I tried the peperoncini beef recipe everyone is trying. I thought it was pretty good, and would make it again. Paul thought it was MANNA FROM HEAVEN EXCEPT BETTER THAN THAT BECAUSE MANNA WAS PROBABLY ACTUALLY QUITE PLAIN AND BREADY.
********
Last night I put a hair-dye adventure on Twitter. I will summarize, this time with photos.
Here is a picture of my Starting Hair. But I think this photo makes it look lighter and more golden than it is. Paul says my hair is brown and I don’t like it when he says that (although I liked it better when I realized his tastes generally run to brunettes) (actually I did not), but at LIGHTEST it’s “dark blonde” (see Twitter avatar). I think the flash gave it some undeserved lightness and goldenness: see how the front strands that didn’t catch as much flash are more ashy?
And here is my box of hair dye:
Isn’t that a pretty color?
I can already tell this is not going to end up the way I’d hoped.
Also, I don’t recognize myself without my glasses, do you?
(This is the point at which Twitter started telling me the mission was doomed. TOO LATE FOR THIS WARNING.)
This is while it is still WET.
Normally my hair looks slate-grey-brown when wet.
I slept with a towel on my pillow, and took a photo as soon as I got up, because I didn’t want to shower and then have to wait for it to dry AGAIN before I could take a photo. So my hair is a little MASHED looking. However, I think indeed it is safe to say that the box color has been non-achieved:
But I wouldn’t call it a DISASTER, either: it’s not the orange/trashy I’d feared, and if I’d wanted a sort of reddish medium/dark blonde, I would have been quite pleased. And I keep boxes of dark ash blonde hair dye in the house, so it would be easy to go back.
Here it is the way I usually wear it, and with my glasses on, and in more natural light:
Look, I am peeking at you with my partially-obscured peripheral vision.
Or perhaps I am noticing the bit of hairline I missed in the front.
I like it!!! What a big exciting change!!! Plus, it’s only hair, it will grow out/grow back/you can dye it again.
You are very brave indeed, dear Swistle.
I love it! It doesn’t look trashy at all. Or orange.
While it’s certainly not the box color, it’s really pretty. The pictures don’t show it to be trashy or orangey or bleachy.
I will tell you that my hairdresser told me once that hair turns red before it turns blonde and that if you don’t leave the bleach on long enough the result will be strawberry blonde. So, if you really want that blondey blonde result, you might want to try one more box of the Ultra stuff to lift the color even more.
I think it looks good and definitely not trashy. But I have the same issue, whether I dye my hair myself (most of the time) or have it colored at a salon (rare occasions); it’s always more orange-toned than I want. My stylist says I need to stick to cool colors, which I feel like I do (I go by what the box says) but for some reason, always slightly reddish-orange toned results. My natural hair color–dirty blonde going to light brown–starts looking kind of grayish-green on its own, and that’s when I can’t take it anymore and dye again. I’m thinking of trying one of the new foam colors. Anyway, I like it! Go Swistle!
I am insanely jealous of anyone whose hair can hold dye at all, regardless of whether the desired effect is achieved. I think it’s a fun shade for spring/summer (and I love it with your glasses).
But when fall hits…you have the EXACT SAME HAIR as my former roommate, and I was forever trying to get her to go a shade or two DARKER than her natural light brown color. She finally succumbed to my peer pressure, and it was STUNNING. Ever think about darker?
I agree, I think it looks pretty. Although it is definitely not the color presented on the box. I am relived, because I watched your tweets go by last night and I was worried for you. I feel better now.
Springy! And you are so brave!
I have the same color problems. It drives me so nuts that for the first time in years I just flat stopped coloring it. It’s um, not an attractive look, but I won’t exactly be appearing on People of Walmart or anything. I’m just going to keep cutting it and hope that the summer lightens up the natural stuff. Thankfully I got my father’s non-graying hair so that is good right now.
I was scared for you when I saw the color on the box, but I think your hair turned out BETTER than that color! I think that reddish strawberry blond looks very natural and very pretty on you.
Diniwilks- I did once go brunette! I liked it A LOT and I do feel inclined to try it again! YES! I’ll try that in the fall!
I totally gasped when I saw the color on the box. I would love to have that color hair and yet and too chicken shit to even envision myself with that color hair.
Brave, you are. Even though it didn’t come out just as you had expected. It still looks good though!
I Love It! I think I like it better than the box color.
I do agree though that one more attempt would get it closer to blondie blonde.
Its 640 am here so you know I am seriously invested. Hahaha
I think it looks lovely! And the woman on the box is very very pale – I think this color is much more flattering with your skin tone. Yay, pretty spring hair!
Wow, I really like it. I was scared on Twitter but it looks neither orange nor trashy. What a happy outcome, I feel a lot of relief about this, ha!
I quite like it! Although it clearly does NOT match the box. Which makes me a little twitchy at Revlon.
