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Original poster

Attempting to correct years of too blonde highlights

30 replies

Lilipot15 · 06/12/2015 07:53

Well, it has been done. I'm now apparently back to something like my natural colour but I feel like I am wearing a wig and get a shock every time I see my hair. To me it doesn't look natural.

I've been struggling to find a decent hairdresser since I moved and have had some colours which have made my naturally dark blonde hair look orange which I hated (I have rosy skin). So I think in response to this more blonde was put on and it ended up in bad condition looking like I had an overall blonde colour growing out.

So I have tried a new and recommended salon. Hairdresser seemed to know what she was doing and recommended that an all over colour to take it back to natural was the best way to go.

I think the thing that's upsetting me is that she made no bones of the fact that she thinks the colour I had didn't suit me whereas for years I've had light blonde highlights and see myself as blonde, as do others.

Apparently it wouldn't be right to add lighter bits in now (I'm not sure why, something was said about my hair going khaki which is obviously not the colour I want) and I need to have a similar all over colour done in 4 weeks when this one fades.

Has anyone had this done? I just don't feel like me and I feel my face looks pale and my hair doesn't look natural! It would be really tricky to have time to go back in but wondered if should go and discuss if lighter highlights could go in to break up the dark colour.

Of course at the time I didn't say anything! She was so busy telling me how much more the colour suited me.

OP posts:
Newbrummie · 06/12/2015 17:57

Go to London or big city near you and get s consultation with the specialist stylist. I know exactly what you mean, my shit hairdresser chopped all my hair off as it was allegedly so badly bleached. Well it might look healthy now but dog shit brown does not suit me so it's back to highlights for me.
I'm going with a tint o lorealle I think it is and to hell with the condition unless it's professionally blow dried mine looks shut anyway so I'd rather look amazing twice a month than shite all the time

Twinklestein · 06/12/2015 18:13

My sister did this, she went browner for a bit while her hair recovered. When it had she had more highlights put in.

It may be that the particular shade of blonde you had didn't suit you.

Truckingalong · 06/12/2015 18:19

Do you feel brave enough to post a pic?!

Original poster
Lilipot15 · 06/12/2015 18:26

Not brave enough to post a pic I'm afraid!

DH says he likes it, as do friends who saw me yesterday (but then I figured they weren't going to say otherwise as it was in a group). My parents had that glaring omission of saying anything nice "oh, you've changed your hair colour". Previously they've told me they think I look better blonde.

I think I'll just live with it for a few weeks. Part of me wonders whether I should go in and ask for a consultation with the senior colourist and see what she thinks. I accept that my hair was in shit condition, my roots were getting obvious and it was actually quite dark under the half head of highlights.

It does look healthier already though!

OP posts:
Truckingalong · 06/12/2015 20:11

Give us a glimpse. Just an extract - crop your face out. It's impossible to say without seeing it!!

Comfortzone · 06/12/2015 20:16

oh I feel your pain! I've had years of this until 3 months ago I found a GUY who just puts 'toner highlights' on it - it makes it a gorheous cool icy blonde highlighted beautiful hair. When I saw him the first time he said your blonde is too warm (this is hairdresser speak for orange) and he said he'll 'cool it down with toner' He's cheap too not top salon but very honest. I think lots of female hairdressers take the piss sorry. So basically if I were you I'd go to a male hairdresser ask for 'cool' 'toner' highlights and say you don't want 'warm' Good luck

MrsGolightly · 06/12/2015 20:21

i've recently done the same - went from vvv white blonde to my natural light brown/dark blonde by having low lights and hi lights.. i must say for about 2 weeks I thought I looked like i'd been dug up but i've got used to it now. I've worn slightly different make up (bit darker lipstick for example) and i'm enjoying not looking at roots all the time.. the dark really did fade too after a few weeks. Can you persevere for a couple of weeks?

ivykaty44 · 06/12/2015 20:25

Give us a Photoshop PIC of before and one of now

Nikkinoo77 · 06/12/2015 20:25

If it's just been done and you feel it's too dark give it a few washes in head and shoulders (plenty of conditioner after)
If you were quite blonde underneath it will fade over time but the head and shoulders will make it fade quicker.

LettuceLaughton · 06/12/2015 20:29

It's very, very rare for someone to have a natural hair colour that doesn't suit their

LettuceLaughton · 06/12/2015 20:31

(Pardon me) skin tone.

