calling blondies and mousy colours :P

[brok3nwings]

We all know how frustrating it is to see our haircolour go darker, to fade....to go into a strange colour. One of the things that influence a lot my hair colour is the weather and i´ve been living in a place much colder and with less sunshine...and i cant do nothing about it.
We all know how chemicals can damage hair, but please think about this before saying "no no no". What do you think about highlights made at home with 20 vol peroxide ( it is pretty low) mixed with tint without amonia for half an hour? i did it yesterday to my sisters hair. she was complaining about how darker her hair was...as i do have a lot of bad experiences with hair colour in hairdressers i explained to her what i know about it.
Many many hairdressers use bleach instead of peroxide even if the hair is blonde!!! then they have to put a colour after because the hair went white...that is pretty stupid and that damages the hair a lot! :rolleyes:
i only did 10 highlights at the top of her hair, as i said, for half an hour with 20 vol (it puts your hair one shade lighter not more than that) and i must say...i was SOOOO jealouse!! The hair was perfect and beautiful! not dry at all...i mean..i was so proud of myself :D ahhh and it is so discret that their friends didnt even notice it!! (i would..but thats me)
I want to know what do you think about this method?

[bella77]

my natural hair color is such a mousy blonde color, I color it every 3 months and do hightlights at home. I do not have damage from color, thankfully. I think it would be fine for you to do your own highlights, good luck!

[maskedrose]

I think thats the way to go if you really want to do highlights. I've done them sporadically over the last 5 years, and the urge always, always hits in the winter when the sun's shining face rarely (if ever) penetrates the thick layer of clouds that hover continuously over the northwest. I have a stylist that I really trust and she has never used bleach on me. She just uses a toner to subtly lighten a few pieces around my face.

LadyLongLocks uses Sun-In with very good results, and I have a feeling that the make-up of that is similiar to what you made at home. I've been thinking I'll try that when the winter blahs hit - it's a lot less expensive than a salon treatement, that's for sure!

[mandeloo]

I usually do highlights, but during both of my last two pregnancies my highlights completely grew out and my hair was soooo much healthier. I think I may just grow it out again without highlighting and maybe just putting a tint closer to my mousy brown/blonde so it wont look so mousy but wont be damaged by highlights. My friend is a colorist and says my hair is unhealthy because it's so long..to me, that makes NO sense.

[spidermom]

I don't know anything about the method you describe, but sometimes damage doesn't become apparent until months after you do a procedure. I had my hair highlighted at the salon once, and the highlighted areas would poof out and "float" above the rest of my hair. It was hideous! Now age is highlighting my hair with silver and white, so it's getting lighter all the time. I like it.

[harpgal]

Now age is highlighting my hair with silver and white, so it's getting lighter all the time. I like it.Yup, that's what happens! :agree: Getting older does have its rewards.

[MsBubbles]

Oh thank you for starting this thread! I agree on the dark roots doldrums and have been agonizing for the past year as to whether I should:

a) Be blonde or my natural light mousey brown
b) Use my old stylist to continue coloring or try it myself at home (terrified of either one! Hence I do nothing!)
c) Grow out my natural color, look like hell (the proverbial WalMart shopper) in the meantime, or try to cover my light blonde ends until I get to waist and then get the whole lot highlighted again.

- Anybody done that?

I get stuck on point (a) daily and change my mind within the same hour!!

- I have a lot of damage from 10 years of highlights (& blowdrying).
- I have very fine, easily damaged hair.
- I am afraid my hair won't grow to first goal of waist if I continue to strip it with bleach.

On the offchance that for me, being blonde and having long hair are mutually exclusive, I have narrowed this whole issue down to the question: Is my desire to have a brightened, prettier facial area permanently more important than my desire to reach waist-length hair (or longer)?

I have put a little bit of store-bought peroxide around my crown where my bangs would be if I had them, to brighten up my face but it's not enough now I'm 41 :):p.

I am looking forward to people's opinions on this, here, and I like the way you prefaced your question by excluding all the 'no no no's!!

[MsBubbles]

my natural hair color is such a mousy blonde color, I color it every 3 months and do hightlights at home. I do not have damage from color, thankfully. I think it would be fine for you to do your own highlights, good luck!

Bella77: What brand of highlights do you use, and what is your hair like (fine, coarse, wavy, etc.)? It looks pretty in your avatar.

[misstwist]

Or, you could try honey. That's the route I'm going right now, second honey treatment is scheduled for Sunday night.

[brok3nwings]

I just want to make sure that everyone understands what i am talking about i think i am using the wrong word, it isnt a highlight it is lightening the hair half a shade to one shade using the method of highlighting ( using only some pieces of hair and not all the hair)
Why is this?
Being medium/dark blonde my wishes is only to have some parts of my hair that is a BIT lighter then my hole hair. I dont need bleach for that...

