Considering dyeing my blonde hair brown - need opinions

[Lilli]

In my albums I have an album called trying out different hair. Would you mind checking out the two photos and giving me your opinion? I have naturally blonde hair, but it is getting darker and ashier and is hardly a color at all now. I have always had dark brown eyebrows, and when I used Taaz to try different hair, I LOVED myself with brown hair. I know the two week rule and will not do anything rash, but I would like opinions on what suits me better. (I would have liked to find short hair to use on Taaz, but none of the short styles like mine had the appropriate ashy brown. My hair cannot have any red tones at all or I look terrible.) I have never dyed it but did have a disastrous perm and immediate straightening in April. My hair is pretty tough, though, and is fine now. If I did dye it, I would probably start with lowlights and keep taking the color down bit by bit.

Thanks so much!!!!!

[spidermom]

You do look nice in the brown. If it were me, I'd probably try one of those temporary colors that wash out after about 6 shampoos.

[AnneAdeline]

I think you look good with brown, though maybe a different shade than the picture. Something with more gold in it?
Spidermom has good advice: try a washout color first, to make sure that you really like it.

[Bunnyhare]

i liked the brown better...i would do what spidermom suggested and make sure...youre a lovely lady either way!

[maskedrose]

I also liked the brown - I can't rember, but isn't there a way to get a nice cool brown with henndigo (a mix of henna and indigo). Might want to check out the herbal care and recipes forum for more info, if you want to go a healthier and less damaging route to darker color. That said, if you go the commercial dye route, you really might want to wait until most of your damage has been trimmed away before damaging it further. Starting out very short has that advantage - it takes a lot less time to grow out and trim damage than it does on longer hair :)

[Cinnamon Hair]

Blonde is less common as a natural color, so if I had blond hair I would certainly not dye it brown to look like everyone else. It sounds as if you prefer the brown though. I have brown hair and like my color fine, never been a blond, so maybe I don't understand the frustrations that come with blond hair. :twocents:

[Tangles]

Another vote for a warmer, richer brown.

[skydancer7]

I voted for blonde. The shade of brown as it shows on my computer is kind of drab and icky. I also think the blonde brightens your complexion. But you do look lovely with either, so really, you can't go wrong

[Elenna]

Actually, I like your natural color better.

Having gone the dye route for many years, it is a bear to keep dyeing hair.

[Silver Strands]

I like your natural color better.
It made your face look brighter.

Sorry but, I actually thought you looked older with the brown.

[Lilli]

i liked the brown better...i would do what spidermom suggested and make sure...youre a lovely lady either way!


I voted for blonde. The shade of brown as it shows on my computer is kind of drab and icky. I also think the blonde brightens your complexion. But you do look lovely with either, so really, you can't go wrong

Thank you both very very much for the compliments.

My husband thinks the brown is drab, too. I was just trying to find a believable brown, as anything reddish is bad for my complexion. To me, my own hair color is drab and yucky! Well, I will continue to contemplate. Thanks!

[bakertwins2004]

I too prefer your natural color. Maybe brighten with a honey treatment.

[Flynn]

Natural, though it might just be that particular brown I didn't like on you.

[Nyghtingale]

I also liked the blonde. It did brighten your lovely face.

[lundmir]

I like your natural color but voted brown. Maybe another shade? I liked the one you posted, tho.

[Fiferstone]

I thought that the blonde in the picture was lighter/brassier than your own color, so I thought that the brown was a better match to your skin tone. However, I like the color in your other pictures so I guess my final vote is blond, but not so bright/brassy as the "what-if" blond picture in your album?

I'm no help at all, am I?

[Dotlover]

I would question is it something that you feel is going to improve your life. Maybe later you will feel like it does nothing but for the sake of vanity, so why not appreciate the natural blessings that you have.

[heatherdazy]

I think your natural color is beautiful and complements you well. Natural blonde hair is so unique, I can only imagine how stunning your hair would be at a long length if you leave the color alone.

