This is a post best illustrated with pictures, but here's the story. Please, please, please, I beg of you - give me advice on what I should do next.
History:
I had mega blonde hair growing up - the white blonde kind. As I got into high school, it darkened up a bit, but was still pretty blonde. In college, it got even darker & I started adding highlights. Fast forward to about five years ago, and I was adding lots and lots and lots of highlights to achieve the look I wanted. About a year ago I decided that I was sick of the grow out and the constant up keep, and I wanted a more natural look.
Step one - I went to my stylist and asked her to slowly blend in more of my natural color. That worked for about a week, but the previously bleached blonde color came back with a vengeance.
Step two - I went back to my stylist & asked her to color my hair with an overall permanent color that matched my natural color. That way, I would have no grow out, but wouldn't have a racoon hair situation going on. That worked for about 10 days. Until the blonde came out. Now things were worse because my hair was fairly dark on top, and seriously blonde on bottom.
Step three - I though perhaps my stylist was incompetent and went to a hard core professional hair color person (read: crazy town expensive & very highly rated) and had my hair permanently colored to match the natural color yet again. Same thing happened after about a week - that blonde was determined!
I've since given up & am just trying to grow it out. I currently am rocking three colors. On top - my actual, natural color. Mid-way down - remnants from either step two or step three. Can't remember. On the bottom - the blonde highlights.
I've cut it twice since the color debacle began (about a year ago), so should I hold on & wait to grow out the rest? Something else? I'm planning to cut it to about chin length in the next week or so, which *should* almost get rid of the blonde & leave with me with the other two colors. But, it might look tragically worse with a fringe of the mega blonde on the ends.
For context, my hair was previously VERY blonde:
Then I tried to make it a bit more natural:
Now I'm left with the current mess. Please help!
GROW it out. My advice is to quit coloring it and go for the chop as well. Your natural color is gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteOk, just a warning...this will not be a short comment. I was a professional hair colorist for nine years and I have heard this a lot. Did the professionals fill your hair, because if they did not, the new color will not stay in. Also, did they educate you about sulfate free shampoos? These shampoos will not strip hair color. Lastly, the crazy expensive colorist used permanent hair color? What, what? Bleached blonde hair is usually very porous, dry and brittle (due to the crushing of natural pigment-that's what bleaching/ lightening does) and only a semi or demi color should be used because of this. A proper fill with the appropriate ratio of underlying pigment followed by your desired shade over that should not fade. I hate to sound preachy, but I wish more color professionals knew what they were doing.
ReplyDeleteJulie - thanks so much for the background. I know nothing about sulfate free shampoos. What would you recommend for a next step? Suffer through & wait until I can cut it? Something else?
ReplyDeletealmost - thanks! I'm just so very tired of its current gnarly state at the moment. I'm about to go Britney & shave it.
ReplyDeleteKenra is a professional brand that makes sulfate free shampoos for different hair thicknesses (and, of course, conditioners to match). I always used it when I would have color in my hair, especially reds and it held up to the challenge. Very little fading.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, at this point, I would probably say suffer through it. I hate to recommend that, but you are already planning to cut quite a bit off. If you go to chin length, that'll leave you with about 3 inches or so of blond. And, if you are concerned with finding a colorist that can do the job correctly (which from what you have been through is understandable), I would say let it go. Are you going with a chin length bob or chin length with some layers? The layers might help take a little bit more of the blond off in the bottom.