Q & A

My hair is starting to turn gray all over but especially above my ears which makes it look like I am thinning and balding. I would like to let it grow out to the salt and pepper look naturally but is there something I could do in the meantime to even the look out?

I would have a demi permanent color done. It will not cover the gray 100% but it will blend it in and when you are ready to stop coloring it you can just let the color fade out.

My hair is stripped and all colors wash out to this ugly shade of blonde. I had my hair frosted and they used brown and blonde together to try and match my natural color. I wanted my hair my natural color with blonde highlights. It hasn't been 2 weeks and the color washed out. I called the hair salon and they said they never heard of such a thing. I asked for my hair to be filled in first. Is using a filler different than dying hair? They said they won't do it again. I really liked my hair for the week I enjoyed it. Help. Thanks

I assume that your natural shade is brown. If your hair is stripped of all it's natural color (bleached to pail blond) it absolutely needs to be filled. The red/gold has to be replaced before the brown is applied. It will most likely still fade but not as quickly or as badly. I wouldn't put permanent color on your hair at this point though. You don't want to cause any more damage. You can have your stylist foil some of your hair with some conditioner to keep it out of the way. Then use a red/gold semi or demi permanent color on the rest. After that is done they can put a blond demi/semi permanent color in the foils (make sure it has some gold in it) and a brown semi/demi permanent color on the rest.
This should help get you close to what you are looking for. Your not going to be able to get it perfect until the bleached hair grows out. I would have them only do a few foils around your face because you will most likely have to repeat the process every month or so because it will still fade. I hope this helps a bit.

I have medium to dark blonde hair and usually have it foiled lighter. My husband and I are thinking about starting a family and I don't want to die it while I am pregnant (as one is not really sure of all of the chemicals that go into the die/bleach). Anyway I was wondering if there are any natural products I could use to give myself a FEW highlights - eg. lemon juice....., just to get me through the pregnancy.

Yes, you could use lemon juice but keep in mind that when you get your hair foiled the color does not touch your scalp. It is enclosed in the foil packets and therefor not a threat. When I was pregnant with my son I was worried about whether I should continue to do color for my clients while pregnant. I read, I think it was in What To Expect When Your Expecting that there was a study done, and they did not find any higher instances of birth defects in babies of hairdressers than in other babies. So that would suggest that the fumes are not causing problems. Most of the stylists I know work right through their pregnancies. When color is placed right on your scalp it can bleed into your system, but in the foil it is only on your hair, which is not living. So what you put just on your hair will not get into your blood stream etc.
I do recommend that you talk it over with your OB though. Some OB's will tell you to wait until you are through your first trimester. Some are more conservative and will still say you should not highlight your hair even if it is not touching your scalp. I tell my clients to go by what their doctor says. Just explain the exact procedure and see what your OB says.

I have naturally black hair and I just recently got red highlights from a professional. I'm getting tired of dark hair and I am thinking about dying it the color of Beyonce Knowles from Destiny's Child, the color she is wearing in L'Oreal's Feria ad. Will that look too fake???

Well that really depends on your skin tone. If you are dark, yes, it will look fake. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. Your hair doesn't have to look natural to look good. I'll bet you a 100 bucks though that she absolutely does not do her hair her self with a home product. Going from black hair to very light is very tricky and can go very bad if the person doing it doesn't know what they are doing. Also keep in mind, you will have to touch up your roots about every 3 to 4 weeks to keep it looking good.

Okay... Well my hair is Dark DARK brown. I want Highlights, I was wondering... well see my eyes are brown/green and what color highlights would make my green come out?

It's hard to say definitively without seeing you but I tend to like auburn reds. I complements green eyes. Maybe it will help emphasize the green in yours.

I have dirty blond hair, and I want it to be a little bit lighter, there's this new product by garnia(I think that's what it's called, Katie Holmes is the spokes model for it) and it says that it lightens your hair, but I have a lot of natural highlights that I don't want to cover up by dying or highlighting it, I was wondering if this product worked with my natural highlights, that if it brightens but isn't like a die, and I was also wondering if it will leave me with noticeable roots. Also, this is an at home product, so I was wondering how u covered up the roots, do u just do all your hair again or what? thanks

I'm sorry, I have never heard of this product. If you get me more details I'll look into it for you.

I have medium brown hair and I was wondering how to get it darker... naturally. Is there anything you can do besides dying it? Please help me!!! Thanks.

No, there really isn't. Your best bet would be to get a semi or demi permanent color like Shades EQ by Redken or Colorance by Goldwell. These will not damage your hair and will eventually fade out if you do not repeat the process. Ask your stylist for details.

Hi, I was just wondering, I have very curly hair and spend tons of money plus hours on straightening my hair, I use tons of different products and then either the blow dryer or a steam straightener and I am sick of doing this every day or every second day! I have herd about permanently straightening hair and relaxing it and I am looking for a permanent solution to this hassle is what I have heard true and if so is this really damaging? Also I would like to know how this whole process works, if possible. Thank you so much for your time and I hope you can give me some advice!

You can get your hair permanently (until it grows out) straitened but yes, it is damaging. Plus don't expect it to be perfectly straight. You will still have to blow dry it to get the smooth look. It will also take most of the shine out of your hair. For some people it's worth it. Just keep in mind, it will not be like you have naturally straight hair. After the relaxer it will be more wavy than curly. You will have to take the money you are spending now on styling products and put it into deep conditioners. Also, Do not do it at home. You could break it right off if you don't know what your doing. Most salons have gentler ralaxers more suited to Caucasian hair.

I have light brown hair with some faint natural blonde highlights but I would like them to come out more, is there a natural hair product that I can use to help them come out? Please help, I want this to be for the summer!

Just being in the sun should bring out your highlights. Some people use lemon juice to speed it up but that can be very drying in your hair. You could go to a salon and just have them do a partial highlight to match what you already have.

How can I lighten my hair with things I have around the house?

In a word... You can't. Not safely anyway. Some people use lemon juice in the sun but that is very drying. I'll say here, as I've said before. It's best to go to a professional and have them color your hair. The products we have available to us have buffers and conditioners and are much better than what you can get. Plus we can evaluate the condition of your hair and what would look good.

I have very thick shoulder length hair. It is naturally curly, and its wavy when I brush it. I don't look good with my hair all up, but half up is ok. I usually just wear my hair half up with the half down being curly wavy or sometimes I straighten it. Do you have any ideas of what I could do with my hair?

Is your hair all one length? You would probably do better to have some graduation at the ends to soften up the shape. Because I can't see you or your hair I can't really say what would look good. The best thing to do is to go into a stylist and have them help you figure out a better cut and style for you.

My hair came out in the back what can I use to make it grow?

Well, that depends a lot on why it came out. Have you seen a doctor about it? If it came out because of a medication or treatment then you will have to wait until your body gets back to normal. If it broke off because of over processing, you have to just wait until it grown and in the mean time use high quality professional hair products to make sure the re-growth is in the best condition possible. As far as making it grow faster. All you can do is eat healthy and take your vitamins. I believe exercise can also help because it raises your metabolism. If your metabolism is higher your hair will grow (a bit) faster. Unfortunately it's still just a waiting game.

I have naturally blonde hair that seems to be getting darker and darker as I get older. I'm 15 now and I really want my hair to be blonder then it is now. I'm not sure what I should use though to make it a little blonder. I've heard of sun-in but I don't want it to make my hair orange. Or I was thinking of either dying my hair myself or having it professionally done, I'm just scared of having to keep up with the roots. I don't want something too blonde though, just a little lighter then my color now. What do you think would be the best method to use?

First off, stay away from Sun-in. It will destroy your hair. Even if you end up liking the color it turns out, your hair will be very damaged. I would suggest getting it highlighted. You don't have to do your whole head. You can get a partial highlight and just have them do the front/top and maybe a few foils at your nape for if you wear your hair up. Ask the stylist to use color, not bleach, and to just take it up a couple of shades. Tell them you want it to look like the sun did it and you don't want it too heavy. If it's subtle enough you may feel that you would like it freshened up in about 4 to 6 months.

Hi I have fair cool skin dark, brown eyes and am using Clairol medium neutral blonde. Its a little red to warm. What other color could I use? My natural shade was dark brown now I am 70% gray, thank you.

Let me first say that you will most likely not get the results you really want until you go and have it professionally done. Still I'll give you a few coloring fundamentals that may help you. The darker the natural hair the more underlying red tones in it. That's why people with dark hair who try and put Sun-In or light blond colors end up with orange hair. You can only go so far using color. We, as professionals, have different volumes of developer which make the formula different strengths and many different shades and tones that we mix to achieve the right color for each individual client. I'm sure that the boxed color you are using has 20 volume developer in it. That will never take dark hair down to blond. On the other hand, higher volumes don't cover gray well. You probably notice that your gray hair isn't a bad color but your dark hair is pretty red. You might try getting two colors, the one you are using and an ash and mix them about half and half. You may be trying to go a touch too light. If you were sitting in my chair I would look at your hair and figure out the best color achievable for you. You can't really do that your self. Color is very complicated. It takes years of experience and continued education for most hairstylist to feel confident working with it. If you insist an doing your hair at home try the above suggestion. But you would be much better off shopping for a good colorist.

I have medium brown hair, with blonde highlights. I want to lighten my hair, if I use lemons will my highlights turn orange or green or anyother color?

Depending on how dark your hair is it could get pretty gold. If your hair is on the lighter side it will work better. It should not turn green though. Please make sure you use a good conditioner before and after as the lemon juice will be very drying on your hair. And whatever you do, don't touch Sun-In.

I have brown hair. I have been searching the internet all over to see how to bleach my hair using home products. What could I use to bleach it?