20 vol peroxide lightens ONE SHADE
30 vol peroxide lightens TWO SHADES
40 vol peroxide lightens THREE SHADES
bleach lightnes SEVEN SHADES

For those who doesnt know there is a scale of ONE until TEN used to see how light is your hair. One is BLACK and ten is WHITE.
Bleach can make someone with dark hair go into a pretty light blonde and that is SOOO damaging!

So what im telling i would consider using is 20 vol peroxide for only 30 min (not 60 as they tell you in the box) to lighten a tiny bit some parts of my hair

maskedrose i see you have already done it (at least more a less like this eheh )

please tell me i have explained myself better now cause it was my fault of using the word "highlight" wich is the word used for those who lighten the hair with 40 VOL PEROXIDE or BLEACH with long time of exposure and that is not the case im talking about :)

[MsBubbles]

Or, you could try honey. That's the route I'm going right now, second honey treatment is scheduled for Sunday night.

Is it working? Do you see noticeable results? I never got honey or lemon to work for me but maybe I was doing it wrong. It was a long time ago. I haven't tried the recipes on LHC yet.

[sky]

Well, anything that lightens the hair can cause damage. Whether you call it "bleach", "peroxide", "highlights" or "honey", it all has peroxide in it and peroxide opens the cuticle of the individual hairs, removes the natural colour, and the cuticle stays open.

That is what causes what we call "damage" when we lighten, tone, highlight or colour our hair. That dry, strawlike hair most of us can recognize, if not by sight, certainly by feel when wet.

The degree of damage is the only difference in all these peroxides.

I did the honey & conditioner overnight thing after reading here on the board about how it gently lightens hair. I did not see any lightening to speak of, but ended up having those ends cut off because they became unmanageable.

Speaking strictly for my own delicate, thin and fine hair, I have never found a treatment for damage that did not involve scissors. :-( And I've tried them all!

So, I'm w/ spidermom......I'm working those silvers! As they come in, and just this morning I noticed one that is full-length, I see a bit of brightening. I'll never be the strawberry blonde again, but I so love have healthy hair that doesn't feel like a handful of straw as I wash it that it can be born.

YMMV

sky

[dor3girl]

I am not a blonde, but my sister is. Luckily for her, she is starting to get more grey hairs & it looks good. I recently did some highlights on her. I used the lowest volume peroxide (10) and used Clairol's blue lightening powder (to combat any brassiness). We applied VERY lightly to a select few strands near the top of the head and only to regrowth (kind-of like a light weave). This can be done with or without foils, depending on how much of a touch up is needed. Her hair is waist length, so we really wanted to keep the damage to a minimum--but still blend darker roots and greys. After washing & rinsing, I applied the IONIC protein treatment and then followed up with a vinegar rinse to close the cuticle. I did end up giving her a 1/2" trim because she hadn't had it trimmed for a LONG time (I am guessing at least 6-8 months). The whole process went well & she is happy with the results. Her hair does seem thicker & more smooth--so I wouldn't recommend bleach on thick strands.

[dor3girl]

On an additional note: the bleach powder I recommended above comes in a few colors & is available at Sally's beauty supply. They even have trial packets (or single use packets). Just make sure to use a plastic bowl. I have tried the purple & blue (for those who don't like red/gold undertones). They also have a caramel colored, and a gold colored one for those who like warmth, but don't want to add a toner. The product is meant to be used with lower volumes of peroxide, so you won't end up with white, yellow or over-processed hair. However, I would not recommend it for virgin hair that is longer than BSL. Hair that is waist length & has been previously highlighted can handle a "touch up" highlight treatment--but avoid the length below the ears or any hair that has been previously processed. Hope that makes sense.

[spidermom]

How much processing your hair will tolerate and still grow is highly individual. I don't see a goal length for you, but if it is very long, you will probably want to avoid processing or you could sabotage your goals. However, if your goal is maybe waist length, for example, you can probably lighten your hair and still get to your goal. Some people have very resilient hair and can even bleach and still grow to hip or tailbone, maybe even much longer, although I don't personally know of anybody. My hair is wimpy! I do practically nothing to it and can barely stay ahead of the splits.

[ktani]

sky
Hair dryness that becomes unmanagable after honey lightening is caused by honey residue, a temporary result, that can easily be remedied by shampooing. Honey residue can result in dry, stiff ends. When shampoo has been used to remove honey residue, the hair has been reported to have no lasting negative effects.

WO (Water only) cannot remove honey residue.
http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=1003588&postcount=115

http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=1004669&postcount=120

Fortunately, you did not cut off too much hair, just 1/2 inch. I had to access the archives because I could not remember your posts from last year in exact detail.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=44355&postcount=124


Honey lightening has not been reported to cause damage to hair, no matter how often it has been done or how long a treatment has been left on the hair. Hair damage as most people define it is; thinner, brittle, gummy, weak, broken, split hair. None of these descriptions has been applied to hair in reports, post honey lightening, in all 5 Honey threads to date.

