Article in Elle: I tried 5 different hair colors in 7 weeks

[yogagirl]

Check out this article: http://www.elle.com/beauty/hair/a38688/change-hair-color/

Not for the faint of heart, that's for sure. Lots of damage in a short time! But oh so interesting how the different hair colors change how people see her, how she sees herself, which kind of makeup looks good on her, etc.

Both blondes are gorgeous on her, but it agree the first (darker) blond just looks "right" on her somehow.

[Decoy24601]

Ouch, lots of damage in such a small amount of time. I agree that the more natural toned blonde suited her the most, but what's with that comment after she got red hair that "Another tells me that everyone is now going to think [she] want[s] to have sex 'constantly.'"? I've heard that stereotype about redheads before, but do people really think that? Are people that dense that they believe hair color can effect personality? I've personally never had anyone bring this up with me.

[yahirwaO.o]

I think this is my own perception but bleach blonde or bottle blonde looks very artificial and not that atractive so I've never really known why is the most desired color among the massees or western culture!

Anyways I love the red tone, her natural hair and the super dark one. What really intrrigues me is the amoun of damage and amonia used in very little time!!!! :slap:

[lithostoic]

My hair would fall out but I really liked the red on her.

[spidermom]

I think her hair looks totally trashed by the time she gets to red, so nothing from there on looks good. That's probably why the first blonde looked best; her hair was far less trashed at that point.

[maborosi]

Ouch, lots of damage in such a small amount of time. I agree that the more natural toned blonde suited her the most, but what's with that comment after she got red hair that "Another tells me that everyone is now going to think [she] want[s] to have sex 'constantly.'"? I've heard that stereotype about redheads before, but do people really think that? Are people that dense that they believe hair color can effect personality? I've personally never had anyone bring this up with me.

People are stange, there are some people who believe that hair color affects the "you", your personality, or traits. It is really weird. I know a handful of people who believe blondes are more "easy", which was something I started hearing once I hit about 12 or 13 or so, so I guess that one's a common stereotype.

Though, nothing quite brings out the weirdos like a natural-looking red. Except maybe some alt "punky" colors. I supppose I only ever got the "Hurr good luck getting a job" sort of remarks from people when I had pink hair- so I guess there's that kind of stereotyping. My little brother got some weirdo comments when he had turquoise hair. Mostly by more ignorant, closed-minded folk. They assumed he was into some bad stuff or was a drug user, which I had no idea were stereotypes for unnatural, brightly colored hair, but apparently they are?

[coco mane]

I really loved the take 2, platinum blonde on her. She was very brave to go through all these colors in such a short span. I don't think my hair could have taken all the ammonia. Interesting, the comments and perceptions she received.

[Robot Ninja]

She would have avoided a lot of damage if she'd just gone blonde and then used semis....



As someone whose hair has been a LOT of different colors, nothing quite brings out the weirdos like a natural-looking red. Except maybe some alt "punky" colors. And that's a big maybe.

Having been both red and "punky" colored, that's a big nope in my experience. Weirdos seem to go for redheads. The bad kind of weirdos anyway.

ETA: The good kind of weirdos, like the people who had unnatural-colored hair before it became a trend, tend to get stereotyped as being into "bad stuff" all the time. It's not just the hair color, it's anything that doesn't fit into that person's acceptable parameters of what people should look like.

[maborosi]

She would have avoided a lot of damage if she'd just gone blonde and then used semis....



Having been both read and "punky" colored, that's a big nope in my experience. Weirdos seem to go for redheads. The bad kind of weirdos anyway.

Yeah I think you're right. I was harassed at my old job by an ex-coworker when he found out I color my hair. He was so angry I wasn't natural red that he completely lost his mind. I think there's a special kind of weirdo that will do that- because it's happened to me a couple times before, one time by a family member who I had'nt seen in years. So now I just kind of skirt the question when an over-eager man asks me, to avoid a problem.

[mizukitty]

She pulls off every color really well, in my opinion! I think the red suits her best, but it's definitely only by a fraction. She really looks great with every color. Great read, thanks for sharing!

[animetor7]

I really liked the dark brown because she looked very dramatic!! :)

[mz_butterfly]

I don't understand the obsession with platinum blonde. Unless you have very light blonde hair naturally, it looks odd.

I also don't know why anyone would want to torture their hair for 7 weeks just to write an article about it. Maybe that was the point? Or maybe she tried coloring, hated it and then wanted to go back? I didn't quite understand her reason behind it all.

[mz_butterfly]

Yeah I think you're right. I was harassed at my old job by an ex-coworker when he found out I color my hair. He was so angry I wasn't natural red that he completely lost his mind. I think there's a special kind of weirdo that will do that- because it's happened to me a couple times before, one time by a family member who I had'nt seen in years. So now I just kind of skirt the question when an over-eager man asks me, to avoid a problem.

yuck! I'd tell anyone who asks that it's none of their business and you don't discuss your personal hygiene or grooming habits with people. I can't believe a co-worker would ask you about you hair and get offended at your personal choice, he sounds like a sicko!

