonde, my roots look really dark in comparison. My natural colour is a kind of ashey blonde/ mousey brown. Goes lighter in the summer.

I really can’t have horrible dark roots and a massive contrast in colour half way down my head when I’ve got 6 months of growth so what can I do?

Are there any other ways of putting a lighter colour through the roots that isn’t bleach so that growing it out is a bit more flattering and less noticeable?

[Nique1202]

The only way to lighten hair is to bleach it whether that's with commercial bleach or home options (lemon juice, honey, etc.)

If you want to avoid more damage, you're better off darkening your bleached length with a deposit-only dye, rather than trying to lighten your roots to match.

[tigress86]

If your natural level is 5 or lighter, you could use hi lift blonde on the roots, maybe do some highlights on the roots to grow the blonde out more gradually. But while hi lifts are less damaging than bleach, they are slightly more damaging than regular dyes. I don't think damaging the virgin growth is worth it.
Do you want to keep the ends blonde? Because if not, I would suggest the same thing Nique1202 said - try to match the bleached lengths to your natural color with a semi or deposit only dye.

[lapushka]

If you want to avoid more damage, you're better off darkening your bleached length with a deposit-only dye, rather than trying to lighten your roots to match.

Seconding this. Get rid of the bleach, this can be done by putting a dye on the bleached ends matching your roots.

[slynr]

I just finished this same grow out. Best bet is dye blond to match natural best that they can. That will help get you over the hump.

[Idreamlong]

I don’t know if I want to dye the lengths and ends again tbh as they are the most damaged bit of my hair!

I guess I’ll have to see once it starts growing out properly, I just don’t want to have horrible, trashy roots. I should’ve started growing the bleach out in the spring/ summer as my hair naturally lightens then, poor planning on my behalf!

[Nique1202]

I don’t know if I want to dye the lengths and ends again tbh as they are the most damaged bit of my hair!

I guess I’ll have to see once it starts growing out properly, I just don’t want to have horrible, trashy roots. I should’ve started growing the bleach out in the spring/ summer as my hair naturally lightens then, poor planning on my behalf!

There are non-damaging dyes, and it might mean you have to reapply the colour at some point or you might end up with a more ombre kind of effect, but there are ways to do it that don't involve damaging the length more. The only danger would be the manipulation of it to apply the dye, but that would be no more than when you wash it anyway.

[spidermom]

There are non-damaging, deposit-only dyes out there. I don't know the names of the ones with natural colors.

Perhaps you could have a few low-lights woven in to blur the demarcation line of your grow-out.

[Alacris~]

I would also dye the ends if it really botters you. Perhaps you can try Elumen. There is a thread explaining the colours and how to use it:).

[Sweets]

I'm in the "dye the ends"camp, too.

[Idreamlong]

Eurgh, maybe I’ll have to go for the dye the lengths/ ends option then. I think I’ll have to go to a hairdresser though and have a consultation and say I DON’T want any peroxide or ammonia used. Either that or I go for low lights through my roots.

I think if I were to go for the dying the lengths and ends option, it would be a shade, maybe 2 lighter than my virgin colour, which would be an ashey blonde and obviously a lot darker than peroxide lengths and ends and I could get away with that through grow out, without looking ‘trashy’

[carrie30]

Lowlights through your lengths would be the best option imo. A good hairdresser will be able to blend the lowlights so that your roots don't look wildly different to the bleached parts.
Be prepared to go through a stage of disliking your lowlights! I hate mine and I am still trying to 'get over' not being blonde anymore. I just wish my roots would grow like weeds so I can see more healthy hair to spur me on!

[Salt]

Eurgh, maybe I’ll have to go for the dye the lengths/ ends option then. I think I’ll have to go to a hairdresser though and have a consultation and say I DON’T want any peroxide or ammonia used. Either that or I go for low lights through my roots.

I think if I were to go for the dying the lengths and ends option, it would be a shade, maybe 2 lighter than my virgin colour, which would be an ashey blonde and obviously a lot darker than peroxide lengths and ends and I could get away with that through grow out, without looking ‘trashy’


I don't think dark roots look 'trashy'. :)

[meteor]

There are many different ways to approach this.
But I'm assuming you want:
1) reduction of demarcation line;
2) being closer to your natural color;
3) no/minimal damage.

If that's what you want, I'd recommend finding the right shade of deposit-only semi-permanent (without developer) dye and lowlighting or dying just the "mid-shaft" area (beginning of the blonde highlights) to lengthen your roots enough to go for a natural ombre effect. For example, just a few visible strands in the area down to your eye-level or chin-level - depending on the final look you want. The technique that I would probably recommend the most in this case would be free-hand balayage - because, to minimize damage and make transitioning away from blonde less dramatic, you want to get only the most visible strands.

I highly recommend finding a few exact photos of what you want to achieve and bringing them to the consultation with your colorist. It's super-important to be able to communicate to the colorist very clearly what you want (and what you don't want).

The deposit-only dye will fade over time, but stretching washes, using cool water, protecting from the sun ... should help slow down the fading. When it fades, you can either "lengthen" the roots this way again, or just let it be - dye jobs tend to get a lot less contrast-y with time and much easier to grow out at later stages.