Help me pick a color

hello 

i'd like to change my haircolor completely for the summer and was thinking about trying one of the new shades that have that "ultra-lift" technology instead of using bleach first.. my hair is naturally black, and i'm olive-skinned, but i can't tell if i'm considered medium olive or light olive , and i have dark brown/ black eyes... i'd like to go for light golden brown or a suitable blonde shade.

i'm thinking about:
1. garnier 100% color-- UB3

2. nice 'n easy-- 127 Medium Blonde


3. nice 'n easy-- 128 Lightest Golden Brown


opinions, ideas, suggestions??? if someone thinks the best color for me would require bleaching, i don't mind, i'll consider that too (i see l'oreal feria has some really nice shades, but i'd have to bleach).. i just want a new nice look

thanks in advance!

Hi,

Even if the dye says they have "ultra lift technology" it's unlikely that the dye will make much difference on your black hair.  The ultra lift is to enhance the colour and perhaps give highlights etc, but on already brown or lighter hair...I'm sceptical.

hmmm, i don't know.. i went and checked out the packaging on my own one day, just to see the info they have written on it and color samples and stuff.. and it showed on the box that dark brown to black hair should get slightly darker results than shown, and they show a sample swatch thing.... do u really think they wouldn't work that well?? 

With any hair you need bleach if you plan on going more than 2 levels beyond your normal color.  Since you have black hair, using a dark blonde or light brown will most definitely turn your hair a shade of orange.  Do NOT just use the box color alone.  I reccommend that you either use bleach first or just choose a darker color, but that's just my reccommendations so you don't get orange hair.  Pictures on a box are not usually accurate, especially when it comes to the darkest shade shown.  Good luck with whatever you choose to do :)

well i guess i'll go with what u gals r saying, since i am no expert in haircolor... i definitely do not want orange hair!!! yikes 

so now that i'm bleaching first, i have a much bigger variety of colors to choose from!! what do u guys suggest?  what would look best on a tan/olive person? and since i'm bleaching first, can i use whatever brand i want afterwards? i'd like to use garnier nutrisse, since it's so gentle

red legos:  u know, now that i think about it, i'm not even sure... see i have naturally black hair, but about 1.5-2 yrs ago i went and got my hair highlighted, and they used bleach for it, it was (is) permanent.. i got sick of those highlights and died my hair black (permanent color) exactly 1 yr ago (about 6 months after the highlighting).. now my hair is mostly black, but i still have some brown strands at the ends, i'm guessing those are from the blonde and then black, but i am no hair expert.... what am i to do with that?!  would bleach rid me of all the different colors? it would be somewhat difficult to isolate those strands and colorfix them then bleach the rest of my head, they're scattered

wait, i have a question: meli said that my hair would probably turn orange if i decide to go more than two levels beyond my natural color...

if i would like to achieve golden brown hair, can i get one of those shades that will turn my hair orange then apply the desired golden brown afterwards?  wouldn't that be a tiny bit safer than bleaching first, or is it about the same, or will the orange base ruin everything (i know that new color is a mix of base and added color)?  i only want to lighten my hair from black to a color light enough to give way to golden brown or dark honey blonde

thanks for the tips already given, and thanks in advance for any new ones

Yes,

I believe what she was saying was that in order to go 2 shades lighter you'd have to bleach your hair. There was someone on here who had black hair and had just pieces of pale blonde in it. I mean I know you aren't wanting to go that light, I'm just saying going 2 shades lighter is possible. She went way more than 2 and her hair looked awesome. *here's her post*

If you choose to lighten your hair before you do it, just make sure you leave it on long enough or you'll end up with brassy color. Then once you bleach it, you can dye it your desired color. You may want to even go to a professional if you're really worried about messing up your hair.

 

red legos38818.6109259259

My sister is in the same boat. She's a Siberian eskimo (adopted), naturally black hair, very dark eyes, olive skin. She tried to get her hair my colour (light golden blonde). Unfortunately, her hair was down to her midback at the time, and she was NOT willing to cut it, so she had two feet of orange hair for 6 months till she could afford to get it fixed.

