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Original poster

Does anyone else think natural hair colour is the best?

89 replies

Scandiscandic292 · 03/05/2022 15:40

I was sat in a hospital waiting room this morning for hours. Did a lot of people watching. I'm thinking of getting balayage on my light brown hair so was looking at what other women had done.

There was a lot of box dyes, either a redish colour or unnaturally black and lots of women with my colour hair plus highlights/balayage. I dont think any of them looked better. The women who's hair looked best were the ones with natural, shiny hair and a good cut. I didn't see anyone who looked improved with dye. I'm thinking I'll save my money and stick with my natural colour.

OP posts:
MrsDeaconClaybourne · 03/05/2022 17:20

I think it depends on a lot of things really. Strangely though after many years of dying my hair various colours, in my 40s I've started matching it as much as possible to my natural shade and cover any greys.
I think a really good salon colour always looks amazing though- one with lots of tones and shades. I think it's box dyes that don't always look good. I'd have mine lighter and maintain regularly if money were no object.

Hardbackwriter · 03/05/2022 17:27

I think if the ones you're considering as unnatural are just the reds/blacks and clearly highlighted hair - i.e. the very clearly fake colours - then you're probably counting a lot of hair dye in your 'natural' category.

Fairislefandango · 03/05/2022 17:33

My hair looks far, far better with highlights. I have poker-straight, very fine, thin, mousy hair. I was very blonde as a child, so blonde suits my colouring. Having highlights gives my hair the appearance of having much more volume and brightens my face somehow.

I used to dye it totally blonde in my late 20s, but that doesn't look so good. I resisted highlights for ages because they're expensive and I had planned to go grey naturally (I'm 50 with as yet only a few grey hairs). Then I had (a few) highlights done on a whim and OMG the difference! My hair grows really slowly so I just have a few put in twice a year.

90sBritPop · 03/05/2022 17:43

There was a lot of box dyes, either a redish colour or unnaturally black

I had to reply to this, sorry OP I don’t want to come across harsh but how do you know the black is unnatural?

I constantly have people ask me why I’ve dyed my hair black or if I’m a goth or half Asian (???) because even though I’m fair skinned and freckly and have blue eyes my hair is jet black (a result of Irish and Welsh ancestry)

Even though I’m in my mid 30s now I still get the comments and it really annoys me!

90sBritPop · 03/05/2022 17:44

90sBritPop · 03/05/2022 17:43

There was a lot of box dyes, either a redish colour or unnaturally black

I had to reply to this, sorry OP I don’t want to come across harsh but how do you know the black is unnatural?

I constantly have people ask me why I’ve dyed my hair black or if I’m a goth or half Asian (???) because even though I’m fair skinned and freckly and have blue eyes my hair is jet black (a result of Irish and Welsh ancestry)

Even though I’m in my mid 30s now I still get the comments and it really annoys me!

I think if the ones you're considering as unnatural are just the reds/blacks and clearly highlighted hair - i.e. the very clearly fake colours

Well not clearly as my hair is naturally jet black

🙄🙄🙄🙄

minipie · 03/05/2022 17:53

It's also possible that the ones you think are a flattering natural colour are actually good dye jobs done by a skillful hairdresser

I agree with this

Also, people who have chosen not to dye their hair are often those who have a lovely and flattering hair colour naturally. You can’t extrapolate from those people and say that means all people look better undyed, as those people probably have “better” natural colour than average.

I am one of those who was blonde as a child but now have very dull mid brown hair, which is thin and flat to boot. As a PP with similar hair said, highlights look sooo much better on me - my whole face looks brighter and my hair looks thicker and needs less washing.

agree box dyes rarely look great though, sadly.

ginghamstarfish · 03/05/2022 18:08

I went natural a few years ago after having highlights, doing box colours etc and think it's so much better now. Most people's natural colour suits their skin tone, and as you say OP, so many people have colour jobs which look unnatural on them. If you can afford a very good and expensive colourist, with frequent visits, then great, hair colour can look amazing.

declutteringmymind · 03/05/2022 18:10

Mmmm. A lot of good hair dye looks completely natural so maybe some of what you saw was really good colour?

Anyway, whatever you're happy with.

ParisNoir · 03/05/2022 18:14

declutteringmymind · 03/05/2022 18:10

Mmmm. A lot of good hair dye looks completely natural so maybe some of what you saw was really good colour?

Anyway, whatever you're happy with.

Yep- this too. I know a few people whose hair is a gorgeous colour, matches their brows, and is 100% not natural. I would never have guessed in a million years it wasnt natural.

BellaTheDarkOverlord · 03/05/2022 18:18

My hair was best after I gave birth and let it grow out naturally. It was a dark blonde mousy brown and my hairdresser friend said it was really good condition. I've gone highlights now but not sure whether to go back to natural.