I have to recommend not doing your hair at home. There are so many variations on what can happen with the color depending on the natural color of your hair and the condition. Only a professional will be able to take all these things into consideration to get you the color you want.

I need to purchase Paul Sabastian products

I think you may have the name mixed up. I know of Paul Mitchell and Sabastian. Both are professional lines that you can get at most salons but they are different companies. If you tell me the product name you are looking for I can probably tell you which line you are looking for.

I have naturally black hair (level 2 I've been told) I have never liked black hair on myself so for probably 20+ years I've been coloring it lighter using drug store products. I used to use light brown to get it just a few shades lighter and than a year ago I used the absolute blondes which are made to lighten black hair. I have red tones that they told me would always happen when I lighten my hair so needless to say, I went to a salon and had it professionally highlighted.What a disappointment. I got it done with the foil method but I think they used bleach. My head looks like a zebra not to mention that I ended up having ends that were almost white and stringy and damaged. They did put a toner on it at my request but that would've faded anyway so I went to a another salon that same day and they warmed up my hair. It was much better. My hair is now an light orangy auburn with some light yellow and auburn highlights. Now I've decided that I've had enough of this whole process of having to color every 2 weeks. I had done a darker color 6 months ago and my hair looked really nice but most of all healthy and shiny again(which I guess happens when you darken)It was pretty dark but not black. But it washed out after 1 month. It wasn't suppose to washout. Although I heard that when you go from lighter to darker you should expect it to loose some color. Anyway, what do you suggest I do to darken it so that I don't have to color my hair anymore. I'm afraid to make a such a drastic change but I want my hair healthy again. Plus, now they have so many gentle products to enhance dark hair and I could always add highlight to the frame of my face so it wont be so drastic. I know they do lighter highlights on dark hair that don't look bad when they are growing out. Kind of like Jennifer Lopez in the past. Please help.
P.S. Sorry Mary I forgot to also ask about what product do you recommend for me to use to repair my damaged hair. I will be going to the salon to get a conditioning treatment. but what can I do at home. I went somewhere recently where they were going to use a product by Sebastian but told me that afterwards they could not use heat on my hair in anyway. Have you heard of this. Thank so much for your help and I'll be sure to visit your salon when I am in Virginia.

You know, it drives me crazy when I see people using bleach to highlight dark hair. I'm sorry your going through all this trouble. Anyway, sorry to say that any dark color you put on your hair now will fade. So you will have to keep doing it until it's grown out. Ideally what should have been done to darken your hair back was to use something like Redken's Shades EQ (a demi permanent color) and first use a red (as a filler) then use a dark brown after that. You should not have to use the filler the next time though. You will have to keep getting the demi permanent color treatments as it fades out. They do not damage the hair though and add lots of shine. I used to have my hair highlighted pretty light. My hair is also half way down my back. When I wanted to go back to my natural color I did a demi permanent color about once a month. If you want a few highlights around your face, have them put them in foil or plastic to keep the other color off of them while you are getting colored.
I have not heard of not being able to use heat on hair when using a conditioner. Unless they are afraid it will open the cuticle and let the color out. Heat opens the cuticle and lets the conditioner go a lot deeper. For home I would get a protein conditioner for once a week and a moisturizer for every day. Make sure to use one that is designed for color treated hair. I'm sure your stylist can help you choose one that will work well with your hair. It's hard for me to recommend when I can't see your hair.

My level 5 medium brown hair has been heavily highlighted blonde for the past year and a half. About 3 weeks ago, I decided to go back to my natural color with chunky lowlights. At first, it was about my natural, but now it has lightened up to a light brown with 50% highlights showing through. I have been getting this done professionally, both the highlights and lowlights. When it was blonde, they foiled me and toned me with Shades EQ. Now I really regret going back dark and I want it highlighted again. My hair is in a layered bob that is about collar length. If I had to have it cut, the shortest I would want it would be the same style but nape length. I deep condition my hair once a week with a moisturizer, and about twice a month with pure protein. My question is, can I successfully go back to blonde gradually in about a month with the proper conditioning treatments? The texture of my hair is fine but a lot of it.

Did they darken your hair using permanent color or Shades? If they used Shades it will be a lot easier. If it was done with permanent color it will be a bit harder to cut through. I would suggest though that maybe you should get your highlights not so heavy this time around. You probably felt like you wanted to go back to natural because it was getting too light. What I would do is foil you again but not as heavy and maybe not quite as light. (I usually use color instead of bleach so I don't even need a toner) After the foils have been applied they can put a darker color of Shades on the rest of your hair. This will keep the rest of your hair closer to your natural color so your highlights will look like highlights instead of all one color. I would also suggest cutting it as far as your comfortable with to minimize the damage.

I like Sarah Michelle's (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) hair color. What shade of blonde is that and if I want some highlight on top of that color, what color (highlight) would look nice w/ that shade?.....

Sarah Michelle Geller's hair is naturally a medium to dark brown. (I remember her from when she was Kendel on General Hospital) To get her hair to the color it is it would have had to be done in two steps. First they lightened all of her hair, probably to a light brown or dark blond. Then they highlighted over it using a couple of shades. This is a very high maintenance look if you have dark hair. If your hair is already pretty light you can skip the initial lightning. I would say that she is probably in the salon about every four weeks to touch up her roots (with the light brown or dark blond color) And maybe every other of those visits she will be getting foiled again) You don't want to do this look unless you can afford to keep it up. And you should make sure your going to a very good colorist. With very heavy highlights like this it would be easy to get it over done so you end up looking like you just have one color after a while.

I have heavy highlights and every beautician makes it to light, or to reddish. does it have to be that way? is one shade of blonde so hard to keep? I bought lightest beige blonde to put on my med brown roots. I can't do any worse than they have. at least it didn't cost 100.00....I want blonde like Diane sawyer. is that so hard to do on med brown hair?

Chances are pretty good that you will end up with orange roots, plus every single hair will be colored so you will look very rooty very quickly. If you are not happy with your color than you probably need to change colorists. You can get a demi permanent color done like Shades EQ by Redken. That can bring the color up to a shade your happy with and then tell them to not highlight your roods as light as they were before.

Help! I have very fine blonde hair, it is passed my shoulders to the middle of my back and very flat. It will not hold a curl for more than 30 minutes. It is also frizzy and I do not perm it or color it. What are some styles that will help, and some products that I can buy over the counter to help. Thank You.

First understand that with your hair at that length you will never get a lot of body in it. For instance, my hair is very thick and has some curl to it. I keep it long just to get some of the body out of it. If you are hooked on your length and are willing to accept it flat then maybe you could get some long layers which, if done right, will give it a little more movement. Also, stop buying your shampoo and conditioners at the drug store. Go to a salon and get good quality products. Most people are under the misconception that these products are so much more expensive. Well, ounce for ounce they are but the professional products are much more concentrated. You don't have to use nearly as much. If you use a handful of your drug store shampoo you'll need about the size of a quarter of a professional shampoo. If it's not sudsing up enough, splash more water on your head, don't add more shampoo. Nexxus has come out with a line of organic products called Phyto Organics. They have a great volumizing shampoo called Synthesis (I'm not sure of the spelling) The also have a conditioner that adds a lot of shine called Babassu Mud. Phyto Organics is not sold in all salons so I would call around first. I hope this helps a bit.

I have black hair with already red highlights, how do I naturally lighten it? Could I use lemon juice or would that not work on dark hair? I also heard that maybe beer would work?? Please help!

Lemon juice and beer will lighten your hair a bit, but only in combination with the sun. In other words, if your out sunbathing all day and put lemon juice in your hair, your hair will get a bit lighter. You don't really have any control over the color though and just because lemon juice is natural doesn't mean it won't damage your hair. You also run the risk of having roots as the hair grows out. You could get a partial foil highlight (just have them do the top around your part) using a color that's just a shade or two lighter than your natural color. The professional colors have buffers and conditioners in them to keep your hair in good condition. This way you have much more control over what you end up with, plus with foil, not every hair is colored so you won't look as rooty as it's growing out.

I have an oval face with medium brown hair and eyebrows.I been trying to look for a good hair cut.But the only problem is I want to grow my hair out.Do you have any ideas for a cute hair cut but you cant tell the difference in the length?

The first thing you have to ask yourself is, what do you want to grow your hair into. Figure out what your ultimate goal is. At that time go to your stylist and discuss what you are trying to achieve. She/He should then be able to cut your hair, keeping your end goal in mind. That way you will have different styles while your growing into the one you want.

I have short dark brown (almost black) hair that I want to get highlighted. I want the highlights to end up being a golden color without red or auburn. I know my undertones are red, so what would you suggest? I have had it highlighted before and turned out fine. However, I want it to be noticeable enough but not too drastic.

First off, don't plan on going too light. I always say, if you can't get as light as you want by using color, you probably want it too light. Still, they should use a color that is much lighter than the color you are looking for. It should have a violet or ash tone to cut the red, and they should probably use 40 volume developer. I can't say for sure because I can't see your hair so go with your stylists suggestions. (Do tell them that you don't want bleach though. Bleach will get it too light and you don't have the control over the tone. It will also take out the shine)

My natural hair color is light brown but I have 50% gray. I have been foiling my bra strap length hair and really liked the color results but my hair became very dry and frizzy. Another problem is the foiling wouldn't always color all the gray. So I decided to color my whole head my natural color (first time all over color) which I had done by a professional. And then start foiling again. Well the color came out way very dark and reddish (which I don't like) around my crown and a nice medium brown on the ends. I just had this done yesterday. My hair seems way too dark now to foil blonde like I was doing and I definitely do not want red!!!!!!!!!!!!One good thing is my hair is in way better condition now and also I love the fact that I don't have any gray any more. What can I do?

