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Anonymous

I always love my hair when it's freshly colored, but for some reason it starts skewing red after a couple of weeks. She always colors it 6NN (double neutral) brown, but I wonder if I should insist on ash brown. ???

9 years ago

General

35 replies

Latest reply was from

Anonymous

That sounds like a good idea, but I know nothing about hair color. Maybe someone with experience will weigh in. Maybe you could put something about needing hair color help in the title.

9 years ago

kkards

Veteran

it maybe your shampoo, or it maybe that your natural coloring has red undertones that come out as the color fades....

9 years ago

JAileen

Veteran

Do you always wear a hat outside? The sun can affect the color.

9 years ago

Bijou

Veteran

You may want to see if you can get a colour boosted shampoo and/or conditioner. My hair which is blonde, goes gold over time, I have red heads in my family, so this is not unexpected. A violet coloured conditioner once a week keeps the gold at bay and freshens up my colour in between visits to the salon.

9 years ago

Anonymous

Thanks! I'll ask about special shampoo. I know my hair has red in it, but it's usually only visible in the bright sun. That's probably why my hair wants to go red. I don't want this much red, though!

9 years ago

Anonymous

My friend is a hair color guru and is always in demand at the salon where she works and just happened to stop by after I read your post. From what you posted she said that she hopes that your colorist uses the permanent color on your regrowth only and not on the previously colored hair. A demi perm or toner should only be used on the previously colored growth. The more permanent haircolor used on the old growth, the more porous the hair and it fades more quickly (not to mention that it stops looking like hair).

She also said to wait at least 48 hours before shampooing, use sulfate free shampoo, and use lukewarm water when rinsing. Protecting hair from the sun reduces fading.

Finally, she said that you should switch to an ash tone only if you think your hair looks red when you get it colored now. Switching to an ash tone won't necessarily prevent the red from coming through as the color fades.

9 years ago

Anonymous

Thanks! She only colors the new growth (uncolored hair), so that's not the issue. I only shampoo 2x/wk. but I'm suspecting my shampoo may be the problem. Also, I haven't waited the requisite 48 hours before shampooing, so that's a problem I can fix.

9 years ago

Dottie

Active Member

If your coloring is cool toned, perhaps you should go for a more cool toned brown hair color as well (more ash)?

9 years ago

Anonymous

My skin tone is neutral, so that's probably why my hair dresser uses the double neutral brown color. I wonder if ash might be better or if it will wash me out. I don't wear very cool clothing or makeup colors well. I believe I'm a Soft Summer. I know one thing, though. If I have more problems with it, I'm going to quit coloring it and let it go white (even if I look like a ghost).

9 years ago

Jenni NZ

Veteran

Well that was going to be my suggestion, let it go grey! I didn't wish to offend you. Everyone on YLF is so lovely and helpful, and I realise many still wish to dye their hair. For me it has been a feminist choice and one for authenticity but you do have to have peace with the fact that you would "look older" compared with all the blondes, brunettes and redheads walking about. I am not sure at what age this applies but when I see older couples where the man is incredibly grey and the woman not, I personally think it looks silly. It's pretty obvious from her face that her hair is not natural. You still have lovely soft skin so that wouldn't apply.

9 years ago

Anonymous

I'm not worried about white hair. I'm worried about white hair next to my pale skin - no contrast whatsoever. That's not the look I want. My hair isn't coming in gray. It's coming in as white as a sheet.

9 years ago

Anonymous

Have you done the ash tone before? If not, I'd give it a go.

9 years ago

Jenni NZ

Veteran

But would it matter? It would just take some getting used to. It could really add to your soft summer look. Take a look at some of Anchie's photos and then for how it looks a bit older look at Joy and Bonnie? There are heaps of resources on the internet about managing the transition. Debbie Roes has some good ones in the Recovering Shopaholic archives and one woman has written a whole book about the process. I do realise that it is all very well for me to say as mine is not white all over, just at the front mainly and still dark at the back.

9 years ago

Anonymous

Pale skin + Snow White hair = no contrast whatsoever. I might as well disappear. I already know what it looks like. Some of my eyebrows and eyelashes are already white. Ick! White hair is fine for those with darker skin. Not for ivory skin like mine.

9 years ago

Jenni NZ

Veteran

You wouldn't, truly xxx

9 years ago

Anonymous

Yes I would - truly.

