Take it from someone who’s been there.
Laura Lajiness
Confession: I have hair color dysmorphia.
At several points in my life, I’ve suffered from full-blown blondorexia.
Laura Lajiness
I’m fighting mynatural hair color, as so many do.
After 15+ years of coloringat certain times, to an extremeacquiesce, I might.
Not to mention the damage that can come with being an unnatural blonde.
Laura Lajiness
My coarse and bouncy texture?
It’s lost much volume.
Man-o-man, am I accustomed.
@reecewalkerhair
Surprisingly, Ihaveattempted a few natural grow-outs over the years, but to no avail.
Each pro will explain common coloring concerns for all shades from blonde to brunette and black to red.
Let’s dive in, and explore them, shall we?
Laura Lajiness
Or, do you want your natural color to be stretched down more into a balayage style?
Javier stresses the importance of honestly with your colorist.
“When asking a professional to help you segue into a more natural tone, I suggest being honest.
I find that clients seem to be timid when asking to go natural.”
Patience is also crucial, no matter your color.
“It’s not always an easy process,” she says.
Box Dye, Begone!
Javier’s number-one tip when aiming for more natural-looking hair color?
Don’t use box dye and see a professional.
Javier says box dye can be irreversible in some cases.
“It’s a much easier process to tone,” she explains.
For darker tones, Javier says a colorist can create a more natural look with semi-permanent color.
“Doing this slowly is better as you don’t want to rush the process and freak out!”
“I would go only two or three shades darker, to begin with.
Porous hair can only absorb so much color in one appointment.”
This goes across the board for brunettes, redheads, and blondes.
“I reduced the amount of highlights and mimicked it to look sun-kissed,” she says.
The colorist recommends two to three visits before fully assessing the change.
For more complicated cases, she says the timeline is longer, sometimes up to a year.
“I would advise taking care of your hair even more so while transitioning.
“Just because it looks darker and looks healthier doesn’t mean it is at the core.”
“[A color shampoo or conditioner] adds luster to the hair and shine,” she explains.
(Team Byrdie loves Leonor Greyl’s line of Color-Enhancing Conditioners.)
Javier is also in favor ofhair supplements and vitamins.
“They are wonderful tools to use to strengthen.”
A silk pillowcase will also reduce stress to your strands and without absorbing product while you sleep.
Now, a few more tips based on hair color.
For Blondes
As Javier mentioned, box color is a big no-no for a natural-looking mane.
Instead, toning is usually the easiest step for transitioning.
you’ve got the option to also ask for aglossor lowlights, she says.
For Brunettes
Brunettes can easily transition to a more natural look with lowlights, according to Javier.
A gloss can also be helpful for brown hair in transition.
Javier says you’re able to alter any shade with a correctional gloss.
In some cases, she also suggests highlights or a color remover if the applied pigment is more extreme.
“Patience and consultation are key,” he says.
Soft highlights help for variation, includingstrawberry blonde.
