Senior Member

Posts: 127
From:fullerton
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 10-04-2003 02:07 AM            

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Hi,

Okay, I am a hair color virgin... always had black/brownish hair my whole life. I want to color it a light brown shade . Does everybody now just go to the hairdresser to get their hair colored or does the stuff over the counter work well? If so which product is the best? Thanks, and one more question, how long does your hair color stay if you use over the counter stuff, like loreal... Thanks.

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Senior Member

Posts: 182
From:Oklahoma
Registered: May 2001

posted 10-08-2003 04:56 PM            

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The Herbal essences works good because the conditioner you use after it makes your hair really soft and the hair dye has conditioner in it to I think... That revlon stuff thats like 3.99 fried my hair I'm never dying it again well it's not fried now but it was like a year ago really bad I was afraid to come out of my house. But I wish I would of never died my hair because after you dye it, it will never be as pretty as virgin hair. Good Luck!!

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Senior Veteran

Posts: 1037
From:Rosenberg, TX.
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 10-08-2003 05:42 PM            

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Lightening your natural color from a VERY dark color can cause undesirable off-cast colors such as too much red. When one lightens their hair, it will lighten to include the base pigment colors, and if one of those is red, you might end up a red-head with over-the-counter colors. Most OTC products include a 20 volume peroxide which is not strong enough to lighten very dark hair to a light brown shade, and the result is unwanted color casts.

I might suggest that you get your hair high-lighted with a lighter brown to blend the shades rather than a full color job. I always suggested this avenue first to my clients who wanted a change - it is a lot more subtle, and if they don't like it, it is easier for it to grow out, or to blend it darker with a simple color wash.

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Senior Member

Posts: 127
From:fullerton
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 10-09-2003 02:42 AM            

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Hi Marti,

I want to try highnlighting my hair too actually instead of dying the whole hair. Is using an over the counter product like herbal essence highlighting a good idea and if so what color should I go about using for dark brown hair, would a light brown be too contrasting as highlights???

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Senior Member

Posts: 84
From:
Registered: Aug 2003

posted 10-09-2003 05:22 AM            

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The problem Marti mentioned with unwanted color shades remains even if you are just highlighting. Is going to a salon out of the question for you? If you get not-too-contrasting highlights, you are set for 6 months, so it doesn't need to be expensive to keep up.

I did blonde highlights myself (have light brown hair naturally) and it wasn't bad, but the ones I got at a salon were GREAT. Definitely worth the money.

If a salon is not at option, try a L'Oreal kit with a cap, so you have better control over where the highlights go. And get a friend to help! Most important: do a strand test!!! That way you only risk having one weird colored strand, rather than the whole hair. Make sure you dry it completely and look at the result in natural daylight to make sure you like it.

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