I have natural med/dark blonde hair with highlights and I am having such an urge to run out and dye my hair chocolate brown. I don't want a permanent dye though, I was thinking about semi permanent but I fear that the rich color will soon fade and I will be left with mousy brown and will have several expensive steps to go back to blonde. Any tips on going blonde to brunette temporarily? I was just thinking of doing it at home, is that a bad idea?
I did it myself last winter. It took a few days for me to get used to it, but once I did I loved it! (unfortunately DH hated it). It did take a bit of maintenance...it started to fade around after 8 weeks (then again, that's probably when you'd normally do a touch up anyway. plus I used a semi-permanent) I tried growing it out and did get really mousy after a while...but that was like 3 months...so I died it back my natural color and it wasn't a problem at all. Go for it!
I just did it a month ago. unfortunately my camera is not working right now (need to work on it this weekend) so I can't post my before and after. Anyways... I wanted to go brown for about a year so I finally did and boy was it a shocker at first. I went darker brown with red and blonde highlights (not very heavy) but yes within 2 weeks my hair had faded to a medium/light brown. Its ok but I'm not going to do this again. I prefer being blonde - I just feel prettier and all my clothes look nicer on a blonde. I didn't go with a permanent color. Not sure what my colorist used.
Erin or Bex might have a good suggestion for you.
I finally found a pic from a friend. here is the before and after. My hair looks darker in pics than in real life thought.
i really feel it's something to have done the first time professionally, BUT if you are strapped for cash, you can do it at home if you use caution. if you go to a salon, don't let them call it a "color correction." what you can get done, and it's a LOT cheaper, is to just get it colored twice. the first time in a shade about two shades darker than your current color, then to the color you want to be. everyone has their own views, but i personally don't like to fill the blonde with red first because i think the red always shines through, and when the brown fades, it turns brassy. as ILC said, it is upkeep, and you will probably have to maintain it a few times.
i usually recommend clients keeping a few highlights, even if you are going completely darker, just to keep it from getting flat. (and by highlights, i don't necessarily mean "blonde" but you could even just pick a nice goldeny light brown as a highlight color) dark brown hair can sometimes look like a wig without some dimension to it, imo....
I did it about 6 months ago. I don't know how you could do it temporarily without getting it re-dyed blond. I had light, highlighted blond hair, and I used a medium-brown semipermanent in July. It took about 3 weeks, and then it turned into a sort of muddy dark blond. I had a professional dye it back to brown after that, and I have been a brunette ever since. My hair is very fine, so it doesn't hold color well, so I have to re-do it every 8 weeks or so. But overall, my hair is SO much healthier, and it's also a lot cheaper. Here are before & after pics. For reference, my natural color is a dark, ashy blond.
a year ago: this is last week:
eta: I forgot to mention that my stylist did what erin suggested -- she went about two shades darker at first, then three, then four. I asked her to keep the shade neutral b/c my hair tends toward red sometimes.
-- Edited by halleybird at 13:43, 2006-12-16
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Ugh, I am still torn. I am inspired by the before and after pics but now I'm thinking my clothes and makeup will probably change too... I just wanted a temporary change not a lifestyle change. I have dyed my hair a few times in the past, usually it looked beautiful but faded QUICKLY then I would have to redye to maintain or dye it back to blonde, never really getting back to what I was and causing lots of damage... Ack Im so wishy washy. Heres some pics of my various stages, man I look like 3 diff people! I think I like me blonde the best though... maybe I should leave the brunette to a brunette?
Halleybird, has anyone told you you look like Scarlet Johansson in your blond photo?
I used to get that quite a bit when I was blond. I think it's b/c we're both Danish with chubby cheeks I get Winona Ryder now.
Anyway, Xtina - your clothes and makeup will change. The first time I dyed my hair brown I was not prepared for that. Also, I don't think it's a quick process. Even if you use a semipermanent, it won't just wash out. Even mine didn't do that, and my hair doesn't hold darker colors well at all. Actually, when the semipermanent washed out, it was awful, because the color was very uneven in places.
I can't see your pics, but how about some lowlights? I have had those, and they're really a nice change, plus they're very easy to blend out when you want them to.
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"We live in an age where unnecessary things are our only necessities." --Oscar Wilde
So heres me at all stages. I would love to be brunette for a while but knowing it wont be back to normal, I dont think I'll do it. Cant they create a temporary dye that doesnt damage change the hair afterwards??
(god the pics are so big but i figured the color would show better)
My natural haircolor is brown. I have been blonde for about 4 years, but about a month ago I went back dark and hated it. My colorist used permanent color on my hair because I was so conviced it was what I wanted. I went back 3 days later and she put a few highlights in it and I could deal with it better. I am going back blonde as soon as possible. Now that is just my experience. I have a friend who goes very dark with red highlights every winter and then very blonde in the spring/summer. It is just not for me. If you are unsure, I would do a semi-permanent hair color, but on porous hair I think those can act like permanent color.
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omg thats it, im going dark. i think ill wait till after christmas (just to avoid the whole "wow you dyed your hair.." annoying comments from family)
i plan on doing a semi permanent auburnish (since you guys preferred that, i think it looks good with my skintone) at home. i think i'll save my money on getting it professionally taken back to blonde. yay this should be fun! Ill post pics when I actually do it.