Dying my hair red in my 50s?

[Greenwitchart]

I have very pale skin with freckles, light brows and hazel eyes.

My hair ( in a pixie cut) has been coloured a pale blond for years but I am fantasising about having it auburn or red ...

The problem is that my weird natural hair has been completely white since my 20s so having it blond was the easiest way to disguise it, but I am feeling a bit washed out.

Browns don't look good on me as I am very pale.

Is it silly to dump the blond & try red? Woukd it be too high maintenance?

Its very high maintenance in my opinion as the roots show through by 6 weeks unless you have slow growing hair. What about staying blonde but having red/pink high lights

My opinion is.. it's hair.. if you don't like it, it can be fixed, or the absolute worst case scenario is that it grows out.

I say absolutely try it! Sometimes you have to try something a little bit mad. You might love it!

It may look orange quite quickly if you have white hair. Very high maintenance and would fade within days.

I had red hair for a bit after my divorce - as felt like a big change. And while I liked it - it was really hard to manage. Grey roots started showing almost next week after colouring, as they are really in contrast to the red. And it'll be even more so if the rest of you is pale.

Personally - in your case - I'd experiment with shades of blond - there are so many!

Go for it. If you don't like it it'll soon grow out.
You could try a semi-permanent.

Casting Crème Gloss 645 Amber Red Semi Permanent Hair Dye | Hair Colour | L'Oréal Paris

I'm pale and freckly and always end up going back to red tones as browns all seem to wash me out. If you don't like it, red will fade quicker than most other colours.

Id go light ginger/strawberry blonde first as it will be more subtle for you from blonde. If you are liking that then go darker

I did, it fades to pink very quickly. White, off white is a good option. will bring more warmth to you than blonde

Very hard to maintain especially when you have grey hair, also fades very quickly. I had red for a while to give my hair a break from being blonde. I had to change my makeup and clothes to suit the red hair.

Not silly at all! Auburn & copper tones work beautifully with pale skin & hazel eyes. The maintenance question is the honest one. Red pigment fade faster, so you'd be looking at more frequent toning between appointments (than you're used to with blonde). If you want you can try a colour-depositing conditioner with red/copper pigment to extend vibrancy between salon visits.

Embrace the white! I spent years getting roots done every three weeks. If you get a good cut it will look great and compliment your skin tone. Less money and hours sat in hairdresser chair.

I've just spent the best part of two years trying to grow out a dark reddish brown permanent colour. You can't "cover" it with a lighter colour and bleach or colour stripper just made it go a bit more orange (thankfully the hairdresser tested it on a strand and not my head!). I've had to go cold turkey on the dye and have it cut off but my hair has got a lot shorter and I'm not sure if I'll ever get it back to how it was now I'm in my late 40s and it doesn't grow as fully. I'd say don't do it, unless you really love red and are prepared to keep it maintained for many years.

What about a chrome silver?

Thank you everyone for the helpful comments.

I was sharing some of the concerns expressed about red fading out quickly/the maintenance and it turning orange on white hair.

I don't have any grey hair, just Albino type overall white hair and with my white skin I look like Casper the ghost if I don't have at least some colour in it.

I think I am going to stick to blonde but will experiment with shades to see what can complement my skin better or start wearing some brighter lipstick to offset the pale face/hair.

It's hair! Go for it.

I say go for it xx

Experimenting with blondes is a good idea but I would also look into defining your eyebrows. Maybe try a makeup counter for help with a natural but defining colour; this will help give you contrast between your hair and skin colour, which sounds like what you want.

I’m a formerly dark brunette who is now greying. I’ve gone lighter and am currently using auburn semi-permanent colours. I’ve yet to find one that actually IS semi-permanent. Personally, I treat all dyes as permanent.

Don t let the fade put u off !
Hairstylist here if u do go the light cooper /auburn I think it will look stunning and brighten u up just make sure u go to a stylist that is good with this colour u may need a natural added to stop it being luminous orange ! And if there is plenty of gold the fade will be nice !
I know because I have this exact colour !
I'm 49 I get compliments on my hair all the time I always add the extra gold because when it fades it still looks good even after 7 weeks !! Stops it looking muddy if u have short hair it will look good 😊

Might you be a good candidate for plant-based colours - chamomile (for yellowy tones) or henna (carrot on white hair, but might deepen to a less startling shade with repeated use - as it does on mousy or light brown hair)? You'd avoid the root problem if you used the product regularly, although that might mean a deeper tone than suits your skin colour.

Alternatively how about just getting the tips coloured? It wouldn't be naturalistic, but you could have a stronger gold or coppery colour without it overwhelming you - and easier to get rid of...

They change the colour of your natural hair but the actual tint fades.
I use them but once the colour has gone, the hair itself has a brassy tone.

Temporary colours don't seem to stick to my hair but they're quite good when I fancy a change.