AIBU to resent the cost of maintaining blonde highlights?

[Lifeisbetterinflipflops8]

Does anyone else hate spending so much money on maintaining blonde highlights??

Does anyone have any good recommendations for hair lightening shampoos/sprays?

Box dyes cover Greys and cost a fiver

@Livpool They do sell bleach in box dyes. Also tints can lighten several levels of colour. Tint is enough to lighten my hair to blonde.

I stopped with the blonde when I started WLIs as I couldn't afford both! In an ideal world I would have my roots done every 4 weeks and have highlights as and when. I would also get my nails done every 2 weeks, a deep tissue massage every 4 weeks and still be able to pay for mounjaro but I can't so that's that.

Instead I use box dyes and get a hair cut every 4 months. I have my nails done on special occassions and have a massage once in a blue moon. Oh and I am switching to wegovy!

Tried that. Kids thought it was an improvement.
😉😁😁.

IDontHateRainbows

Ah I was just saying for me, I’ve horrendously sensitive scalp, it would sting for days and break out in lumps and bleed.

I've started using lightening spray after many years of highlights. I have light to medium brown hair.

I spray it on the regrowth and then brush it thoroughly so it blends into the highlighted area. I did it gradually every day for maybe five days and now I do it once a month. I don't overdo the blonde so that the roots aren't obvious.

I'm actually really really pleased with the results and wish I'd done it sooner. It's probably more golden than some people would like but purple shampoo helps. Also Pantene bond repair (£5 on Amazon) is the best conditioner I've ever used. In the end, I just couldn't face sitting in a salon for three hours trying to make conversation. I didn't mind the South African hairdresser who had a black belt in karate but all the others have been very dull!

Why on earth would you resent spending tons of money on something which is your choice; which nobody has forced you to do and which is a luxury rather than a necessity.

I save my resentment for rising energy and housing costs.

Oh it's the John Frieda lightening spray but they're probably all much of a muchness.

Your choice, I choose not to colour my hair, my choice. Don’t resent what you have the power to change. If you stated that you resent the pressure to colour hair as an aging woman I’d say yes it’s annoying so I ignore it

I grew all my hair out to see if it looked ok. It looked like shit all grey and mouse. I hated it.
I now have a wonderful hairdresser who does a blond balyage for me every 8 weeks which costs £80. Im very happy with it. No way Im going natural again. This is what the roots look like after 4 weeks because the grey is all round the front. She blends the rest in so there are no obvious roots. Im in my 60s and looked a lot older with my natural hair.

I also use cheap box dye, my hair is naturally mousy brown and grey and is now dark blonde with lighter streaks

I switched to box dye a couple of years ago, and and I’m really happy with it (once I found the right colour for me). I’m dark blonde so I used highlights to make it blonder. But then the white hairs started at the front and the cost got £££. Much better and I also think it looks more natural.

I’m very low maintenance in general but don’t resent the cost of my hair colouring. You wear it every day!

I have highlights - I don't resent paying for them. They look nice - I have two colours so it doesn't grow out too fast.

But I do resent the fact that my salon has decided to start charging a 25% deposit. They wouldn't pay me 25% if they cancelled on the day so I think it's imbalanced and unfair. I am not doing it and will find another salon for my highlights (they don't charge a deposit for hair cuts even though the price difference isn't actually that much).

That sounds like the 1980s sun-in! What make is the spray? I've been using the John Frieda lightening shampoo to try to extend the life of my highlights.

There might be something here which would work. I havent used them but am researching as my dark blonde hair is starting to go grey.
https://joshwoodcolour.com/collections/root-touch-up

Been doing my own highlights for years using the Jerome Russell kit. If the bleach is left on long enough, it does a decent job.

I also use John Frieda lightening shampoo, there was also one for highlights as well but I couldn’t find it in Boots today so maybe discontinued.
I think you might get better advice OP if you put more info as maintenance on grey short hair would differ from
maintenance on long dark blonde hair.

This is me now too - stopped colouring my hair a couple of years ago & it still looks blond.

It’s quite dark blonde, so lightening it regularly might be a less expensive way to keep in brightened!

Very true!

I've moved from highlights years ago to balayage and have starting to keep my hair a colour I call Old Money Blonde, very dark ash blonde/light brown, with hand painted lighter bits in the right places. I have 12-16 weeks roots atm and it still looks fine, very blended. I would never return to foils and highlights, the root regrowth. One or two expensve balayage colours to get to the right place

I would say it's the other way round. YABU to continue to have blonde highlights given that you resent the cost. Blonde highlights are entirely optional so you need to weigh up the pros and cons for you, and make the decision that will make you happiest. If you can't live with the cost or your natural colour, there's always lemon juice.

I have balayage and can easily stretch to 6 months between colours. That saves a lot of money.

Find a cheaper hairdresser.