I was following along last night on twitter and this is not AT ALL what I was picturing… RELIEF! I like it too, though you’re right it’s not the box color. To me it looks just sun-kissed and lighter compared to the “before” photo.
Also, that crock pot recipe has gone viral! It cracks me up, each day, when someone new is making it. Also, it makes me crave it. :)
I think it’s a success! I think any box dye job with blonde in the headline is a success if it’s not orangey/fried at the end, so GOOD JOB, YOU!
I think it looks great! It has a certain…lift to it, if that’s remotely the right word, and so shiny and healthy in a way that I wish my hair could be (instead of frizzy and just sort of broken).
I love it!! It is very summery! I tried to make my very dark brown hair blonde when I was in my late teens/early 20s to no avail-it was most definitely trashy orange. I finally went back to dark dark brown this last time I colored it,after being reddish brown for at least 10 years and the whole time, I was sure it was going to be burgandy purple. But I rinsed and slept on it, like you, and it was just plain dark brown.
You should stick with it! It’s pretty!
Oooh, I like it! Not quite like the box, sure, but good nonetheless! Your glasses are cute too.
Funny how those colors NEVER EVER come out they way they are on the box. But it still looks quite nice and a bit lighter for spring.
Also- totally didn’t recognize you without your glasses :)
I have to say, I definitely don’t hate it. In fact, I rather think it looks like a nice reddish blonde color. Maybe some caramel highlights would give it more pop and you might be inclined to like it more? I know they have those highlighting kits now you can buy but I’ve never tried it so don’t go on my word, ha!
Also, twitter picture twenty pounds ago? Doe sthat mean you’ve lost twenty pounds and I have somehow missed that?? Must share this!!
I think it looks pretty!
I have colored my own hair for…oy, 15 years? but always in the dark brown to reddish brown family. I confess that I can’t quite wrap my brain around how a person can make her hair lighter herself, at home, without a separate bleach…? Since I have never bought a box of blond hair dye, these mysteries have never been explained to me.
ANYWAY. Your hair looked nice before and it looks nice now! :) I hope you feel better soon. Your list of woes would overwhelm anyone, and was also oddly comforting to those of us going through anything similar. I confess I was a little worried about your internet silence, as only a non-creepy infrequent commenter can be. Thinking of you and your family, and hoping that springtime relief comes soon!
I believe that you and I have the same natural hair color. And I get irked when people tell me it’s brown. Even though, okay. Whatever.
Definitely not the box color, but still very nice!
I am with everyone above–your results look better than the box!
Very pretty (and very gutsy).
Very pretty! Along with everyone else, I quite like the colour it turned out. I often find that the really blonde colours never look natural (which is weird, because both of my kids are super blonde so I ought to be used to that colour).
This is why I only ever go red. Or, sometimes, blue. The less natural looking the better, is my motto. Then you can be all “Oh, no, it’s SUPPOSED to look like that, really, I’m MAKING A STATEMENT.” It leads to a whole different class of being judged, let me tell you.
I loved walking through this post with you.
how fun! like a girl’s pj party. let’s do our nails now!
Next time- or in 2 days- if you really want to see some changes, Try Nice and Easy. My hair pulls a lot of red when I color it- so I put ASH color onto it- to neutralize. The Nice and Easy brand give lots of highlights and tones– simple one step 30 min deal- seriously, the BEST box color ever- I go to those fancy shmancy salons and they fawn over the great job of “my colorist” HAH!
try #102 and let me know how it turns out..
I really like it. I also really, really like your glasses.
I like it! Not trashy at all!
And I love that you notice things like the more ashy strands at the front that didn’t get the flash… I would never notice that, but you said it, and I was like, “Ohhh, yessss.”
Also, I think you and I have very similar (Zenni) glasses… I can tell they’re not exactly the same… Mine are lime plastic with flowers on the sides, but without the (what looks like) threeish silver rivetish things. And also, it looks like your frames don’t go all the way around your lenses, as mine do. Overall, way too much analysis of your glasses… Sorry. They’re cute too!
I think it’s very pretty!
Well, that worked out well. Love the color. There will be much eyebrow waggling in your future, I think. It’s very pretty.
You really DO have a Clark Kent vibe going on with the glasses/no glasses.
I dye my hair a light natural blonde all the time, from a lighter color than your starting color, and it basically looks like that. I will say it will probably look more natural after 5 or so washes, and I also think it looks quite pleasant the way it is now. You are so cute.
I like it! A lot on you, actually. Very very cute. AND no, if I were just looking at the picture of you with dye on your head and no glasses I would not have recognized you.Although I would have in the dried hair photo, so I’m at least not completely bonkers.
Cute ‘do Swis!
Okay, I was concerned reading your Twitter stream and then again today seeing the first few pictures with your adorable, skeptical expressions.
BUT.
I LOVE the last picture! I see highlights and golden, warm blonde-y bits and YES. LOVE.
