Hair color experimenting: Yay or nay - YouLookFab Forum

Category

General

Welcome! Read about what to wear and how to wear it on the YLF Blog. Join the YLF Forum to ask specific questions or just chat about fashion and personal style. Or check out the curated list of things we love in YLF Finds.

Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

Hair color experimenting: Yay or nay

Maya

Veteran

I got an offer for a half head of foils for $50 from a local Aveda salon (half head meaning through the top and front, not that they would literally only do it on one half of my head). I think it would be kind of fun, especially since I'm growing my hair out and am getting a little bored. I have never colored it before though, except with henna. I am not even sure what I would ask for. Any suggestions? I'm not too well versed about colors or about the type of highlights (thick and streaky, thin and subtle, etc).

Or should I just stick with what I have?

This is done by a student under the strict supervision of an instructor, so I'm not sure that it's the kind of situation where I can ask for input or not.

General

30 replies

Latest reply was from Zoe B.

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

I like caramel or red highlights on black hair. Though everything I've heard is that red fades the fastest. I would do something very subtle that could withstand grow-out unless you want to do it every 6-8 weeks.

Elly

Veteran

I prefer a red or even a chocolate brown (depends on the shade of the hair, doesn't always mesh well with blue black). I think reds are gorgeous and tend to grow out well on black hair. Carmel highlights can look gorgeous and even semi-subtle, but I think they tend to look brassy if not maintained and always stick out like a sore thumb when grown out.

Heather

Veteran

NOOOOOOOOOO! Maya, despite all of your complaints against your own hair, it is soooo pretty. I love dark hair.

Debbie

Veteran

I would try it. Red does fade fast.

taylor

Veteran

ooh, fun. You have nothing to lose Maya...color adds a bit of texture to the hair by roughing up the outer cuticle...might make it a bit more manageable.
Have fun I would be interested to see what color they suggest.

Louise

Veteran

Yay!! Not sure on colours though, 1st time I had red it lasted ages as I'm a non blow dryer x

Dashrashi

Veteran

If you're worried about frizz/flyaways/scraggliness, I wouldn't. I usually hear color recommended as a solution for people whose hair problems are related to being too fine/soft/slippery/flat. I can just see you being very unhappy with how they turn out (esp. given that it's a student and you feel like you wouldn't have a lot of say) and then having to grow them out too or re-color.

Kristine

Veteran

I think your hair color is gorgeous, I wouldn't touch it!

Patty

Veteran

I'm always struck by how beautiful and shiny your hair is in your photos--just sayin'.

Vani

Veteran

Maya, I was apprehensive to get highlights or streaks for a long time but it seemed to be an easy way to add some variety and help with my boredom with my hair. And as you can tell, I loved it! Red, I feel is a non-invasive yet wonderful way to add some color and texture to dark hair. I do insist that the stylists don't "lift" any color and just deposit as much red as they can and that has worked well for me. This time I got streaks instead of highlights and I totally love how the color stands out and doesn't get lost in my dark hair. Also ask for semi-permanent dyes since you are unsure and semi-permanent color will eventually fade with consecutive washes. I have a sensitive scalp and always, always ask for semi-permanent color.

I think it will be fun. Good luck!

ETA: Maya, I have heard many places warning against coloring hair with henna. I guess you would just make sure the henna-ed hair has grown out.

Claudia

Veteran

I think you'll regret it if you do it. Your very dark, glossy hair is 100% beautiful as is. I admire it every time you post a photo. I wouldn't mess around with damaging it and having it look highly unnatural, and even, dare I say tacky. Growing it out will drive you crazy if you strip pigment.

Anonymous

I'm no hair expert but just want to say that this is the time in your life to experiment with color and streaks if you are bored, although your hair is gorgeous as it is. Vani has some great advice, especially for trying out something new.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I'm on Team Yay 100%.

I know you won't do it, but I love the right black haired and brown eyed gal with blue streaks in her hair. You see daring gals in HK and Tokyo walk around with beautifully blue streaked hair and they pull it off with the utmost panache.

Not suggesting blue hair, just sharing.

Maya

Veteran

I would totally do blue streaks Angie. Are you kidding?

I'm just not sure how that works. Does it need to be bleached first? I mean, how does it show up?

Lisa

Veteran

If you aren't used to color I'd suggest thin foils with the bulk around the face to brighten. I would try one or two shades lighter. Then if you like it, you can always go a few more shades, or thicker, or just more in the next round.

Diana

Veteran

I love the look of red/burgundy highlights in dark hair. My own hair is naturally black, and I have it dyed (entirely) a dark red. At the moment, it's more like cognac though because as many people have said above, red fades FAST. Keep in mind that in general it will NOT fade back to your natural color, but to a lighter color, so you have to be OK with that. I actually do not mind the cognac hair but I like red better, and it is high time I went back to have it redone!

Oh, and Vani is right - I would NOT get my hair chemically colored if it had been previously henna-ed. I've been told that the two together can cause your hair to turn greenish.

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I was thinking violet and then read Angie's blue suggestion. It's not as weird looking as you'd think. But . . . color means maintenance. Unless you go for the semi permanent, you need to think about how it will grow out gracefully. I will say that color really dried my hair. I have only done highlights. Twice professionally and every year or so I grab a box and do them myself now. But I will never again have the smooth silky feel in the shower I used to unless and until I stop using color.

rae

(website)

Veteran

Maya what is your skin tone (my guess is Winter, based on photos, although I know monitors can be deceiving)? I ask because I read somewhere that Winters shouldn't dye their hair unless they have to -- and definitely not to add red, because it will go too warm for the skin tone.