They can even out the color using a demi permanent color like Redken Shades EQ. Highlights don't always need to be blond. Have them take it down to a light brown. You don't have to go red. I would suggest keeping the color at least a little warm though. Maybe kind of honey colored would be nice.

My hair is too plan, I want something new, what can I do? My hair is about to an inch above my shoulders. I am willing to get it shorter.

At your hair's length you have some room to play. The best thing to do is to start looking through magazines. If a hairstyle hits you at all, rip it out. When you are ready to make an appointment to get your hair cut you should tell them that you are looking for a whole new look so they may want to give the stylist a little more time. Make sure she/he sees your hair before it's washed. Go through the pictures with your stylist and he/she should be able to tell you what would work etc. The goal is not to copy an exact style but to give your stylist a good idea of what you have in mind. A good stylist can take the pictures and figure out what parts would work for you, then give you a style that's all yours.

I have dark brown hair. In the summer, when the sun is out, I have red highlights. What would you consider the best color to highlight my hair? I was thinking of lightening it to a medium or light brown, or deepening the red to a dark red! What should I do??

I think a combination of what you are thinking would be good. Have them take the level down a few shades but have them add some red also so the highlights are kind of auburn. I like to pay attention to what hair does in the sun. If your hair gets natural red highlights in the sun then it's probably a good idea to mimic what it wants to do, just more so.

My hair is passed my shoulders, I don't have any bangs and I leave my hair down all the time. Will you help me find a good hairstyle for my graduation?

Are you wanting to wear your hair down or put it up? If you want it down I would suggest having some long layers put in with a bit of softness around your face. That usually works well for long hair. It gives it a little more interest. It's hard for me to say for sure having not seen your hair. Are you in the general D.C. area (Maryland, D.C., Northern VA.)? If so you can come in and we can work up a great style for you. If you are thinking of wearing your hair up, I can do that for you also. Here's the number for Christie-Adam salon in Reston (703) 481-9006. Just ask to make an appointment with Mary and they'll find a time for you.
Take care.

My beautician recently frosted my hair, but did not leave the bleach on long enough. As a result, my hair is yellow. It is a heavy frost, and all I see is yellow hair. What can I do to take the yellow out??
Thanks

Call your stylist and ask if they can put a toner on your hair. They can put a color with ash or violet and it should cool it down so it won't look so yellow. If it's not light enough they may have to re-highlight your hair and then tone it afterwards. Or they can re-highlight it using a high lifting color and that might bring it to the level and tone you want.

I recently highlighted my hair and have been left with it being very brassy or orange colored. What did I do wrong and can it be corrected?

Did you highlight your hair your self or have it done? If you had it done, they should fix it. If you used a home highlighting kit, you basically had bleach to put on your hair. When using bleach you have to take it off at just the right time. If you do it to early it will be orange, leave it too long and you could end up with spaghetti hair (not a pretty sight). I recommend you go to a professional and ask them to correct your color for you. If you try to do it your self, you could end up making it worse and/or very damaged.

I have dark brown hair just below the shoulders, and I am thinking about putting some highlights in my hair, but I don't know what color would look right. I really don't want red or auburn. Plzzz help!!!

It's hard for me to really say what would look good without seeing your hair. You can tell your stylist to bring it down a few shades to a cool light brown. They will have to use an ash or violet tone to cut the red that will naturally want to come through. You will probably still have some warmth in the color depending on how light you go. A little warmth will probably look good though. You don't want the final color to look ashy.

I have been trying different colors on my hair for quite a bit of time now, and I just finally figured out how to get the black out of my hair with a product that takes the color out of your hair(not bleach, and I didn't try blonde) It was just a color stripper. But now I colored my hair a medium brown, but it turned out to be dark brown/black on the ends, and reddish light brown on the roots. I dont know what to do because the roots and the ends are so different. I have put aside going to a colorist because of the expensive cost....do you suggest going to a colorist due to how much I have messed up my hair? Thanks for your help!

Corrective color is very tricky business. And color striper, though not technically bleach, acts a lot like it. It would have been best if you had gone to a professional. Your ends are almost black because they are so damaged from all the past processes. A colorist would have used a color remover to take your old color out, then applied a filler to even your hair out before putting on the final color. Your right, it is more expensive to go to a professional colorist. It is even more expensive to have someone fix a color that's gone bad. I've seen color corrections take the better part of a day. That is the only way to get your color back to normal short of cutting it all off. You will probably need to cut a bit also though. Good luck, I hope you can get it fixed up.

I'm black and I have really thick hair that I can't do anything with. I put it up the same way everyday. What should I do so I can wear it down some times without it going all frizzy?

Is your hair more curly or kinky? If it's curly you can use a product like Sabastian's Molding Mud to define the curl and give it shine. It is a tricky product though. Make sure to talk to a stylist when you buy it and ask the proper way to use it.
If your hair is more kinky I would suggest maybe getting a mild relaxer and then have your stylist teach you how to blow dry it straight.

Hi..I have long dark brown, almost black hair with long layers..I'm looking for a subtle change..like maybe highlights..My hair sort of has red undertones so I was wondering if I should go for red hightlights??? Any suggestions as to what might look better??

Yes, I think red toned highlights would be nice. Make sure you don't go to light though. I think a maximum of three shades would be really pretty.

I would like to know what color you think Elizabeth Hurley's hair is? She has highlights in it that look kinda blonde?I have med-drk. brown hair naturally.I was very blonde not so long ago,bought a home product that would make my hair a med. brown...needless to say I was not aware there was a "fill" needed, got an unusual color to say the least.I am wanting to stay closer to my natural shade,I no longer live in Fl. so staying blonde would require alot more $$ then I have,["sun-in" was cheap]it is taking me some time to get use to this dark color I have got now[which there are many different colors on my head]but,I am determined. I would really like highlights to take the edge off this dark. Got any suggestions??? Thanx!!!!

Elizabeth Hurley's hair color has changed very little over the years so I'll tell you what I see. She seems to like fairly sparse, honey blond highlights. The trick is that she doesn't have them done heavy, therefore instead of changing her entire hair color they just brighten up and add interest to her naturally dark hair.
You have a challenge in that you have a lot of old processes on your hair. I'm sure it has weakened your hair considerably and my experience with sun-in is that, if you're not real careful, you could melt your hair with a later process Years ago I had a client who lied about what she had done to her hair. Later after trying to salvage what I could of her hair she let it slip that she had used sun-in. Go to a professional and don't be in a rush to get the color you want. You have to really baby your hair or you could be very sorry. If your stylist says you should not color again for a while and just cut and deep condition, listen to her/him. There have been many times when I have had clients come to me who have had very damaged hair and they want either a perm or highlights and I know that if I put another chemical on their hair the hair will break. They are disappointed when I tell them they can't have what they want but they put themselves in my hands and after months of haircuts and using recommended hair care products at home, their hair improved and we were able to eventually achieve what they had wanted. Just remember, your hair will not look good, no mater what color it is, if it's breaking off.
Good luck.

I want my hair highlighted red and blonde and I can not find and pictures of it

You won't always be able to find a picture of exactly what you want. If you go to and experienced colorist/stylist who is up on the current trends you should do fine.

I had my long light brown hair professionally highlighted last week in the hopes of matching the highlights which remained on the ends of my hair from highlighting 2 years ago. Although there is now less of a color difference between the top and ends, the ends are still lighter than the newly highlighted hair and the look with the new highlights is more of an overall lightening in color of the hair rather than distinct highlights. Is there anything I can apply (perhaps a product from a beauty supply store) to boost the color and brightness of the new highlights so that individual highlights are lighter and stand out?
Thanks for any advice you can offer.

You should always expect that two year old highlights will be lighter than the new ones. In fact, if you look at a natural blond without highlights, her hair will also be lighter on the ends. The sun lightens the hair a lot. If you got your highlights to match exactly the color the old highlights are now, they would be too light before too long. If the colorist gave you too many highlights so that you don't see enough contrast, I would ask her/him to put in some lowlights the same color as your natural hair to break it up a bit so you have more contrast. If the hair is really not light enough at all then ask him/her to make them a little lighter for you. If it's almost light enough but not quite I would leave it alone. It will lighten up more as you shampoo it and it is exposed to the elements.
I do not suggest doing anything with the color yourself. You will only make it worse. Give your stylist a chance to make you happy. Color is a very trial and error process. It sometimes takes a time or two to find the perfect formula.
I hope this helps a bit.

I have Dark Brown, Curly hair, dark brown eyes and a light gold or tan complexion. I want to go Blonde, not Platinum but like a Dark Blonde or something that will match complexion so I won't look ridiculous. I am tired of my plain dark hair and eyes. Also, in the past I've dyed my hair Dark Cherry Red, an Orangey color, Chestnut Brown. Is there a way for me to go a Dark Blonde?

If you want to be light I would go for a honey type of color. Think Mariah Carey. You want to stay warm. Just a hint, if your hair is dark you can use an ash blond to get a honey blond. (don't try it yourself though. I know how professional products work. The only thing I know about over the counter color is that they are pretty inconsistent) The best thing would be to get foil highlights using a dark ash blond. Good luck.

Is there any product I can use to speed the graying process up? For about ten years I've had a large white patch at the top front of my head. Highlights done at a hairdressers school for the second time (because I cant afford full cost) are still not disguising it as the other side is a mid-brown.It is such a problem please help if you can. My hair is in good condition and of average thickness.

What are they using to highlight your hair? If they are using bleach and nothing else there's no way to match it. They need to do lowlights also. I wouldn't try to match it exactly, but try to balance it. If they do the lowlights with the same color or one shade darker than your natural color on the gray area, and highlight through the rest it should look a lot more balanced. I would stay away from the bleach altogether and use a high lifting color for the highlights. In the gray area I would alternate tightly between the light and the dark colors.

