Using two different hair colours

[hairdyemadness]

I have been dyeing my roots with a permanent 5.0 every fortnight for years now. It's quick and easy to maintain but I'm tired of how often I have to do this to avoid a badger streak. My hair is naturally very dark and I am olive skinned, but my white hairs are pure white.

Would it be unreasonable to use a 5.0 alongside a 6 or 7 to paint alternate colours into my hair? I think I'd start with the lighter colour and use alfoil to create "highlights", painting the full length of the hair and wrapping it up like the hairdressers do, and then doing the roots as I usually do with the usual 5.0. Would this work or go crazy wrong?

No I won't go au naturale yet. I'm too young.

I guess I could say I also want to work towards having lighter hair so that in ten years time I can almost accept the greys sneaking in

It wouldn't work. Dye doesn't lift dye. The only way to get the ends lighter, that are already dyed with the 5, would be to put bleach on them.

Hair usually fades, even if it is a permanent colour. I'd be tempted to just put a 6 on the roots and hope it's not too much of a difference to the ends then gradually lighten it that way.

Hello

If you maintain lighter ends with a darker shadow root, your regrowth will still be as noticeable as it is now because it’s still coming through at the darker bit. In your shoes i would go to a professional and talk through your options re going lighter, at least for the initial change. Going lighter over a box dye isn’t going to be plain sailing 😬 i would find a really good colourist in your area and talk through what you’ve done so far and what you’d like to work towards.

Thank you both. I had considered getting professional help with this situation! When I was pre kids and more flush of cash I used to have highlights and found I could do a sneaky semi permanent colour over the top in a light colour, to refresh the highlights between salon visits. Perhaps that is what I need to do..

Have also considered shaving it off for charity, partly to raise money but also just so I get a clean slate 😂

I was going to suggest going for a full head of highlights but even dyeing over that with a lighter colour won't give you the same sort of colour.

Haha shaving ur hair off is a bit drastic altho I know someone who did this when they wanted to go fully grey. It's been a long slong growing it back in a feminine style.

It is hard to say without seeing your hair in the flesh but if you get decent highlights, you could possibly tone between visits

Don’t be afraid to be honest with your hairdresser btw - we know ppl aren’t made of money (we’re hairdressers, we’re well aware, we’re mainly skint af ourselves ) and it is always better to work realistically within parameters of what a client can do in terms of aftercare, you are an advert for our salon and we don’t want you walking round looking amazing for three weeks then like hagrid for two months. If you can only afford a professional visit three or four times a year then help your hairdresser help you. I follow a woman called @lisalovesbalayage on insta and she is AMAZING. She is actually proud of how long her clients go between visits because it’s a testimony to how brilliant her work is and what a good investment it is to go to someone who really knows their shit.

I’m not sure how young is too young to go natural. I did at about 35. Initially I left the roots a bit longer between dyeing. And then did the roots a lighter colour. Then I just let it go. And had it trimmed regularly. After a year I had a slightly too short bob and all the dye was gone. Never looked back. I’m very grey now. It’s my look. I get lots of compliments especially if I’ve blow dried it.

Thank you all- @MadameButterface that's good to know that I won't offend by saying I can only a few salon jobs per year!

I am 35 now but def not ready to embrace grey yet. I think I can actually hold dark hair quite well for now, but I worry I'll end up looking like Liz Jones from the Daily Mail if I don't move towards lighter hair.

Haha I'm 34 and it wouldn't strike me at all that it is too old to have dark hair. I really wouldn't worry about that