Thinking about highlights...talk me out of it?!

[SeaShell]

Well, first of all I just want to say that I'm about a week away from my one year anniversary here at LHC, and although I don;t post all that often I come here everyday to read and learn. I've come so far since joining this forum..my once ravaged hair is now healthy and long. I'm 3 inches away from my goal of waist length :)
However....
most of the damage before was caused by highlighting my dark dark hair with bleach...:mad:
now that my hair is all "virgin" :o it is very dark and all one color again which I actually like. But as its getting nearer and nearer to summer I've started to crave lighter hair and I'm tempted to get a few natural looking and subtle highlights just in the very top layer of my hair. I know this is a very bad idea because a) its going to look brassy (it always did when I got highlights) and b) I'm going to have to maintain it and in the end I'll be back to square 1 :rolleyes:
so if anyone could offer any suggestions, support...talk me out of it perhaps or maybe say its not all that bad...input would be greatly apprecieated before I do something I regret
*Thanks*
heres a pic from my album from late march I think
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y262/pearlznpink/DSCN1145.jpg

[julliams]

Firstly - your hair colour is gorgeous - very rich and silky looking.

I would talk you out of highlights by reminding you of the cost in upkeep. If you decide that you no longer want them... It's a bit like layers, you get 'em, you hate 'em, and then you spend YEARS trying to grow them out. Of course you could dye over them, but with virgin hair - would you really want that?

I used to get a few foils done in the front - thick blonde foils at the front and then a couple behind but what I found was that people would ask me who did my colour and assumed that the rest was dyed. I didn't like constantly having to point out that my hair wasn't dyed except for those few foils at the top of my head.

Go for colour in your wardrobe and spice up your hair with spring accessories like flowers etc.

Of course if you do decide on highlights, I'm sure they will be lovely.

[-j-]

SeaShell, your hair is very beautiful :)

If you want us to talk you into NOT getting highlights, just think about the damage bleaching does to your hair.
If you want highlights, why don´t you try clip on strikes? They come off easily :)

[Sunny_side_up]

Your hair looks so healthy and thats lovely length. Your natural colour is fab, but its your hair and if you feel you want a change via colour thats up to you.
I have considered highlights too! But decided i'd rather keep my colouring! was talking to a girl at work about her hair, she is phillipino and has chestnut streaks in her heavily layered dark brown hair which is approaching tail bone, she also tells me she washes her hair every morning. Looking at her hair the condition looks good, she had a little trim at the hairdressers few weeks ago. I havn't asked if she uses anything else on her hair though.

Anyway! Yesterday i found that she dyes her whole hair in a well known off the shelf blonde colour!! I didnt expect it would give those results, thought about trying it myself- 2minutes of thinking- then thought i'll not do that to myhair: thinking about summer sun and dryness.

[countryhopper]

I would talk you out of it by showing you what you just wrote: highlights make your hair brassy. You will have brassy hair again if you do it.

I totally agree with you about wanting lighter hair in the summer!! Post pics if you decide to go through with it!

[hanne jensen]

Don't ruin your lovely hair with color!!! You will regret it!!! Have you thought about Sun-In?
Or maybe honey? Try following the 2 week rule. Think about it for two weeks before you decide.

Good luck and happy growing!

[Unofficial_Rose]

1 word - roots. What if they do too many highlights and you end up with roots that are a nightmare to grow out?

It would be a shame to do anything to your hair, it's lovely.

[Midnighthare]

I am about to get a few hi lites as I think my natural block colour looks a bit flat so I am only having about five packets around the front and none on the back where it damages the most on my hair,I think if you had a few at the front you would see the effect and the rest of your lovely hair wold be natural(this is how it lightens in the sun anyway). Good luck with whatever you decide.

[Fifty-Five]

Your hair is beautiful. Don't ruin natural beauty with highlights =3 Maintenance, turn-around time, and a brassy look aren't worth it

[Dreams_in_Pink]

i won't talk you out of it, but suggest honey lighting :) i believe that wouldn't damage hair as bleach does.