[Llama]

The red is my least favorite color on her...it washes her out. Also looks a little uneven and frizzy.
The platinum blonde and dark brown look best to me.

[LadyCelestina]

I like the platinum blonde on her best. I think this person is quite cool toned, so maybe if the red was actually the colour of an Irish setter (but maybe this is the faded 'rose-gold' she describes?), it would look better.

[Red.]

Eh...that red. It doesn't suit her. The first blonde is her perfect color.

I don't think this "experiment" is worth it. Waaay too much damage. I'd rather try on wigs or something.

[Mirabele]

Very interesting experiment, thanks for sharing! Well, this is a lot of damage, but i dont think people care that much about such in real life. And why not, with shorter hair it will be cut at some point anyway.
That girl is beautiful as she is, loved her natural color. But she did come alive with that first blond color, she looked so different, at the same time looking true herself. Pictures like that make me miss my blond hair A LOT. It makes me to want to bleach my hair now and i've been bleach free for at least 1,5 years.
I didnt like any other colors, neither red nor very dark nor very light blond, all looked very unnatural on her, imo.

[pailin]

I'm not sure why she said chin-length. Looked like shoulder to me.
I like the platinum on myself actually - that's the one that tempts me periodically,and if I were keeping my hair shorter I might actually do it. When I did it years ago it really brought out my eyes.
It's interesting how she has to change her makeup- I remember doing that with red in particular (darker ones - that coppery red is horrible on me). But for platinum all I did was use a bit more mascara and make sure my brows were neat.

[lapushka]

Ouch, lots of damage in such a small amount of time. I agree that the more natural toned blonde suited her the most, but what's with that comment after she got red hair that "Another tells me that everyone is now going to think [she] want[s] to have sex 'constantly.'"? I've heard that stereotype about redheads before, but do people really think that? Are people that dense that they believe hair color can effect personality? I've personally never had anyone bring this up with me.

Yeah, trust me, those people exist. :no:

[Upside Down]

I like the blonde too on her. And I liked blonde highlights on me too. I guess if I went shoulder lenght I'd do highlights or ombre, mostly because the roots are too much effort.

So, yes, change can be good. I can see that.

[lapushka]

I think it's a little too much just for an article, to go through that and make your hair go through that. I mean... anything for publicity, right? But I guess it's short enough that she can get away with the damage. I just wonder what she would have done if one of those dyes didn't turn out right or made her have a cut & burn.

[Upside Down]

I don't see it as a bad thing. May be too much for you, it wasn't too much for her, obviously.

I am also guessing it was all paid for by the magazine. So why not. Looking at it from another point of wiev, it is quite an opportunity to have several changes done by a very good professional.

[Alissalocks]

Wow, and I thought I was a hair color freak, going pink/purple off an on over the years, but all in 7 weeks? The damage is scary to us, but it's probably a fun experiment for those who don't care about their hair and long term hair health.

My Growth album has shots of me just from 2013 & on, with pink/purple highlights & henna, with no weird color just all red/auburn, and now with black, with occasional excursions into the land of purple because #ColorAddict.

In the 20+ years I was a redhead, I very rarely had an inappropriate remarks made about being red head. One guy went on and on about "being red all over" (eeeeuuuu!) One guy was all, "I just fall for redheads all the time!" (M'kay, good to know, I'll be over here now).

And when I'm multi-hued I get nonstop, random comments, but again rarely inappropriate ones though. Mostly the "I like your color!" aka "I'm weird too but my boss doesn't let me dye my hair".

[Upside Down]

I love your pink and purple. Do you dye it yourself?

[sarahthegemini]

I think all the dye jobs look erm, not particularly great. There's no shine there at all. The 'red' which isn't even red, looks the worse.

[Alissalocks]

I love your pink and purple. Do you dye it yourself?
Thank you! Yes, I did it myself every time over the years. I think it's fun though, but as I told friends, "The only thing harder than being blonde is being pink." So. Much. Upkeep.

[HairPlease]

It's interesting to read how the world around her reacted based on color alone. I've been every shade of light blonde and several shades of vivid red but I hated the attention. I don't like attention from men, so even though I loved the colors on me, I had to quit. Plus quitting the harsh chemicals is good for my health. I'm on a bit of a health kick.

[lapushka]

I noticed she also changed her make-up / lipstick based on her color, so that might come into play as well.

Myself? In my 10s, 20s, & 30s, I've been just about every color there is. The only thing I haven't tried is "unnatural" colors, colors that hair normally isn't of its own. But I've been light blonde, red, dark blonde, light ash blonde, medium ash blonde, light brown, dark brown, black, blue black, highlighted, lowlighted, yeah, you name it... I never noticed people acting differently towards me. Mmmyeah... except when I was red, but that was in my early 20s and was one particular guy I was interested in. He went a little... nuts. ;) :lol:

[Mimha]

This was an interesting experience, hopefully done on someone else's head than mine, lol.

