Thinking about changing haircolor (pics)

[Mayflower]

So, I'm having a bit of a dilemma right now, but I think I almost made my decision. I've been dying my hair with henna and indigo. I've been a light brown, a reddish brown, a dark brown and now an almost-black. I've wanted darker hair for years but hated the fake color boxdyes would give me, so when I found out about henna and indigo, I was thrilled. Like many, I found my own haircolor to be dull and washing me out. Dark hair makes my light eyes and skin stand out more.

But now I think I might go back to my natural color. Looking back at pictures, it isn't that dull after all. It's a very golden color, between dark blonde and light brown, and I get lots of natural highlights. I have maybe an inch of roots, which are light brown. The contrast between the lighter roots and the pretty much black hair makes me look like I'm balding, so I wanna decide now if I want to a) do my roots and keep the dark color, or b) now that it's summer, do everything I can to strip the color and get back to my natural color.

A few things I need to take in consideration (both pro and contra to going back to natural):

- I would go back to having my normal hairtexture (M with a few F's). I really like the coarseness henna gives me; it can withstand everything
- I could use all the products I like from now on, without being carefull of sulfates or anything that might strip the color
- I could use natural things like lemon, chamomile tea, cassia to give my hair a lighter/more golden hue
- I'm so sick of having to do roots everytime, plus it took me literally years to get to the color I'm now
- If I continue to dye it, it would be harder and harder to strip it later on. I already have tons of layers, but maybe I could be able to strip some
- But everything (clothes-wise) look so much better with my dark, more dramatic hair

I think I'm leaning towards natural. If I'd find my color to be extremely boring, I could always go back to black at any time and could build the layers of dye up again. Plus, back when I had my own color, my hair was much thinner and in super bad condition, so maybe long 'blondette' hair wouldn't be so boring on me as it was shorter.

So, what would you guys do? Here are some pictures:

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=8829&pictureid=120237

My colour now
(pictures of my face are in my albums)

My natural color (bad quality)

All in different lighting.

[spidermom]

Nice natural color, but most of the attempts I have seen at removing indigo resulted in green hair. I do wish you success.

[Mayflower]

Nice natural color, but most of the attempts I have seen at removing indigo resulted in green hair. I do wish you success.

Thank you! Yes I think it will be hard, but I will stay far away from the bleach. I am just going to try honey, vitamin c tablets, yoghurt, hot oilings etc. to pull out some of the color. Which will hopefully give me a less harsh demarcation line.

[Shona]

I think you have a beautiful natural colour! In my opinion I would say go back to natural. Nothing beats not having to worry about roots. I used to dye my hair dark too, (my hair is quite like yours) and I know what you mean about the looking bald thing. On the down side it took me about 4 years to grow my dark hair out! I still have nightmares about it! Glad I'm all natural now though :-).

P.S I LOVE the dress or top you are wearing in the bottom picture! Where is it from?!

[Rufflebutt]

I wish you all the luck. But I think that you may just have to settle with growing it out.

I've been conventionally dying my hair black for a year now. I realize that I may never see my natural color again until I let my hair grow out. I'm done with dyes now. Absolutely done. Oops didn't make much of a difference on my hair. But I'm not going to use any more of it or anything. I'm just going to let it be.

[blaketob]

I definitely think you should go back to your natural color. it's soo beautiful :) good luck on your attempts to strip your hair color if thats what you decide to do!

[Nellon]

You can also do some lowlights with henna and indigo perhaps? In a slightly lighter colour than the black.. and then gradually blend your natural colour in without the line getting too harsh. Hopefully after doing that for a while and not dying your lengths the black will also start to fade and it'll look quite alright? That's how I would do it anyways, if the "bleaching" doesn't work miracles :) Good luck!

[snowcloud]

WHy you scribble out your face.. you gotts a pretty face and I like the hair color in those last two pics ;)

[theodora]

Your natural colour is absolutely lush, I love it! Color Oops is non-damaging (if it's the same as UK Colour B4). You might find the thread where a few of us used colour removers to remove our henna. I removed some henna after 3 Colour B4 treatment (which I left on each for 3 hours). Jojo removed hendigo using the same method. I could find the thread for you if you're interested.

