To all the blondes out there...

[Buffy]

....and generally all the girls that have highlights done....i have some questions for you :D

I'm one of many blondes who went like this: ...my hair was almost white-blonde up until i was 15, then it progressively started getting darker, and now that i'm 24 it's a medium/dark blonde, something like this: http://www.style.com/slideshows/fashionshows/F2005RTW/CHLOE/DETAILS/00300m.jpg

I've been a blonde all my life, and i just havent's decided to let my natural color grow, not just yet, so i get some blonde highlights done , every 3-4 months, during the last 3 years.

But see, i've started taking my hair care routine seriously lately , so i'm trying to do the best i can considering the damage i cause.

So, my questions to you are:
*Do you dye your hair or have highlights done?
*Is there any other method someone could follow? (henna is only for red tones right?)
* Is there something specific i can do before or after my highlights to protect my hair more?

[sun-kissed]

I was a light blonde, then a light honey blonde, now just honey blonde. My brother's hair has turned from bleach blonde to brown. So I guess I'm doomed to darker hair, lol. :rolleyes:
I've heard that Chamomile tea rinses bring out blonde highlights. I myself haven't tried it yet, but it's an idea.

ETA: I've never had highlights done, my hair is fine so I don't think it would take well to any sort of bleaching or dye.

[Merewen]

My hair made the same progression. It was almost white when I was little, and now is probably best described as a dark golden. I do not dye my hair at all.

There is a lot of information around about using honey to lighten hair. Here (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=61) is an article. I think there's also a thread in the herbal haircare section.

[spidermom]

I'm finally getting the white blonde back that I had as a toddler; haha. (o.k., o.k. - white and silver)
I went through stages of lightening my hair with a product called Summer Blonde and Sun-In. I also had salon highlights done once; my hair did not appreciate it (dried out and got snarly).
Natural was best.

I've heard that generously applying coconut oil before highlights minimizes the damage.

[Buffy]

Yeah, i know, we are doomed :rolleyes: hahaha!

The thing is , that with the highlights my hair is pretty light , something like that:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-IeKvzXzYdo/SwurqPMzncI/AAAAAAAAAvk/yMlyhlp2D1s/s1600/Amanda-Seyfried-amanda-seyfried-2805313-360-480.jpg

(sorry for posting pictures, it's just to give you an idea)

So, i don'tthink i would get these results with such natural products. By the way, chamomile doesn't do much.

[Buffy]

I'm finally getting the white blonde back that I had as a toddler; haha. (o.k., o.k. - white and silver)
I went through stages of lightening my hair with a product called Summer Blonde and Sun-In. I also had salon highlights done once; my hair did not appreciate it (dried out and got snarly).
Natural was best.

I've heard that generously applying coconut oil before highlights minimizes the damage.


When you say "before" highlights, you mean right before? Or the previous day? But then , would the bleach work?

[MsBubbles]

Wow! That photo you linked to shows my natural hair color and texture exactly! Pity my face doesn't look all bright and fresh like hers though...:rolleyes:

There are some members here with highlights or bleached locks - some very long hair too by real world standards. They can point you in the right direction as to how to achieve length and some amount of color stripping while keeping your hair in great shape.

As for me, I have embraced my dark-ash blondeness. There's a support thread around here too for those growing out their bleach, going through the difficult roots stage.

[PorkChop]

You sound exactly the same as me. It also seems my natural colour is around same as yours is now too.

I get bleach highlights every few months. Like on the roots and that.

I too cant part with the light blonde hair colour, it makes me so sad to think most of my childhood it was that light blonde that i love so much, then it faded dark :(

[spidermom]

Yes, you apply the coconut oil and then have the bleaching process done over it. There's a thread about it somewhere (search the main forum). I don't have any personal experience, though. I've had my natural color for more than 10 years.

[halo_tightens]

When you say "before" highlights, you mean right before? Or the previous day? But then , would the bleach work?


Yes, you apply the coconut oil and then have the bleaching process done over it. There's a thread about it somewhere (search the main forum). I don't have any personal experience, though. I've had my natural color for more than 10 years.