Seriously, go to a pro. It might hurt your pocket book, but at least you won't have to start a new hat collection.

red legos: yeah i searched and saw that thread, i do like her hair, but alas-- i'm a poor college student, i can't afford $200+ for initial color and $50+ for touch ups (i already called in for prices)

Curly: yikes! i can imagin her pain.. i have long hair too and would not want to chop it off.. that's why i'm asking around to explore my choices

i need someone to explain to me why that orange hair can't be colored over...

and would i need to bleach my hair all the way to white-ish blonde even if i'm only going for golden brown?  i also read that the most gentle bleaches are oil-based, but is there really such thing as a "gentle bleach"??

thanks girls

Well, I've been looking all over the 'net trying to figure out why you can't fix orange on your own. I haven't found the official answer yet, but everything I've looked up has said to DEFINITELY not try it without going to a pro. Most of the answers I've found have had to do with running the risk of extreme damage to your hair due to the chemicals required to fix it. From what I can tell it seems that you need to do more than simply neutralize the red and yellow tones, but need to restore the blue tones as well, which requires a colouring expert.

Hope that helps at least a little :) Though the research hasn't helped me... I'm trying to go to the opposite colour end (red-head) but I've got a lot of gold in my hair and don't want to end up looking like Carrot Top.

i hear ya!

do u know anything about how bleach works, though?  i kept researching last night and all of the sources said similar things about how bleach strips the color from ur hair, which i obviously already know lol, no one mentioned anything about bleaching hair half-way or so... is it possible? i mean i'm guessing it works like body hair bleach, if i don't leave it long enough my hair will turn brown instead of blonde.. would head hair bleach work the same way, or would i need to go all the way to white blonde in order to apply my golden brown color?

hey i was just searching and came across clairol's born blonde line.. is this bleach? what is this stuff?  one of them is made especially for dark brown to black hair... i'm guessing it's bleach, if it lightens so much

GRRRR!
this color thing is really getting on my nerves lol.. phew!!

i'm sooooooooooooo utterly frustrated!!... so i talked to clairol about their born blonde maxi stuff (for black hair) and they told me that they wouldn't advise i do this on my own, and i'm like well i wasn't gonna call u to begin with had i had the money/time/courage to go to a pro stylist!! ... sorry

has anyone bleached and colored their hair at home before, or am i the only insane one in here??  and why do they even make those products available for home-users if they don't reccomend using them?!

anyway, so i guess i'm giving up on the ultra lift and going for bleach.. after i bleach though, what do i use on my hair to get the desired color? just some delicate color like garnier nutrisse or herbal essence on top of the bleach, or something else? i have no idea what toners and developers are, but i keep reading about them in other threads regarding bleaching.. would i need those??  can they be used instead of the haircolor to achieve dark blonde/ light brown?

in short, can someone who has done this double processing before at home give me directions/tips/suggestion please?

thanks

i feel like an idiot posting and replying to myself lol, but i'm an over-achiever and i cannot rest until i resolve my problems, especially my beauty problems 

anyway, was just checking out sally's.. they've got tons of coloring kits for pros that are "extra high lifts"... they're especially designed for salon use to lighten black hair up to 4-5 shades, and l'oreal even has a special hi-lift professional line to lighten black hair to blonde, single process, no bleach required... so far, so good

i'll just wait until someone replies to this informing me that i can't do that either on my own due to something .. i'm not liking this tough black hair anymore, u know

Okay, why would Clairol have a product specifically for black hair called "Born Blonde," and then not advise you to use it? That makes no sense to me. But anyway.