Hi I'm 13 and looking for some new hiarstyles to do, i just usually keep it down. I have little longer then shoulder legth hair that is layerd. If you have any ideas like updo that aren't fancy and are simple to do please let me know, thankyou.

There are a lot of magazines that have ideas and directions for up-dos to do on your hair. I would look through them to find fun styles you can do your self or with a little help.

Recently Alyssa Milano went blonde. My hair is brown like hers use to be. How do achieve blonde like hers.

This is done with foil highlighting. I can't tell for sure if they took her base color down a few shades or not but I don't think they did. More likely, they foil highlighted using several different shades. A light brown, a medium blond, and a light blond. You can not achieve this at home. You need a professional. So if you want this color, which I think is very nice, go to a good colorist and have them do it for you. Take a picture with you so you will both be on the same page as to what you are looking for.
Good Luck.

I have very light bleached blonde hair that is in good condition but I'd like to get some highlights in it that are almost white. How do I achieve this color?
Thank You

Please...Do not try this yourself !! If you do you will be very sorry. Bleached white hair, by definition, has had everything taken out of it. It is one step away from breaking off. If you were sitting in my chair I would probably tell you no (I've done it before) . If you've been lightening your own hair up until now it is most likely in such bad condition that it can't handle any more. If you have been getting it done, you have a chance, if you're stylist is a good colorist. You will need to devote a lot of time and energy to conditioning your hair. And I don't mean with Herbal Essences. I mean good, professional, protein conditioners. Ideally regular treatments at the salon under the drier.
I'm encouraging you not to go for the white highlights. If you must, please let a professional do it so you might be able to save your hair. By the way, I hope your hair is short. Hair with all these processes can't handle too much length.
All this said, I have not seen your hair so I can only comment on how I understand your description. To me, very light bleached blond hair is most likely over processed. A stylist should be able to tell you if your hair can handle it.

I'm in Cosmetology school right now, do you have any hints for me..... thanks

All I can really say is make sure you learn EVERYTHING you can. You never know when you may need it. Even if it's just in talking to your clients. They will respect you more and have confidence in you if they see you as knowledgeable. Also never let yourself get the attitude that "that's good enough". Strive for perfection. No one is perfect, but if that is your goal then it will show in your work and therefore make a big difference in your career.
Good Luck.

What's the best natural way to highlight your hair? I am a natural blonde and I would like to use chammomile or other natural items to highlight my hair, do you know the best way to do this? Thank you.

As I said in the post below, you can use lemons or limes in combination with the sun. This can be drying on your hair though, not to mention what the sun does to your skin. Just because something is natural does not mean that it is good for you. Today's professional hair colors have conditioners and buffers in them to make sure your hair stays in good condition while your hair is colored. If you have your hair highlighted with a foil technique using a high quality professional color (instead of bleach) your hair will look better and be in better condition than if you use lemon juice and stayed in the sun all day.

Is it possible to highlight your hair with limes? If so how do you do it?

Yes you can highlight your hair with limes or lemons in combination with the sun. The only part of your hair that will highlight is the part exposed to the sun. Keep in mind that just because it is natural doesn't mean it is good for your hair. It can be very drying. If you do decide to use lemons or limes mix about half juice and half water in a spray bottle and spry on your hair while in the sun.

I have an oval face, dark brown hair and eyebrows, and a long neck. I have natural highlights but only in the front part. I was wondering if a haircut like Meg Ryan's latest haircut will do? What do you think?

With an oval face you can probably get away with almost anything. You need to be careful with the neck though. The bottom length should hit about mid-neck, possibly a touch longer. You might consider a few highlights around your crown to match the natural ones you have in front. Also remember that you are going to have to "do" this hair to get the textured look. Make sure you get a good gel or "mud" type finishing product. Ask your stylist for recommendations.

I was considering getting highlights, but I would like to know how they are done and if in the long run, they will damage my hair. I have heard not to do the entire head and to have them done correctly, only have the crown of your head done.

There are a few different ways to do highlights. The best is with foil. Pieces of your hair are weaved out and placed in the foil with the color. The only hair that is being colored is the hair in the foil. This prevents getting a very "rooty" look too quickly. If your colorist stays within two or three shades of your natural color you should be able to go two or three months between touch-ups. If you will be in the sun a lot stay a bit darker because it will lighten up in the sun.
Make sure she/he is using color and not bleach. Bleach damages the hair much more and the colors don't come out as nice. I can usually spot bleach a mile away. With color the shades look more like a natural hair color. As far as how much of the hair to color, it depends on the look you want. If you just want a sun kissed look you can get a partial highlight, starting at your front hairline and going back to your crown. When doing this you have to be extra careful not to go too light. You want it to look like you spent a month in the Caribbean, not an hour in the salon. If your looking for more of a color change you will probably need to do the whole head. Tell your stylist to use a darker color at your nape. It also works well to use two or more colors and alternate them through the head. That gives more of a natural look to the hair. The one thing to keep in your mind is that the lighter you go, the more damaged your hair will become.

I have very curly dry hair I want to highlight it. It's reddish brown and I have a small tan and a round face and very very thick hair but I don't want chestnut highlights I want either dark blond or even more red. Which would be better?

With curly hair you want to be careful not to choose a tone that will clash with your natural color. The reason is that the highlights will look a bit more streaky because they will stay together in the curls instead of spreading out like in strait hair. So if your hair already has a red tone, I say go for the red. Don't go too much lighter than your natural color (no more than two shades) because the contrast will be exaggerated by the curl.

I am from Juliette, Ga and I am seriously thinking about highlighting my hair. I have dark brown hair with a red tint after being in the sun a small amount of time. I have highlighted my hair before and it turned orange instead of a honey blond like I was going for. I bought the kit from the drug store. I should have read your article before huh! I am a junior in college and want something different. I have pretty fair skin for a dark haired person. My eyebrows are almost completely black. I really want to lighted up my features. What do I do? Should I just not highlight at all? What if I don't like it? Could I neutralize my dark hair? Thanks! Confused about color

Yes, you can highlight your hair. But you should not try to go for blond. There are many different beautiful colors, blond is not the only one. With dark hair I like to see it go about two shades lighter, three at the very most. Go for a chestnut type tone. Tell your stylist that your hair highlights red in the sun on it's own. I sometimes will even use an ash color to tone down the red and it comes out a honey type shade. I can't see your hair so I can't say what to use. Just make sure you shop for a good colorist. The best way to do this, besides asking for recommendations is to call around, ask the receptionist who is great at color and either make an appointment for a consultation (if they only do color) or for a blow dry (that way you're in their chair for a half an hour and can pick their brain to your heart content) One sign is, do they seem to really love color? If they do, they are probably pretty good at it. If not, they probably are not.
Last but not least, tell your stylist that you absolutely do not want bleach on your hair. Bleach will take the shine out of it and most likely will go too light. Good luck.

What styles look best on women that have fine, thin, blonde hair? And also if you know any sites that have pictures of styles I can look at?

For fine hair I tend to like a bob type shape with long layers. The longest the hair should be is about the middle of your neck. Once you hit your shoulders you lose the body. The layers should be long, just enough to add movement. If the layers are cut too short then the ends get too thin and there goes the body again. One of the most important things you can do is to keep it healthy. Shampooing and conditioning with high quality products. Nexxus has come out with a new line of organic products called Phyto Organics. Every one of my fine hair clients who I send home with the Synthesis Volumizing Shampoo and the Babassu Mud Hair Treatment has come back raving about it.
As far as pictures of styles go, I don't know of a web site. Your best bet is to look though magazines. There are magazines devoted to hairstyles that you can get at any drug store. Just look for ideas though. Your stylist can personalize it to fit you.

What dye can I use on dark hair?

Well...that is a tough one sight unseen. I will have to stick with giving you some general rules of thumb. Let me first say that I discourage you from going the drug store route. For one thing the quality of the products are not the same as are available to a professional. Secondly, there are many variables involved in choosing the right color, like your natural color and texture to start with. Thirdly, most colorists would not just chose a color and put it on your hair. They would probably mix two or three colors to get just the right shade.
Now, on to the rules of thumb. One thing to remember is that the further your new shade is from your natural color, the sooner you have to touch it up. If your hair is not mostly gray I would stay away from all over color. Foil highlights are probably the way to go. Stay away from bleach though. On dark hair I usually like to go about two shades lighter than the natural color, usually using an auburn or chestnut tone. On lighter brown hair I tend to like honey tones. All of this depends also on your skin tone and fashion style.
So now your first order of business is to find the right stylist to do your hair. Not all stylist enjoy working with color so you'll want to go to someone who does. She/he will most likely be better at it. Ask for a consultation before making your appointment. That way you can see if you and the stylist are on the same wave length. If you are in the Washington D.C. area I would be happy to consult with you and do your hair. The phone number of the salon is on the contact page of this site. Happy coloring.

How can I make my hair grow faster?

Unfortunately, you can't. Putting pregnancy and illness aside, hair pretty much grows at a maximum rate of half an inch per month no matter what you do. A little faster in the summer due to a rise in matabolisim.
Although there is nothing that you can do to make your hair grow faster with current technology, there are a number of things that may actually slow the process such as; a poor hair care regimen, poor diet, illness, medication, male and female pattern hair loss, and emotional stress. Some of these things don't actually affect the growth rate per se, but they affect the hairs health and unhealthy hair will probably not grow to its full potential. Besides regular shampooing and conditioning with good quality products, the only other thing that you can really do is take a daily multi vitamin. Zinc and Biotin in particular seem to be good for hair.
I frequently hear of people taking pre-natal pills to make their hair grow faster, even men. The reason that an expecting mother's hair may grow slower or faster has to do with hormonal activity and not the pills. So please, stop doing that.


