Glamour Puss 2: No recession here

[Veronika]

I would either get highlights (with lowlights mixed in), or just dye all of it back to your base/darker color.

I've always meant to go and get highlights, but I'm too cheap. So I just dye my hair the color it was when I was a kid.

[Andora]

...or just dye all of it back to your base/darker color.

This is what I'd like to do, but at-home kits don't work so well, and my stylist says it's a no-go. I guess I was wondering if she was right.

[Veronika]

This is what I'd like to do, but at-home kits don't work so well, and my stylist says it's a no-go. I guess I was wondering if she was right.

Well, since the ends are lighter than the top (which is opposite of what normally happens), I would think that it would be okay to try it at home.

As long as you do the whole head of hair at once, it should work. I would use a pretty dark dye, so everything matches.

[cruisin]

This is what I'd like to do, but at-home kits don't work so well, and my stylist says it's a no-go. I guess I was wondering if she was right.

I would let your stylist bring it back to your natural color. It might be a bit more money, but single process is not too expensive and then just protect the color. Use color fast shampoos and keep your hair covered if you're in the sun for long periods of time. Actually, they make hair products with SPF.

[Veronika]

Yeah, but it's so much fun to mess with your hair at home.

My worst hair dye disaster came when I tried to highlight my hair at home--it was really light blonde on the top, and darker on the bottom. (Makes sense, since the hair at the top of your head is warmer since it's next to your skull.) So I had ugly, 2-toned hair. I waited a couple of weeks and did a nice, medium blonde to cover it all up. Then I left my hair alone for at least 2 months.

I don't try to highlight my hair anymore...

[Andora]

I'm not sure where I missed explaining this right.

I'd LOVE to have my stylist do a single process, but she will not. She says I've dyed my hair already, and there's nothing she can do but maybe highlights, because it's bleach. I've already screwed it up at home. I'm asking if my stylist is wrong.

[Veronika]

If it's bleach, there may be not much you can do...can you just wait a bit and then cut the bleached part off? Looking at your original post again--maybe you should just go to the cheaper place and get highlights again.

My sister once turned her hair green dyeing her hair at home...

[cruisin]

I'm not sure where I missed explaining this right.

I'd LOVE to have my stylist do a single process, but she will not. She says I've dyed my hair already, and there's nothing she can do but maybe highlights, because it's bleach. I've already screwed it up at home. I'm asking if my stylist is wrong.

If you are looking to darken your hair, your stylist is wrong. She/he will have to be more careful, because when you bleach your hair, you open the cuticle up and it takes color faster. If she doesn't want to use a permanent color, she can use a dark toner or semi-permanent color. I get highlights. Because my hair is mostly grey (naturally) I have to have my darker roots touched up every 4 weeks. That is single process. Because my hair is very short, I get highlights done every 12 weeks. Obviously, you cannot put the highlights exactly in the same place, so after 12 a few months of getting highlights, my hair is overall too light. So, every 3/4 months she overall darkens my hair. Highlights are bleached,and she covers them with single process color. My hair is fine. When your stylist colors your hair, have her put a "celophane" type product on your hair, it will seal the cuticle and make your hair shinier.

[Andora]

If you are looking to darken your hair, your stylist is wrong. She/he will have to be more careful, because when you bleach your hair, you open the cuticle up and it takes color faster. If she doesn't want to use a permanent color, she can use a dark toner or semi-permanent color. I get highlights. Because my hair is mostly grey (naturally) I have to have my darker roots touched up every 4 weeks. That is single process. Because my hair is very short, I get highlights done every 12 weeks. Obviously, you cannot put the highlights exactly in the same place, so after 12 a few months of getting highlights, my hair is overall too light. So, every 3/4 months she overall darkens my hair. Highlights are bleached,and she covers them with single process color. My hair is fine. When your stylist colors your hair, have her put a "celophane" type product on your hair, it will seal the cuticle and make your hair shinier.

Thank you for explaining this. My stylist is short on solid explanations. Such a lovely lady, gives a great haircut, but sometimes I'm not sure what she's doing.