From the many first-hand accounts that I've read, it doesn't just NOT interfere with the bleaching-- it actually can be even more effective. Sounds counterintuitive, but results are what matter! :)

[invisiblebabe]

From the pictures you posted, the "after highlights" example does not look much lighter, just a lot more golden. The "before highlights" picture looks to me like a medium ash blonde.

Coconut oil does help keep my hair healthy, so I second that suggestion! Stretching out salon visits is good too. I actually have not gotten highlights done since January, but since May I have been using John Frieda Go Blonder hair lightener. Much less expensive, with pretty good results too (not as dramatic as highlights, but it does lighten the hair and get rid of some of the ash tone - my natural color is very ashy too). :)

[Lianna]

Yeah, i know, we are doomed :rolleyes: hahaha!

The thing is , that with the highlights my hair is pretty light , something like that:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-IeKvzXzYdo/SwurqPMzncI/AAAAAAAAAvk/yMlyhlp2D1s/s1600/Amanda-Seyfried-amanda-seyfried-2805313-360-480.jpg

(sorry for posting pictures, it's just to give you an idea)

So, i don'tthink i would get these results with such natural products. By the way, chamomile doesn't do much.

You would need a lot of honey treatments to achieve that. By the time you get to it, you'd have roots, and to lighten that would take a while again...meaning your hair would be pretty patchy. To get this you need to lighten two levels, which can be done with a level 8 dye or stay with highlights. Perhaps highlighting with the dye and not bleach be an option.

To answer the first questions:

*Do you dye your hair or have highlights done?

I've dyed my hair a lot of colors, but most of the time I stayed with a level 7 (medium blonde). Looks almost like that under the sun, but my indoor pictures look pretty dark. At the moment I'm playing with some dark brown temporary color. I've always had some time in between with natural hair, so isn't like I don't know how my real color is, which is the same as the first pic you posted.

My natural hair has high porosity which means it doesn't respond well to chemical processes. Honey lightening doesn't work for me in a timely manner (not even everyday for weeks). Not even some relaxers work in my hair.

*Is there any other method someone could follow? (henna is only for red tones right?)

Henna is for red/orangey tones, but henna mixes can give some light brown, brown, ginger, black etc. Depends on the hair color, and it doesn't lighten. You could try cassia to add warmth but doesn't lighten either, it wouldn't be like the lighter hair you showed, and it's temporary. You could try a demi color too, which is less damaging and lifts a level (in some brands).

* Is there something specific i can do before or after my highlights to protect my hair more?

Coconut oil prevents some of the damage from peroxide.


I wouldn't use bleach if I were you, this hair color is light enough to go very light with just dye. If you don't abuse your hair in different ways, like using heat often, you have a good chance to stay with healthy hair and grow long.

[kitschy]

Just wait long enough and it will start progressing back to white, like mine is doing. :)

[UltraBella]

I have highlights and lowlights. The low lights are permanent color with a peroxide developer, the highlights are bleach - I can't tell any difference between the two as far as damage goes. My hair is healthy. I don't use coconut oil before, I don't only do my roots, I am just lucky possibly and my hair is hard to damage.
Everyone is different, for me personally, I don't like my ashy dark blonde color next to my skin. It's blah and boring and they don't compliment each other. I have to do something to give my hair some warmth.

[justgreen]

I'm a hardcore bleacher, LOL. I have my roots done every 4-6 weeks, without fail. I've gone longer between highlights, but I was ill. I'm pretty sure my hairdresser uses 40 vol. I'm due to go again next Monday. I've been having my highlights done professionally for over five years now. Before I found LHC, I did them myself using a cap. What a BIG mistake.

[scotty810]

i've lost all my blonde as well.

I don't dye it because it's too much work since I have a beard so i'd have to dye that as well. and dyed beard generally look fake.

I just accept the fact i'm more of a dark blonde almost light brown now.

[misspurdy06]

I had white ash blonde hair till I was 10 then it got progressively darker. My hair is dark blonde now and I use sun-in for highlights.

