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Original poster

I'm thinking of going blonde: please advise

75 replies

Bumperlicioso · 29/06/2009 18:41

I'm getting very bored with my poker straight long light brown hair and am thinking of going blonde. I've never been blonde before and have no idea what the process is. Obviously I would go to the hairdressers to start off with, but could I do the roots myself?

I have light brown hair. Is it as simple as dying it or while they have to do it in stages?

What shade should I go? I up for anything that looks good. Will the hairdresser be able to advise me?

How regularly am I going to have to get it redone and what are the long term effects? If I get bored can I just dye it back to my natural colour? My hair is about chest length and I am not adverse to getting it all cut short if necessary.

Should I do this? I've never been blonde before and never wanted to but I am starting to habour yearnings and feel like it will make me look younger and hipper (I'm 28).

OP posts:
Original poster
Bumperlicioso · 30/06/2009 18:49

Nooo! Apparently putting brown back on makes it go green. You have to put red in first then brown according to the website I linked to.

So what if I did this: went to hairdressers to get consultation on right colour then have it done properly, then when it needs doing again find the nearest colour dye in Boots and give that a go?

What do you think?

OP posts:
HarryB · 30/06/2009 19:44

All non-blondes should try blonde at least once. I am naturally very dark but loved being a blonde - although I did take
the plenty of highlights route rather than all over colour. The only downside of highlights, however, is the expense.

I wouldn't go down the home kit route though - you may end up looking more Denise Welsh than Gwen Stefani.

at MorningPapers advice.

Woooozle100 · 30/06/2009 19:48

haha morningpaper. I tried to highlight my hair at home at the weekend. Box said 'scandinavian blonde' but result is more scottish ginger

morningpaper · 30/06/2009 19:52

Ah well, you'll have to be Scottish Ginger for a couple of weeks and then put your head in a bucket of Toilet Duck AGAIN and see what happens then

Woooozle100 · 30/06/2009 19:58

3 people today told me it looked nice! Maybe they felt a bit uneasy and needed to say something

Might go for 'tint of toyah' next time

morningpaper · 30/06/2009 20:58

hoho! Yes everyone says they like it even if they are looking pale and worried for me

I have just come back from Asda with a sack of peroxide for some experimenting later in the week

live dangerously

Original poster
Bumperlicioso · 30/06/2009 21:22

So really MP, you actually just use peroxide on your hair? How do you control what shade it goes?

OP posts:
morningpaper · 30/06/2009 21:24

there's no control

it's all CRAZINESS

anything could happen

Original poster
Bumperlicioso · 30/06/2009 21:27

You're bad MP!

I think I need to make my first foray into the blonde world in a more controlled manner. Then I can start experimenting...

OP posts:
fishie · 30/06/2009 21:29

i want pics mp. i liked it when you did the what you were wearing every day.

morningpaper · 30/06/2009 21:30

no I can't do pics of my current Little Cook look

no no no

Maybe when it's ... better

cocolepew · 30/06/2009 21:34

I've got dark brown hair but have been blonde before, all DIY and some ginger inbetween. But my hair is short so easier to do and not so drastic. You should try the L'Oreal kits with a base colour and the highlighter that you comb through. Yhey are vv good.

Woooozle100 · 30/06/2009 22:17

aye - loreal kits must be better than the shit I bought from home bargains

little cook - arf

CJCregg · 30/06/2009 23:35

Tillyscoutsmum and cocolepew - if you get the l'Oreal highlights kit, and you put a base colour on then highlights (sounds a faff but I'd prefer that to the toilet duck option at the moment - though haven't written it off, MP) - my question is, what do you do when the roots start coming through? Surely you can't reapply in the same way on such a small area?

Tillyscoutsmum · 01/07/2009 08:19

When the roots come through - you just re-do the whole lot again. I have seen these root touch up kits but I'm not sure how effective they are tbh. The whole colour "fades" over the course of the 6 weeks it takes for the roots to come through, so I think it might look weird to just re-touch the roots.

It is a bit of a faff but its only about an hour once every six weeks which is way less time than it takes at the hair dressers.

cocolepew · 01/07/2009 12:11

I just re-do it again, as well. You can actually go lighter doing it that way because you are putting the bleach in the same part of your head.

brimfull · 01/07/2009 15:13

I went blonde when dd was little

she cried when she saw me

MrsSeanBean · 01/07/2009 15:22

When I was about 14 and forbidden from any 'official' hair colour experimenting, I once rebelled and put domestos on a bit of my hair (), as an experiment. It lightened it alright, but I can't recommend this route!

flier · 01/07/2009 15:26

Bumperlicioso I went down the diy route for the first time earlier this year and have so far been (on the whole) pleased with the results.
I keep away from anything that says golden or honey on it cos I don't want to be a ginger , so I have selected various different ash blonde shades. The last one I chose was "Perfect 10" which takes just 10 (or is it 15?) minutes. I was very happy with the colour.
Like you, have been thinking about going blonde for quite some time (was mousey) and am glad I have done it. I spoke to my hairdresser on Friday about what she honestly thought of the colour and she did mention the "solid block of colour" and how it might be good to break it up a little with some low lights. She said the color was pretty good though.
Go for it - you'll never know otherwise. I'd second the L'Oreal kits with the highlights - I tried them last year.

CJCregg · 01/07/2009 15:52

I'm starting to be persuaded ... l'Oreal home kit, here I come.

But what do I do about the fact that I've already got a pretty brassy colour on my hair - don't want to go green ...

bleh · 01/07/2009 15:55

I used to be blonde. Started off with highlights done by a hairdresser, then went the home dying route. I went for EVERY shade under the sun, sometimes looked like a mess, but other times looked surprisingly good. A hairdresser should be able to give you a good idea of what colour you should go for (so might be useful for first time) and then after that you can go DIY.

My tip is, if you want to go back to brown, don't do it yourself. This is because I tried this twice. The first time, my hair turned green (so I bleached it into oblivion and started all over again) and the second time it went bright (pillar box) red. Neither is a good look. On both occassions, I didn't leave the dye long enough, but I also think I should have left it to the professionals.

flier · 01/07/2009 15:56

"Touch of Silver" was recommended to me to get rid of any brassiness in blonde hair

bleh · 01/07/2009 15:57

There are some other weird results: people think you are younger and you do get noticed a bit more (or I did at least). Even now, YEARS into returning to my natural colour, some friends still think of me as a blonde. (very bizarre)-

morningpaper · 01/07/2009 15:57

hehe this is great

it's like the mumsnet haircut

now it's the mumsnet slutty -ginger blonde look

CJCregg · 01/07/2009 15:59

I know - what's putting me off most is if I do it, I'll have to post the fecking results.