There is research on cells to support that honey lightening is non damaging because of protective flavonoids.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=233176&postcount=1

The chemical equivalents of the protective consituents in honey lightening recipes have been shown to help protect hair from damage.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=238824&postcount=11

Lightening pigment and damage are 2 separate things IMO.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=267510&postcount=42

Coconut oil used as a pre treatment, with conventional hair colour applied over it, has been reported to help protect the hair from chemical damage.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=303569&postcount=105


The peroxide in honey lightening does not open the cuticle. Hydrogen peroxide is a weak acid. Honey is acidic. A honey lightening treatment is acidic.

Conventional peroxide used for hair colouring, is modified to make it alkaline, with additives added to developers or when it is mixed with ammonia or alkaline ingredients.

[MsBubbles]

I just want to make sure that everyone understands what i am talking about i think i am using the wrong word, it isnt a highlight it is lightening the hair half a shade to one shade using the method of highlighting

Sorry for the thread hijack. I just got so excited and I should have just started another thread with my issues. I thought you were asking the same thing I was thinking, but I think I was just too excited that somebody brought up the subject of long hair and bleaching or highlighting, so I didn't read your first post objectively. :(

[brok3nwings]

spidermom and your hair is beautiful! I must say, i am probably having a crisis about my hair...lol i was so happy it was "long" and now it seams so short (and i only cut about 3 inches) and as i saw my sister that is blond too with those very natural lightness well, i just wanted for myself. i do love my hair colour, i just probably need to wait cause longer makes it lighter too.. i believe my hair deals very well with chemicals, it can dry a bit but it doesnt break that easily and i barerly have split ends. but i will resist them for now, i dont wanna do something just because i was tempted. About my goals i really dont know, i just will see how it goes...but at least waist, but probably more...

MsBubbles you dont have to appologise, my english is not very good so sometimes i dont explain as well as i would want to. I believe there are many LHC´s that do highlights but that only depends on your hair. I would never advice to anyone to keep using bleach on their hair, but if you cant be happy anyway else, thats your hair! You´re the one that decides what to do with it. you say your hair is naturraly a moussy light brown, have you thought about letting it grow and then if you dont like it even so, just do some semi colours to give it some intensive colour?

[Presto]

Calling it "mousy" sounds undesirable! I like to think of mine as tawny or "hair colored hair". I have natural sun lightening on my ends, and when I hold those parts up to my face I look terrible. I can't imagine lightening any parts of my hair away from its natural tawny shade, I think I'd look bad. (Notice how I'm saying I, me, mine, I'm not referring to anyone else's decisions.)
For more info on hair colored hair and tawny, search those words. There are threads about these shades.

[melikai]

I am not a blonde, but my sister is. Luckily for her, she is starting to get more grey hairs & it looks good. I recently did some highlights on her. I used the lowest volume peroxide (10) and used Clairol's blue lightening powder (to combat any brassiness). We applied VERY lightly to a select few strands near the top of the head and only to regrowth (kind-of like a light weave). This can be done with or without foils, depending on how much of a touch up is needed. Her hair is waist length, so we really wanted to keep the damage to a minimum--but still blend darker roots and greys. After washing & rinsing, I applied the IONIC protein treatment and then followed up with a vinegar rinse to close the cuticle. I did end up giving her a 1/2" trim because she hadn't had it trimmed for a LONG time (I am guessing at least 6-8 months). The whole process went well & she is happy with the results. Her hair does seem thicker & more smooth--so I wouldn't recommend bleach on thick strands.

With using the 10 volume peroxide, how subtle were the results? Does the Clairol blue lightening powder boost the peroxide, or does it just add a blue toner/tint to the mix?

[everstar]

Hello! :waving: I lurk, but I was called out by this topic as it's near to my heart. When I was a little girl, I was strawberry blonde, and I like to think I still am, but sometimes I think I'm deluding myself. People keep telling me my hair is brown, and when I said to one hair stylist, "But it's kind of dark blonde, don't you think?" she said, "Sure, that sort of Minnesotan, dishwater blonde." I was so mad. Just what you want to hear your hair called.

I went henna for a while, but then my natural laziness reasserted itself, and I'm growing it out. I look rather funny. This (http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b371/everstar3/397048bb.png) is me a couple of years ago (after I cut my hair off -- it was down to my hips!) with my natural color, and this (http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b371/everstar3/dep_show_line_itemaspx.jpg) is me starting to grow out my henna. When I had super-long hair I wore it in a braided bun every day.

I don't know, I think it's sort of a honey color, and when I'm out in sunlight, I can actually see traces of red. Certainly not "dishwater."

[sky]

sky
Too much to post it all again....you know what this very long post said. :rolleyes:

I used honey, I had damage, I lost hair. That's it.