9 years ago

Nebraskim

Veteran

Please let people decide for themselves what they would and would not like. People tell me ALL the time that I should let my IMHO ugly mousey 1/2 Asian/1/2 Scots-Irish hair go "naturally gray." I think it looks hideous uncolored but the negative comments I get from others about how "you should be natural and proud of your age/blah blah blah" are dispiriting to me. When I do color my hair, I use color like bright cranberry, cobalt blue or violet -- I don't want to look natural, I want to look vibrant. Going for the obviously "fake" makes it look fun to me. But I guess I look like a clown.

9 years ago

Anonymous

Thank you, Nebraskim! I don't want to look pale and washed out. Therefore, I get my hair colored. To each his/her own, but I don't like the albino look. People should be able to color their hair without judgement & criticism.

9 years ago

Jenni NZ

Veteran

Um, I wasn't judging and criticising. Would not have brought it up if you hadn't said it yourself, that you would let it go white. I didn't want to offend as I like everyone on the forum so much. It seemed you were having a lot of trouble with colouring your hair and mentioned the alternative yourself. So was offering that as an option. Sorry for offending.
Nebraskin, ageing can be dispiriting and no wonder in our society. Everyone deals with it in different ways. Cheers.

9 years ago

Anonymous

I said it to express how frustrated I am. Why is it so hard to have neutral brown hair that won't turn red? I'm to the point if wanting to color it myself, but it's a chore I don't want to do. If asking for ash brown will solve that problem, then that's what I'll ask for.

9 years ago

RobinF

Veteran

My hair also wants to go red (I have to color every 4 weeks) and it seems like the different color brands can make a huge difference. I go with a golden brown and it seems to work pretty well. I don't know about ash brown, the name doesn't make it seem appealing but I would think it is worth a try.

9 years ago

Thirkellgirl

Veteran

It's easy to color eyebrows, so you wouldn't have white eyebrows unless you gave up on makeup altogether. I thought, as Jenni did, that you were genuinely (and finally, after fighting the nuances of your hair tone for a long time) deciding to go with your natural color. Nobody was attacking anyone.

9 years ago

Anonymous

Thanks, RobinF, for weighing in. I'm still wondering about my shampoo. I've been coloring every 5 weeks but am bumping it up to 4.

I didn't feel attacked. I just thanked someone for supporting the look I'm going for, which is NOT albino. I don't want to look pale, and that's what it will be. I already know because I'm already dealing with white eyebrows and eyelashes. Yes, I could color them, but I'd still have white hair against white skin. No thank you! If I had a darker skin tone, this wouldn't be an issue. White hair is beautiful on people with darker skin. I just don't happen to like looking colorless, and don't want anyone to try to talk me into doing that. Maybe when I'm 80, but not at age 55 when most of my hair is still dark; not when I know I won't be happy with that "look" (cough).

9 years ago

UmmLila (Lisa)

Veteran

https://www.colorwowhair.com/u.....-hair.html

9 years ago

Anonymous

Thanks. Do they have a product for medium brown hair? My hair is neither dark brown (at least not in hair coloring terms) or blonde.

9 years ago

UmmLila (Lisa)

Veteran

That's the only teal one I've ever seen --all the other products for brassiness seem to be purple.

9 years ago

Emily K

(website)

Veteran

A long time ago, I had my hair dyed super ashy--so much so that it was light grey. I maintained it with the purple rinse. (My hair naturally and easily bleaches to a bright gold and I lived in SoCal at the time.) I was also super careful with my shampoo and with exposure to both sun and chlorine and chlorinated water. Count me in as another who thinks that you may find some success with scrupulous attention paid to shampoo, rinse, etc. Sorry, I don't have any current product suggestions, though.

9 years ago

Anonymous

Thanks. I'm going to have to figure this out.

9 years ago

Thirkellgirl

Veteran

Well, now *I'm offended. You said (more than once) "Yes, I could color them, but I'd still have white hair against white skin. No thank you!" I've got pale skin, skew pink at best, wear ivory foundation now that I've given up tanning for good, and my hair is a little whiter each month. I think it looks good (and so does my hair stylist, who likes my white streak). Using words like "albino" to describe a perfectly normal aging look on a pale-skinned woman is even more offensive than acting like going white is a tragedy. Signed, pale and dealing with it #eyebrowpowder #eyeliner #blush

9 years ago

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