Is Going Darker For Fall Right For Me?
We’ve had an incredibly bright and sunny summer season this year, which generally prompts us to brighten our hair accordingly. Now as the seasons are changing, are you feeling the itch to go darker? If so, here are some hair color facts to help you make an informed decision before you make the plunge!
First off, think about your natural color. If you’re a natural blonde who likes highlights in the summer, but you want to try being a brunette for a while, you should know you’ll need to keep up on color appointments every 6 weeks or so, since your roots will be lighter than the rest of your hair. Natural hair is highlighted by the sun, so when darker roots grow in, it doesn’t look unnatural, but when you have lighter roots growing in, it can make being overdue for your color retouch really obvious, and not so cute, let’s say. In some cases, if you have lower density hair to start (common for natural blondes), having the roots be lighter can also make your hair look thinner. Eek! We’re not saying don’t go dark for the winter, but if you do, make sure you’re able to maintain the look properly.
Another consideration in the event that you’ve been highlighting over the summer is whether you plan to go light again for next spring/summer. Without a doubt, taking a break from bleach for the winter can give your hair a break from damage, but then if you decide to go light again in 6 months from now, it can sometimes cause more damage if you’re not careful, because you’ll have to bleach over top of the hair that’s already been bleached, in order to remove the darker color you added to the hair for fall/winter season. Last summer’s highlights haven’t been magically repaired by the darker color, as the strands have just been filled by the darker pigment making your hair feel softer and look healthier, but not necessarily be less likely to break if you re-bleach it down the road. If you do decide to go lighter again, it is possible, but just be aware that you may end up having to cut a bit more hair if your ends end up more damaged than you’d imagined, AND it would be highly recommended for you to get deep conditioning treatments a few times before and after you decide to go lighter, to help build up as much strength as possible to avoid unnecessary breakage.
Now we don’t say all of this to scare you, but just educate you on the realities of going light to dark for the season. If you do want to go darker for fall and you don’t have any grey hairs to cover you can use a demi-permanent color that won’t damage your hair further, and just color the roots until you’re ready to go back to highlights. This will create the least amount of damage to your hair. Another option for going darker for fall is the ombré look. You can darken your roots and keep the ends of your highlighted hair, so you don’t damage them later, when you decide to go lighter again. Ombre is one of our favorite hair color trends, and it allows more versatility from season to season!
Lastly, if you do decide to go darker, and your hair is more than 50% highlighted to very pale blonde, please be prepared to pay a bit extra for a pre-fill of your hair, prior to the final color application. This is just the only way to ensure your color comes out properly, holds up over more than a few shampoos, and doesn’t appear too flat and drab. If you go to a salon and ask to have your hair colored darker, and they do not suggest your hair be filled beforehand, you should question if the color will hold up properly over time. If they say it will, but then it washes out within the first week or two, make sure to go back and ask for a redo. Yes, the pre-fill will cost a bit extra, but it is the only way to make sure you’re getting the results you, and your stylist will want for your hair.
Don’t let any of our “warnings” discourage you from going darker. It’s a great thing to be able to change your hair color with the seasons. We ourselves change our colors from light to dark and back again all the time. Just be educated on what is involved to protect the integrity of your hair. We look forward to seeing more of the new trends on our clients – dark mahogany and violet hair are very in right now, which we love! Ask us on your next visit to look at some color swatches to find the new you for fall!