Regrets that this thread was so highjacked...carry on, folks.

sky

[invisiblebabe]

Hello! :waving: I lurk, but I was called out by this topic as it's near to my heart. When I was a little girl, I was strawberry blonde, and I like to think I still am, but sometimes I think I'm deluding myself. People keep telling me my hair is brown, and when I said to one hair stylist, "But it's kind of dark blonde, don't you think?" she said, "Sure, that sort of Minnesotan, dishwater blonde." I was so mad. Just what you want to hear your hair called.

I went henna for a while, but then my natural laziness reasserted itself, and I'm growing it out. I look rather funny. This (http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b371/everstar3/397048bb.png) is me a couple of years ago (after I cut my hair off -- it was down to my hips!) with my natural color, and this (http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b371/everstar3/dep_show_line_itemaspx.jpg) is me starting to grow out my henna. When I had super-long hair I wore it in a braided bun every day.

I don't know, I think it's sort of a honey color, and when I'm out in sunlight, I can actually see traces of red. Certainly not "dishwater."


I would call it a dark honey blonde. It is not brunette, nor is it a dishwater ash blond like mine would be without highlights ;) I see reddish highlights in it, but I would not call it strawberry blonde or red.

[everstar]

Thanks! I can't see your profile, so I don't know what color yours is precisely, but I'm sure it's a lovely highlighted dark ash.

I hate that descriptor, "dishwater." I like clean dishes, but thinking of the mucky water with bits floating around in is not how I want to think of my hair!

[ktani]

My sister used to describe her hair colour as mousey brown (she now colours it). It was in fact a lovely shade that had natural highlights of different colours.

I am not fond of the term mousey either.

[Katze]

everstar, I'm the same way! I want to think of myself as blonde, but most people think that my hair is brown. :(

Because of this I bleached/highlighted/peroxided/call it what you want ;) to my hair starting at age 14 or so. I always wanted long, pretty hair, but it always broke off at about shoulder, or I went to a salon and they cut any growth.

Fast forward to joining LHC and I am determined to go natural and have my hair be healthy...which, for my fine hair, was impossible as long as I was "highlighting." For me the problem was that I would go blonder and blonder, then need to redo the roots. Now I still have about 4-5 inches of highly bleached, dry, frizzy hair that I am slowly trimming off.

In August 07 I gave myself very minimal highlights at the front of my head only, using a L'Oreal kit. They are very subtle and have grown out in a very natural looking way. I never dyed/bleached/peroxided my hair after this and am happy with the color, both at the roots and along the length.

As to the honey claims, honey has never done anything to lighten my hair at all. After doing controlled tests on my and my BF's hair, harvested from brushes, I can safely say that it has NO lightening effects whatsoever on his (2c, F, iii, virgin) hair or on mine. Others seem to experience some fading of dye or henna, but I do not think this is enough to claim that any naturally existing peroxide in honey is strong enough to lighten hair. If it did, I would hope all my honey masks would lighten the sun damage on my face, but they don't!

Back to the original question - to highlight or not. Ultimately, it is your choice. It's your hair. However, as a longtime-bleacher (with peroxide :D ), who knows all too well the seductive allure of "being blonde", I know how easy it is to highlight...and how hard it is to recover from that damage, as well as how hard it is to go natural. IMO, the few members here with longer hair who do highlight are the exception to the rule: for most people, most applications of bleach, and most hair types, bleach causes damage that prevents you from having fully healthy hair, and thus - especially for fine haired types - stops you from getting really long hair.

Sorry for the rant, but this is something I feel really strongly about, having suffered from peroxide, "lifting,", bleach, sun-in, highlights, streaks, etc etc for decades!

[ktani]

Hello! :waving: I lurk, but I was called out by this topic as it's near to my heart. When I was a little girl, I was strawberry blonde, and I like to think I still am, but sometimes I think I'm deluding myself. People keep telling me my hair is brown, and when I said to one hair stylist, "But it's kind of dark blonde, don't you think?" she said, "Sure, that sort of Minnesotan, dishwater blonde." I was so mad. Just what you want to hear your hair called.

I went henna for a while, but then my natural laziness reasserted itself, and I'm growing it out. I look rather funny. This (http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b371/everstar3/397048bb.png) is me a couple of years ago (after I cut my hair off -- it was down to my hips!) with my natural color, and this (http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b371/everstar3/dep_show_line_itemaspx.jpg) is me starting to grow out my henna. When I had super-long hair I wore it in a braided bun every day.

I don't know, I think it's sort of a honey color, and when I'm out in sunlight, I can actually see traces of red. Certainly not "dishwater."

I really like your natural colour. To me it is a shade that suits you beautifully. I would definitely call it dark blonde.

[everstar]

Thanks, Kitani and Katze! I decided I missed my natural color after about a year of being a henna-head; I think it just suits me better. (Plus I'm lazy. :lol: )

[ktani]

everstar

You are welcome.

