My hair is ruining everything! - YouLookFab Forum

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My hair is ruining everything!

Traci

Veteran

Okay, if you made it past my melodramatic title, here's the details on the fit I'm having.

Last month I chopped off my hair into a pixie. With the length went the final bits of golden highlights, leaving my hair a pleasant, warm shade of dark brown. I was really happy with my natural color and even get a kick out of my few little patches of wiry silver threaded here and there.

Then I started shifting my wardrobe over for fall. I've got lots of tan and rust and muted burgundies and generally soft colors...and they're all wrong with this new hair. For the first time, I'm finding solid black looks really good. My skin even seems a different color...the yellow undertone that seemed more present with more gold in my hair is now gone and I seem much more pink and white if that makes sense.

In short, I think the biggest thing is this new hair calls for high contrast and I've been living the low contrast life for so long. I'm intrigued by the switch, but also possibly intimidated by it enough that I may just color my hair to a golden or redder shade just to avoid having to think about all this.

Any advice or condolences?

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Dressing

18 replies

Latest reply was from unfrumped

Mochi

Veteran

Hmmm. I have naturally dark hair, not to mention pale skin, and I prefer less contrast for myself, though of course I'm not you. Curious to see what other fabbers advise.

RobinF

Veteran

What about adding highlights? It sounds like you had them so you know, but they grow out better than full color and you would still have your natural color.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I understand, but I had kind of the opposite happen a few years ago when I was doing lighter highlights -- it seemed to bring out a little warmer tone in my skin, and didn't do a lot of favors when I wore black. My wardrobe is vastly more cool-toned, and ultimately I decided to return to my natural hair color (sans grey).

I really like the new color and it's a big bonus that it is your natural color.

What about mixing more black with the rusts and burgundies? That's what I do to make those warmer colors work for me.

Traci

Veteran

I think that's a good idea, Janet. I don't have to throw the baby out with the bathwater. I can keep the warmer colors, I just need to temper them with some cool. The change of mindset is just tough sometimes...thus the hissy fit.

Sara L.

Veteran

First - I really like the cut and color! I think adding highlights or changing the color is a good, easy solution if you don't want to deal with figuring out new outfit combinations. That seems perfectly reasonable to me. I'm having the opposite problem right now in that I added highlights and my usual high contrast outfits don't look quite as good. I haven't really tried too hard to change up my wardrobe though. Basically I'm in denial since I like my wardrobe and like my hair and don't want to make changes to either.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Absolutely, I don't think anything drastic is in order -- maybe just different combinations of your old colors. Adding black or even navy or ink could really help balance your palette, without doing anything with your hair.

Anonymous

Your hair looks great and brings out your deep brown eyes. That's great advice from Janet...don't despair, just bring in more contrast with a few cooler darker tones.

Anonymous

I think if you are happy with both the cut and color you have now (I like both on you), then you make the wardrobe work with your hair instead of making your hair work with your wardrobe.

Gigi

Veteran

This is one reason that I do not color my hair. It can really change the look of your whole wardrobe, and I don't know that I could handle that.

I would give yourself time to adjust, especially by upping the contrast level in your outfits. have a contrast level similar to yours (dark hair, dark eyes, lighter skin), and I do find that high-contrast dressing works well on me. If I wear black, I generally need to put a little more color on my cheeks with blusher, or I sometimes use a multicolored powder (like a quad, with white, pink, brown, and yellow sections) all over my face, which warms my complexion up a bit. You could also add a bit of bronzer if you feel like the black washes you out a bit.

tulle

Veteran

Please don't change your haircolor at all! It looks so healthy and shiny, and the fact that it brings out rosier tones in your skin sounds really appealing. I love Janet's idea of mingling some of those earth tones in your wardrobe with black, or maybe dark blue. And why not rejoice that you've discovered this new look in your own natural coloring? Put all your deeper, cooler-toned things together and see what you've got. It's probably a nice-sized capsule already, and something to build on. Try touches of white or off-white, too, to add life to the darker colors. Sounds like fun to me.

Barbara Diane

Veteran

I love your natural hair color. I love the contrast. I'm for keeping it.

Maybe decide on a budget, realizing that if possible, it will be more this year, but less later years, as you transition. Try adding contrast, try adding deeper colors, maybe adding scarves helps? See if there is a color that if you let it go, or you add it in, it will make all the difference. Maybe adding a more saturated version of a color you already have.

Firecracker (Sharan)

Veteran

I would be reluctant to change hair color. And I would be reluctant to change much in the wardrobe department either. I like Janet's idea of trying different outfit combos that work in some blacks or navies where you might not have done so before.
My other thought is to play with your makeup. If you're like me and have some backups hanging around in addition to what you're currently using (foundation, blush, eyeshadow, lipstick), you could see if a different combo is going to work better with your fall wardrobe. Right about now I'm straddling my summer versus fall/winter colors in makeup, unsure whether I'm ready to give up the bit of glow that my summer makeup gives me, especially on warm, sunny days. Sometimes just a change in lip color is all you need to make an outfit go from hmmm to whoa!

LaPed

Veteran

Nice pixie! And good job for being so color-aware. It's taken me yeeeears to figure out that I look good in certain colors and not in others. I'm still pruning away at items that are "off" color-wise. I'm a winter physically, but I have a real soft spot for dusty, muted, earthy colors. Olive green is an achilles' heel for me, also certain warm greys and greyish greens. I can't bring myself to give them up entirely, because they're happy colors for me, but I try to make sure to wear them in combination with colors that give them (and me) a visual boost -- black, saturated navy, cobalt, white.

I vote keep you hair its natural color for a while, as it takes time to get used to a big change. I also vote hang onto your existing wardrobe, but going forward add new pieces in the cool, high-contrast palette you suspect might work for you. I don't know how you feel about accessories, but maybe a few inexpensive scarves in black, white, navy, etc might help you make this transition without buying a whole new wardrobe at once?

Beth Ann

Veteran

It's early in the season yet, and I find that I have to play around a bit with hair, makeup and outfit creation every time the weather changes -- particularly in the fall.

I like the new look -- great cut, and rich color. I'd see how you feel in 4 weeks.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Well I love your new cut, but I do understand how hair color can change everything. I actually don't have good advice, but you have some already. Oh, one thing. Play with lipstick when you are wearing a favorite outfit that looks off now.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I love the new cut and I love your natural colour. I do understand this issue, though. When I dyed my hair red years ago I went through something similar, and with my new grey it has happened again and I do need to make adjustments and refinements. I'm lucky that my wardrobe was already entirely cool toned but I find I need more vibrancy and muted colours don't work as well, and also I like contrast on me more.

I would just take it step by step -- don't throw stuff out, as others have said, until you get used to the new look a bit and experiment with different combinations. Your FFB combos will probably change -- mine definitely are changing.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

There are no problems. Only challenges and solutions. A fun new leg of your style journey, Traci. You have never looked better!

unfrumped

Veteran

I have found that even a small accessory like a dark necklace( beads, or graphite links, etc) and of course a scarf, can make so- so colors work great.
Or if you have a low - contrast cardi or blazer, wearing an inexpensive T or shell in a " better" color- or vice- versa. I would just recognize the new opportunities and work toward that as you replace or upgrade items. Make a list of priorities just as you would for updates and refreshers.