If that doesn't work, you can get extensions! blonde clip-ins placed all around the head would give the illusion of highlights.

[naereid]

If you already know you're going to regret it, don't do it. Get some nice hairclips or flowers or butterflies or something and create a new interest in your hair that way. :) They don't have to be used in updos only, you can stick them in half-ups and still have the length hanging down.

I dye my hair and love it, but I must admit that I often wonder whether it would be in a better shape if it was virgin. Don't give yourself another thing to wonder and worry about. :o

[Flynn]

With hair that stunning, I'd leave it as is and stand out by being different from all the highlighted heads out there. You don't need it, and your hair is more attractive (dare I say se xier?) natural than it would be with highlights.

[SeaShell]

Thank you all for the encouragement...I have thought a lot about it and I think I would regret it if I went through with it on an impulse..I'm going to wait and maybe just try some new hairstyles instead I think...Maybe its just that you always want the opposite of what you have at some point! :)

[spidermom]

You already know the down-side, so keep that in mind. If you have any especially bad pictures of brassy highlights, stick one on your mirror to remind you of what you don't want.

Practice braiding light-colored ribbons or thin scarves into your hair. I get compliments when I do this. It's a good way to add color.

You might want to try a few clip-in hair strands for variety.

Your hair is lovely just as it is.

Oh, and Sun-In is formulated for hair that is already light in color. It isn't intended to lighten up dark hair, or at least it wasn't the last time I looked at it.

[SeaShell]

Thanks Spidermom, those are good ideas; and yes I know all about Sun In, that was one of my biggest hair mistakes from my younger years..I ended up with orange hair!

[bumblebums]

Oh no, please don't. It's so hard to find a good colorist, and bad highlights can look so obvious and cheap. I think your hair color is beautiful and classy.

[goodenough]

Could you highlight near the face and leave the top alone? It can be so frustrating to have that top layer damaged. I lighten my hair a little with peroxide, just at my temples, where my hair doesn't really grow that long anyway. It gives me something to do so I leave the rest of my hair alone. They're starting to be naturally lighter since that's where my white hairs are coming in.

[Demetrue]

Your hair should get natural highlights from the sun during the summer if you get out and go swimming in the pool or ocean and let your hair air dry in the sun.

[atlantaz3]

I agree try honey first. However if you want highlights (and I have them) your hair can survive. I grew out, lasted about three years. I didn't like my boring beige colored hair. Just be sure you can live with the roots and /or the maintenance.

[invisiblebabe]

From your avatar, it looks like your skin tone and hair color go well together.

I do highlights because my hair is naturally way too ashy for my skin tone and washes me out. I am naturally dark blonde, so highlights are not brassy on me. I love my highlights.

Your coloring looks great as is, though.. leave it :)

[countryhopper]

Thanks Spidermom, those are good ideas; and yes I know all about Sun In, that was one of my biggest hair mistakes from my younger years..I ended up with orange hair!

I did this, too, with the same results! :D

It's almost like a rite of passage when you are a teenager to use sun-in, get brassy hair, correct it with highlights, and thus starts the vicious cycle of chemically colored hair...;)

[minkstole]

I will not try to talk you out of it, but if you go for it , I suggest you do belaging (or however it´s spelled) as it´s highlighting done to simulate a natural look (lighter at the ends) so when growing out is not such a pain.......

[oceanwoman111]

I like golden highlights too ,but I don't get them anymore. They are so cute for a little while and then break, break, break. All of the highlighted pieces get super dry and start breaking off. Your hair is sooooooooooo pretty!! I wouldn't touch it. Your hair will naturally get lighter in the sun. :)

[Pear Martini]

Do it! I think well done highlights are universally flattering. Look at all of the victoria secret models, even the exotic brunettes have a few well placed highlights.

[justgreen]

I'm a highlighter, so I can't really talk you out of it. I've been a member here for almost five years and I get highlights (roots) done every 4-6 weeks. My siggy pic is the first pic I posted after joining LHC and learning a lot of stuff. My hair is now 40+".

I can say, don't do the highlights unless you get them done professionally and plan on doing the up-keep.