It's A Hairy Situation

As the summer melts into fall, we all realize our hair is sun bleached and damaged.  Whether your hair is blonde, red, brown, black or gray, exposure to the sun alters its color and appearance.  As fall marches forward, we want our hair to look soft and consistent again.

Today I read a Gather post by Diane D entitled, "My Friend Did My Hair".  Diane suffered a minor hair calamity when she used an ash tone to smooth out her summer fade.  Her hair turned up greenish so she recruited a talented friend to help her fix it.  The results were stellar and she looks gorgeous!

Meanwhile, I just colored my hair the same shade her friend used to correct her color.  We both used medium blonde and I marveled that it comes out darker than it looks on the package.  Diane requested a pic so I decided to oblige.

I've been coloring my own hair successfully for decades.  I can't even remember my real hair color anymore!  I think it's a dark blonde with lots of icky gray at this point.

My hair is like an accessory to me.  I've had every shade under the sun because to me hair is fun!  Some are flattering, some I never want to see again.  My favorite is blonde because frankly, I've really had a lot of good times as a golden-haired girl.  Besides, it is closest to my natural color.

I decided to share a few tips along with some brand suggestions:

Highlighting adds lighter color blocks to your current hair color.  You can make them thin or bold.  Frosting is when you put on a cap, pull hairs through and lighten them.

Favorites:  L'oreal Colour Experte is premium.  You get the base hair color plus a highlighting kit in one package.  The two colors are perfectly matched for a natural look.  The kit usually costs between $15 and $20, which is a real deal compared to the cost of professional hair coloring.

Affordable alternative: Garnier has a highlighting kit that works well with their Nutrisse hair colors.  With a good sale, you can get both for under ten bucks with awesome results.

Lowlighting is the opposite - darker streaks through a lighter color.  Your teens are probably doing this.  L'oreal makes lowlighting kits but it isn't my thing.

Bleaching lightens your hair and can also dry it out when done improperly.  One of the easiest ways I found to lighten my hair is Revlon Colorsilk.  For about $5 (less if on sale), their ultimate blondes really get your hair light without spending big bucks at a salon.

If you don't have time to color your hair, there are plenty of products made just for you.  Clairol Pro 10 is fantastic and only takes 10 minutes.  The kit comes with a comb through dispenser, gloves and after color conditioner.  With an array of rich shades to choose from, it's easy to see why this option costs about $13.

For about half the price, L'oreal Excellence just came out with their own 10 minute hair color.  It works just as well as Clairol for less money.  There are less shades to choose from but still enough to find what you want.

For those on a totally tight budget, you can't miss with Revlon Colorsilk.  Last week Rite Aid ran a sale on it for $2.50 each.  The product comes with gloves and an after color conditioner for a complete salon experience at home.  You don't need big bucks to be beautiful!

Finally, ash shades neutralize reddish tones but may come up grayish or greenish on bleached hair.
Here's to coloring your world beautiful on a budget!