Even if you don't manage to remove all of the hendigo, it will help blend in your natural colour. Also, if your hair turns green, you can always try ketchup or a red semi permanent (like manic panic or directions) to neutralise it.

Good luck!

[PolarCathy]

I like both but I'm heavily biased towards the indigo. In any case, I'll be following the thread; I'm curious about your (final) decision and also the outcome of your lightening attempts, if any.

[LaFlor]

Your natural color looks a lot like mine, so I get what you mean by getting bored with it! I really like it though, so I vote for natural!! Although I have no idea how to get there without just waiting for it to grow out! It's a pain to do, but it might be worth it :D

[elfgirl]

I think you look lovely both ways! I'd say whatever you feel is best, and would feel the most comfortable with, to go for it ^_^

[lapushka]

Your natural hair has so many different hues to it, I love it! I'd go back to natural, as the upkeep that you now have has got to be tiring. I do think that without bleach or something stripping such as ColorB4 or ColorOops, your going back to natural -without growing it out- is not going to go that well.

[Mayflower]

Thanks for all the replies people! The good thing is, after tomorrow I'll have 3 whole months of summer holiday so that's plenty of time to experiment with lightening techniques. I don't think I can get ColorB4 where I live (Belgium), but I travel to the UK a lot so I will pick some up there. I just won't touch bleach because I would be depressed if I'd end up with green hair. :p And I'm not gonna cut either, I guess I can live with a demarcation line if I have to.


I think you have a beautiful natural colour! In my opinion I would say go back to natural. Nothing beats not having to worry about roots. I used to dye my hair dark too, (my hair is quite like yours) and I know what you mean about the looking bald thing. On the down side it took me about 4 years to grow my dark hair out! I still have nightmares about it! Glad I'm all natural now though :-).

P.S I LOVE the dress or top you are wearing in the bottom picture! Where is it from?!

Thank you :). It's a top from H&M but I'm afraid it's not going to be of any help since the pictures are from 3/4 years ago, sorry!

[red-again]

Please, please grow it out! The chemicals whether bleach or colour b4 you need to remove it will be numerous. I did what you are planning on back in feb, I wanted to go unnatural bright red so I bleach bathed my hair twice and bleach streaked with full strength bleach. My henna and indigo two step hair still held it together but I have had to cut off about 5 inches due to damage in the length. Irt really was the worst decision EVER!

The above is just my experience obviously but if a you do go ahead, please do test strands to make sure that what you want your result to be is achievable. What I mean is bleaching it or whichever method you choose, enough to get it light enough. See the son diction. Leave that same hair sample a week and see how it holds tighter her then.
Or maybe buy a wig in your old colour or as near as possible to see if you really do want to make the leap. And if you do strand test!

[red-again]

For me the colour oops was what caused the ends needing t o be cut. It made my hair straw like - I thought it'd be safe because I'd read so many reviews - that is just another reason to strand test. Do everything to the strands you take. See how much is too much.

I have to say though, the henna and indigo on you is so worth the upkeep. The textural difference in your hair and contrast with your skin is stunning.

[UpNorth]

Grow it out! I like the Indigo too but I have the same natural colour as you and I recently decided to grow it and that feels like a good decision! I'm growing out blonde highlights though:)

[firegypsy]

your natural color is simply beautiful. I vote growing it out. I don't have much experience with the color removal so I've nothing to offer there. best of luck!

[McFearless]

I love your natural colour. I'd recommend growing it out.

[Mayflower]

Thanks everyone! I think it's time to grow it out. Today I saw my hair shining in the sun, all dark and pretty and I was doubting again, but I want to enjoy my own color for a bit before I get grey hair, and I can always go back to the dark. :)


For me the colour oops was what caused the ends needing t o be cut. It made my hair straw like - I thought it'd be safe because I'd read so many reviews - that is just another reason to strand test. Do everything to the strands you take. See how much is too much.

I have to say though, the henna and indigo on you is so worth the upkeep. The textural difference in your hair and contrast with your skin is stunning.

Thanks so much for the warning! I thought colour oops/colorB4 were pretty innocent, but I'm going to be careful then. I will just take a small piece of hair underneath the back to experiment on because I am too impatient to make a strand out of shed hairs. :p
I know, I love my texture and color so much now, but I can always go back if I want to! And after more than 2 years having dark hair, I'd like to go a little lighter for a change.