It is a pretty colour and it does suit you.

[brok3nwings]

everstar your hair colour is beautiful and it has a lot of golden tones so no "Mousy" at all !! That hairdresser probably just wanted to colour your hair because its expensive ... I do like your colour more then your henna colour... probably in your position i wouldnt have used henna but a mix of cassia and henna (and more cassia) to intensify your strawberry colour (yes i think thats your colour)

[brok3nwings]

katze what was the volume of peroxide that you used? Peroxide at 40 volumes for example is the exact same thing as bleach ... im not deffending anything, i believe that natural haircolours are beautiful! Its just a HUGE temptation for me to give myself some "sun touch" in my hair.. but i agree with something that spidermom says, the damage sometimes can be seen only after some time...

talking about my specific hair type i think my hair behaves pretty well with chemicals (not my scalp! but then..i dont put on my scalp), when i joined LHC i had highlights and a semi permanent colour...i hated the semi permanent but it is gone now and i ended with the blonde colour i love as highlights. And it does seam completly natural because it doesnt have that terrible look of bleached hair or something... it isnt thin, spliting, dry...it looks like my hair. i only use organic stuff so its not that bad. if i knew how to put all of my hair as the lengh is i would, but i dont know how to do it and i dont want to "experiment" in my hair... So, for now, i will keep it natural, i will see if i can pass the winter and then in the summer i will have my natural blonde again :) (hoppefully)

[ImmortaLamia]

hmm...being the youngest here and my hair is a little darker blond than it was when i was a child...now in teenage years i think it will get darker.
I'm thinking on doing honey treatment and lemon...cause i just don't want any chemicals, only my deramtological shampoo is natural with chamomile extract and lightens up naturally my natural blonde.
when i'm in the sun it's very blonde..sometimes when is sunset it's red-ish blonde.
So looking forward to try the honey treatment.

[bella77]

sorry for the delay in responding to you, I use colorsilk hair color and revlon brush on highlighting kit. I have very fine and thin hair. It is pretty straight when left to it's own devices. I do not highlight often, maybe once every 5 months and usually not in summer- the sun does it for me. I do tend to color every 3-4 months. Being pregnant right now I am being very minimalist with the chemicals.

[justgreen]

Lemon is very drying, so be very careful to super moisturize if you feel the burning need to use it. I shun it.

[ImmortaLamia]

yes i heard about this and i will moisturize before i use any lemon im afraid of dryness ...:-s

[bekderiana1]

OK, I've been reading and reading about the honey lightening and it's very difficult for me to figure out how to find a recipe AND application method all in the same place. I'm dieing to do it ASAP. :D I have naturally blonde hair. I was an almost white blonde as a child and now, of course my hair is more golden with some strawberry highlights and darker roots. It still gets quite light in the sun. But, coming out of winter, I'm really wanting to boost the blonde and blend the dark winter roots with the rest. My 5 boys will be home soon and I'd really like to get the honey on my hair before they get here so I can just go around with my head wrapped in plastic till it's time to rinse out. They should get a kick out of that. (My oldest is 18 and he saw me with my hair wrapped in cloth strips to get those nice s-waves, and he flinched and said, "Whats' with THAT?" LOL...I think he thought I was planning on going out in public like that.)
Anyway, if anyone can hook me up with a recipe and method (or even a couple) I'd be SO grateful.
Cheers!
Bekderiana1

[OhioLisa]

OK, I've been reading and reading about the honey lightening and it's very difficult for me to figure out how to find a recipe AND application method all in the same place. I'm dieing to do it ASAP. :D I have naturally blonde hair. I was an almost white blonde as a child and now, of course my hair is more golden with some strawberry highlights and darker roots. It still gets quite light in the sun. But, coming out of winter, I'm really wanting to boost the blonde and blend the dark winter roots with the rest. My 5 boys will be home soon and I'd really like to get the honey on my hair before they get here so I can just go around with my head wrapped in plastic till it's time to rinse out. They should get a kick out of that. (My oldest is 18 and he saw me with my hair wrapped in cloth strips to get those nice s-waves, and he flinched and said, "Whats' with THAT?" LOL...I think he thought I was planning on going out in public like that.)
Anyway, if anyone can hook me up with a recipe and method (or even a couple) I'd be SO grateful.
Cheers!
Bekderiana1

I just mixed 2T honey to 4oz distilled water. :)

[bekderiana1]

Thanks!!! Did you have to warm it or anything?

[joyellen]

When I was a kid my hair was a really beautiful honey blonde color. Now that I'm older it's gone a horrible dull dishwater color that isn't quite blonde or brown. It's so dull it almost has a grey tinge to it that I don't enjoy. I've been chemically coloring my hair for years. Although it can stand up to a lot, I know I won't be able to do anything drastic to it and still reach my length goals with nice looking hair.