It must be a shock to have such a big change, I hope you feel better about it soonFlowers

Comfortzone · 06/12/2015 20:43

I've always had mousy brown hair which I hate and I once went back to a mousy brown colour (on the 'advice' of a hairdresser and it really affected my happiness levels! Feel so much better being a blonde so understand how you feel. Makeup helps though in the meantime as other posters have said

Comfortzone · 06/12/2015 20:51

plus for anyone with hair they do t like because it's too orange, he suggested a silver shampoo applied every other day 'touch of silver' it's called and this works magic. it's purple liquid shampoo. I thought it was just for pensionersConfused but it definitely works. Boots sell a cheaper brand too

Original poster
Lilipot15 · 06/12/2015 21:33

If I didn't have a baby virtually permanently attached to my bosom I would try a pic and crop it!
It's not feeling like such a shock now. I think the hairdressers idea was to get rid of all the old colour and then gradually put nicer highlights back in, so I probably need to give her the benefit of the doubt. She had a lovely cut and colour herself, and I think she has cut it very well.

How do I go about working out what make up suits? All I've done so far is definitely put on mascara and a bit of eyeliner. My brows and lashes are I think lighter than my hair. I am scared of getting brow tinting as I hate that HD slug look and I would not know where to start doing brow make up. I will try to get an appt to get my lashes tinted again.
Are any make up counters good for giving genuine advice about make up to suit skin tones and hair. Bearing in mind that they may well expect a competent nearly 40 year old to know how to do make up!!

OP posts:
Original poster
Lilipot15 · 06/12/2015 21:35

And I appreciate all your advice giving that you can't actually see the hair in question at the mo!

OP posts:
AlwaysBeYourself · 07/12/2015 03:09

I love being blond and whenever I have gone darker, I hate it. Just not me.

ExConstance · 07/12/2015 07:28

I have a mixture of high and low lights. After a while the blonde ones seem to take over and then I just have extra darker ones. I wonder why your hairdresser didn't just put some lowlights in?

Dowser · 07/12/2015 10:26

I haven't had highlights done for 3 months now...and it shows. Just letting my hair get some condition back after a month of scorching it in the sun.

Not sure to get it done for Xmas or leave it till January when we aregoingaway.

Like you I don't feel comfortable with natural brown hair ( although at soon to be 64 I'm thrilled it hasn't gone grey yet.)

So yes I'd be looking for some blonde highlights if your hair is in good enough condition.

Dowser · 07/12/2015 10:27

I thought that constance

Original poster
Lilipot15 · 07/12/2015 13:26

Constance - she said to just put darker bits in would have just prolonged the whole process (and seemed to be suggesting the whole "before" situation was not good).....
It is growing on me actually. It looks shiny and healthy, and I'm not feeling so shocked when I look in the mirror.

My lesson learnt is that I should have asked for a consultation with a colourist first as I did feel pushed to make a decision there and then...it was a busy Saturday.

She suggested that it's just one overall colour again next time (in 4 weeks) - is there any reason I couldn't start to get lighter bits back in?

OP posts:
Frostycake · 07/12/2015 14:36

Yes, I've been through this OP so I feel your pain.

I had particularly aggressive platinum blonde highlights one time which damaged my (long) hair and so I had to go cold turkey for a year.

The initial dye (dark, reddish blonde) was the initial shocker but my hair looked so healthy, as did my skin that I didn't mind not being blonde.

It took 1 year to get back to having light, naturally highlighted blonde hair in great condition. Worth the pain though.

The best thing you can do is find someone who understands colour and skin tone. You sound like you have a cool skin tone so your highlights would have to be cool/neutral also. Adding red would be wrong for you but really, the only person who could advise is a trained colour specialist (someone with lots of awards). I had to have chocolate brown put on my platinum hair and it was just such a shock, but in a way, nice to see myself so different. It made my eyes really stand out.

Regarding your eyebrows, go to a beauty salon and ask for a brow tint with grey colour (no red undertone). This way, you will end up with a taupy kind of colour which looks natural.
Good luck.

Original poster
Lilipot15 · 07/12/2015 19:36

Thank you. All this is new to me!

OP posts:
AlwaysBeYourself · 07/12/2015 20:52

What is the reason for just dying over it though and then waiting 4 weeks and dying over it again. That does give the hair a new inch of regrowth but doesn't affect the hair that's dyed over.Dying the hair doesn't make the condition any better I don't think.

tyaca · 07/12/2015 21:14

Hiya,

Sometimes it can be a huge shock going from highlights to all over colour. It can seem really blocky and hard after the more textured effect of highlights. Could that be part of the problem?

I look awful with all over colour, whatever shade.

You're right about getting a consultation. Are you prepared to travel to your nearest big city? Maybe some ballyage to break it up with a new stylist?

tyaca · 07/12/2015 21:18

And as an extra thought, I had really awful very pale highlights for a while.

Started seeing a home hairdresser to try to keep costs down and after three sessions I looked like a crunchy bar maid ;-)

Saw an ace guy in London who fixed it in one session. Lots of darker multi-tonal shades. Excellent placement of colour - mixture of highlights and ballyage. Felt load darker but was still def blonde. That was a couple of years ago and I will never go to another colourist.

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