Medium/dark brown to blonde?

Question

I have a LOT of prematurely gray hair. It's been colored either red or my original brunette shade for some time, and it's almost shoulder length.

I was advised early on to cover the gray because I am very pale and can look washed out easily. Now there's so much gray that I'm seriously considering going blonde so the gray roots won't be so obvious. I've consulted with three different stylists. One suggested cutting it really short, but I've been growing it out for over a year and am reluctant to do so. The other two told me about the bleaching process to lighten the hair.

Has anyone undergone this process, successfully or otherwise? Can you tell me about your experience? Did you have difficulty finding a flattering shade of blonde?

Thanks!

You don't have to be old to have gray hair. Mine started going gray in college. But maybe that seems old to you! My stylist says it's stress, but I think it's genetics.

Answer 1

if you have been using a dark hair color , you will need to lift it off, either by bleaching or else by using a remover either at a salon or doing it yourself (you can buy a loreal one in the drugstore),,,, then you can put the new color on,,,,
what i would suggest, is to try one of the semi permanent hair colors,,,,,, the kind that last only 6-12 shampoos,,,,,, this will help your old hair color fade off , and keep the new roots blendend in,,,,,,, as you gradually go lighter,,,,,,, they are gentle, and you can play around with the color,

i use a golden blonde on my hair,,,, and even though the dark color has grown off, i still use the semi permanent, i find roots look better plus you get the shades of variation in your hair, which is one advantage of having gray/graying hair not all flat,,,,,,,

if you do choose to do it in a salon,,,, i would do the bleaching,,,, then try golden blonde, or else a moonlight blonde, not an ash
over the years, i have both done salon and home,,,, bleached and remover,,,,,,, it really depends on the stylist and the product they use,,, as to results,,,,,,,,always err on the side of caution, as to strength of product and the timing (use shortest possible ) if your hair is mostly gray now, you should really only have to bleach it one time,,,,, then the hair color will blend the new roots in,,, i personally have learned to get just as good as results at home,,,,,,
ps: your right, alot of it is genetics, i started having streaks of white on the sides when i was 18, then gray and white by 30

Answer 2

been there done that a FEW times. and i'm a hairstylist!!!

there is some stuff that can be used to take out color, but it doesn't work that well and it's drying (moreso than bleach) to the hair.
i have a serious gray problem only in the front so i color the whole head and hilite the front super heavy. it has to be colored first or the gray goes curly/frizzy and goes all over the place. yuk!
as i said, i'm a hairstylist so finding a blond shade to go with my skin was easy for me. and since the hilites are only on the top and front i can do it myself. i don't trust anyone i work with, with my hair. sorry.lol.

p.s. i color my hair to a level 3-4 (mix) and hilite with double 40 volume developer. the color blends/tones the hilites when it gets shampooed.

Answer 3

Go blonde. You won't be sorry. Pale as you indicate you are, go with a cool blonde and stay away from yellow/gold...It is, so much easier, and PRETTIER...you'll be surprised. For starters, go to a wig shop and try on several blonde wigs in different blonde shades, that will get you closer to where you're headed. I was born blonde, went darker, and have basically been blonde most of my life. When the gray started coming in? I realized how smart it was to continue, how much easier than being a brunette, where you just about have to do roots every 2 weeks to keep it looking GOOD.

-I believe you will be surprised...I bet you'll look terrific if you just hit on that right shade of blonde, and though you'll always have those roots to do, I guarantee you if you keep it a little longer, you won't have to touch them up NEAR as much as when you were a brunette.

Get thee to a wig shop and salon my dear!

Goodluck...

Grace

Answer 4

try highlights - not as drastic as bleaching the whole head. The thing with highlights is that you can try a few shades at once and figure out what will work the best. Don't really know what short will get you (although I have short hair and LOVE it) Good luck

Answer 5

going blonde and actually look natural is tough. Have you tried having the most part of your gray made into highlights?

Answer 6

if you have blonde hair it will naturally get bleached by the particular sun in the summer. There had been this guy in my class who else had golden blonde hair that has been a medium brown near the bottom part. When he came back to university after summer vacation, it was nearly platinum blonde!

Answer 7

I would suggest highlights- they grow out more gracefully, so you don’t have to do touch-ups as often and it’s not as damaging to your hair.

Answer 8

Don't you have ta be OLD to have grey hair!!!!!!!!!!! Wait........are U...........