I agree with spidermom on the fact that as soon as she got the red dye (which to me looks more like a totally unflattering pale rosy orange), her hair looked ruined. The dark brown color, which should be a deep ashy brown, looks dull, lifeless and strawy.

Concerning my preference, I was really amazed by the platinum blond. (And amazed to be amazed, by the way, as I am usually not a fake color lover). I would never have believed that such a different color from her own would suit her - and her complexion - so well ! OK, the picture is very nice too, and the dark prune lipstick gorgeous. But still, wow !... The little-girl-on-the beach blond looks maybe more natural and less sophisticated, but less interesting too, I would say. Kind of "blond like everybody who is not". So if she really wants to go for a dramatic change, why not choose the totally amazing thing ?

[Hurven]

The first platinum blonde looked fantastic! I also really liked the dark brown. I didn't like the second blonde because it looks very one dimensional.

[Pinni]

I am surprised how well blonde hair suits her! She is very pretty girl, and even that red, that I thought was not good shade of red on her, looked good. It would have been interesting to see blondette/ash brown on her. It is difficult color to achieve with colors but shade near to it could be done.

[Deborah]

I think her natural hair looked way better than any of the others.

I didn't read the article; just looked at the photos.

[littlestarface]

Rip hair, it looks so thrashed, like she needs tons of moisture and protein in it. I could never do this and I didn't find it interesting at all. I hope she buys a heat cap an some good DTs.

[mz_butterfly]

You can see by her reactions how she liked the color or how she felt with the colors. She looked like she was projecting herself as more flirty in the first blonde. The second blonde she looked more like she was trying to act like a model, untouchable. With the red, she seemed carefree and playful. I couldn't see much difference in the browns (color wise or attitude wise) but she looked more subdued and serious than with blonde or red.

Although 10 days is not nearly long enough to enjoy a hair color/change. She was probably getting reactions because she had never colored her hair before and people were probably shocked that she did something that drastic and kept changing it every 10 days.

And I did like the first blonde and the red. In the first blonde she looked really good and the red was nice too, but I think it was her face/expressions and attitude that really made it look good on her.

But in the end, I think her natural color suits her best. It is who she is and looks perfect.

[meteor]

I think the first blonde experiment looks amazing on her, IMHO. :D
Actually, the whole article made me really miss my old highlights, since I have similar coloring to hers and the blonde kind of lights up the face the same way and gives fresh/rested look effortlessly, so now I need to resist this bleach demon calling me again, argh! :brickwall
I found the choice for that exact shade of red possibly not the most flattering in this case... I think I'd go for something a tiny big cooler-toned and maybe a little deeper/richer in this case and I wish the brunette shade was a bit more multi-dimensional/more complex (which is easy to achieve with a combination of low-lights done with 2-3 dyes instead of just 1 color), but that's just me... :flower:
And of course, I think her natural color looks really amazing on her, too! :D Personally, I'd stick with that and maybe just use wigs for quick changes like that to avoid damage. ;)

[lapushka]

I think the first blonde experiment looks amazing on her, IMHO. :D
Actually, the whole article made me really miss my old highlights, since I have similar coloring to hers and the blonde kind of lights up the face the same way and gives fresh/rested look effortlessly, so now I need to resist this bleach demon calling me again, argh! :brickwall
I found the choice for that exact shade of red possibly not the most flattering in this case... I think I'd go for something a tiny big cooler-toned and maybe a little deeper/richer in this case and I wish the brunette shade was a bit more multi-dimensional/more complex (which is easy to achieve with a combination of low-lights done with 2-3 dyes instead of just 1 color), but that's just me... :flower:
And of course, I think her natural color looks really amazing on her, too! :D Personally, I'd stick with that and maybe just use wigs for quick changes like that to avoid damage. ;)

Here's to you answering your own question / conundrum of having highlights done. ;) :D

[meteor]

^ Thanks a lot, lapushka! :flowers: Very true and very sensible! :thumbsup: Thank you!

[butter52]

I really enjoyed this article!

Interesting how hair colour changes makeup, and how she looks different but also the same.

[Greenfire]

She looks fantastic with that white blonde, I really hope she allows her hair to turn white once she starts greying, it'll be glorious on her, as evidenced by that photo. So classic looking on her skin tone! I would instead of having the first blonde, as the hairdresser recommends, just allow a few tones of colour in her hair, like a lot of highlighting and lowlighting, till she's older, then let it lighten naturally until she's fully white.

[QuietVixen]

Could you imagine all the damage from the multiple bleaching?! I agree with mz_butterfly that she seems to show different reactions to the hair colors. I thought she looked more confident/relaxed with the dark brown hair. The comments in the article about her going both blondes were interesting.