The fashion magazines and internet are full of articles on actresses that have made the move to go from blonde to brunette. We like to play a game in the salon called better blonde or brunette? Where we call out celebrity name and decide whether we like her hair one way or the other. Sometimes we agree, with united a chorus of “BLONDE!” when it comes to Brittany spears. Sometimes though we are divided on our opinion for example Katie Price seems to pull off both. I remember years ago Nigella Lawson went blonde as an experiment to see whether she felt different, The old do blondes have more fun? thing; but it looked very odd indeed!
Meet Judith
Judith was a client recently who went from Blonde to brunette. Shannon worked on Judith’s hair both in terms of colour and condition. Judith was fed up of her roots coming through and wanting to go dark. However she’d been blond for a while and the magazine picture she was clutching was quite a dramatic change.
She decided it was best to ease her in gently when going to the dark side, using a level 7 with some red and honey tones.
Judith was pleased with the result. Especially the shine on the hair. She might stay this shade or go a smidge darker next time. By the way Judith didn’t have her cut this is just colouring, treatment and a good blow-dry.
If you are thinking of going from Blonde to the dark side, here is some advice from our Stylist Shannon.
Choosing your colour (There are some things to consider when making your choice)
Your own natural colouring
What shade of brown is going to suit you? What is your skin tone and eye colour. As we get older we naturally lose pigment in our skin and lighter browns are more flattering. Likewise picking a brown with warmth (a hint of red or honey) to it is also key. Flatter browns or ash based brunettes don’t often suit blondies or those used to being blonde.
How brave are you?
Once you go black it’s hard to go back! Or rather if you go for a dramatic change as in blonde to a level 4 (dark brunette) it’s a lot harder to change your. Judith in our picture is a level 7.
Go lighter or for low lights
If you fancy leaving your blonde from brunette. Go for a lighter, warmer more caramel brunette. That way if you think you’ve made a wrong choice it’s easier to run some blonde highlights through to lighten you back up again. Alternatively go for lowlights. Like highlights but dark to go darker gradually
Check Your Make-up
As a rule of thumb, brunettes can go for stronger colours. However again, your skin and eye colour will play a part. Also personal style. If you were a natural make-up chick before, why change? If you’re more experimental, you’ll see this as a fun change to do just that. Get a good neutral eye palette and good bronzer that you can build gradually and you can’t go wrong.
However there is the issue of eyebrows. You will need some now you’re a brunette. It’s an issue of contrast. Get a good brow palette with a couple of shades and be frugal in your application.
Don’t let it fade
Choosing the right shampoo is key to keeping your colour rich and vibrant. Especially if you were previously a bleach blond and most are. We recommend a sulphate free shampoo, which means colour won’t wash out. We have a few options at WWW.Comb Taking into account hair texture and condition. If you also struggle with Frizz go for IT&LY SynergiCare smooth. If your prime concern is moisturising IT&LY SynergiCare colour extend. Both come with a rich conditioning mask.
Colour boost
For giving your colour a boost we stock a range of colour masks which we also use in the salon as a pre-colour treatment but you can use them at home as a top up. They are Riflessi colours. There are 10 in the range. Here you’d go for brown or honey depending on the tone you’d like to bring out in the hair. The beauty of Riflessi is that it not only colours but conditions. It’s a real multitasking product.
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