My hair is starting to turn gray all over but especially above my ears which makes it look like I am thinning and balding. I would like to let it grow out to the salt and pepper look naturally but is there something I could do in the meantime to even the look out? I would have a demi permanent color done. It will not cover the gray 100% but it will blend it in and when you are ready to stop coloring it you can just let the color fade out.
My hair is stripped and all colors wash out to this ugly shade of blonde. I had my hair frosted and they used brown and blonde together to try and match my natural color. I wanted my hair my natural color with blonde highlights. It hasn't been 2 weeks and the color washed out. I called the hair salon and they said they never heard of such a thing. I asked for my hair to be filled in first. Is using a filler different than dying hair? They said they won't do it again. I really liked my hair for the week I enjoyed it. Help. Thanks I assume that your natural shade is brown. If your hair is stripped of all it's natural color (bleached to pail blond) it absolutely needs to be filled. The red/gold has to be replaced before the brown is applied. It will most likely still fade but not as quickly or as badly. I wouldn't put permanent color on your hair at this point though. You don't want to cause any more damage. You can have your stylist foil some of your hair with some conditioner to keep it out of the way. Then use a red/gold semi or demi permanent color on the rest. After that is done they can put a blond demi/semi permanent color in the foils (make sure it has some gold in it) and a brown semi/demi permanent color on the rest. This should help get you close to what you are looking for. Your not going to be able to get it perfect until the bleached hair grows out. I would have them only do a few foils around your face because you will most likely have to repeat the process every month or so because it will still fade. I hope this helps a bit.
I have medium to dark blonde hair and usually have it foiled lighter. My husband and I are thinking about starting a family and I don't want to die it while I am pregnant (as one is not really sure of all of the chemicals that go into the die/bleach). Anyway I was wondering if there are any natural products I could use to give myself a FEW highlights - eg. lemon juice....., just to get me through the pregnancy. Yes, you could use lemon juice but keep in mind that when you get your hair foiled the color does not touch your scalp. It is enclosed in the foil packets and therefor not a threat. When I was pregnant with my son I was worried about whether I should continue to do color for my clients while pregnant. I read, I think it was in What To Expect When Your Expecting that there was a study done, and they did not find any higher instances of birth defects in babies of hairdressers than in other babies. So that would suggest that the fumes are not causing problems. Most of the stylists I know work right through their pregnancies. When color is placed right on your scalp it can bleed into your system, but in the foil it is only on your hair, which is not living. So what you put just on your hair will not get into your blood stream etc. I do recommend that you talk it over with your OB though. Some OB's will tell you to wait until you are through your first trimester. Some are more conservative and will still say you should not highlight your hair even if it is not touching your scalp. I tell my clients to go by what their doctor says. Just explain the exact procedure and see what your OB says.
I have naturally black hair and I just recently got red highlights from a professional. I'm getting tired of dark hair and I am thinking about dying it the color of Beyonce Knowles from Destiny's Child, the color she is wearing in L'Oreal's Feria ad. Will that look too fake??? Well that really depends on your skin tone. If you are dark, yes, it will look fake. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. Your hair doesn't have to look natural to look good. I'll bet you a 100 bucks though that she absolutely does not do her hair her self with a home product. Going from black hair to very light is very tricky and can go very bad if the person doing it doesn't know what they are doing. Also keep in mind, you will have to touch up your roots about every 3 to 4 weeks to keep it looking good.
Okay... Well my hair is Dark DARK brown. I want Highlights, I was wondering... well see my eyes are brown/green and what color highlights would make my green come out? It's hard to say definitively without seeing you but I tend to like auburn reds. I complements green eyes. Maybe it will help emphasize the green in yours.
I have dirty blond hair, and I want it to be a little bit lighter, there's this new product by garnia(I think that's what it's called, Katie Holmes is the spokes model for it) and it says that it lightens your hair, but I have a lot of natural highlights that I don't want to cover up by dying or highlighting it, I was wondering if this product worked with my natural highlights, that if it brightens but isn't like a die, and I was also wondering if it will leave me with noticeable roots. Also, this is an at home product, so I was wondering how u covered up the roots, do u just do all your hair again or what? thanks I'm sorry, I have never heard of this product. If you get me more details I'll look into it for you.
I have medium brown hair and I was wondering how to get it darker... naturally. Is there anything you can do besides dying it? Please help me!!! Thanks. No, there really isn't. Your best bet would be to get a semi or demi permanent color like Shades EQ by Redken or Colorance by Goldwell. These will not damage your hair and will eventually fade out if you do not repeat the process. Ask your stylist for details.
Hi, I was just wondering, I have very curly hair and spend tons of money plus hours on straightening my hair, I use tons of different products and then either the blow dryer or a steam straightener and I am sick of doing this every day or every second day! I have herd about permanently straightening hair and relaxing it and I am looking for a permanent solution to this hassle is what I have heard true and if so is this really damaging? Also I would like to know how this whole process works, if possible. Thank you so much for your time and I hope you can give me some advice! You can get your hair permanently (until it grows out) straitened but yes, it is damaging. Plus don't expect it to be perfectly straight. You will still have to blow dry it to get the smooth look. It will also take most of the shine out of your hair. For some people it's worth it. Just keep in mind, it will not be like you have naturally straight hair. After the relaxer it will be more wavy than curly. You will have to take the money you are spending now on styling products and put it into deep conditioners. Also, Do not do it at home. You could break it right off if you don't know what your doing. Most salons have gentler ralaxers more suited to Caucasian hair.
I have light brown hair with some faint natural blonde highlights but I would like them to come out more, is there a natural hair product that I can use to help them come out? Please help, I want this to be for the summer! Just being in the sun should bring out your highlights. Some people use lemon juice to speed it up but that can be very drying in your hair. You could go to a salon and just have them do a partial highlight to match what you already have.
How can I lighten my hair with things I have around the house? In a word... You can't. Not safely anyway. Some people use lemon juice in the sun but that is very drying. I'll say here, as I've said before. It's best to go to a professional and have them color your hair. The products we have available to us have buffers and conditioners and are much better than what you can get. Plus we can evaluate the condition of your hair and what would look good.
I have very thick shoulder length hair. It is naturally curly, and its wavy when I brush it. I don't look good with my hair all up, but half up is ok. I usually just wear my hair half up with the half down being curly wavy or sometimes I straighten it. Do you have any ideas of what I could do with my hair? Is your hair all one length? You would probably do better to have some graduation at the ends to soften up the shape. Because I can't see you or your hair I can't really say what would look good. The best thing to do is to go into a stylist and have them help you figure out a better cut and style for you.
My hair came out in the back what can I use to make it grow? Well, that depends a lot on why it came out. Have you seen a doctor about it? If it came out because of a medication or treatment then you will have to wait until your body gets back to normal. If it broke off because of over processing, you have to just wait until it grown and in the mean time use high quality professional hair products to make sure the re-growth is in the best condition possible. As far as making it grow faster. All you can do is eat healthy and take your vitamins. I believe exercise can also help because it raises your metabolism. If your metabolism is higher your hair will grow (a bit) faster. Unfortunately it's still just a waiting game.
I have naturally blonde hair that seems to be getting darker and darker as I get older. I'm 15 now and I really want my hair to be blonder then it is now. I'm not sure what I should use though to make it a little blonder. I've heard of sun-in but I don't want it to make my hair orange. Or I was thinking of either dying my hair myself or having it professionally done, I'm just scared of having to keep up with the roots. I don't want something too blonde though, just a little lighter then my color now. What do you think would be the best method to use? First off, stay away from Sun-in. It will destroy your hair. Even if you end up liking the color it turns out, your hair will be very damaged. I would suggest getting it highlighted. You don't have to do your whole head. You can get a partial highlight and just have them do the front/top and maybe a few foils at your nape for if you wear your hair up. Ask the stylist to use color, not bleach, and to just take it up a couple of shades. Tell them you want it to look like the sun did it and you don't want it too heavy. If it's subtle enough you may feel that you would like it freshened up in about 4 to 6 months.
Hi I have fair cool skin dark, brown eyes and am using Clairol medium neutral blonde. Its a little red to warm. What other color could I use? My natural shade was dark brown now I am 70% gray, thank you. Let me first say that you will most likely not get the results you really want until you go and have it professionally done. Still I'll give you a few coloring fundamentals that may help you. The darker the natural hair the more underlying red tones in it. That's why people with dark hair who try and put Sun-In or light blond colors end up with orange hair. You can only go so far using color. We, as professionals, have different volumes of developer which make the formula different strengths and many different shades and tones that we mix to achieve the right color for each individual client. I'm sure that the boxed color you are using has 20 volume developer in it. That will never take dark hair down to blond. On the other hand, higher volumes don't cover gray well. You probably notice that your gray hair isn't a bad color but your dark hair is pretty red. You might try getting two colors, the one you are using and an ash and mix them about half and half. You may be trying to go a touch too light. If you were sitting in my chair I would look at your hair and figure out the best color achievable for you. You can't really do that your self. Color is very complicated. It takes years of experience and continued education for most hairstylist to feel confident working with it. If you insist an doing your hair at home try the above suggestion. But you would be much better off shopping for a good colorist.
I have medium brown hair, with blonde highlights. I want to lighten my hair, if I use lemons will my highlights turn orange or green or anyother color? Depending on how dark your hair is it could get pretty gold. If your hair is on the lighter side it will work better. It should not turn green though. Please make sure you use a good conditioner before and after as the lemon juice will be very drying on your hair. And whatever you do, don't touch Sun-In.
I have brown hair. I have been searching the internet all over to see how to bleach my hair using home products. What could I use to bleach it? I have to recommend not doing your hair at home. There are so many variations on what can happen with the color depending on the natural color of your hair and the condition. Only a professional will be able to take all these things into consideration to get you the color you want.