I'm going to head to the cheaper place and see if I can get one single process done-- not lighter or darker per se, just one colour, probably a shade darker to match my roots. Then the sun can do what it wants this summer-- I won't worry about it.

In the end, can I just say what a bitch the weather is to my hair? If it's not the frizz on rainy/foggy days or how anything just SLIGHTLY warm makes my scalp sweat like a mofo, it's the damn sun changing my hair colour.

[vesperholly]

I love Feria. I've always had great color with it, though the deep conditioner isn't as good as the one that comes with Natural Instincts.

For home highlights, I always use disposable mascara wands, which you can buy a pack of at Sally's or swipe a few from Sephora. The applicators that come with home highlight kits are usually so unwieldy, and result in thick highlights. This way, you can use any color dye, just make it in a bowl then dip the wand into the dye. I use a fine-tooth comb that has a pick at the end to grab the hair I want to dye.

[Cyn]

I'm now using a wonderful skin cleanser that works just as well if not better than Lancome's Creme Radiance. It's L'Oreal's Skin Genesis, and has AHA in it. It works great on normal to oily skin, and if you use a good serum and moisturizer with it, the results are amazing wrt to working on fine lines. The best part is that a bottle of it (with a pump dispener) is about 7 bucks, compared to the $22.00 for the Lancome one.

Since money is tight right now, I'm trying to find alternatives to the really pricey stuff (though I'll never quit using Lancome's Genifique). Once I try some new serums, I'll post the results.

[Evilynn]

Thank you for explaining this. My stylist is short on solid explanations. Such a lovely lady, gives a great haircut, but sometimes I'm not sure what she's doing.

I'm going to head to the cheaper place and see if I can get one single process done-- not lighter or darker per se, just one colour, probably a shade darker to match my roots. Then the sun can do what it wants this summer-- I won't worry about it.

If your ends are bleached it might be hard to get permanent dye to stick to it, but a semi perm usually *loves* hair like that.

[cruisin]

I'm going to head to the cheaper place and see if I can get one single process done-- not lighter or darker per se, just one colour, probably a shade darker to match my roots. Then the sun can do what it wants this summer-- I won't worry about it.

I hate to suggest this, but you might want to go to a little more expensive place for corrective color. I know it can be pricey, but if this is to correct and is only a one time treatment, it may be worth it. A master colorist would know exactly what product to use and how to apply it. Many times, in smaller or less expensive salons, stylists color hair. Often stylists are not necessarily trained colorists. If you spring for a good colorist to fix this, it might wind up costing less in the long run with multiple fixes.

Try to find a salon that has a colorist. A master colorist if possible. A good one can do anything .

[Andora]

I hate to suggest this, but you might want to go to a little more expensive place for corrective color. I know it can be pricey, but if this is to correct and is only a one time treatment, it may be worth it. A master colorist would know exactly what product to use and how to apply it. Many times, in smaller or less expensive salons, stylists color hair. Often stylists are not necessarily trained colorists. If you spring for a good colorist to fix this, it might wind up costing less in the long run with multiple fixes.

Try to find a salon that has a colorist. A master colorist if possible. A good one can do anything .

I wouldn't go to this affordable place if I'd never had my colour done there before. They gave me some amazing highlights awhile ago, and the same girl is still there, I believe. I'd choose there only because my salon, which is more pricey, seems to be unwilling to work with me. So I'll go where I know I can get help.

[cruisin]

I wouldn't go to this affordable place if I'd never had my colour done there before. They gave me some amazing highlights awhile ago, and the same girl is still there, I believe. I'd choose there only because my salon, which is more pricey, seems to be unwilling to work with me. So I'll go where I know I can get help.

Sometimes they get pissy when you color your own hair, like how dare you!

Listen, good luck. I hope they can correct it easily. Let us know how it turns out.

[Cyn]

My hair colour, I swear, changes on me. Over a year ago, I dyed it very close to my natural colour, which is a dark blonde/very light brown. Of course, summer lightened it, and I wound up with a nice blonde only with dark roots. Fine, but the roots got longer. So I tried again to get a colour close to my natural roots, only maybe on the lighter side, and I wind up three-tone hair, I swear. It's not horrific, and I doubt anyone notices most of the time. But I notice. I miss my one-colour hair.

