I have noticed many clients of mine, many of whom have been blonde for years, are asking to move toward a more natural, darker color. When handled properly, going darker can have lots of benefits. Your hair looks thicker and shinier, you might be able to stretch the time between your appointme
nts more easily, and the fewer highlights or high lift colors used, the less damage done to the hair. With all of the concern about money, this could be a good way for you to save some cash in the long term.
You need to talk to your stylist about your best route to a darker or more natural shade. If you have been blonde for years and years you need to make this change gradually. As much as you may want to just go for it and dye all of your hair a chocolate brown, you will most likely hate it. You will think your hair is black (even though isn’t) and it is likely you will want to go back to blonde immediately. Unfortunately, color is nothing like painting a wall, so if you decide you need your blonde back, it will involve lightener (bleach). Chances of getting the hair as blonde as it was before are pretty much non-existent.
Going dark gradually has another advantage as well, color can get layered onto your hair a little bit at a time. When hair is blonde (by way of color) the hair shaft is porous and damaged allowing color molecules to dissipate easier. This is your hair color fading! The first time you color hair over blonde, it usually lightens up quickly, sometimes completely fading out by the next appointment. Each time you layer the color, more molecules stay, so it can take a few visits before your hair stays as dark as you would like. Flip side of this, is if you get low lights and hate them, wait it out. Wash your hair with hot water and a clarifying shampoo if you want it to lighten quicker, but chances are you will not hate it in a week, when the color has shifted and changed.
Testing the waters with family and friends isn’t a bad idea either. If your significant other hates your darker hair, it’s going to make going back to blonde any easier. Sometimes what people say about how we look really effects us, so go get their opinion first!
Okay, so think about it, ask around, and do NOT attempt to go darker on your own. If your hair is blonde enough and you dye it was a nice neutral brown, your hair could turn green. I had a girl who did this and that literally ran over from University of Florida, about three miles because she realized in the harsh overhead lighting of the bathrooms of her dorm that her hair was green. Just come to the salon for a consultation (Salon La Did Da, the salon I’m a stylist) so you can discuss you opinions. There are several different techniques for going darker so you guys can really figure out which one is best for you. Bring pictures that you like, to show how dark you want to be, and discuss your fears. Move slowly, don’t try too much, and enjoy the road to darker hair that actually looks natural.
