Back to natural shade

by Ann
(USA)

Hi to all-
I'm trying to get back to my natural shade of dirty/mousey blonde or would you call that light ash brown with natural high-lights? Hard to tell. It was a bit dull which is why I began coloring a few months ago. First I went to a salon and asked for ONLY blonde high-lights. They did something wrong and the high-lights turned white, yikes! They then gave me an all over color of some shade of blonde which I rather liked so I didn't complain too much.

Later I decided to go back to my natural color but I have been too scared to visit another stylist. I've colored four times since then all at home. I've used several different blonde shades from Loreal and Garnier, ranging from # 7-8 but nothing seems right. These shades have far too many yellow/golden tones.

Last week I colored my hair what was supposed to be a light ash blonde but again it looks too gold and it doesn't seem to go very well with my pale skin and green eyes. The ash brunette shades available in the stores seem much darker than my natural shade (as I had natural high-lights) so I've been too afraid to try them. The pic you have on your site of the ash brunette matches my natural shade perfectly! So how can I achieve that?

I don't want to color my hair forever. I just want to color one last time in order to get as close as possible to my natural shade and grow it out. After that, I may use high-lights but I am finished with all over color because it is really killing my thin hair, not to mention my scalp! Some time next year I hope to be back to my natural shade, what high-lights would you recommend to spunk it up a bit? I like the multi-tonal look but am not sure if it would look nice with my natural shade. (Again your pic of ash brunette is my natural shade.)

I hope you can advise me. Thanks in advance, Ann

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Back to natural shade

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Mar 13, 2008

Very common
by: Michelle

Hi Ann,

You're not alone. The ash color of your hair means that you have very strong yellow/orange underlying pigment. (Go here for more on underlying pigments and the chemistry of haircolor)

I'm going to hazard a guess that you're using permanent color. The problem is that (permanent) drugstore colors are formulated with 20 volume peroxide. This means that it actually lifts your hair before depositing the color.

As soon as you lift the hair, you're unleashing those underlying pigments. So even if you use an ash tone, there's not enough ash to counteract the yellow/orange and you end up with gold.

The solution is to use a semi-permanent (no ammonia, low peroxide) haircolor. Stick with the ash tone. Because of the low peroxide, you don't get any lift with a semi-permanent, so the underlying pigments aren't an issue and you can get a straight deposit.

Because a solid ash can be a bit of a bore, adding some highlights (and even lowlights) is a good idea. If you're comfortable with using bleach, you can do it yourself. Here's a link to the section with instructions for foiling hair, which is the process I recommend for adding highlights and/or lowlights.

After you've lightened the pieces, you'll need to use a toner to deal with the underlying pigment. Hope this helps!

All the best,
Michelle
Editor, SHM.com

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Mar 13, 2008
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Submitted by: Michelle

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Hi Ann, You're not alone. The ash color of your hair means that you have very strong yellow/orange underlying pigment. (<a href="http://www.style-hair-magazine.com/hair-coloring.html" target="_blank" title="Link opens in new window">Go here for more on underlying pigments and the chemistry of haircolor</a>) I'm going to hazard a guess that you're using permanent color. The problem is that (permanent) drugstore colors are formulated with 20 volume peroxide. This means that it actually lifts your hair before depositing the color. As soon as you lift the hair, you're unleashing those underlying pigments. So even if you use an ash tone, there's not enough ash to counteract the yellow/orange and you end up with gold. The solution is to use a semi-permanent (no ammonia, low peroxide) haircolor. Stick with the ash tone. Because of the low peroxide, you don't get any lift with a semi-permanent, so the underlying pigments aren't an issue and you can get a straight deposit. Because a solid ash can be a bit of a bore, adding some highlights (and even lowlights) is a good idea. If you're comfortable with using bleach, you can do it yourself. Here's a link to the section with instructions for <a href="http://www.style-hair-magazine.com/highlighting-hair.html" target="_blank" title="Link opens in new window">foiling hair</a>, which is the process I recommend for adding highlights and/or lowlights. After you've lightened the pieces, you'll need to use a <a href="http://www.style-hair-magazine.com/hair-toner.html" target="_blank" title="Link opens in new window">toner</a> to deal with the underlying pigment. Hope this helps! All the best, Michelle Editor, SHM.com

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