I've been mulling over some natural options but haven't been happy with the thought of anything yet. I don't think I'll be able to achieve the results I want using honey, and I'm not crazy about using lemon juice either as it's pretty drying. I thought about using henna and indigo, but knowing me I'll accidentally turn my hair bright red and be very sad until it grows out. The only conclusion I come to that makes me happy with the color is to put lowlights in every 3 months or so. The lowlights I had put in a previously weren't drastically different from my natural color, but they did brighten it up a bit and didn't cause any damage I can notice.

I'm not sure exactly where I was going with this post, but it was nice to rant a bit about my unfortunate hair color :p

[vamq]

I like the "dishwater blonde" color. It never looks the same. My sister also had a really strange color. It was not blonde, not brown, but it had a bit of a gray shade over it. My grandma once told that to her, and since then, she hated it. I liked her color. She highlighted too..but so much you can't see her natural color anymore.. I think the new color looks good too, but I still think it's a pity.

Wasn't there his special kind of tea that highlights hair..?
I know the Dutch word is "kamille" but I don't know the English word...When I had short hair, I used that a lot to made my hair blonder. it's less drying that lemon juice, so it's sure worth a try if you really don't like your color.

I really disliked my haircolor too, because people couldn't identify it. On dark days, it seems brownish, on normal days it looks honeyblonde and in sunlight, or when I wear a pink shirt it looks strawberry blonde or reddish..My mum and sister really hate the strawberry blonde..and they tell me everytime that "my hair is orange, it's orange!"
Thinking about that, I actually forgot why I started liking my haircolor, hehe..

[spidermom]

From what I remember (this is an old thread), the Original Poster did end up highlighting her hair and wasn't happy with the results.

[dearladydisdain]

My natural hair color is mousy blonde as well. I henna it. The color changes are so frustrating! If I decide to stop hennaing I'd love to have a way to lighten it that wouldn't damage it too much. I highlighted it once when I was about 15 and it didn't really do anything...

ETA: I also tried lemon juice and chamomile rinses...didn't do anything. :(

[Katze]

I don't know, I think it's sort of a honey color, and when I'm out in sunlight, I can actually see traces of red. Certainly not "dishwater."

It looks strawberry blonde to me.

Chamomile does not lighten hair. It adds a yellow rinse, that's all.

And I would like to make a call for all us 'hair colored' hair people that we stop calling it mousey, dirty, boring, blah etc. There was a 'tawny' thread a while back with some alternate and nicer names - mine is 'puma colored.'

Just because society tells us our hair color is boring doesn't mean it is. Mainstream thinking likes to separate things into clear categories. When hair color (or eye color too in my case) isn't readily categorizable, it is a threat and less 'interesting.'

But personally, since going back to my natural color, I do find it quite interesting indeed and am very happy to be honoring my real haircolor for the first time in my life, even if I thought I never could.

[metal_sugar]

I think I'll de-lurk right here.

I too have a very light greyish blonde colour that changes in sunlight. Problem is, I've been dying and bleaching my hair since I was 12, so I have no idea what I'll look like if I ever grow it all out.

After changing my beauty routines last year (I've thrown out everything wiht sulphates, phftalates, talc, parabens, mineral oils and othe nasty stuff and replaced it all with eco-friendly natural things. My skin is loving it BTW.) I decided I couldn't go on with my normal bleaching anymore either. I've since used Avigal henna in the colour Champagne twice to battle the problem of my slightly darker but oh so mousey roots. You can still see my roots, but they have a more golden shine now, and blends better with my bleacdhed/hennaed lengths which are now a darker golden blonde.

I expect I'll experiment with some cassia/buxus/henna mixes in the future.

[minkstole]

^ I have this very middle of the road haircolour too.
The advantage of it is that it´s very changeable, as almost any colour sticks. I have had very dark hair with black streaks, light blond with platinum streaks, and some bright red hair at some other time. Upkeep is a nightmare though.
However, on it´s own it tends to wash out features (mine, atleast), and these days I high and low light every three months to keep it "interesting".
Maybe I have been brainwashed by society, but at this point in time I cannot go with an all natural look.
I do like the more possitive names though. In Denmark we call this haircolour "liverpaste-coloured"! Hardly the most flattering description!

[LadyLongLocks]

Sun in has worked great for me for years. I am natural blonde and this product gives me that little boost in the fall and winter. I find myself using it more since I don't get much sun as I burn too easily. It is a mild peroxide mix in a spray bottle. I use it on wet hair and only spray 10-15 sprays on the new growth only. I activate it with a warm blow dryer.
:sun:
I have had so many comments and questions about my hair color and the highlights. My hair has a lot of highlights as the under layer is much darker. I never actually highlight strands.
I have a ton of photos in my album and you can see the color variations.
I feel lucky that this works so well, is so easy cheap and has never damaged my hair.
I spoke to a long hair salon owner about sun in and he said that with good hair care in between, this isn't bad for my hair since I use so little. I was relieved!