I've heard stories from women here who've tried to bleach their own hair - unfortunately, you'll find most of them in the Bloopers section. It's just a bad idea to try it on your own.

i know, that's what i thought about clairol as well...

but yeah, thought about it, had the brilliant idea of calling sally's and i did.. they sell pro coloring stuff, mostly made by l'oreal and wella (some made by clairol as well).. and it's super cheap, she said the price of the color is $5.29 and i'm guessing the developer would cost around the same; she also said they have a swatch book thingy in-store.. all i have to do is mix them as directed and apply them to my hair.. i'm a neat-freak, and i follow directions well, so i figured that if some beauty student can do it, i can too

all i have left to do is pick color which i think will be equally painful since i can't tell whether i'm cool or warm, but i'll see my way around that.. i think i'll just go ask one of the make-up counter ladies at the mall

oops, forgot to thank you girls for all ur input!!! it really helped, i would've had to spend quite a bit of time with orange hair otherwise 

thank u

Hi there Caramel!

 You are smart, and fiesty, and that's cool, I'm the same way.

 I'm glad You're resourceful! I agree with not affording to pay a professional colorist/stylist. I mean all I wanted was  a few streaks of Pink(I know I'm a GOOFball), so anyways, my Stylist Mary, said, "Oh that would cost about $50.00 ,instead of the $80.. dollars for complete color.

 Oh wow, I get to shell out (really over $50.00 bucks) with tax, and tip. Just for some pink streaks,...sorry, not made of money.

 I guess I can live without the pink streaks,right.

 So anyway, I'd rather buy some new clothes instead!

 Plus Gas prices are super high, and I'm a newlywed, and although my Husband and I invest, and save our money, we still don't want to break the bank over frivilous stuff.

 Sorry for my rant, just had to vent a bit.

 Thanks,...

 Katie

hello Katie 

yeah, i know, those gas prices are terrible.. and rising! my friend owns a cadillac, and u can only fill those things with premium.. he pays about $40 every 2 weeks to fill it up

why don't u try those wash-out colors for ur pink streaks?? i think l'oreal makes some... then u can get all the colors u want and alternate every now and then for a new look

and ur not a goofball, i actually wanted fushia ones some time ago loll... i saw this kid at school with dark brown hair and pink spikes, and he was hot! i was like hmm, it looks pretty good on dark hair

edited to add: thanks for the compliments
caramel38820.6565625

 Hi Caramel!

 Thanks, I think I've seen those wash out L'oreal shades of pink hair color. I have tried the L'oreal Color rays, in Fushia Flash!

 I did that twice within a year. It was sooo bright, even I freaked out.

 So I'll look into those wash out L'oreal colors. Thanks for the suggestion!

 Love, katie;)

 Hi,

 I looked up on the web, for L'oreal's wash out colors. It's called L'oreal Color Pulse. Mousse color, washes out in 8 to 10 shampoo's. Plus it doesn't fade your natural hair color. Not recommended for bleached, or gray hair.

 It retails for just under $6.00 But you can buy a 3 pack for $15.00. I think the cherry, or plum would be fun to try.

 Thanks,..

 Love, Katie;)

i saw the cherry and plum, and i think they would look really nice on dark hair... can't imagine them on light hair.

Do NOT use Born Blonde (OTC..not sure if the professional is different).. I had med brown hair and it came out orange. yikes!
Colorfix your hair entirely (since you put black all over) and then bleach with a 40 volume to get down to the desired pigment. Refer to the sticky in the Hair Color forum "Haircoloring Intro to color..."
You can color your hair whatever color you want right now depending on the level and the contributing pigment.

NATURAL LEVEL AND CONTRIBUTING PIGMENT

		LEVEL		CONTRIBUTING PIGMENT
		10 - Lightest Blonde		Pale Yellow
		9 - Very Light Blonde		Yellow
		8 - Light Blonde		Yellow-Gold
		7 - Medium Blonde		Gold
		6 - Dark Blonde		Orange-Gold
		5 - Lightest Brown		Orange
		4 - Light Brown		Red-Orange
		3 - Medium Brown		Red
		2 - Dark Brown		Red-Brown
		1 - Black		Dark Red-Brown

When you get your hair to an orange level 5 or 6, you can put a color on your hair that is at the same level.  To minimize damage, use a demi-permanent color, which might even stay longer.   Hope that helps a little. meli38829.5630439815