Monday, January 6, 2014

Round One: Not Blonde

Well, this is rather anticlimactic. When I told you that I was going to do something big and exciting and new with my hair in the new year, my intention was to dye it blonde (and make my life instantly at least twice as much fun, because I've heard that happens).

My aunt has been a DIY bottle blonde my entire life. I don't even know what color her real hair is, but I'm thinking it's probably a medium-to-dark brown, based on the fact that just about every other woman in our family has dark hair. She pointed me in the direction of L'oreal Paris dye "in the pink box," since that's what she's always used. I figured if it could dye over her dark hair, then it shouldn't be a problem for me.

My friend Sara and I went and picked up our own pink box, and went to town. An hour later, it was for sure lighter, but definitely not blonde. Especially not as blonde as the box promised.


I mean, I wasn't expecting THAT, but at least a little lighter, right?? Look at the Before & Afters on the side!

In fact, Matt came home and asked me what color it had been before, because he couldn't see the difference. Though over the weekend, he said he thinks it keeps getting lighter, because he's finally noticing it. :)

I actually like the color it turned out to be, so now I'm second-guessing my resolve to go in for round two. I was thinking that because it's a bit lighter now, perhaps it'll be a easier to re-dye in a week or two, and that maybe the dye won't have such a hard time lightening my hair. But I've also been down this road before, and I don't want my hair to turn orange again if it doesn't work out. Maybe I should just wait until I can afford to get it done at the salon instead.

Have you ever done a DIY blonde job? What did you use to get the color right? Should I just suck it up and wait to see a colorist?

15 comments

  1. I love it and think it looks a lot lighter than your photo on the right! It looks like you have a few highlights, too, and it's very natural. I wonder if your aunt had her hair professionally done years ago and then kept dyeing it on her own after that? I think it would be hard to go so blonde (from darker hair) at home, since there is so much processing involved. This color looks great on you!

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    1. You know, that's a possibility I hadn't considered. Thanks though! :)

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  2. Haha I love that Matt didn't notice the difference - that is something my husband would definitely do! I really like the lighter color - I think it's a good change without too much drama. I have heard a lot of horror stories about people trying to go blonde themselves, so it might be worth saving up to go to a salon?

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  3. I've been getting highlights done professionally since forever. I tried to dye my roots blonde by myself once and ended up looking like I'd scribbled yellow highlighter on my hair. Your hair doesn't look like that though--the lighter color is very natural-looking and pretty on you! But since your hair is so dark it might be tough to go super blonde without seeing a professional.

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    1. Thank you! I think I'm going to start saving my pennies just in case.

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  4. You're not blonde, but you are as beautiful as ever :) I don't have any dye tips because I've actually never dyed mine, hopefully you can get it the shade you want!

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  5. Very nice!! I find it always takes a wash or two, after hair colouring, to notice the real colour. Maybe that's why your husband didn't notice right away.

    I love it.

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    1. Thank you! That's a good point that it takes a couple days. It did look a bit brassy on day one, but it's calmed down a bit.

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  6. I really like the lighter color on you! But I agree with some of the others that you probably have to spring for a professional dye job to get your color down as light blonde as on the box. Have you considered just blonde highlights? I think they'd look great on you, and the grow out on highlights isn't as glaring as a full dye job, making it easier to go a bit longer between salon visits (and more time to save pennies!). Good luck, but you look great no matter what color your hair is!

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    1. I hadn't seriously considered highlights because I was afraid they'd look too stripey on dark hair, but you're right it'd be easier to grow out! Thanks!

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    2. I am late to the party on this one but I think the highlights are a good idea. I have super dark hair and both my sister and a friend of mine tried to dye it at home and do highlights but nothing stuck. I had to have a "base" put on it and then the hairdresser dyed it lighter and added highlights. I kept it up until I bought a house and had to quit and now I like being back to my natural color. It's fun to experiment though!

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  7. oh, what a deceptive box! be glad for the deception though- your hair looks gorgeous (Even though, i think that's my hair color? i'm probably a bit bias...)

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  8. I've got brown hair as well, and never successfully went blonde on my own. It never failed that I would have orangey hair!

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  9. I want to dye my hair blonde too! I think you need a professional to make a change that drastic though. I don't know if I'll have the cojones to do it anytime soon, but if I do, I will share my wisdom with you! Your hair looks great, by the way, even though it isn't the desired shade!

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