Help me pick a color
Printed From: HairBoutique.com
Category: Hair Talk
Forum Name: Hair Color
Forum Description: The tricks and tribulations of changing your hair color
URL: /forum_posts.php?TID=42125
Printed Date: Dec 26, 2024 at 9:30am
Topic: Help me pick a color
Posted By: caramel
Subject: Help me pick a color
Date Posted: Apr 7, 2006 at 4:03pm
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 lookthanks in advance!  ------------- |
Replies: 36
Posted By: caramel
Date Posted: Apr 7, 2006 at 4:03pm
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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 lookthanks in advance! |
Posted By: aubergine
Date Posted: Apr 8, 2006 at 8:35am
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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. |
Posted By: caramel
Date Posted: Apr 8, 2006 at 12:01pm
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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??
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Posted By: meli
Date Posted: Apr 8, 2006 at 8:45pm
| 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 :) |
Posted By: caramel
Date Posted: Apr 9, 2006 at 2:25pm
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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 |
Posted By: red legos
Date Posted: Apr 9, 2006 at 11:58pm
| I dunno If it matters or if you're still considering dying your hair. I was just going to ask if your hair is currently dyed or not. If so, I was just going to suggest to colorfix the color or use another product to remove the color and then dye it. I like your 3rd choice, but I'm sure you can find a Garnier Nutrisse shade which looks similar. |
Posted By: caramel
Date Posted: Apr 10, 2006 at 9:08am
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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 |
Posted By: caramel
Date Posted: Apr 11, 2006 at 10:48am
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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 |
Posted By: red legos
Date Posted: Apr 11, 2006 at 2:38pm
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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.
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Posted By: Curly_Que
Date Posted: Apr 11, 2006 at 4:54pm
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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. |
Posted By: caramel
Date Posted: Apr 11, 2006 at 5:50pm
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 |
Posted By: Curly_Que
Date Posted: Apr 12, 2006 at 10:08am
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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. |
Posted By: caramel
Date Posted: Apr 12, 2006 at 3:31pm
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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?  |
Posted By: caramel
Date Posted: Apr 12, 2006 at 4:09pm
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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 |
Posted By: caramel
Date Posted: Apr 12, 2006 at 5:28pm
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 |
Posted By: caramel
Date Posted: Apr 12, 2006 at 6:09pm
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 |
Posted By: Curly_Que
Date Posted: Apr 12, 2006 at 7:44pm
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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. |
Posted By: caramel
Date Posted: Apr 12, 2006 at 8:42pm
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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 |
Posted By: caramel
Date Posted: Apr 12, 2006 at 8:44pm
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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  |
Posted By: katay
Date Posted: Apr 13, 2006 at 9:24am
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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 $50.00 bucks) with tax, and tip. Just for some pink streaks,...sorry, not made of money. I guess I can live without the pink streaks,right. So anyway, I'd rather buy some new clothes instead! Plus Gas prices are super high, and I'm a newlywed, and although my Husband and I invest, and save our money, we still don't want to break the bank over frivilous stuff. Sorry for my rant, just had to vent a bit. Thanks,... Katie !$ @acb $$" ,"B $($ |
Posted By: caramel
Date Posted: Apr 13, 2006 at 3:43pm
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hello Katie yeah, i know, those gas prices are terrible.. and rising! my friend owns a cadillac, and u can only fill those things with premium.. he pays about $40 every 2 weeks to fill it up why don't u try those wash-out colors for ur pink streaks?? i think l'oreal makes some... then u can get all the colors u want and alternate every now and then for a new look and ur not a goofball, i actually wanted fushia ones some time ago loll... i saw this kid at school with dark brown hair and pink spikes, and he was hot! i was like hmm, it looks pretty good on dark hair edited to add: thanks for the compliments |
Posted By: katay
Date Posted: Apr 19, 2006 at 5:15am
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Thanks, I think I've seen those wash out L'oreal shades of pink hair color. I have tried the L'oreal Color rays, in Fushia Flash! I did that twice within a year. It was sooo bright, even I freaked out. So I'll look into those wash out L'oreal colors. Thanks for the suggestion! Love, katie;) !$ @acb $$" ,"B $($ |
Posted By: katay
Date Posted: Apr 19, 2006 at 7:18am
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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 $15.00. I think the cherry, or plum would be fun to try. Thanks,.. Love, Katie;) !$ @acb $$" ,"B $($ |
Posted By: caramel
Date Posted: Apr 19, 2006 at 3:32pm
| i saw the cherry and plum, and i think they would look really nice on dark hair... can't imagine them on light hair. |
Posted By: meli
Date Posted: Apr 20, 2006 at 12:04am
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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.
