Hi ladies! Im really interested in changing my hair up a bit. My hair is grown out and boring, no style really so Im thinking of going back to bangs, maybe coloring, and a trim (I want to keep the length). Anyway I was always a light golden blonde growing up (born strawberry blonde though). After my son was born my roots came in super dark brown/black so friends convinced me to go a dark brown. Boy did that look terrible! Well I eventually got it back to my natural looking blonde but have to keep it up with dye now. My roots are growing in more of a dark blonde/light brown mousy color so my roots arent so shocking but still its odd. Id love to be free of the coloring burden but I cant stand this grown out root look and I dont want to chop my long locks off just to get rid of the color difference!

Heres a photo from this weekend lol its the most recent one that I had that shows my hair/root colors off best so yall can get an idea. I didnt have a close up so now yall can enjoy seeing my son and I at a farm (went for the cornmaze, etc.) Ill try to get my hubby to take a decent close up of me later today just so you can see my face/eyes/skin better.

Soooo should I keep up the light blonde, dye it closer to my root color so it doesnt grow out so odd, OR should I be bold and try a darker color underneath or all over? Im thinking a warm auburn might look okay or a light brown with a hint of strawberry? I dunno, HELP! LOL any advice would be great!!! Thanks and sorry I wrote so much!

<3 Ashley

Since your natural color was a warm strawberry blonde (and I'm guessing your new darker color is still on the warm side), and since your skintone is warm, I bet you'd look awesome in a warmer hair color! An auburn sounds great if you want to go darker, or a lighter brown with some strawberry or gold-ish highlights if you want to lighter. While any of these colors would show roots some, it probably wouldn't be as noticeable as roots with the light blonde

I know that my mom used to be a natural blonde, even as late as her 20's, but now is a natural brunette. When her hair first started getting dark, she kept trying to dye it blonde. But now she dyes it a shade closer to her natural color (perhaps a bit warmer and lighter, but not a lot lighter) and I think it looks much better

Also keep in mind that if you go darker, you'll have a more high contrast look. You'll likely want to wear a bit darker makeup (eys and lips especially) to help balance out your new darker hair color!

Blondes who go darker are often unsure of the color. It can take some getting used to!

A color consultation may help you to decide before you color. A color specialist may be able to give you some good ideas. If you don't want to worry about constant maintenance, a color close to your natural color will be the easiest, and you can easily add in various highlights and lowlights , a little glaze, to allow you to have dimension and give you the pizazz you're looking for. Highlights can go a bit longer, depending on how much lighter they are, so you won't be rushing back to the salon all the time.

If you're coloring yourself, most of the big OTC brands have "try it on" features on their websites, where you can download your picture and try their shades to get an idea what it will look like. Keep in mind results DO vary, so it might not be an exact match, but should give you an idea. Semi perm color might be the best way to go until you're sure you know which direction you want to go. Check the boxes though, some semi perm shades will last 12 shampoos, others 24 or more.

If you like the length, a change in color may well be what you're looking for. A nice trim to get rid of any damage (usually on the ends) and a new color can go a long way!!