I need to purchase Paul Sabastian products I think you may have the name mixed up. I know of Paul Mitchell and Sabastian. Both are professional lines that you can get at most salons but they are different companies. If you tell me the product name you are looking for I can probably tell you which line you are looking for.
I have naturally black hair (level 2 I've been told) I have never liked black hair on myself so for probably 20+ years I've been coloring it lighter using drug store products. I used to use light brown to get it just a few shades lighter and than a year ago I used the absolute blondes which are made to lighten black hair. I have red tones that they told me would always happen when I lighten my hair so needless to say, I went to a salon and had it professionally highlighted.What a disappointment. I got it done with the foil method but I think they used bleach. My head looks like a zebra not to mention that I ended up having ends that were almost white and stringy and damaged. They did put a toner on it at my request but that would've faded anyway so I went to a another salon that same day and they warmed up my hair. It was much better. My hair is now an light orangy auburn with some light yellow and auburn highlights. Now I've decided that I've had enough of this whole process of having to color every 2 weeks. I had done a darker color 6 months ago and my hair looked really nice but most of all healthy and shiny again(which I guess happens when you darken)It was pretty dark but not black. But it washed out after 1 month. It wasn't suppose to washout. Although I heard that when you go from lighter to darker you should expect it to loose some color. Anyway, what do you suggest I do to darken it so that I don't have to color my hair anymore. I'm afraid to make a such a drastic change but I want my hair healthy again. Plus, now they have so many gentle products to enhance dark hair and I could always add highlight to the frame of my face so it wont be so drastic. I know they do lighter highlights on dark hair that don't look bad when they are growing out. Kind of like Jennifer Lopez in the past. Please help. P.S. Sorry Mary I forgot to also ask about what product do you recommend for me to use to repair my damaged hair. I will be going to the salon to get a conditioning treatment. but what can I do at home. I went somewhere recently where they were going to use a product by Sebastian but told me that afterwards they could not use heat on my hair in anyway. Have you heard of this. Thank so much for your help and I'll be sure to visit your salon when I am in Virginia. You know, it drives me crazy when I see people using bleach to highlight dark hair. I'm sorry your going through all this trouble. Anyway, sorry to say that any dark color you put on your hair now will fade. So you will have to keep doing it until it's grown out. Ideally what should have been done to darken your hair back was to use something like Redken's Shades EQ (a demi permanent color) and first use a red (as a filler) then use a dark brown after that. You should not have to use the filler the next time though. You will have to keep getting the demi permanent color treatments as it fades out. They do not damage the hair though and add lots of shine. I used to have my hair highlighted pretty light. My hair is also half way down my back. When I wanted to go back to my natural color I did a demi permanent color about once a month. If you want a few highlights around your face, have them put them in foil or plastic to keep the other color off of them while you are getting colored. I have not heard of not being able to use heat on hair when using a conditioner. Unless they are afraid it will open the cuticle and let the color out. Heat opens the cuticle and lets the conditioner go a lot deeper. For home I would get a protein conditioner for once a week and a moisturizer for every day. Make sure to use one that is designed for color treated hair. I'm sure your stylist can help you choose one that will work well with your hair. It's hard for me to recommend when I can't see your hair.
My level 5 medium brown hair has been heavily highlighted blonde for the past year and a half. About 3 weeks ago, I decided to go back to my natural color with chunky lowlights. At first, it was about my natural, but now it has lightened up to a light brown with 50% highlights showing through. I have been getting this done professionally, both the highlights and lowlights. When it was blonde, they foiled me and toned me with Shades EQ. Now I really regret going back dark and I want it highlighted again. My hair is in a layered bob that is about collar length. If I had to have it cut, the shortest I would want it would be the same style but nape length. I deep condition my hair once a week with a moisturizer, and about twice a month with pure protein. My question is, can I successfully go back to blonde gradually in about a month with the proper conditioning treatments? The texture of my hair is fine but a lot of it. Did they darken your hair using permanent color or Shades? If they used Shades it will be a lot easier. If it was done with permanent color it will be a bit harder to cut through. I would suggest though that maybe you should get your highlights not so heavy this time around. You probably felt like you wanted to go back to natural because it was getting too light. What I would do is foil you again but not as heavy and maybe not quite as light. (I usually use color instead of bleach so I don't even need a toner) After the foils have been applied they can put a darker color of Shades on the rest of your hair. This will keep the rest of your hair closer to your natural color so your highlights will look like highlights instead of all one color. I would also suggest cutting it as far as your comfortable with to minimize the damage.
I like Sarah Michelle's (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) hair color. What shade of blonde is that and if I want some highlight on top of that color, what color (highlight) would look nice w/ that shade?..... Sarah Michelle Geller's hair is naturally a medium to dark brown. (I remember her from when she was Kendel on General Hospital) To get her hair to the color it is it would have had to be done in two steps. First they lightened all of her hair, probably to a light brown or dark blond. Then they highlighted over it using a couple of shades. This is a very high maintenance look if you have dark hair. If your hair is already pretty light you can skip the initial lightning. I would say that she is probably in the salon about every four weeks to touch up her roots (with the light brown or dark blond color) And maybe every other of those visits she will be getting foiled again) You don't want to do this look unless you can afford to keep it up. And you should make sure your going to a very good colorist. With very heavy highlights like this it would be easy to get it over done so you end up looking like you just have one color after a while.
I have heavy highlights and every beautician makes it to light, or to reddish. does it have to be that way? is one shade of blonde so hard to keep? I bought lightest beige blonde to put on my med brown roots. I can't do any worse than they have. at least it didn't cost 100.00....I want blonde like Diane sawyer. is that so hard to do on med brown hair? Chances are pretty good that you will end up with orange roots, plus every single hair will be colored so you will look very rooty very quickly. If you are not happy with your color than you probably need to change colorists. You can get a demi permanent color done like Shades EQ by Redken. That can bring the color up to a shade your happy with and then tell them to not highlight your roods as light as they were before.
Help! I have very fine blonde hair, it is passed my shoulders to the middle of my back and very flat. It will not hold a curl for more than 30 minutes. It is also frizzy and I do not perm it or color it. What are some styles that will help, and some products that I can buy over the counter to help. Thank You. First understand that with your hair at that length you will never get a lot of body in it. For instance, my hair is very thick and has some curl to it. I keep it long just to get some of the body out of it. If you are hooked on your length and are willing to accept it flat then maybe you could get some long layers which, if done right, will give it a little more movement. Also, stop buying your shampoo and conditioners at the drug store. Go to a salon and get good quality products. Most people are under the misconception that these products are so much more expensive. Well, ounce for ounce they are but the professional products are much more concentrated. You don't have to use nearly as much. If you use a handful of your drug store shampoo you'll need about the size of a quarter of a professional shampoo. If it's not sudsing up enough, splash more water on your head, don't add more shampoo. Nexxus has come out with a line of organic products called Phyto Organics. They have a great volumizing shampoo called Synthesis (I'm not sure of the spelling) The also have a conditioner that adds a lot of shine called Babassu Mud. Phyto Organics is not sold in all salons so I would call around first. I hope this helps a bit.
I have black hair with already red highlights, how do I naturally lighten it? Could I use lemon juice or would that not work on dark hair? I also heard that maybe beer would work?? Please help! Lemon juice and beer will lighten your hair a bit, but only in combination with the sun. In other words, if your out sunbathing all day and put lemon juice in your hair, your hair will get a bit lighter. You don't really have any control over the color though and just because lemon juice is natural doesn't mean it won't damage your hair. You also run the risk of having roots as the hair grows out. You could get a partial foil highlight (just have them do the top around your part) using a color that's just a shade or two lighter than your natural color. The professional colors have buffers and conditioners in them to keep your hair in good condition. This way you have much more control over what you end up with, plus with foil, not every hair is colored so you won't look as rooty as it's growing out.
I have an oval face with medium brown hair and eyebrows.I been trying to look for a good hair cut.But the only problem is I want to grow my hair out.Do you have any ideas for a cute hair cut but you cant tell the difference in the length? The first thing you have to ask yourself is, what do you want to grow your hair into. Figure out what your ultimate goal is. At that time go to your stylist and discuss what you are trying to achieve. She/He should then be able to cut your hair, keeping your end goal in mind. That way you will have different styles while your growing into the one you want.
I have short dark brown (almost black) hair that I want to get highlighted. I want the highlights to end up being a golden color without red or auburn. I know my undertones are red, so what would you suggest? I have had it highlighted before and turned out fine. However, I want it to be noticeable enough but not too drastic. First off, don't plan on going too light. I always say, if you can't get as light as you want by using color, you probably want it too light. Still, they should use a color that is much lighter than the color you are looking for. It should have a violet or ash tone to cut the red, and they should probably use 40 volume developer. I can't say for sure because I can't see your hair so go with your stylists suggestions. (Do tell them that you don't want bleach though. Bleach will get it too light and you don't have the control over the tone. It will also take out the shine)
My natural hair color is light brown but I have 50% gray. I have been foiling my bra strap length hair and really liked the color results but my hair became very dry and frizzy. Another problem is the foiling wouldn't always color all the gray. So I decided to color my whole head my natural color (first time all over color) which I had done by a professional. And then start foiling again. Well the color came out way very dark and reddish (which I don't like) around my crown and a nice medium brown on the ends. I just had this done yesterday. My hair seems way too dark now to foil blonde like I was doing and I definitely do not want red!!!!!!!!!!!!One good thing is my hair is in way better condition now and also I love the fact that I don't have any gray any more. What can I do? They can even out the color using a demi permanent color like Redken Shades EQ. Highlights don't always need to be blond. Have them take it down to a light brown. You don't have to go red. I would suggest keeping the color at least a little warm though. Maybe kind of honey colored would be nice.