Also, should you get a deeper color and dislike it, you will have to bleach it out to get it back to your beautiful blonde. Plus if you've never changed your color drastically before, you may not realize how you won't fee like yourself. Honestly, as a colorist, if you sat in my chair and asked to go brown, I would probably refuse the service.

*IMPORTANT* Because of your previous perm and straightening, semi-permanent color *might* be permanent on your hair. The difference between permanent and semi/demi/temporary colors is that the former opens the cuticle and deposits the color pigment molecules INSIDE the hair shaft, while the latter types just coat the outside of the hair shaft with pigment. Perming and relaxing can both blow the cuticle open, allowing the color in the hair and making it behave like permanent color.

[florenonite]

I vote "brown", because it looks more natural with your eyes, eyebrows and skin tone.

However, if you were to go brown, I'd highly recommend looking into henndigo (henna + indigo) or other treatments to get dark hair. I don't know how your hair responds to chemical dyes, but many people find them to be too drying, and as longer hair (or hair growing long) generally needs to be treated more gently than shorter hair, chemical dyes might not be the best option. That said, there are some members here with long, healthy hair who highlight or dye their hair, so it's not necessarily a death sentence if you otherwise treat your hair well.

[nienna42]

The blond in your "what if" picture doesn't look terribly flattering, but the blond in your other pictures looks nice on you. I thought the brown looked nicest, so that's what I voted for. I agree with some previous posters who suggested using a very temporary dye first, and if that picture shows your coloring accurately, then I think you might do better with a slightly warmer, slightly lighter brown.

I can understand the desire to dye hair to "ordinary" brown. If I could easily do that with herbal dyes, I would, but indigo+henna seems to create exponentially more hassle than plain henna, and I've been very happy with my red hair thus far, even though I think I'd prefer brown. My one experience with PPD dye left me feeling weird for days afterward, so using that isn't really an option for me, but if it was, I'd probably go for it.

[pradabacon]

With the exception of one short cut about 3 1/2 years ago, I have always had very long hair and I dyed it for many years. It was such a huge hassle! It looked dull and oversaturated right after it was done, then looked good for a couple of weeks, and then started to fade and show roots and it was time to start again (and I was only going a touch darker than my natural color)! Your natural color is lovely and if you're planning to go long, it will be that much more difficult if you are having to dye. And if you change your mind about continuing (as I did) some time down the road, you will either have to put up with the growing out stage or sacrifice your hair and start over. It isn't worth it to me.

Both colors look nice on you, but I happen to love that golden wheat color you already have. It will only look more and more beautiful as it gets longer. If you really don't like it, I would try the suggestion of one of the less drastic and damaging lightening treatments available here on the forum first and see if that helps you love your color again.

[may1em]

I have dark blond/light brown/tawny hair myself, and I used to dye it dark red.

After I got sick of the dark red, I tried to go with brown. The "brown" box dye came out red, and the salon corrective color reverted back to red within two weeks.

Someone else I know dyes her white hair brown, but it always comes out reddish - never the brown she had when she was younger.

I don't know what it is - I guess some people just have a natural color that brings out the reddish tones in brown dyes.

Also, if you decide after awhile that you want to go back to your natural color, the light roots growing out will at first give the illusion of thinning hair.

Just some things to consider.

[pradabacon]

P.S. Is that your baby in the pic with you (in your album)? Her color is so similar to yours. What a sweet picture. http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll23/hootietoot/girl_sigh-1.gif

[Shermie Girl]

I would say keep it blonde. I am also a natural blonde (tho my hair is much darker than it was when I was younger). I have taken forays into brown and even red, including a trip down henna road. And, without exception, I have regretted it and done anything and everything to get back to where I really, deep in my heart want to be... Blonde.

Unless you know for certain that you are a brunette at heart, I would stick with the goldielocks. :D

[talullah]

I checked out your other album, too, with the short hair. I definitely prefer the blond over the brown. The brown made your face look dull and lifeless, IMO. The blond is simply gorgeous.