That said, I do love blue or purple streaks on winters! The cool color is really flattering to my eye. Specifically thinking of Jeannie Mai of How Do I Look.
http://iheartjeanniemai.com/th.....tty-posse/
http://www.instantcast.com/AllStars/Jeannie_Mai

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Rae and I are on the same wavelength (high five!) - but I have a *much* cleaner picture in my mind of blue streaked hair. The gal on Glee is the perfect example. Scroll down to the gal in the tartan skirt:

http://www.snitchseeker.com/bo.....rts-79464/

The blue streaks have to be VERY organized-looking in your hair. Strong, yet subtle. They have to look like blue chunks - not coverage. You will also need to adjust the way you dress. Lots of black, white and only one strong colour at a time only.

I'm not feeling the red streaks, but blue and blonde have my heart for your style.

It's a commitment, Maya. And you have to be at peace with it if it ends up not being your cuppa tea.

Aziraphale

Veteran

If you're bored and in the frame of mind to experiment, then by all means go for it. There are some good suggestions here. But I agree with Angie: you need to be ready to shrug and say "c'est la vie" if you don't like it. Of course, the upside is, you may love it! You'll never know if you don't try. I've had some cut/colour disasters over the years, but it has helped me learn what does not work. And there have been other times where I've taken a hair risk and been delighted with the results (a bleach blond pixie cut in my 20s comes to mind...)

In the end, it's just hair, and it will grow back. Life is short.

Kristine

Veteran

Ooh, blue? Now that I might vote yes on! I think if you're going to do highlights make them dramatic and intentional looking.

rae

(website)

Veteran

Ah I have never seen Glee, but I like that look, too! The main thing for me is that the color of the hair goes with the skin color... been too traumatized by orange hair on Winters and jet black hair on Autumns back in high school, lol.

Cilleena

Veteran

Maya, my daughter wanted blue streaks in her hair, so I asked the stylish about it. They didn't recommend it because it fades quickly to GREEN. You know the shade of green that blonde hair becomes when you've been swimming in a pool all summer? I used to be a swimmer and all the blondes had greenish hair. Anyway, I would ask at the salon about how long the Blue would last. It's my understanding that they have to strip the color from your hair and then they put the blue on top. I have naturally very dark brown hair (except mine has lots of white streaks in it now)and I get caramel colored highlights and red highlights every 4-6 months. It does fade and get brassy after a few months.

cobaltblue

Veteran

Yay for blue!

Maya

Veteran

Preface: I work in a very close-knit, relaxed, silly office environment...

I had one of my coworkers feel my hair and tell me what she thought.

She said it was the softest hair in the world.

I'm not sure I should mess with that. Not that people regularly touch my head or anything, but somehow I just like it to be soft. I am not a happy camper when it gets crunchy at the ends.

How I wish there was someone in this vast city who could give me henna highlights like I got when I was in India. They were the perfect reddish mahogany color and my hair's condition was actually better off for it. There must be someone somewhere...

Anyway, I think the bleaching is what bothers me. For the past 8 months I have been making every effort to be kind to my hair and keep it in good condition, and now I'm going to do the most damaging thing possible to it? Yikes.

Rae, I think I am a "deep winter." So not the traditional, cool winter but something between an autumn and winter. I am warm-complexioned.

Not that I really follow the rules anyway, otherwise I wouldn't be wearing a steely blue dress today...

I'm not even sure they would do blue, since it's a student thing. They might stick to more traditional colors.

Heather

Veteran

I am voting again (ha!). Keep your hair as is--I always admire raven haired gals.

tarzy

Veteran

I'm going to be a big, negative voice here. I would really think carefully before you do any chemical damage to your absolutely beautiful hair.

If you can do temporary, non-damaging color - go for it. Or if you can honestly say you'll happily accept whatever the result is - go for it.

But bleach/color/etc. is very drying and damaging. Knowing you, you may not be happy with the result and trying to "undo" color is not easy (and expensive!) It would take a long time to get back to what you have now, and your hair may never really be the same. (Sorry to be the voice of gloom and doom!)

Steph

Veteran

Maya, I have been giving this some thought. First, I'm not sure that blue would suit you. I think you need to have cool undertones for blue to work, and from what I have seen of you, you seem to have warmer undertones. I think that blue can look great in black hair, but it tends to look best in people whose hair is already kind of blue-black (mostly women from southeast Asia).

More generally, I'm torn on the whole hair color thing, mostly because it scares me personally, and because I have had less-than-stellar personal experiences. When I was 18 I had my hair highlighted and adored it. I thought it was fantastic. I went back and got it done a second time and came out with orange hair, which literally took me four years to get rid of. Then this summer (as I'm sure you remember, as it happened right before we met), I had my hair colored--for the first time in 14 years. And it was an absolute nightmare. The thing is, I still do have a desire to play around with color, but now I'm terrified (even though I know the exact shade of hair color that looks exactly like my natural color, so bringing me back from a botched job wouldn't even be that difficult).

Part of me wishes I had played more with it when I was younger and didn't have to worry about looking strange in a professional environment, and that part thinks you should go for it. But then another part of me feels that most people are born with their natural hair color because that is what naturally looks best on them. Your hair is so pretty, that I think you're one of those people.

As for the softness, I wouldn't be too concerned about that. A lot of hair color can actually make your hair softer. If you do decide to color, I would consider going to Aveda, because their products do seem to soften the hair (I used to get a clear gloss put on my hair there every once in awhile, and it always felt softer afterward, and my hair is not coarse to begin with.)

All of this is a very long way of saying...I'm not sure. But not blue.

Marley

Veteran

Maya - I vote Yay - and I vote for blue. I color my hair aLOT and my hair has been shinier and softer for it - yet the color also gives it texture and volume. I think that your "style" would work great with chunks of blue and since your office environment is casual and since you are young - why not try something new and different?????

12