I found info on sun in here:

http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=14973&catid=10366&crpg=1&tab=1#1

Lists ingredients, reviews by users and directions.

I love this stuff!

[amiaow]

I too am one of the "mousey" people, though I have hair that was strawberry blonde as a child and has darkened with age. Sometimes it appears quite ashy but out in the sun it has a definite red/gold to it!

I too have been interested in highlighting for a few years- not because I don't like my natural hair colour (in fact, I am growing it out again- when will I learn?!) but just to brighten things up a little. I think I will check out LadyLongLocks' piccies...

The thing that does bother me about lightening this coloured hair is the yellowish colour it may become due to the gold undertone- does sun in just lighten what is naturally there? I don't really want to delve into the world of blue and purple powders.... hrmmm!

[Demetrue]

My hair used to get beautiful highlights every summer just because I swam a lot in the ocean out in the sun, as well as in an outdoor pool. I always rinsed and conditioned my hair after swimming, and the condition was excellent and the length was classic. The sun, sea and chlorine added golden blonde and platinum highlights in my dark blonde hair.

[joyellen]

Well, I went and put lowlights in my hair. At least I thought I was getting lowlights-- a light brown color to brighten things up a bit. What I actually got were streaks of the most unnatural looking maroon color. :( I guess on the bright side, there aren't very many streaks and I can probably cover them. I'm going to try and have the mess fixed on Tuesday.

Maybe this was a sign that I should be content with my hair-colored hair. :shrug:

[Katze]

The thing that does bother me about lightening this coloured hair is the yellowish colour it may become due to the gold undertone- does sun in just lighten what is naturally there? I don't really want to delve into the world of blue and purple powders.... hrmmm!

Every time I lightened, sooner or later I got this color. I just looked at my (dirty, like in profile pic) hair in the mirror and realized how nicely its bluish undertone suits my skin and eye color.

In my experience any amount of blue and purple toners, powders, shampoos, conditioners, rinses, dyes, drabbers, etc etc never prevented my hair from getting yellowish or brassy.

Again I would like to make a public call to stop the hate of in-between hair colors. Why should our color alone be seen as boring, dull, dirty, etc? Women need to stop hating themselves in lots of different areas...hair color is part of it.

For me, the many years of bleach/dye/sun-in/foil/highlights etc were a form of denial and self abuse. I realize this might not be the same for everyone, and fully respect and celebrate those who choose to stick with the bottle, but for me, learning to embrace my hair color has been part of coming to peace with myself.

Besides which, i think its silver, changeable nature is quite pretty!

[brok3nwings]

Spidermom you are absolutly right. :P I insisted on doing on myself what i had done to my sisters hair. Her hair was really beautiful! Ok, the conclusion was that my hair colour is really different than hers... always has been so i dont know why i thought otherwise. my hair is a darker and more golden colour. She used to be a light ashy blonde and i used to be a medium/dark golden blonde SO....lol my hair didnt go the colour i wanted, it went brassy, too golden. And i made this only on my roots and only on the top with streaks...with tint not bleach. The toner did nothing for me. But these are the good news people!!! The colour did actually change to a natural colour and now is the same colour as my lenght and that is half tone lighter then my roots (that get that colour with sun). I am happy that it turn out ok at the END but... i woudnt do it again. I love my hair colour so ...

LadyLongLocks i know why Sun In works for you and dont work for most people... thats because you dont have red in your hair, you have yellow and your hair gets a nice pale blonde, never golden as i would and as many of us would. And when i say golden is not a nice caramel, i mean golden! :) By the way your hair is just... amazing!

[Speedbump]

Now age is highlighting my hair with silver and white, so it's getting lighter all the time. I like it.
Indeed. I have long wanted to have a stripe in front to match my top-of-the-head stripes, and I think I'm getting one. Now if I could only order 2-inch-a-month growth... ;)

[LadyLongLocks]

Spidermom you are absolutly right. :P I insisted on doing on myself what i had done to my sisters hair. Her hair was really beautiful! Ok, the conclusion was that my hair colour is really different than hers... always has been so i dont know why i thought otherwise. my hair is a darker and more golden colour. She used to be a light ashy blonde and i used to be a medium/dark golden blonde SO....lol my hair didnt go the colour i wanted, it went brassy, too golden. And i made this only on my roots and only on the top with streaks...with tint not bleach. The toner did nothing for me. But these are the good news people!!! The colour did actually change to a natural colour and now is the same colour as my lenght and that is half tone lighter then my roots (that get that colour with sun). I am happy that it turn out ok at the END but... i woudnt do it again. I love my hair colour so ...

