I've accidentally gone ginge and I'm so far out of my comfort zone. Do I reach for the bown dye.

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So I've been dark dark for a decade. New start new me etc promoted me to reach for the bleach....chicken wine might have been involved. I feel so not me. Do I keep it or go back to the dark side. I feel like I look like a golden retriever but not in a good way.

Did you go lighter ?

I said that too (what @abracadabra1980 said.) Hair dyed very dark - particularly black - suits no-one hardly. And yeah it looks a bit tacky. (Dyed dark that is, not naturally dark!)

I think the new hair colour is lovely and that you look younger with it. Are you a natural blonde/strawberry blonde? It really suits you. The dark brown was nice but I am a similar colour to that naturally and agree with you that as I'm getting older, each time I get it coloured (to hide the greys), I think it looks too harsh. Your comment about not wanting to look like the mad 79 year old at the bus stop who dyes her hair too dark made me chortle. Growing up we had a Elvis impersonator who lived in or town, known as Elvis the Pelvis, and whenever one of us dyed our hair dark, that's what we'd get called!

Omg we had one called cherry blossom. A bald man that put shoe Polish on his head. I fear I am only a few years away from that. I'm naturally mousy. Light brown. But I'm white to about my crown now. And the dark and white root situation was getting to harsh and too much. I was hoping going lighter I won't have to top up every 2 weeks. But I am pure white at the front. .
Elvis the pelvis 😆

Yes I did and I’m much happier with my hair these days.

I think the lighter colour looks very good on you. It’s softer against your skin tone and you look very pretty with it.

The brown was too dark and too harsh. I'm not keen on this either, I wondering if an equally light colour would suit you though, your natural colour might look best. Is your natural colour light and subtle?

The Ginger looks good, it suits your skin-tone way better than the very dark shade, IMHO. I'd definitely run with it for a while and see how you feel.

Aaaah yes. I'm laughing my head off. Was so confused.

Both suit you - lucky you to have a choice!

The 'new you' actually looks like the 'real you' if that makes sense. It suits your skin tone and there's no harshness about it (and it's a really beautiful, rich colour!).

The 'old you' is very dated and harsh - does nothing for you at all and makes your skin look sallow and much older (sorry 🤦‍♀️).

Obviously it feels like a huge change...because it is! When you change something about yourself in this way, it takes a minute to get used to it...and you're right, you feel like you need to change everything about yourself - and you might need to make a few adjustments, like make up shades and colours of jumpers etc to suit your new look, but that will only enhance it ❤️ Go shop 😊

I much prefer the red. I'm not over enamoured by the black as it looks a bit harsh.

Is the photo a fair representation? I'm only asking as my hair looks like this in photos but it's slightly browner.

Maybe more orange ha

Aw thank you. I'm definitely going to follow the advice to sit with it. Its a massive change but I think in a couple of weeks I might feel more confident. Especially if I have a play around with the clothes I have and stick to more natural make up. X

A lot of white at the front now. But natural is like a mousey colour. Not red.

I love it, but I’m biased being a bottle ginger myself.

Thank you. Do you do your own? If so what do you use.... im just thinking i will have to colour my white roots soon enough.

You have very striking and attractive colouring.

Your features and skin suit the cool dark tone better than the red (you disappear a bit). But the cool dark tone is too dark for you. Can you make the red a much cooler darker red? Or go to a cool mushroom blonde. You would also look stunning with a dimensional grey/white, but appreciate not everyone is up for embracing that.

I used to use professional grade colours, but in the last few years I’ve gone back to box dye, my hair just seems to prefer it.

Clairol 6R light auburn is my go to.

My regrowth is mostly medium brown. I start colouring the regrowth, 2-3 inches of roots, then take it down through the mid lengths. In the shower I add some water and lather it down to the roots for a few minutes.

I colour every 6-8 weeks. If I need a refresh I use Schwarzkopf Live Colour Demi permanent in Aztec Copper, red fades quite quickly.

You might find you need to change up some of your makeup colours, I wear red and pink lipstick, but not blue based. And I wear pretty much every colour clothing except blue based pinks.

The ginger really suits you

Definitely keep it

You'll get used to it

You can make it a bit more of a light brush tone if you wanted

But it's great as it is

• Brown tone

You look younger and fresher with the new light auburn

Oh my! What a lovely colour you have managed, sooooooo much prefer it to the dark. I think black/dark is so much more ageing, you've knocked years off yourself!

I can just see you in an emerald green dress, stunning!

I think the new hair colour really suits you! Definitely a big change but it takes years off you and really brightens your skin tone :)

Thank you so much. I think eventually I'll let the white/grey come through but I'm not ready yet. But I do like it on other people.

Thank you for this I'll look at some of these for when the regrowth comes through.

Thank you so much everyone for being so kind. I'm going to sit with it for a few weeks and get used to it. Even today looking at thar dark hair made me see how fake and harsh it looked. It needed to change. Xxx