Bottle blonde grows long!

[Janka]

1) What is your starting color? Darker tawny I never considered myself blonde or light-colored, just mousy-greyish. I always got highlights from the sun in summer and wanted more. But I'm "only" highlighted and not blonde all over, or a double-tawny, if you want . My hair looks darker in the avatar.

2) How do you get your beautiful blonde color? Salon high- and lowlights (to better blend in), every 3-4 months. My one and only experiment with home bleach was a disaster (yellow!), I put a cap on and ran to the store for some darker color. My great luck was, it fitted my natural color perfectly, no-one noticed...

3) How do you care for your hair? CWC and SC, using products for highlighted/colored/damaged hair, every 3-5 days, depending on weather and personal feeling. Light oiling almost after every wash. Deep treatements every few weeks, if I remember. Mostly air-drying, or blow-drying on low. Wearing hair up almost every day, braiding for the night.

4) Any problems that you've solved (such as brassiness)? No brassiness here When I was getting highlights only, my lentgh was almost blonde only, so I started low and hightlights, which blends better in. The only problem is that the I need go to the salon after 3 or 4 months, because my darker roots show. I find I look older with darker color (been there, done that).

5) Last but not least - how long is your hair? Halfway between BSL and waist, my last salon visit "cost" me 2 cm, but it brought me nearer to a blunt hemline...

[Sherri]

1) What is your starting color?Light Ash Brown

2) How do you get your beautiful blonde color?I use a box color. It is L'Oreal Colorsillk Med Ash Blonde. It is the cheap one usually from a dollar store.

3) How do you care for your hair?I use shampoo/condition with leave-in on ends. Wide tooth comb blowdry top/damp dry rest of length

4) Any problems that you've solved (such as brassiness)?No not really. My hair tends to pull a lot of red so I'm not even sure I fit into this catagory of being blonde.

5) Last but not least - how long is your hair?Right now it is at about 31"

[spidermom]

You do not need to have virgin hair to feel secure in yourself and "fully embrace who you are". It's possible to want to play around with hair colour AND have great self esteem.
This thread is about celebrating bottle blondes, not implying that they do not accept or love themselves.

Exactly, and you know what they say? If you want to do something, talk to the people who are successful at it, not the ones who have failed.

[atlantaz3]

1) What is your starting color? I guess caramel would be a good description for my starting color (although when little it was white and I am northern German descent)

2) How do you get your blonde color? I had highlights almost a year and half ago. I have made an appt with my hair dresser who really likes to do highlights and does a good job. She blends my natural color as the low lights making growing out less painful. (She also understands the two week rule and knows I may cancel that appt!) Also my hair lightens up really quickly in sunlight, but it's thick so I end up two toned - darker underneath.

3) How do you care for your hair? SMT and experiments. Sulfate free shampoo I am terming a bust. I think it made my hair dull. I end up going back to HE Rose Hips blend. Honey helps my hair and lately aloe has done wonders.

4) Any problems that you've solved (such as brassiness)? That has never really been an issue for me.

5) Last but not least - how long is your hair? I just passed BSL on my way to waist - go hair go!

I too will be watching this thread!

[utdesertrunner]

Great thread! I've been trying for the last year to not highlight, but my hair is so dull to me. I just don't really enjoy it. I think I will head to the salon soon, I really miss my highlights! I'm excited to see the other reply's.

[flapjack]

Katze, I definitely understand where you're coming from. I've been to Germany and parts of northern Europe and I definitely noticed that most girls have varying shades of darker blonde and brown hair. I can see why the people in the area would think those hair colors are "boring" (even though they obviously aren't any less boring than any other color...). It's no different than people who have brown eyes or black hair and live in areas where all the people have those traits... ask them if they think brown eyes and black hair are boring traits and you'll get an earful. So it's all about location. And I agree with you that these girls and women should see past that and know how beautiful their real hair color truly is.

But, I do think Kuchen brings up a good point. You can have excellent self-esteem and want a different hair color. It doesn't mean you hate yourself or your natural hair. We can't assume every German girl who dyes her hair a lighter shade of blonde hates her hair, because that will not be the true story. I applaud your newly found love for your real hair color, that's amazing news and it's great to hear, I'm glad you're happy. And I agree... your hair color is awesome, there was never anything wrong with it to begin with, we all know this. But that's not always the answer for everyone, you know? There are girls who are dyeing their hair for the wrong reasons, sure, but it's not everybody.


As for the "blonde is better" attitude, well, those girls have kinks to work out that no amount of hair dye will ever fix. Because if it's not their hair, it will soon be something else and then something after that, etc.

[spidermom]

Flapjack, you reminded me that it's like any other kind of personal adornment. Sometimes you do it because it pleases you to create something that you find beautiful, whether it be clothing, makeup, jewelry, or hair color. There's nothing wrong with that. However, there may be something wrong if you're doing whatever it is that you're doing to cover up something that you think is inadequate about yourself.

[flapjack]

^ Exactly. Hair color is just hair color. Changing it should be no different than changing your shirt (psychologically speaking... obviously it's much more complicated and can be more permanent and drastic than changing a shirt, etc.). It should never change who you are or how you perceive yourself. I love hair just as much as the next lhc member, but... it's just hair! Really.

[Babyfine]

I really enjoyed my highlights when I had them. And I did grow from a chin length bob to BSL while I continued to get them.(Touching up just roots) I had a golden blonde color.I don't know if I could have grown any longer than that-maybe I could have. My natural color is a medium brown with a few greys. My dh likes them better on me then my current med/auburn color. I have greys in front(about 10&#37 and I think they camoflouged them much better - they stick out like a sore thumb with my medium brown color.
On the other hand, my hair is less damaged now than then(I still color every 3-5 months with a brown demi-perm).
The Jury is out on what looked better on me. I did have more upkeep with them as since I don't have THAT much grey- the dark roots showed fairly quickly.
I never thought my hair grew still I started touching up roots.
I have very fair, fair skin(freckles) with brown eyes. As a child my hair was a light golden brown. My eyes were always darker than my hair.
Very light blonde looks awful on me- washes me out- but golden highlights look good.
Some people really like my current(dark) color better on me-says it makes my hair look thicker and healthier, others preferred the highlights.

[Hypnotica]

ness."
While I fully support choices that make individuals happy, I just wish more women would accept themselves as they truly are, and embrace their natural beauty.

Nah. In my case, nature clearly did an error