Phyllis321 · 03/05/2022 18:19

It varies massively. Many people myself included have washed-out, nothingy natural colours. I ramp mine up a couple of shades redder and it makes my blue eyes pop (not literally - ew).

TomBradysLeftKneecap · 03/05/2022 18:24

I pay a small fortune to have my naturally dark blonde hair artfully highlighted a couple of shades blonder and I look and feel way better because of it.

SookieHouseboat · 03/05/2022 18:27

Nope. Mine is me but better. Just like wearing the right make up.

fishingforflies · 04/05/2022 18:27

I like a bit of colour - my hair when I was a thing of beauty when I was young. I had it longish and no colour then.
Now I'm older my hair has thinned a lot (my genes) and it looks better shorter but I like experimenting with colour. I have a creative job and I think it works well with my 'image' in that field.

Honestly I find sitting in the hairdressers boring as fuck and I'm so glad I only started doing colour when I did! Finding the holy grail of a great colourist with great chat is not easy.....plus the ££££!!

Cloudhopping · 04/05/2022 18:36

I'm 50 and don't dye my hair. It's not due to a great love for my hair colour but because I look odd with any other colour. I've dyed it perhaps 4 times in my life (salon) but never felt it looked any good. I'm sort of strawberry blonde with very fair skin so there's not a lot of other colours I could go for! For me natural is best I think. I'm not sure what I'm going to do when I start going grey though.

OnceAgainWithFeeling · 04/05/2022 18:38

Scandiscandic292 · 03/05/2022 15:40

I was sat in a hospital waiting room this morning for hours. Did a lot of people watching. I'm thinking of getting balayage on my light brown hair so was looking at what other women had done.

There was a lot of box dyes, either a redish colour or unnaturally black and lots of women with my colour hair plus highlights/balayage. I dont think any of them looked better. The women who's hair looked best were the ones with natural, shiny hair and a good cut. I didn't see anyone who looked improved with dye. I'm thinking I'll save my money and stick with my natural colour.

I get nothing but compliments (from all manner of people) about my bright pink hair. It’s a statement that seems to draw people to talk to me! Very different to my chocolate brown “natural colour”.

itsmeagainlol · 04/05/2022 18:38

Not unless you like mousy brown, boring hair. I dye my hair blonde and i look better for it and so does my hair.

MargosKaftan · 04/05/2022 18:46

Yep, im another who have natural looking dyed hair, dyed dark blonde to cover the grey and slightly lighten my v light brown, only a couple shades lighter on the non-grey bits, but looks brighter on me. When I have a higher % of white ill go natural.

DorritLittle · 04/05/2022 18:55

I think it depends on the colour. I've had my natural colour since I was 23 and am planning to get some golden highlights next week. I can't wait. My hair is not grey but has faded and is a bit dull. I think it will cheer me up. If I am wrong, I will think again.

Also, as an aside I think older ladies my mum's age with blonde bits in their hair (and nice cuts) always look really nice. And my friends who dye their hair their previous dark brown always look nice too. You wouldn't know they had dyed it.

jemmyp · 04/05/2022 19:04

No, I don't agree. Shiny, healthy hair is always good, but you can get that with a colour, not just natural hair.

You probably wouldn't even be able to spot a good colour or highlights or lowlights. You've just mentioned the obvious, or badly done box dyes. Bayalage is easy to spot, and isn't my taste, but the silver grey bayalage that so many have has made grey more acceptable IMO.

TabithaTittlemouse · 04/05/2022 19:06

How do you know that they were natural? Did you ask?

Natural hair colour is obviously best FOR YOU but you sat and judged a waiting room full of sick people (guessing as it was a hospital) because of their hair? That’s not very nice.

BOOTS52 · 04/05/2022 19:19

I really hate that plum reddish colour that people put in their hair as it looks so 90's. But some people dye their hair far too dark or far too blonde as in the bleached look. Hair colour can and does look great but it is about getting the right colour. I am naturally black hair colour and bring my own colour to salon to do my greys and it looks nice and shiny. Some people do colour themselves and it is too harsh but it is nice to cover the greys as it makes me feel and look better.

BOOTS52 · 04/05/2022 19:21

To 90'sBritPop same with me am Irish and years ago in London was asked was I chinese as my hair very dark and straight and used to be so shiny before peri menopause. Also am very pale skin but black is my natural colour so I would look weird going blonde.

Herbarium · 04/05/2022 19:31

I have been pale blonde all my life, now in 40's and it is a darker blonde.

Past few years I have had paler highlights put in and loved them - BUT......what I really, really love is when they grow out. 6 months later the way my natural regrowth merges with the highlights adds some lovely contrast to my eyes and face. So the trick for me is to get highlights ONLY once per year, just for this effect.

Herbarium · 04/05/2022 19:33

What I also meant to say is that back when I had a full head of highlights, before regrowth, my highlights made me look a bit washed out, but bloody glorious when 3 to 5 inches of regrowth of my natural hair comes in.