My hair is too plan, I want something new, what can I do? My hair is about to an inch above my shoulders. I am willing to get it shorter. At your hair's length you have some room to play. The best thing to do is to start looking through magazines. If a hairstyle hits you at all, rip it out. When you are ready to make an appointment to get your hair cut you should tell them that you are looking for a whole new look so they may want to give the stylist a little more time. Make sure she/he sees your hair before it's washed. Go through the pictures with your stylist and he/she should be able to tell you what would work etc. The goal is not to copy an exact style but to give your stylist a good idea of what you have in mind. A good stylist can take the pictures and figure out what parts would work for you, then give you a style that's all yours.
I have dark brown hair. In the summer, when the sun is out, I have red highlights. What would you consider the best color to highlight my hair? I was thinking of lightening it to a medium or light brown, or deepening the red to a dark red! What should I do?? I think a combination of what you are thinking would be good. Have them take the level down a few shades but have them add some red also so the highlights are kind of auburn. I like to pay attention to what hair does in the sun. If your hair gets natural red highlights in the sun then it's probably a good idea to mimic what it wants to do, just more so.
My hair is passed my shoulders, I don't have any bangs and I leave my hair down all the time. Will you help me find a good hairstyle for my graduation? Are you wanting to wear your hair down or put it up? If you want it down I would suggest having some long layers put in with a bit of softness around your face. That usually works well for long hair. It gives it a little more interest. It's hard for me to say for sure having not seen your hair. Are you in the general D.C. area (Maryland, D.C., Northern VA.)? If so you can come in and we can work up a great style for you. If you are thinking of wearing your hair up, I can do that for you also. Here's the number for Christie-Adam salon in Reston (703) 481-9006. Just ask to make an appointment with Mary and they'll find a time for you. Take care.
My beautician recently frosted my hair, but did not leave the bleach on long enough. As a result, my hair is yellow. It is a heavy frost, and all I see is yellow hair. What can I do to take the yellow out?? Thanks Call your stylist and ask if they can put a toner on your hair. They can put a color with ash or violet and it should cool it down so it won't look so yellow. If it's not light enough they may have to re-highlight your hair and then tone it afterwards. Or they can re-highlight it using a high lifting color and that might bring it to the level and tone you want.
I recently highlighted my hair and have been left with it being very brassy or orange colored. What did I do wrong and can it be corrected? Did you highlight your hair your self or have it done? If you had it done, they should fix it. If you used a home highlighting kit, you basically had bleach to put on your hair. When using bleach you have to take it off at just the right time. If you do it to early it will be orange, leave it too long and you could end up with spaghetti hair (not a pretty sight). I recommend you go to a professional and ask them to correct your color for you. If you try to do it your self, you could end up making it worse and/or very damaged.
I have dark brown hair just below the shoulders, and I am thinking about putting some highlights in my hair, but I don't know what color would look right. I really don't want red or auburn. Plzzz help!!! It's hard for me to really say what would look good without seeing your hair. You can tell your stylist to bring it down a few shades to a cool light brown. They will have to use an ash or violet tone to cut the red that will naturally want to come through. You will probably still have some warmth in the color depending on how light you go. A little warmth will probably look good though. You don't want the final color to look ashy.
I have been trying different colors on my hair for quite a bit of time now, and I just finally figured out how to get the black out of my hair with a product that takes the color out of your hair(not bleach, and I didn't try blonde) It was just a color stripper. But now I colored my hair a medium brown, but it turned out to be dark brown/black on the ends, and reddish light brown on the roots. I dont know what to do because the roots and the ends are so different. I have put aside going to a colorist because of the expensive cost....do you suggest going to a colorist due to how much I have messed up my hair? Thanks for your help! Corrective color is very tricky business. And color striper, though not technically bleach, acts a lot like it. It would have been best if you had gone to a professional. Your ends are almost black because they are so damaged from all the past processes. A colorist would have used a color remover to take your old color out, then applied a filler to even your hair out before putting on the final color. Your right, it is more expensive to go to a professional colorist. It is even more expensive to have someone fix a color that's gone bad. I've seen color corrections take the better part of a day. That is the only way to get your color back to normal short of cutting it all off. You will probably need to cut a bit also though. Good luck, I hope you can get it fixed up.
I'm black and I have really thick hair that I can't do anything with. I put it up the same way everyday. What should I do so I can wear it down some times without it going all frizzy? Is your hair more curly or kinky? If it's curly you can use a product like Sabastian's Molding Mud to define the curl and give it shine. It is a tricky product though. Make sure to talk to a stylist when you buy it and ask the proper way to use it. If your hair is more kinky I would suggest maybe getting a mild relaxer and then have your stylist teach you how to blow dry it straight.
Hi..I have long dark brown, almost black hair with long layers..I'm looking for a subtle change..like maybe highlights..My hair sort of has red undertones so I was wondering if I should go for red hightlights??? Any suggestions as to what might look better?? Yes, I think red toned highlights would be nice. Make sure you don't go to light though. I think a maximum of three shades would be really pretty.
I would like to know what color you think Elizabeth Hurley's hair is? She has highlights in it that look kinda blonde?I have med-drk. brown hair naturally.I was very blonde not so long ago,bought a home product that would make my hair a med. brown...needless to say I was not aware there was a "fill" needed, got an unusual color to say the least.I am wanting to stay closer to my natural shade,I no longer live in Fl. so staying blonde would require alot more $$ then I have,["sun-in" was cheap]it is taking me some time to get use to this dark color I have got now[which there are many different colors on my head]but,I am determined. I would really like highlights to take the edge off this dark. Got any suggestions??? Thanx!!!! Elizabeth Hurley's hair color has changed very little over the years so I'll tell you what I see. She seems to like fairly sparse, honey blond highlights. The trick is that she doesn't have them done heavy, therefore instead of changing her entire hair color they just brighten up and add interest to her naturally dark hair. You have a challenge in that you have a lot of old processes on your hair. I'm sure it has weakened your hair considerably and my experience with sun-in is that, if you're not real careful, you could melt your hair with a later process Years ago I had a client who lied about what she had done to her hair. Later after trying to salvage what I could of her hair she let it slip that she had used sun-in. Go to a professional and don't be in a rush to get the color you want. You have to really baby your hair or you could be very sorry. If your stylist says you should not color again for a while and just cut and deep condition, listen to her/him. There have been many times when I have had clients come to me who have had very damaged hair and they want either a perm or highlights and I know that if I put another chemical on their hair the hair will break. They are disappointed when I tell them they can't have what they want but they put themselves in my hands and after months of haircuts and using recommended hair care products at home, their hair improved and we were able to eventually achieve what they had wanted. Just remember, your hair will not look good, no mater what color it is, if it's breaking off. Good luck.
I want my hair highlighted red and blonde and I can not find and pictures of it You won't always be able to find a picture of exactly what you want. If you go to and experienced colorist/stylist who is up on the current trends you should do fine.
I had my long light brown hair professionally highlighted last week in the hopes of matching the highlights which remained on the ends of my hair from highlighting 2 years ago. Although there is now less of a color difference between the top and ends, the ends are still lighter than the newly highlighted hair and the look with the new highlights is more of an overall lightening in color of the hair rather than distinct highlights. Is there anything I can apply (perhaps a product from a beauty supply store) to boost the color and brightness of the new highlights so that individual highlights are lighter and stand out? Thanks for any advice you can offer. You should always expect that two year old highlights will be lighter than the new ones. In fact, if you look at a natural blond without highlights, her hair will also be lighter on the ends. The sun lightens the hair a lot. If you got your highlights to match exactly the color the old highlights are now, they would be too light before too long. If the colorist gave you too many highlights so that you don't see enough contrast, I would ask her/him to put in some lowlights the same color as your natural hair to break it up a bit so you have more contrast. If the hair is really not light enough at all then ask him/her to make them a little lighter for you. If it's almost light enough but not quite I would leave it alone. It will lighten up more as you shampoo it and it is exposed to the elements. I do not suggest doing anything with the color yourself. You will only make it worse. Give your stylist a chance to make you happy. Color is a very trial and error process. It sometimes takes a time or two to find the perfect formula. I hope this helps a bit.
I have Dark Brown, Curly hair, dark brown eyes and a light gold or tan complexion. I want to go Blonde, not Platinum but like a Dark Blonde or something that will match complexion so I won't look ridiculous. I am tired of my plain dark hair and eyes. Also, in the past I've dyed my hair Dark Cherry Red, an Orangey color, Chestnut Brown. Is there a way for me to go a Dark Blonde? If you want to be light I would go for a honey type of color. Think Mariah Carey. You want to stay warm. Just a hint, if your hair is dark you can use an ash blond to get a honey blond. (don't try it yourself though. I know how professional products work. The only thing I know about over the counter color is that they are pretty inconsistent) The best thing would be to get foil highlights using a dark ash blond. Good luck.
Is there any product I can use to speed the graying process up? For about ten years I've had a large white patch at the top front of my head. Highlights done at a hairdressers school for the second time (because I cant afford full cost) are still not disguising it as the other side is a mid-brown.It is such a problem please help if you can. My hair is in good condition and of average thickness. What are they using to highlight your hair? If they are using bleach and nothing else there's no way to match it. They need to do lowlights also. I wouldn't try to match it exactly, but try to balance it. If they do the lowlights with the same color or one shade darker than your natural color on the gray area, and highlight through the rest it should look a lot more balanced. I would stay away from the bleach altogether and use a high lifting color for the highlights. In the gray area I would alternate tightly between the light and the dark colors.
