I have dark brown almost black hair right now, but I'm wanting to lighten my color to a dark golden blonde. I've got the color, but I'm afraid to use it. I'm not sure what result I'll get. I need advice on what steps I should take, so my hair doesn't come out weird looking.
By Kristina from Palm Beach, FL
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Follow the directions on the box and if you end up not liking it, it will always grow out or else wait awhile and recolor it a darker color.
With hair that dark, I wouldn't do it myself the first time Invest in a professional job & then keep it up. That's they so many of us have highlighted hair. it's so much easier to take care of.
My first question is why change your beautiful dark hair. But having said that, go to the beauty shop. You can end up with a real mess right here at Christmas. Dark hair is more difficult than light hair to color.
Ditto with Lilac and pamphyila! I was a hairstylist for 35 years and did hundreds of assorted color repairs and I'll tell you that I far rather would have done the original color change and then tell the client how to keep it up on their own if they couldn't afford paying me for maintenance. Yes, it would have been nice to have each and every person remain as a monthly color client after the repair but morality and empathy is much more honorable! And this goodwill ended up going a long way because 90%of those color repair clients became regular haircut clients and/or sent me oodles of other clients!
Anyway, there is serious science and detailed knowledge of possible previous chemical treatments that need to be kept in mind to hair color and unless you understand that science or get lucky, well, the majority of people end up hating how their home self help change turned out.
First of all, I would recommend always going to a hairdresser to color dark hair blonde as they are the experts. However, if your budget insists you do it yourself, then I recommend buying a good hair stripper from a beauty supply store such as Sally's. Follow the bottle instructions carefully and make sure to "test" your skin for sensitivity before you start. There is some burning involved with stripping your hair of color. Once you are done, rinse, rinse, rinse! Your hair will be completely void of all color. Now apply your hair color according to directions. This is best way to ensure your hair becomes the closest to the bottle color as possible. Remember, you'll have to strip the color from your roots every month or so (depending on how fast your hair grows) and reapply the blonde color to your roots. this is a big commitment and is hard on your hair so you'll need to keep your hair conditioned with a good moisturizer (like olive oil) on a regular basis. If you can afford it, I'd really recommend letting the experts do it.
Against my better judgment, i let a friend talk me into doing this. Ihave very dark hair too, and she ended up giving me bright purple hair! Please, if you want to go blonde, have it done professionally! It cost me a fortune to have it remedied at a hair salon.
Call the phone number of the package you bought. They will have someone talk to you, let you know what colors you cannot change with what product. Do not screw it up, hard to live with vibrant hair of an orange or green shade.
Not all hairdressers are gifted w/bleaching & coloring hair. Surely you know someone whose hair look's great. Ask who their stylist is & go talk to them about what you want & how much it will cost. You will have to maintain your new hair growth & it will be costly. My hairdresser uses 3 or 4 colors on my brunette hair to make me look natural. Look's like Jennifer Aniston's hair color. I live in the Ozarks & it cost me $80 every 60 days. I haven't been able to afford it for three months now, & I'm embarrassed to leave my home.
I forgot to mention in my recent post that there is no product that will turn your brunette hair blonde. You will have to have it bleached. This process brutally damages hair. You'll have to use a special shampoo & conditioner for bleached hair & a leave in conditioner like Garnier Fructis anti-frizz serum Sleek & Shine. $6 at Dollar General. My daughter is a hair dresser so she buy's mine at the state beauty supply & it cost $18 & last several months. You can't shampoo everyday.
I went from Dyed black hair to blonde doing this, First I used Super blonde #200 which brought my hair to a orange and my roots almost white, waited one day (thank god I didn't have to go anywhere)Then Applied Feria #82 medium ash blonde which is a cooler shade which minimizes red/orange tones Both products cost me about 10.00 each and together they work great! If you want to go even blonder then that I suggest you wait a week and Pull your hair through a cap...But all honestly Doing these two steps my hair is really blonde. :)
Use Born Blonde's "Maxi Blonding Kit". I am half-Asian with normally brunette hair color. It turned my hair blonde the 1st time. More strawberry blonde the 1st time. 2nd time more of a natural blonde. However, I left the dye in place for almost two hours...longer the better. It goes from orange to blonde. If you do it for the recommended time, you'll just stay in orange mood. And this dye is fairly gentle. My hair remained in great condition and soft, not hard, which is amazing for bleaching dye.
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I would like to to make my own hair dye. I've tried lemon juice, but it only made me get a few streaks of light brown, hardly blonde at all. I was wondering if there are any other homemade hair dyes that would work and make my hair go blonde? It's okay if it's permanent, but semi permanent is okay too.
By Cara from Farefield
You may find what you want on ehow.com, but my experience with dark hair, is that it is difficult to get blonde tones, without it turning orangy or brassy, if you don't use a hairstylist.