Suggestions? Is my stylist right? Am I doomed to three-tone hair? Or is there anything else I can do?

Cruisin's advice about going to a Master Colorist is IMO the best way to go if you're looking to do an all-over single process color change. I'm going through a similar thing with my own hair right now - when I was brightening up my red hair, I usually had additional foils done to add golden highlights for added dimension. Now I'm going with a single color without any highlights as they about damn near break the bank.

There's absolutely no reason why your stylist shouldn't be willing to do a single process to match your roots. Are you going to have any of the ends trimmed or cut to remove the lighter/more chemically treated hair?

I love Feria. I've always had great color with it, though the deep conditioner isn't as good as the one that comes with Natural Instincts.

I absolutely love the Feria conditioner that comes with the OTC kits, and ended up buying a large tube of it at Sally's for regular use. It does a great job keeping my hair (which has had a lot of chemical abuse heaped on it over time ) soft and silky. I do, however, have to be careful when applying it in the shower because it will make my hair close to the scalp look and feel greasy fairly quickly. Next time I'm at Sally's though, I'll see if they have a packet of the Natural Instincts conditioner since you recommend it .

For home highlights, I always use disposable mascara wands, which you can buy a pack of at Sally's or swipe a few from Sephora. The applicators that come with home highlight kits are usually so unwieldy, and result in thick highlights. This way, you can use any color dye, just make it in a bowl then dip the wand into the dye. I use a fine-tooth comb that has a pick at the end to grab the hair I want to dye.

ITA that the wands that come in home kits are . Another way to get hold of disposable mascara wands is to ask for a few of them from either Lancome or Lauder at a department store. They usually have countless boxes of them behind the counter or in the stock rooms, and they've always been happy to throw 5 or 6 of them in my bag when I purchase their makeup. I don't use them for highlighting, but they're awesome for coloring eyebrows (if they need it).

****

I finally decided not to risk coloring my hair a darker brown myself and have an appointment this weekend to have a colorist do it instead. Right now I'm trying to find pictures of light-eyed, dark-haired models or celebrities to give her an idea of what I'm wanting. So far, the only pics I've found with the look I'm striving for are of Carol Alt (too bad I don't look anything like her, though ).

I'm now on the hunt for more pictures or ideas I can print off besides the ones I mentioned above, and I'm bloody sick and tired of seeing photo after photo of Angelina Jolie . If anyone has some suggestions of models or celebs for additional photos, it would be a huge help. Because of my skin tone, which is warm, I'm having a hard time finding a color that would work. The majority of darker brunettes in magazines seem to have more olive-toned skin and/or brown eyes (such as Eva Longoria), and those hair colors on my would be . Evangeline Lilly's hair/eye color is a distinct possibility, but unfortunately I can't grow my hair past my shoulders anymore as it's way too thin now .

[cruisin]

Cyn, you could try Googling hair cuts. You'll get celebrity and hair model photos. They usually have a really good range of hair colors on women with different coloring and cuts. You might try these sites:

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...26tbs%3Disch:1

http://www.prohaircut.com/

[Cyn]

Cyn, you could try Googling hair cuts. You'll get celebrity and hair model photos. They usually have a really good range of hair colors on women with different coloring and cuts. You might try these sites:

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...26tbs%3Disch:1

http://www.prohaircut.com/

Thanks!!

[Veronika]

Dang, now I want to color my hair again. And I just dyed it a couple of weeks ago.

I'm getting a haircut on Monday, so I guess I'll have some fun then. I have a new stylist and I really like what she did with my hair last time.

[Veronika]

In a moment of weakness, I got the new L'Oreal Telescopic Explosion mascara yesterday. Linkage: http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/prod...oryId=cat80040

It has some really bad reviews of Makeup Alley, but I find that mascara is definitely a personal thing, and application can vary depending on the person and how your lashes are (thick or thin, long or short, etc.)

Well, I tried it this morning and I liked it! We'll see if that holds up over time.