I have naturally dark blond hair that I have dyed medium brown in the past. I look much better as a blond-- either natural (very dark) or bleached. Something about the brown was just wrong on me. It always came out a little gray looking, or it made me look dull and gray, which is the same thing I saw in your photos. It looked unnatural. Oddly, it looked more unnatural than when I bleached it lighter blond. :shrug:

[spidermom]

After another look at your albums, I think I'd have to go with the blonde. I've seen some blondes try brown shades and either get a lot of red or even a greenish hue. Your natural color is pretty, and maintaining it will be the easiest route of all.

[Bellalalala]

I always have the same answer when someone talks about changing haircolour: try wearing a wig for a few weeks.
I always wear wigs to try out colours and I usually get bored with the wig colour in a few weeks.

Incidentally, I just bought a BSL purple wig, so much fun!

[Unofficial_Rose]

I would say keep it blonde. I am also a natural blonde (tho my hair is much darker than it was when I was younger). I have taken forays into brown and even red, including a trip down henna road. And, without exception, I have regretted it and done anything and everything to get back to where I really, deep in my heart want to be... Blonde.

Unless you know for certain that you are a brunette at heart, I would stick with the goldielocks. :D

I say this! But then I'm going back to blonde too. I wouldn't just advise anyone to go blonde, but I think you look happier in the blonde pics.

[Sarahmoon]

Judging from these pictures, I like your natural colour better, but it could be the lighting makes the brown look different than it actually is? If I were you I would try a different shade of brown to see how it looks. In the end you should decide even if 90% of the people say your natural colour looks better.

[Feenzauber]

I like your blonde hair and it looks really good.
If I were you, I would not risk to damage my hair by dyeing...

[melikai]

I voted for the brown, although like many others, I think you should go with a more warm brown colour. A temporary dye like SpiderMom suggested would give this effect as it washed out.

[Lilli]

I think your natural color is beautiful and complements you well. Natural blonde hair is so unique, I can only imagine how stunning your hair would be at a long length if you leave the color alone.

Also, should you get a deeper color and dislike it, you will have to bleach it out to get it back to your beautiful blonde. Plus if you've never changed your color drastically before, you may not realize how you won't fee like yourself. Honestly, as a colorist, if you sat in my chair and asked to go brown, I would probably refuse the service.

*IMPORTANT* Because of your previous perm and straightening, semi-permanent color *might* be permanent on your hair. The difference between permanent and semi/demi/temporary colors is that the former opens the cuticle and deposits the color pigment molecules INSIDE the hair shaft, while the latter types just coat the outside of the hair shaft with pigment. Perming and relaxing can both blow the cuticle open, allowing the color in the hair and making it behave like permanent color.

This struck home as I just had a big fight with my stylist about the perm disaster in April. I asked for loose barrel curls and produced a very clear photo of what I wanted and he gave me crimps like a sheet of lasagna - like Kelly McGillis in Top Gun. I then demanded he straighten it and he charged me for both! So I confronted him about being charged so much for a big mistake and his response was "I should have told you no but I didn't want you to think I wasn't hip and cool." So, my point being, you say that as a stylist, you would tell me no. Maybe I should listen.

Though I still think I look more natural and believable as a brunette (especially with my dark eyebrows which I hate,) I do not want another regret nor do I want the upkeep. Though I always wished I was a brunette. Sigh. Hair acceptance eludes me.

[Bianca]

Voted blonde :) If you decide to go brown, you would have to deal with very noticeable roots. I'v been there. Did not look good :rolleyes:

[Maddy25]

H :) I am a natural blonde who used to dye my hair a dark brown. It felt sexier and made my blue eyes pop and as much as I liked it I have to warn you that I always go back to blonde because blonde roots with dark hair is very annoying! Also it you have light eyebrows and would like them to match you will have to fill them in darker which is also a pain. Both colours look great, it depends on how much upkeep you want to deal with.