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. |
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Posted By: caramel
Date Posted: Apr 20, 2006 at 4:51pm
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that chart u attached is really helpful! i'm a visual learner and reading the "Haircoloring Intro to color..." thread didn't help me much, i didn't even finish reading it off b/c i was getting almost nothing out of it (it's actually a wonderfully-written thread, i'm just more visual, can't process text as well as i do images)... thank u but u said use "40 volume" developer, would that replace bleach? l'oreal makes a professional version of preference haircolor that is to be used with 40 vol developer.. do u think that would be sufficient to go from black to a somewhat dark shade of blonde (probably golden)? they also have "excellence hicolor" which is pro haircolor especially made for black to med brown hair, but it's to be used with 30 vol.. i don't think it would be anywhere near enough. what's ur take on that? and also, what would colorfix do to any true black hair i have, as in any hair that is naturally black and not due to the dying process. thanks for ur help |
Posted By: caramel
Date Posted: Apr 20, 2006 at 4:54pm
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here's a link to the l'oreal site for pro haircolor http://www.lorealtechnique.com/?c=1090 u can check out the ones i mentioned (and the developers and bleaches they make also) if u wish.. they're under "Products" in the top menu |
Posted By: meli
Date Posted: Apr 20, 2006 at 5:16pm
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I've never used L'Oreal so I don't really know how well they work. You can post a noew topic about them and see what other people might say. The Excellence Hicolor says it lifts hair 3 to 4 levels, which would take you from a level 1 (black) to level 4 or 5 (light brown), supposedly without pre-bleaching. Did you dye your hair entirely black r just the highlights? I'm not sure about any effects on natural hair. I know Colorfix is very gentle, but the most I would imagine it would do is remove some protein? Again, I'm not sure. |
Posted By: caramel
Date Posted: Apr 20, 2006 at 10:06pm
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it was a full-head application of black... but my hair is fairly strong, so i think colorfix wouldn't be super damaging anyway. i have another question for u though.. would 40 vol dev replace bleach? or would it only lighten my hair 4 shades? from what i understand about developers volume=shade, as in 20 vol lightens 2 shades, 30 lightens 3, 40 lightens 4.. am i correct? and if i were to bleach then color, are there any brands u would advise me to use? or suggestions for things i should look for in a bleaching agent or haircolor? (other than demi-perm, i've already taken ur advise on that one )thanks |
Posted By: meli
Date Posted: Apr 21, 2006 at 1:32am
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Use Colorfix first to remove the permanent color...otherwise you may have to bleach more than once to get light brown. Developers are used with hair color or bleach to activate it. 20 vol lightens 1 shade, 30 vol 2-3 shades, and 40 vol 3-4 shade (you'll lift 3 shades with 40 vol and possibly 4, but not guaranteed) I don't recall the name of bleach I used, but any from Sally's should be fine. |
Posted By: caramel
Date Posted: Apr 21, 2006 at 2:10pm
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i want to use this one bleach at sally's called "super blue" by l'oreal.. it's an oil/creme bleach. but now u really confused me: "you may have to bleach more than once to get light brown."-- do i not just apply the bleach and wait for the hair to lighten to the desired shade? what do u mean "more than once"? "Developers are used with hair color or bleach to activate it."-- so i need to use developer with the oil bleach? or r u just refering to powder bleaches? thanks |
Posted By: meli
Date Posted: Apr 21, 2006 at 3:41pm
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You can bleach your hair once (sort of a "single process") to acheive the shade you want, but darker hair may require a bleaching one day and then bleaching again a while later to get hair to the desired shade (double process). For instance, if a person with black hair wants a light yellow blonde hair, chances are she'll probably need to bleach her hair twice (once to the orange stage and the second time to the pale yellow stage). Though just a possibility, it's something you should be aware of...best to know what may happen rather than being surprised by it. You will need a developer with your belach (oil or otherwise) to activate it. Hair dye is just chemistry...mix 2 chemicals and get a reaction that lasts for a certain amount of time and can be sped up wth heat. |
Posted By: caramel
Date Posted: Apr 21, 2006 at 8:24pm
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makes sense.. i won't go anywhere lighter than a dark golden blonde or light golden brown, so i'm guessing i probably will only need to bleach once. as for developer: do i mix some with the bleach, then some with the haircolor; or do i mix all three? and since i'm colorfix-ing, then bleaching, then dying, how much time should i leave in between the three steps? or can i do all three steps in one day? |
Posted By: meli
Date Posted: Apr 21, 2006 at 11:49pm
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the type and amount of developer depends on the brand you chose..just read the instructions. You can Colorfix and bleach the same day (because Colorfix is gentle), but I would personally wait at least 24 hrs before coloring to give your hair a break, deep conditioning in between treatments. So bleach on a Friday and color on a Sunday so you won't have to go anywhere really with orange hair..or just wear a hat :) You CAN do it in one day after your hair is dry, but I would always wait after bleaching. Oh, and (as the directions probably state) the bleach will process faster at your roots, so first apply to the length and then the roots for the last half of the time (so your roots won't get too light compared to the length). ALWAYS strand test first though to know th correct amount of time.
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Posted By: caramel
Date Posted: Apr 22, 2006 at 9:33am
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great! thank u so much, u've been one of the most helpful people on this board ... thanks again
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Posted By: meli
Date Posted: Apr 24, 2006 at 8:12pm
| hey caramel...let me know what bleach you end up using and how it goes. I'm always looking for a better bleach. Good luck when you do it! |
Posted By: caramel
Date Posted: Apr 24, 2006 at 9:40pm
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i won't be coloring for some time, maybe about 2-3 weeks or so, but i'll keep in mind to get back to u on the bleach |