Brunette to blonde - what's it like?

[Spaceman]

Having been a stoic brunette for all of my thirty something years, I have taken the step of booking myself an appointment to have blonde highlights - quite blonde, 3/4 head - not honey or warm blonde, but quite light. I want to be a bit bold and make a bit of a statement rather than do it gradually. I thought if I hate it I'll just get it reversed.

I'm so excited, yet a little aprehensive of course as it's a big change. What does it feel like when you see yourself for the first time? Has anyone who has had it done hated it? Do people react differently to you when you have blonde hair as opposed to brown? And what changes will I have to make to my wardrobe to accommodate the new shade?

[Spaceman]

c'mon on - i know there are thousands of bottle blondes out there...

[Spaceman]

bump

[LouIsOnAHighwayToHell]

I have been both. I found that, for example, when I posted blonde photos of myself on an online dating site, I had a lot more hits but they were all quite sleazy.

I also find that the regrowth is a bitch.

Statistically men cheat with blondes more then brunettes and that brunettes are considered more 'stable' then blondes when it comes to marriage.

I have just made the switch from blonde to brunette again and find that my hair seems shinier as a brunette.

Not sure if any of this helps

[onlyjoinedforoffers]

i tried it and hastily retreated back to brunette just did not suit the kind of clothes and colours i like to wear and my hair is also more shiny as a brunette not like straw

[Spaceman]

cheers for that. why is it that some women with highlights look as though their hair is grey/white and some have more yellow in it? I mean, why would anyone choose to have that grey look - or is it unavoidable for some shades of brunette?

[boardbunny]

I've been a bottle blonde since I was 16 (am 31 now) and have spent the last few months growing it out (have fairly short hair so doesn't take too long to do).

I nearly made it but caved in last week and hit the bottle again. My natural brunette made me look tired, washed out, I found I had to put on more make up to look anywhere near normal again and it didn't go with my clothes.

I remember it being a shock the first time I dyed it but loved it straight away. Not sure if people react differently because I have blonde hair but I do remember I had to redo my make up and wardrobe at the time, can't remember exactly what did and didn't work it was trial and error really. I'd say go for it, it's only hair colour - what's the worst that can happen, like you said it can always be reversed!

[Ladyscratt]

I have blond streaks on and off over the years and after time they have gone straw-like and brassy

[Buntytea]

I have had blonde highlights put in my naturally brunette hair for several years now. I would warn you, it has become a bit of an addiction, and a very expensive one!

Make sure you speak with your hairdresser first about exactly what you want. Do you want the all over effect to be blonde, or just lighter? I find a few bleach foils, particularly around the hairline, really brighten up my hair and are very flattering.

Good luck!

[LouIsOnAHighwayToHell]

Oh yeah, I have to change my makeup colours each time I change hair colour. Very annoying!

[sweetheart]

I did this the opposite was round a couple of years ago (I went from very blond to alomst black) and my experience was:-

The first week or so was amazing, I felt like a whole new person and I had several phone calls from people saying so and so has just told me your hair is black and it looks lovely.

After the inital buzz had died down I got really upset about my hair. I'd catch a glimpse of myself in shop windows and I didn't look like me. I'd see friends or relatives in the town and they would ignore me becuase they didn't recognise me (even my own sister). It also made my colouring and complextion completly change so none of my clothes and make up looked nice.

The last phase was once the inital colour had died down into a more subtle brown. I enjoyed this phase and felt much more like my old self - although I did feel a bit dull (girl next door) with darker hair.

I'm blonde again now and intend to stay that way for summer but I haven't ruled out the possability of going dark again, maybe for winter. I would just go for a more mild colour next time round!

[Spaceman]

Thanks everyone. How do you avoid that straw look? I have shortish hair so am hoping the colour will retain the gold in it, rather than look like white straw. Most people I see with dyed fair hair have that look - I want yellow.

I'm so excited I've brought my appointment forward. I'm such a 'brunette' that everyone will be shocked - by that I mean I've got quite a dark sense of humour, sell myself on my personality rather than my looks and tend to portrey myself as a bit on the serious side. It's totally out of character and I'm hoping it'll bring out my sunnier side (most people will say that'll be a good thing!)

[Spaceman]

Oh yes, what colours do you use on your eyes if you are looking for a grungy type look? Can you use black eyeliner or should it be dark grey? I always wear quite a bit of dark around my eyes. I do like my eye make-up.

[misshardbroom]

It's a good point that sweetheart makes about complexion and cosmetics. I remember a few years back Nigella did a photo shoot with real Diana Dors bottle blonde hair for her beauty column and the gist of it was that it had altered all the colours of make up that suited her, and she needed something much stronger (although I think it was revealed in the column that it was just a clever wig).

The thing that puts me off going lighter than I have already is that my eyebrows are really black, and I think it would look a bit odd.