Back to brown

I dyed my hair. 

So why did I do it?

I felt too beige: beige clothes, beige bag, beige lips, beige skin and beige hair. There has to be some contrast somewhere and whilst I loved my initial colour, the toner went faster than a space shuttle. What that left behind was a lot of beige highlights that were starting to go brassy in the sun.

The options then were return to the hairdresser for more toner and/or lowlights OR dye it dark brown. I fearlessly went with the latter. This was partly because:

a) I am fickle
b) Putting a dark dye over a ton of highlights creates some nice multi-faceted colour that isn't flat or dull;
c) From previous experience I knew that it would lighten and fade nicely; and
d) I used foils to try and preserve some of the "flashes"of lighter pieces peeking through the bottom layers. I loved this effect when I got it professionally done last year so I tried my amateur best.

The brown dye came courtesy of Schwarzkopf.


I bought it in the local convenience store and it cost about £5. I almost feel like the last sentence is a shameful confessional.... :)  Anyway, Schwarzkopf is a brand that I really rely on for this sort of job. Clairol is also great - L'oreal however promises brown but almost always delivers black.

I tried the Perfect Mousse in Chocolate Brown. As a general rule when choosing a dye I keep in mind that it will almost always go darker than the guide on the reverse of the box....so I choose a shade lighter than I intend to go.

I slapped this on for about 35 minutes - the guide is 45 but my hair is so porous I can speed up the process.  It's a foam consistency which I like in some respects - it feels easier - but hate in others - I seem to be messier than ever and end up with a stained neck and random blotches on my arms. Lovely.

And the end result is pictured above. I do like it - as ever, going darker feels like coming home. My skin and eyes looks clearer and I am less beige overall. Makeup is also a joy - lipsticks like the L'oreal Caresse in Lovely Rose are back on my face - and I am piling it on. The flashes of colour are there (although you can't really see them pictured) and the colour is a lovely warm dark brown. I am quite excited to see how it fades out over time.

I think the lesson learned here is that ombres are fine and dandy - and in fact fabulous for brunettes. But don't get carried away!

My hair has undertook an adventure and now asks for lots of moisture and a mini holiday away from hair dye. I think I have to now oblige. End of story :) 

PS. Some of you on Instagram were asking how it got so long. I was thinking about this and there are a few things:

a) I have waited years for it to be this length - so it didn't happen overnight. I did use some hair pills to help the growth - I think the Phyto ones were the best. Hair Sublim a close second.
b) I only use heat about twice a week - I wash it every 3 days and then use the conical wand very quickly to curl large sections.
c) I try and use nourishing products as much as possible - Phyto and Redken are brands that serve me well for that. I also just tried a sample of Kerastase Ciment Thermique - woah. MUST PURCHASE.
c) Clutching at straws now....for the last 4 months or so I have religiously had a protein shake for breakfast and since starting this both nails and hair have stopped breaking. It's possibly related as an increase in protein is always cited as one of the main ways to boost hair growth.

Hope that helps although reading it back, it probably doesn't :)