Trapped in highlights hell

[cornishgal]

I'm trapped in highlight hell - seem to have got blonder and blonder over the years to the point where I get re-growth almost as soon as I've left the salon. And my hair is the texture of straw as well as the colour. I'm naturally mousy but have ended up with the classic caramel school-run highlights which cost a fortune - £100 plus every six -8 weeks, it's madness.
I tried to break free a few years ago and my hairdresser gave me an "all over colour" instead - which might have been nice, if it wasn't purple! Every so often I bleat weakly about "going back to my natural colour" (whatever that is) and she says yeah and dyes my hair straw colour again.
Years ago when I was a hippy I used to henna my hair which looked great - and cost £5. But I suppose henna over highlights would be bonkers, wouldn't it? Any ideas? I go to Toni and Guy btw.

Change your hairdresser for a start - Toni and Guy is over priced and over rated .

Find a hairdresser on recommendation from your friends . Be firm with the hairdresser about what you wnat but at the same time consider their advice.

if you want to go back to darker then perhaps go a shade or two lighter than your own bt with some colour or foils through it to lift it a bit. A block colour can be quite harsh.

I am not a hairdresser but I went back to being a bit darker a few months .

Take in a photo of the kind of colour you want.

Ask for a tint to be put over the top, my hairdresser did this when my hair was too blond and looked fluoro!

And change your hairdresser if they keep botching it up! Hairdressers are waaayyy too expensive to pay that kind of money for a result you are not happy with!

Look around and if you see anyone in the street with the kind of thing you are looking for, chase them down the road demanding to know who their hairdresser is!

I love you mumsnet - where else would you get such good advice between being woken up by your dh's snoring and the second cup of coffee on a Sunday morning? To my fellow insomniacs - thanks so much girls. Am off to look up hair colours, I like Elle McPherson's. Or when Stacey from x factor went darker, she looked good, too. BTW, who went out last night - I fell asleep?

stacey went out !

I was trapped in highlight hell once as well.

I got some lowlights of my own natural colour put in and then tinted all over and am now chocolate brown

would not be blonde again

AND Ali went out on Strictly !

There is nothing more expensive or more unsatisfying than being trapped in highlight hell. I always found that I was unhappy that my hair wasn't blonder given the price i was paying! So always left salon feeling annoyed. It was easily sorted for me. i got Toni & Guy to dye my hair back to it's natural colour (brown). Now I use home hair dye to put colour in when i fancy, i.e warm brown, dark brown etc. Much happier and much cheaper.

Defo change your hairdresser and when you see someone with gorgeous hair, ask them where and who they have it done.

I have an all over colour which is close to my natural colour (brown) which covers the grey, I then have very fine highlights (blonde) on the T section (parting and across the back of the head) and I don't have the highlights on my parting but on the layers of hair underneath it. That way I don't get root re-growth and I only have the highlights done every 12 weeks.

Just to let you all know - I had an all-over colour in the end and it looks great, really great. Took in my pix of Elle Macpherson adn that;s just what I got 9except not he body to match!) Not too dark, so no Morticia Addams effect. Really pleased with it. Thanks guys for all your advice!