[Springlets]

From the pictures you posted, the "after highlights" example does not look much lighter, just a lot more golden. The "before highlights" picture looks to me like a medium ash blonde.
since May I have been using John Frieda Go Blonder hair lightener. Much less expensive, with pretty good results too (not as dramatic as highlights, but it does lighten the hair and get rid of some of the ash tone - my natural color is very ashy too). :)

I agree, in the picture of Amanda Seyfriend it looks like her hair starts that color and then lightens and goldens up as it goes. That starting color is nothing to be ashamed of. And, as you said, it is the color that most of us blondes turn out to be when we're older, I wish more would go natural and rock it proudly. (I am in the process of doing this myself, btw ;)).

I second the suggestion for John Frieda Go Blonder, it's natural (it says it uses chamomile and lemon but the lemon is extract of lemon peel so I can't imagine it has that much) so it hasn't damaged my hair at all. It also gives me a lighter and less ash blonde. I think it would take you to some place between those two colors. And white vinegar rinses I've found are great to bring out the shine (but not the brass of ACV).

[tinti]

When I was a kid I had a very light reddish blond clor, and it has darkened and darkened over the years, so now my natural collor is a dark copper blonde:
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=6233&pictureid=84510

But I've been highlighting it for several years, and dyed it back, and highlighted it again. Last year I grew out my natural color as you can see, and in April when I had my BC I also highlighted it again.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=6233&pictureid=109121

There's damae of course, and we all know that we can't repair damage. But I try to keep splits at bay and preventing further damage with oils and a deep overnight treatment with 50% coconut oil, 50& deep conditioner, and castor oil on my scalp. And I'm doing a "wear hair up for every day" benign neglect challange, and use heat only on special occations. And I think it works, my hair looks happy and healthy, at least :) Last time I dyed I did the deep treatment both the night before and the night after (a bit overhysterical maybe but it didn't hurt, my hair sucked all the moisture it could get after being "fried". And another plus, my mother is a hair stylist and has cut and dyed my hair all my life, so she knows my hair :)

[Malibu Barbie]

You might want to take a looks at my pictures in my albums. There I go from many different colors to the color I am now. I have always been a natural blonde when I hit my 30's it really started going darker. I keep it golden blonde. My hair dresser uses a high lift color, but my hair doesn't pull red tones. If your hair pulls red tones then this method can't be used and then you might have to bleach. Either way, when the sun was bleaching my hair in the oceans or I was doing it myself. My hair has stayed on my head and still feels really nice. I do oil it up the day before I color. I do have a fantastic colorist. If you really want to stay blonde you can do it! It can be done heathly, find a talented colorist that knows what they're doing and you should be fine. Remember, it is very important if you go this route you go 4 to 6 weeks between coloring. When people wait longer and don't keep it up, you get the awful red tones. Also, it can take a few trips before they get the color right so be patience. It depends on how long and how much dark growth you have.

[emelnd]

When I was a teenager, some of my blonde friends were going darker. They didn't like this and a lot of them got highlights with chamomile tea and then going out and sitting in the sun. Maybe the sun is the one that did the lightening though, I don't know.

[Anje]

I'm going through something similar, but with red pigment mixed in... So the hair has gone from a light auburn to more of a medium auburn-brown.

I'm mostly posting because you mentioned henna, and I want to make sure you're informed. Henna is reddish-orange only, and while multiple applications can darken it toward ruby it always likes to glow orange in the sun. Some people also use indigo, which is a blue-gray dye that added to henna can make brown or black. Other folks use Cassia obovata (older name for what is now Senna italica), which has yellow tones that may show on light hair but tend to be invisible on darker hair. None of these will lighten hair color, ever. They might appear to brighten it, though.

[supbanana]

....and generally all the girls that have highlights done....i have some questions for you :D

I'm one of many blondes who went like this: ...my hair was almost white-blonde up until i was 15, then it progressively started getting darker, and now that i'm 24 it's a medium/dark blonde, something like this: http://www.style.com/slideshows/fashionshows/F2005RTW/CHLOE/DETAILS/00300m.jpg

My sister and I were both born with light blonde hair, then went to red. Mine turned back to blonde, but like you my sister's turned that exact brown color. I'm lucky enough to get natural highlights in the summer (it goes darker in the winter) but my sister has been getting chemical highlights for years. Her hair is nice, silky and barely damaged, but she keeps it pretty short. I'm keeping an eye on this thread so I can give her tips. :)