Hi I'm 13 and looking for some new hiarstyles to do, i just usually keep it down. I have little longer then shoulder legth hair that is layerd. If you have any ideas like updo that aren't fancy and are simple to do please let me know, thankyou. There are a lot of magazines that have ideas and directions for up-dos to do on your hair. I would look through them to find fun styles you can do your self or with a little help.
Recently Alyssa Milano went blonde. My hair is brown like hers use to be. How do achieve blonde like hers. This is done with foil highlighting. I can't tell for sure if they took her base color down a few shades or not but I don't think they did. More likely, they foil highlighted using several different shades. A light brown, a medium blond, and a light blond. You can not achieve this at home. You need a professional. So if you want this color, which I think is very nice, go to a good colorist and have them do it for you. Take a picture with you so you will both be on the same page as to what you are looking for. Good Luck.
I have very light bleached blonde hair that is in good condition but I'd like to get some highlights in it that are almost white. How do I achieve this color? Thank You Please...Do not try this yourself !! If you do you will be very sorry. Bleached white hair, by definition, has had everything taken out of it. It is one step away from breaking off. If you were sitting in my chair I would probably tell you no (I've done it before) . If you've been lightening your own hair up until now it is most likely in such bad condition that it can't handle any more. If you have been getting it done, you have a chance, if you're stylist is a good colorist. You will need to devote a lot of time and energy to conditioning your hair. And I don't mean with Herbal Essences. I mean good, professional, protein conditioners. Ideally regular treatments at the salon under the drier. I'm encouraging you not to go for the white highlights. If you must, please let a professional do it so you might be able to save your hair. By the way, I hope your hair is short. Hair with all these processes can't handle too much length. All this said, I have not seen your hair so I can only comment on how I understand your description. To me, very light bleached blond hair is most likely over processed. A stylist should be able to tell you if your hair can handle it.
I'm in Cosmetology school right now, do you have any hints for me..... thanks All I can really say is make sure you learn EVERYTHING you can. You never know when you may need it. Even if it's just in talking to your clients. They will respect you more and have confidence in you if they see you as knowledgeable. Also never let yourself get the attitude that "that's good enough". Strive for perfection. No one is perfect, but if that is your goal then it will show in your work and therefore make a big difference in your career. Good Luck.
What's the best natural way to highlight your hair? I am a natural blonde and I would like to use chammomile or other natural items to highlight my hair, do you know the best way to do this? Thank you. As I said in the post below, you can use lemons or limes in combination with the sun. This can be drying on your hair though, not to mention what the sun does to your skin. Just because something is natural does not mean that it is good for you. Today's professional hair colors have conditioners and buffers in them to make sure your hair stays in good condition while your hair is colored. If you have your hair highlighted with a foil technique using a high quality professional color (instead of bleach) your hair will look better and be in better condition than if you use lemon juice and stayed in the sun all day.
Is it possible to highlight your hair with limes? If so how do you do it? Yes you can highlight your hair with limes or lemons in combination with the sun. The only part of your hair that will highlight is the part exposed to the sun. Keep in mind that just because it is natural doesn't mean it is good for your hair. It can be very drying. If you do decide to use lemons or limes mix about half juice and half water in a spray bottle and spry on your hair while in the sun.
I have an oval face, dark brown hair and eyebrows, and a long neck. I have natural highlights but only in the front part. I was wondering if a haircut like Meg Ryan's latest haircut will do? What do you think? With an oval face you can probably get away with almost anything. You need to be careful with the neck though. The bottom length should hit about mid-neck, possibly a touch longer. You might consider a few highlights around your crown to match the natural ones you have in front. Also remember that you are going to have to "do" this hair to get the textured look. Make sure you get a good gel or "mud" type finishing product. Ask your stylist for recommendations.
I was considering getting highlights, but I would like to know how they are done and if in the long run, they will damage my hair. I have heard not to do the entire head and to have them done correctly, only have the crown of your head done. There are a few different ways to do highlights. The best is with foil. Pieces of your hair are weaved out and placed in the foil with the color. The only hair that is being colored is the hair in the foil. This prevents getting a very "rooty" look too quickly. If your colorist stays within two or three shades of your natural color you should be able to go two or three months between touch-ups. If you will be in the sun a lot stay a bit darker because it will lighten up in the sun. Make sure she/he is using color and not bleach. Bleach damages the hair much more and the colors don't come out as nice. I can usually spot bleach a mile away. With color the shades look more like a natural hair color. As far as how much of the hair to color, it depends on the look you want. If you just want a sun kissed look you can get a partial highlight, starting at your front hairline and going back to your crown. When doing this you have to be extra careful not to go too light. You want it to look like you spent a month in the Caribbean, not an hour in the salon. If your looking for more of a color change you will probably need to do the whole head. Tell your stylist to use a darker color at your nape. It also works well to use two or more colors and alternate them through the head. That gives more of a natural look to the hair. The one thing to keep in your mind is that the lighter you go, the more damaged your hair will become.
I have very curly dry hair I want to highlight it. It's reddish brown and I have a small tan and a round face and very very thick hair but I don't want chestnut highlights I want either dark blond or even more red. Which would be better? With curly hair you want to be careful not to choose a tone that will clash with your natural color. The reason is that the highlights will look a bit more streaky because they will stay together in the curls instead of spreading out like in strait hair. So if your hair already has a red tone, I say go for the red. Don't go too much lighter than your natural color (no more than two shades) because the contrast will be exaggerated by the curl.
I am from Juliette, Ga and I am seriously thinking about highlighting my hair. I have dark brown hair with a red tint after being in the sun a small amount of time. I have highlighted my hair before and it turned orange instead of a honey blond like I was going for. I bought the kit from the drug store. I should have read your article before huh! I am a junior in college and want something different. I have pretty fair skin for a dark haired person. My eyebrows are almost completely black. I really want to lighted up my features. What do I do? Should I just not highlight at all? What if I don't like it? Could I neutralize my dark hair? Thanks! Confused about color Yes, you can highlight your hair. But you should not try to go for blond. There are many different beautiful colors, blond is not the only one. With dark hair I like to see it go about two shades lighter, three at the very most. Go for a chestnut type tone. Tell your stylist that your hair highlights red in the sun on it's own. I sometimes will even use an ash color to tone down the red and it comes out a honey type shade. I can't see your hair so I can't say what to use. Just make sure you shop for a good colorist. The best way to do this, besides asking for recommendations is to call around, ask the receptionist who is great at color and either make an appointment for a consultation (if they only do color) or for a blow dry (that way you're in their chair for a half an hour and can pick their brain to your heart content) One sign is, do they seem to really love color? If they do, they are probably pretty good at it. If not, they probably are not. Last but not least, tell your stylist that you absolutely do not want bleach on your hair. Bleach will take the shine out of it and most likely will go too light. Good luck.
What styles look best on women that have fine, thin, blonde hair? And also if you know any sites that have pictures of styles I can look at? For fine hair I tend to like a bob type shape with long layers. The longest the hair should be is about the middle of your neck. Once you hit your shoulders you lose the body. The layers should be long, just enough to add movement. If the layers are cut too short then the ends get too thin and there goes the body again. One of the most important things you can do is to keep it healthy. Shampooing and conditioning with high quality products. Nexxus has come out with a new line of organic products called Phyto Organics. Every one of my fine hair clients who I send home with the Synthesis Volumizing Shampoo and the Babassu Mud Hair Treatment has come back raving about it. As far as pictures of styles go, I don't know of a web site. Your best bet is to look though magazines. There are magazines devoted to hairstyles that you can get at any drug store. Just look for ideas though. Your stylist can personalize it to fit you.
What dye can I use on dark hair? Well...that is a tough one sight unseen. I will have to stick with giving you some general rules of thumb. Let me first say that I discourage you from going the drug store route. For one thing the quality of the products are not the same as are available to a professional. Secondly, there are many variables involved in choosing the right color, like your natural color and texture to start with. Thirdly, most colorists would not just chose a color and put it on your hair. They would probably mix two or three colors to get just the right shade. Now, on to the rules of thumb. One thing to remember is that the further your new shade is from your natural color, the sooner you have to touch it up. If your hair is not mostly gray I would stay away from all over color. Foil highlights are probably the way to go. Stay away from bleach though. On dark hair I usually like to go about two shades lighter than the natural color, usually using an auburn or chestnut tone. On lighter brown hair I tend to like honey tones. All of this depends also on your skin tone and fashion style. So now your first order of business is to find the right stylist to do your hair. Not all stylist enjoy working with color so you'll want to go to someone who does. She/he will most likely be better at it. Ask for a consultation before making your appointment. That way you can see if you and the stylist are on the same wave length. If you are in the Washington D.C. area I would be happy to consult with you and do your hair. The phone number of the salon is on the contact page of this site. Happy coloring.
How can I make my hair grow faster? Unfortunately, you can't. Putting pregnancy and illness aside, hair pretty much grows at a maximum rate of half an inch per month no matter what you do. A little faster in the summer due to a rise in matabolisim. Although there is nothing that you can do to make your hair grow faster with current technology, there are a number of things that may actually slow the process such as; a poor hair care regimen, poor diet, illness, medication, male and female pattern hair loss, and emotional stress. Some of these things don't actually affect the growth rate per se, but they affect the hairs health and unhealthy hair will probably not grow to its full potential. Besides regular shampooing and conditioning with good quality products, the only other thing that you can really do is take a daily multi vitamin. Zinc and Biotin in particular seem to be good for hair. I frequently hear of people taking pre-natal pills to make their hair grow faster, even men. The reason that an expecting mother's hair may grow slower or faster has to do with hormonal activity and not the pills. So please, stop doing that.

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