Hi all!

Since I stumbled onto this site a couple of days ago, I can't believe the wealth of information you all have provided either through advice or great links. I also can't believe how obsessed I am with my hair these last few days :)

Here's the thing:
I've been "blonding" my hair for years now, with the occasional salon visit, but nearly entirely in my own bathroom. I'd really, really love to stop. My roots have been growing in sort of a light brown, though I never let 'em get far enough to really be able to tell. When I color, I color only my roots unless I'm going for a different shade of blonde and that's rare. But the darker parts just sort of go reddish blonde. I didn't realize quite how red or multicolored my hair has been getting until I just tried a hairstyle with half my hair up and half down, and there were distinct lines of blonde and reddish blonde underneath. What a mess! Several years ago I had a salon dye it a light brown, but it faded back to blonde within a week.

Any advice on the best way to graaaaadually get back to the darker color without counteracting all of the wonderful things I'm doing for my hair now? At least dark enough that the roots won't contrast so dramatically when I let them grow out. Naturally, cutting it off and starting all over is NOT an option :P I prefer to use natural products.

.
Though I know as much about coloring hair as
I do automechanics, I'm afraid I can't help you,
but I wanted to bump this message back up for you
because we have several ladies on the boards who
do a beautiful job on their hair, and I know that one
of them might be able to assist you.

Goldenhair, Martine, Betty and many others
might be able to suggest something for your hair color needs.

:D Hang on, help is on it's way.

to blend in my roots with my ends and so far it is working pretty good. I have been highlighting for years and it was just getting too white so I am kind of reversing it. Right now I am using Robert Craigs Golden Beige Blonde, it has no amonia or peroxide. You can also mix the color .. or delute it to get the right mix. I am getting too much gold tones now and going to mix the light chestnut with the light ash blonde next time to cool it down. You can e-mail them too for advice.

If you want to check it out you can go to:

http://www.merchantamerica.com/robertcraig/

I just wanted to add.. any color will fade.. some are better than others. I have been having to do mine about every 4-6 weeks. Once the pigment is gone from your hair it just won't hold. One good thing about this color it doesn't damage my hair at all.. you just mix it with water and I am finding it holds pretty good after the second coloring.

Take care

You're so sweet Accolady, thank you!

And thank you Skeeter for the advice about RC coloring. At least I won't feel as bad about using harsh color while I experiment. I think what I'll end up doing is just keep trying out the darker blondes until I find a dark enough color to keep while the rest grows out. The last time I tried coloring it a nice dark blonde myself, the parts that covered the lightest part of my hair went downright ashy! Ah well, I'll just wear it up...alot! :D

When I stopped using permanent color, I switched to semi-permanent color (L'oreal Castings Semi-Perm). I had great luck with using it to blend my lighter hair into my natural hair, and I still use the Castings to highlight sections of my hair using a biolage method [/color[color=violet]](Didja see that Martine??? I used the Biolage term :D ). Some people have not had good luck with the Castings though, so I recommend it with much caution. I don't know much about color beyond what I have done on my own head, but we are lucky to have a few people here with impressive knowledge about coloring!!

regarding getting your hair gradually back to your original color...You may want to consider low lighting....instead of highlights which usually mean bleaching or lightning your hair in different sections...use low lights or a DARKER(your 'real' ) color on certain sections...usually best done professionally! This will give you a "natural" look, and at the same time you can start with grdual sections and work up to more..thus giving you time to adjust to your darker color. I find all colors fade, but if you go darker in lowlights, you won't notice the fading as much as your natural color will be growing in and you will use less and less low lights....soon you'll be all natural... an idea to consider also may be a temporary rinse that you use after every shampoo, like Fanciful by Roux. :D

Thanks everyone for all the encouragement and advice! Perhaps I will seek professional help...for my hair, too! :P

regarding getting your hair gradually back to your original color...You may want to consider low lighting....instead of highlights which usually mean bleaching or lightning your hair in different sections...

This is an excellent recommendation! I have had lowlights put in the same color as my natural color and it makes growing out your natural color painless.

Another way to go is to have your hair professionally foiled - just a small amount, with a highlighted color. I have mine foiled and about 20% of my overall hair is highlighted. That helps you head in the direction of 'all natural' if you want, while still adding some color to brighten things up along the way.

Isn't coloring a hard thing to figure out??! It seems like each individual has to experiment and learn how coloring affects their hair and what their real preference ends up being. Good luck! :)