(07/23/2009)
If you are looking for something non-chemical, I think you will have to change what you want. Dark to light isn't going to work without chemical help. I had light brown hair and used henna on it until I had too much gray (orange results). Even with light brown hair I had to use chemicals to get it blonde. Warning: you will have to re-do it every month or 6 weeks to eliminate the root growth. Is it worth it? If you do it yourself, the color isn't going to be even. Check out how much it will cost to have it done professionally, every month. (07/27/2009)
I don't think there are any home products to safely lighten your hair, other than those commercially produced. Check out your drug store. I used a highlight kit for my hair very successfully for several years. In my area, it costs about $70 for a salon visit, and about $20 for a do it yourself product from the drugstore. I don't think there are any things like lemon juice or whatever that will produce results that you want or that will not damage your hair. Try the drug store. (07/28/2009)
By Louise B.
Color doesn't lighten color. You have to go chemical to lighten dark hair without the red showing all through it. (08/07/2009)
I have dark brown hair and I want it blonde. I don't want to go to the hairstylist. I have tried lemon juice and my hair is too dark for it. I don't want to use dye. What should I do? What can I use?
Anna from Seattle, WA
If you apply hydrogen peroxide to dirty hair over time you will get nice reddish streaks. For really drastic changes, you really have to go to a professional. (06/05/2008)
By pam munro
If you really want blonde, go see a professional. (06/07/2008)
By Kat
Dye is going to be your only choice. (06/08/2008)
Go to the pros, they know what they are doing. I can't imagine risking my hair to a homemade idea, then wondering why it's a weird color and feels like straw? What could be more important? Save money on something else if you really wanna be blonde. (06/08/2008)
You could try sun in if they still make it. I did that years ago. Make sure you get a very good conditioner as it will dry out your hair. You can use it with the sun or with the blow dryer. Try just on a piece at first to see what color you will get. If your hair is really dark it might turn orange, so be careful. (06/09/2008)
By wacky camper
Hi Anna
First of all, I disagree with the above comment 'Dye is your only choice'. That's rubbish. I have naturally blonde hair, so when I dye it (even using brown colours), it goes brassy blonde. The best way to avoid this is to not use dyes. What I use, is a blue bleaching powder bought from a pharmacy, and mixed with peroxide. It bleaches the hair, but beware, it is a permanent effect.
Not having any dye in my hair means it does not go brassy blonde and looks quite natural if you streak it. You can buy peroxide in the same shop at 6% or 12% strength - talk to the retailer about what would suit you best. Good luck with it! (06/13/2008)
By Cathy from Townsville, QLD
If your hair is dark and you want to be blonde, I agree, your best bet is going to a stylist/colourist if you want a good job that is risk free. I've dyed my hair all kinds of colours, many times, and I would still not mess around with that blue powder! I did a strand test once and thank god because my hair broke with hardly any stress on it. Sun-in will only turn your hair orange.
If you insist upon doing it yourself you need to get a pre-lightening kit before you put your preferred shade of blonde on top.
The final thing is bearing in mind that this is a 'thrifty' site, the upkeep for being blonde is costly in my book. But that's up to you! (06/23/2008)
By Claire
Okay, you really need to strip your hair then apply color. There is no way of making this happen unless you color your hair. There are semi permanent colors that will wash out in 6 weeks, but if your goal is to go lighter than your natural color, welcome to the world of coloring your hair girlfriend. (06/24/2008)
By Kristen
Please keep in mind that whenever you go blond you will open the hair shaft, which can dry the hair and give it an unhealthy appearance. You know those women whose hair looks like hay.
I used to lighten my hair which is dark blond-light brown.
I use Natrutint and order it online. This hair color was recommended to me by my stylist of 10 years for when I'm in a pinch with my roots and out of town. It has no peroxide and covers any grey hair well. Since I moved out of state I've been using Natrutint for a year and love the consistency of the color. I now color my hair darker and I get compliments all the time about how healthy my hair looks. Darker color does not open the hair shaft, drying the hair. You get a shiny glow. (08/05/2008)
By Vera Brown
I've been going from blonde to dark and vice versa for years. I go to the drugstore and get hair color removal (two boxes should work) and then buy the color you want. After using color removal use hair color immediately. Just use hair repair masks for a while after using cause hair will get dry. Easy as pie. I have been to pros and sometimes they do worse than my dog could do. Save yourself the $$ and go to the drugstore. (10/15/2008)
By amy
How many times did you apply lemon juice, and how long were you in the sun? Do it repeatedly for a while, and spend at least 1/2 an hour out in bright sun. But if that doesn't work, you can always add a few teaspoons of hydrogen peroxide (but not too much!) to the mix, and lay out in the sun for around an hour. Do this a lot, and over time you will become a blonde, trust me. I went from brown to a darker blonde in a month and a half! (07/12/2009)
By Cara
