PRESSURE to highlight??

[LadyinWaiting]

Does anyone ever feel the pressure to change their hair color?

I have not highlighted my hair for four months and go for my appt. in a few days. I really want to grow out my virgin hair color (dark strawberry blonde), but am having a hard time knowing what to do. We are leaving for a trip to Hawaii shortly and want to have it look "fresh" for the trip. I am so torn! Considering just highlighting around the face....

...does anyone else highlight their front layers/bangs?

Thanks!

[LisaMonster]

Your dark strawberry blonde sounds pretty. :)

You have to do what's going to make you happy. If that means waiting until after your trip to grow out your virgin hair, then highlight away!

It's just hair. :)

[nytquill]

I highlighted (using home kits) all through high school and part of college. I stopped mainly because I stopped doing anything to my hair except washing it, when I got married and moved away from my mom and my hairdresser! And DH said he liked my hair and all the rest of me just the way I am so I leave it at that :) And it became something that everyone was doing - dark hair with bleached-blond streaks - so I kind of lost interest.

It's up to you really, I mean I think it looks pretty good when done well and for a long time I wouldn't have dreamed of not having highlights in my hair. If you like the highlighted look then great.

I think the only thing that I would be maybe a little concerned about in what you wrote is that you're talking about freshening up your look for a trip. I mean no harm in wanting to look your best! And if you think you look better with highlights, then go for it. But other than this trip you're wanting to grow your hair out virgin. And if you do get the highlights for this trip, which is just for a week or two, you will have them in your hair for years before they grow out. Again, that's fine in itself but if you really want to grow out virgin you might find yourself really regretting doing something that long-term to your hair for that short-term of a reason. Is it worth it to have to grow out the dye or dye damage in order to have highlights in your vacation pictures? And if you want to have virgin hair it helps to be in the mindset that you look your best, fresh as you put it, with your natural hair without any "help." But we can't always change how we feel about ourselves just by wanting to, either.

I guess you have to weigh the two against each other and take your best guess as to which you will be most able to live with in the end. Go with your gut and most of all, highlights or no highlights, have FUN on your trip! :)

[IcarusBride]

Do what makes you happy!
As for me, I gave up chemical dye about 3 years ago, I dyed all my hair as close to my natural color as comes in a box and haven't dyed it since. After many many inches of trims (this was way before I joined LHC or decided to actively try to grow my hair, by the way) I now have 90% all virgin hair, I think my December 1st trim may get rid of the very last of that previously-dyed hair, if not then definitely the next one.

[sibiryachka]

Does anyone ever feel the pressure to change their hair color?

I have not highlighted my hair for four months and go for my appt. in a few days. I really want to grow out my virgin hair color (dark strawberry blonde), but am having a hard time knowing what to do. We are leaving for a trip to Hawaii shortly and want to have it look "fresh" for the trip. I am so torn! Considering just highlighting around the face....

...does anyone else highlight their front layers/bangs?

Thanks!

Warning! Warning! Someone I knew did this a few years ago, had her highlights done so she'd look all fabulous for her trip to Hawaii. However, a week in the sun and salt water had a considerable further bleaching effect, and it changed all those artfully blended streaks into painfully un-subtle stripes of platinum blonde and canary yellow. It looked awful.
Now, this was a person I never did like (she and then-DBF were much too cozy for my taste), so the ugly truth is that I was totally :cheese: when that happened to her. But I would hate to see it happen to you. Does your hair usually develop streaks when exposed to sun? If yes, be very very careful, and be sure your stylist knows about your plans.

[Unofficial_Rose]

Warning! Warning! Someone I knew did this a few years ago, had her highlights done so she'd look all fabulous for her trip to Hawaii. However, a week in the sun and salt water had a considerable further bleaching effect, and it changed all those artfully blended streaks into painfully un-subtle stripes of platinum blonde and canary yellow. It looked awful.
Now, this was a person I never did like (she and then-DBF were much too cozy for my taste), so the ugly truth is that I was totally :cheese: when that happened to her. But I would hate to see it happen to you. Does your hair usually develop streaks when exposed to sun? If yes, be very very careful, and be sure your stylist knows about your plans.

Oh, that is a good point. Back when I used to have highlights, a week in the sun always used to turn a nice subtle highlight job into a headful of white straw. :rolleyes: Maybe, as you say, just have a few around your face.

Actually, seeing as you are naturally strawberry blonde, I bet a week in the sun would lighten it up naturally anyway?

[mali]

I agree with sibiryachka!