Dark blonde hair

[Ijustworemytrenchcoat]

Thread about a thread - was perusing it the other day and can't find it now. But it was about a hairdresser saying there was no such colour as caramel (a la Jennifer Aniston) just blonde, brown etc.

Taylor Swift is on Alan Carr now. I want her hair colour, have done for years. I was blonde as a child and I am so pale anything too dark washes me out. I have tried dark blonde boxes of hair dye but they go a bit orangey (natural colour is mousy to mid brown). How do I get that kind of 'blonette'? I have had highlights in the past but they weren't quite right. It seems I need to lighten my hair then add highlights maybe.

[Coffeemonster1]

Best thing you can do Is take photos into the hair salon and pick a good one eg Toni and Guy, yes it is very expensive but if you allow them a few visits to get the exact colour you want, once you have it you can go to other salons just to maintain it, as they will have the guide colour there and will just be making the roots match the rest.
My sister has a mix of bright red and dark brown hair, she went into Toni and Guy with a photo of that caramel hair colour, with two visits she had it, exactly and it looked lovely.

[ThisBitchIsResting]

I have this hair - go to Toni and Guy, get a mix of light blonde highlights and a cool ash toner on top. Voila.

[polyhymnia]

Don't think I'd call Toni and Guy a good salon myself. Find they have become very inconsistent in quality in recent years.

[ThisBitchIsResting]

'Ooh' at polyhymnia

I find the one near me excellent and I've used various different stylists. I've tried loads and have never found anywhere as consistently good for highlights and the particular colour I want - cuts I'm meh about but I love the colour and wouldn't go elsewhere in same price range.

[Mumraathenoisylion]

I'm so sorry I would absolutely not go to Toni & guy. They totally ruined my hair by dying it black and white rather than chocolate brown with ashy highlights. It has take me 3 years to get it to a healthy state and that involved chopping it all off.

The same happened to a friend of mine - google Toni & Guy and you will find many many horror stories. They also have a policy of still charging if they ruin your hair then trying to sort it out afterwards.

Visit local salons and have consultations. My salon now have had loads of awards for colouring and are are constantly training their staff on new techniques.

Sorry for those who have had a good experience with T&G but I truly believe the good experiences are the exception to the rule.

[polyhymnia]

Yes that was what I meant. Not all their salons are poor but you can't rely on them all to be good either so I prefer to avoid now.

[temporaryusername]

I have to say I also had the worst highlights I've ever had at Toni and Guy, I'm still growing out the damage 2 years later, it has been a nightmare.

[temporaryusername]

Ok, nightmare is a bit first world problems .

[Ijustworemytrenchcoat]

The nearest Toni and Guy is an hour from me and isn't a good one I'm afraid. I had stripy highlights there many years ago and officially gave up on them after they couldn't be bothered to dry my hair properly after a cut (I don't mean a bad blow dry, it was still wet! Don't know what I was thinking not asking them to finish drying it).


The highlights I had were improved by an independent in the same town but I can't commit to going that far at the moment, once for a strand test and then back for the actual colour. I will have to ask around about good local salon. This is why I really miss living in a big city, the hair salons round my way have improved a lot since I was young but I don't trust them with my hair colour!

So I need light blonde highlights and a cool ash toner: is it a full head of highlights?

[WildBillfemale]

Avoid T&G - I went for a WCB with then long straight hair and asked them to slightly round off the shape at the back as I didn't want it cut dead straight across, the stylist refused and said they 'had' to cut it straight. After some discussion where the stylist insisted she was only going to cut it straight I just thought 'whose bloody hair is it?' and walked out with uncut wet hair.

Have you thought of Baliage?

[ThisBitchIsResting]

I think the thing withT and Gis that they are all highly trained, but will only do cuts and colours from the company repertoire iyswim. So if you ask for something they don't do, it's a bit 'computer says no'. Hence why I don't use them for cuts anymore, but the one near me is consistently excellent with colour, and I have tricksy hair - mousey and often goes ginger when highlighted, it's always been perfectly Anistonesque with them, a bit more ashy and light though, exactly how I want it. And they've varied how finely the highlights are woven quite happily depending what I fancy - sometimes I like more of a stripey look, this time I have a more evenly finely woven honey blonde.

[rockpink]

You need three colours, imho!
One bleach, one high lift tint and a darker, "dirty" blond. That's what I have, over a half head set of highlights.
I have naturally mousy, curly hair and this set of colours is just fine.

[Laquila]

Rockpink I think you and I are hair twins.

I agree OP that you need three colours. I'd second the advice to find some pics of what you want (and maybe some of what you don't want - I've done that before now and it's worked quite well!) and get recommendations for salons from friends/MNers/people you see in the supermarket with good hair.

[DameDoom]

Ooh I want Taylor Swift blonde too or maybe even some Kylieish tones. My highlights are looking the wrong side of WAG.Have you made an appointment yet Ijustwore?

[rockpink]

Do you think Taylor Swift's hair is a bit grey though?

[hydeparkhottie]

I think the colour you want is 'brond' and places like Nevilles specialize in personal 'bronding'.

[Ijustworemytrenchcoat]

at bronde hydeparkhotty! I was thinking 'blonette'. A magazine did a page on it years ago and I ripped it out and kept it. Lots of pics of models like Angela Lindvall, I know SJP was in there.

Hmm, I knows what you mean rockpink, maybe a little too ashy? I used to say to colourists that I didn't want stripy highlights, they had to blend, and they couldn't be ashy - I was quizzed on that word and I could never quite explain it.

I think I want to err more on the side of brown than blonde. More natural (ha, as if the three colours and toner etc. is really natural) than the Jennifer Aniston/Cat Deeley look of obviously very expensive and well maintained highlights. I want if to look more scruffy, laid back.

No appointment yet DameDoom it is on hm to do list for the future. Going through a break up at the moment and am trying to pull my life together. I am itching to get back to caring about my looks and clothes again.

[SofaCanary]

Go see Sharon Peake.