Where do I start with lightening my very dark brown hair?

[Bagina]

I think that this has been done to death, but I really need to change my colour as it's starting to age me. I'm currently box dying every 3 weeks which is a killer. I'm naturally very dark brown but my roots are white, and I'm struggling to keep them at bay.

I want to go lighter progressively over the next few years. Where do I start? Do I get it stripped and a lighter brown put on at the hairdressers? I need something warmer I think.

I'm not ready for the white yet (I've read the threads), maybe in the next 5 years. Please help!

I'd strip it personally and get a nice n easy ox dye in a dark blonde/light brown.

But I am quite irresponsible about these things!

*Box, not ox, obviously

I did this 9 years ago. Had a lot of very fine blond highlights done at the hairdressers, since then I use the lightest blond box dye on the roots. The mainly dark brown at the back lightens to dark blond. The mainly white at the front looks light blond.
My hair has gone lighter and lighter blond over the years as more of it is white.

Thank you! So the dark brown will just come out then? Can I have any colour? Will it take?

I was thinking of getting the highlights like you my but wanted to get it lighter first. How is the condition? My hair is snapping off at the front, but not sure if it's all the dying?

Not sure why it's breaking off, maybe talk to your hairdresser about it? The highlights use bleach obviously which isn't good for the hair but you'll only do this once; after that it's box dye. My hair was dark strawberry blond (as they say) underneath at first at the back as, like most fair skinned people, my hair has a lot of red pigment. As I get more white hair the colour has lightened. It worked for me as I had got to the stage where I had an almost completely white parting and hairline.

Oooh

My hair is mid/darkish brown IRL
I have a short (think Audrey Tatou) crop , cut every 5-6 weeks.
Last year I went lighter and lighter with a Superdrug dye and highlights.

It got to be a right pain in the bum TBH, after 2 weeks I was getting root growth, I had to redye every 3 weeks, and having it cut every 5 I didn't get overlap but it wasn't good for my hair really.

I'm free of dye now and I've been hennaed since Easter.
Now onto Lush Noire 100% (I was mixing colours Brune , them Brune/Noire now Noire).

Much better condition, still get root growth but not as noticeable.

Hair snapping ? I would be very reluctant to do anything too intensive with it, if it snaps at the front what happens if it snaps all over?

BTW, I'm 50 and not quite ready to embrace my white hairs....which are multiplying at a rate of knots

70 do you think I should stay dark but go the henna route? Does henna highlight the white hair? Re the hair snapping; it must be the chemicals, plus I don't do any conditioning treatments. Thanks for your advice.

I've been using Lush henna to cover grey at the side and it has worked with me. I mixed maron with the brun and it left my hair really shiny...even my hairdresser said it was very shiny! My hair is very dark so the grey is noticeable when tied back but I don't have enough grey yet to go a light shade. Not sure henna does light shades though!?

Henna is red.

Lush do 3 or 4 different colours, not all red. They have a black, dark brown, red and I think a brown/red...I'm not sure of their actual names.

I think I'm going to see how much the hairdresser can lighten it, and then take it from there. I think I'm too white for Henna. I've never wanted to be blonde

Olaplex allows you to go quicker on dramatic colour changes.

This is their Instagram page.

Thanks for that. It's really dramatic. There is hope then!