LadyLongLocks i know why Sun In works for you and dont work for most people... thats because you dont have red in your hair, you have yellow and your hair gets a nice pale blonde, never golden as i would and as many of us would. And when i say golden is not a nice caramel, i mean golden! :) By the way your hair is just... amazing!
Thank you for the compliment :)

I know Sun in doesn't work for everyone:(. It has sure been a great product for me. I have been told I have strawberry blonde in my under layers. What I also like is that it doesn"t cover gray like a dye and I imagine I will gradually just transition quite easily as I go gray.

If you read the reviews on this site ( link below) you can see how some had great results and some very bad. The thing is, I have not found directions as to HOW MUCH product to use. Some people in the sun in reviews may be spraying the whole bottle all over their hair, they never say how much they used.
I ALWAYS used ONLY 10-15 sprays on the new growth only and activated it while blow drying.
I had a friend who said they used the whole bottle ( he was natural blonde) and went in the sun and it turned their hair very light! Sun in for me is a gradual change to boost the blonde from that dishwater color to a more golden shade. I have used it for 25 years!!

:sun:Here is that link again to read up on sun in and the reviews are interesting.
I would recommend ALWAYS testing a few strands before applying more.There is no excuse why some people did not do this! The product is pre mixed and ready to use with no pressure as in mixing up a dye. The sun in lasts in the bottle for months.

http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=14973&catid=10366&crpg=1&tab=1#1

[RetroKitten]

(...) but for me, learning to embrace my hair color has been part of coming to peace with myself.



Congratulations! I can sense how much work on your self-perception this must have taken as I am trying to love my natural hair color, too. It's still a long way to go.

http://i39.tinypic.com/xpuix2.jpg

http://i40.tinypic.com/mmtpmu.jpg

[Katze]

Congratulations! I can sense how much work on your self-perception this must have taken as I am trying to love my natural hair color, too. It's still a long way to go.

http://i39.tinypic.com/xpuix2.jpg

http://i40.tinypic.com/mmtpmu.jpg

Retrokitten, your hair is a gorgeous color! I love how it's ashy, yet bright...like sunrise or something. Don't change it!

I just took a bunch of pics and was surprised at how light my hair is getting. Pregnancy seems to be returning it to its childhood state - straighter and lighter. Weird.

[RetroKitten]

I looked at your pics and I can definately see what you mean!

Can you share what has helped you in your learning process?

[BranwenWolf]

I had a blob of honey left in the bottle and mixed distilled water with that to try some honey streaks. I''m doing some streaks because summer is coming, and my red temp color is fading out so it looks a bit weird on top.
It didn't lift much. Last night I put in a dollop (maybe 2-3 tablespoons of bottled peroxide in a cup of distilled water/honey) of the peroxide and put that in streaks... I got some nice highlights down at the ends but the top didn't take. I may try a bit more and see if I can get the roots to highlight.

[ktani]

I have always liked my natural hair colour. It is dark blonde with both red and blonde in it. It sometimes matches my hazel eye colour.

Hair colour is such a personal issue. My sister never liked hers all that much, although when she did not colour it, I thought it was a great colour, a shade of brown with natural variations, including a bit of red, when naturally lightened in the summer.

She colours it now, having gone very grey, very early and it looks wonderful.

I do not care how my colour hair is defined by others. It is what I am happy with (I cover my grey/white light blonde with catnip) and that is how I look at it for others. If someone wants to enhance or change their hair colour, I do not interpret that as a violation of nature or them being unhappy with themselves. They just may want a change to liven things up. Go for it!

[Katze]

I looked at your pics and I can definately see what you mean!

Can you share what has helped you in your learning process?

Being calmer as I get older. Having a partner who loves and accepts me for ME and isn't trying to change me. Knowing myself more than I did ten years ago. Oh, and years and years of therapy (not about hair color necessarily, but about low self esteem etc).

Seriously, I did a lot of thinking about what it means to be pale blonde. I wrote about it in my blog...but in a nutshell feeling "special" or "better" or "pretty" because of my haircolor was a form of self-deception that I am no longer willing to commit on myself. I will never have my white-blonde childhood hair back, just as I will never have brown eyes or be taller than I am or have stick-thin legs...so be it. My haircolor is a unique combination of genetic accident, and I like that it is what it is - whatever that might be! :silly:

Again I think it would be nice if society accepted our haircolor more. In a way, it reminds me of black friends' struggles to stop processing their hair and go "natural" And although one person can't do much, but if we dare wear our hair "natural" we are helping fight the idea that it is boring or ugly...

[ktani]

I am not aware of any hair colour minorities, where individuals who wore their natural colour were denied their civil rights or worse, or have been the subject of public derision.

I am aware, that many individuals have felt that their own hair colour, whatever the actual shade of blonde, brown, black or red, could use something to brighten or change it, because the person felt that it was not the right colour for them or they just wanted something different. I support their right to do so, for their own personal preferences.