(Also, this makes me want to grow my hair back out to have it long enough for a little clip up twisty-action. Hair project!)
so, I was going to do that crockpot pepperoncini beef recipe a few weeks ago, but realized all I had in the freezer was a pork roast. So I used the pork and IT. WAS. AWESOME. I loved it so much, I may never actually try it with beef. It cracks me up as well that it has gone viral. EVERYBODY is trying it. The power of social media!
My stylist told me that you should only go lighter by two shades at a time…maybe the blondey-blonde was just too big a jump?
Also…Cadbury Creme Eggs. Oh sweet lord, this time of year kills me. I somehow find myself in the Easter candy aisle EVERY time I go to the grocery store. “Oh look, Cadbury eggs are buy two, get two free. Be a shame to waste such a nice sale price.”
Ack! I think we may have the same natural hair color. Like a dark ash blonde right? I used to use a 40 developer and Sally’s Ion Color Brilliance Creme(in 8N or 9N) in 2:1 ratio. I always put a full packet of the No Red in the color. I would apply with my fingers and leave it about 30 to 40minutes. I would then wash my hair with shampoo and contiioner, which was against product directions.
Also, I would buy a cheap shampoo, like Sauve Clarifying and dump 2 packets of No Red in it and mix it up to use every time I washed my hair. It would take about 3-5 washes for enough of the brassyness to be gone for me to be satisfied. Then I usually had the light blonde hair I wanted.
The slightly strawberry look is good for you!
Nik-Nak- Sadly no, it is in the opposite direction!
another good thing- I will!
I think you are brave! I cannot imagine home coloring my hair. Nor can I imagine paying a professional to do it these days, which is why I haven’t had highlights done since before Harper was born!
End result is great – loved the step by step story.
Having never, ever colored my hair, this is quite fun. I like the end result color BETTER than the box color.
Oh you had me nervous but I like it!! The last pic is really great (hehe on the peek!) And I ALWAYS miss a tiny hairline bit.
Also – I need to try the peppercini recipe!
I like it!
Just FYI though, you can NEVER go by the color on the box. Unless your color is nearly the same as the color shown, the result will be different. On the back or side of the box, there should have been a “if your hair color looks like this, then this will be your result” diagram (with usually 3 options shown). Even that won’t work out exactly true, but closer. Also, if you’re going lighter, you should leave the colorant on longer than specified by the instructions. If you do want to achieve that lighter blonde color, apply the color again (the same, or maybe even a lighter shade) in a few weeks. I never worry about how the processing color looks on my hair. One time, it was dark purple (when I was going from dark blonde to medium brown) and it turned out fine.
I think you might be my favorite blogger. Between this and the Sees candy review posts, and the crabby list which totally made me feel better about my own crabby funk, you’ve brightened so many of my days. Keep it up.
Oh, and I think the new color is nice. My best hair dye story is from 10th grade when I dyed my (normally mousy brown) hair black “temporarily.” It was so not temporary. After about two inches had grown out, my friends got the great idea that I should just bleach my hair and it would all go back to normal. You can imagine the result…two inches of brassy orangey-yellow at the top and jet black everywhere else. No lie, I have the school picture as evidence.
I am growing my hair out so I can stop worrying about my gray roots. My roots will match the rest of my hair.
And today I ordered my first pair of Zenni glasses. You are a style leader. I am a stylistic mess, so I promise not to tell anyone you’re my guide. Unless someone asks.
I love it!!! You have beautiful hair.
Lovely! Also, I love the Whatchootalkingaboutwillis look you are giving in the shower! I kinda want it as an avatar.
Consider saving a titch of dye for your eyebrows too–I usually remember when everything is rinsed and put away! Your new color looks great for spring.
Cute glasses! I love the sides of them (would love to see the front view) can you tell I was at the eye doctor today trying on frames?!
The hair-I think you would look amazing going dark (think chocolate brown) your eyes would pop with color! :)
I think its prettier than the box color.
re: your natural colour. My daughter started out with dark brown hair, my son had white blonde. Now they have virtually the same colour hair, but we always say Lisa’s is light brown and Bart’s dark blonde. I’m guessing you were blonde as a child?
LoriD- Oh, neat! Yes, I was blonde as a child!
hi,
boxed redhead here.
I like your new color! its not trashy nor orange.
to achieve a blonde that light, even if you had started out a lighter color you would need much more oompf than that box is gonna give you. it requires lifting more color out before you can get that blonde on there. I’m honestly not sure why they even sell blonde color on the shelves because its highly subject to your base color and easily the easiest to screw up. If I lived close enough, I’d come over and we could drink tequila and I’d help you become a blonde bombshell. but I think your strawberry bombshell look is pretty nice!!! course, I’m partial to shades of red.
Love the picture of you looking all disgruntled with the box up next to your head. LOL
I recently blogged about coloring my hair too. only I went sulky dark dark auburn. brooding dark hair period.
your word verifictation is always creepy. it knows me. today its “redistas”
I’m going to use that. I am a …Redista!! *cue spotlight and zoom in on hair…pan out…hands on hips, cape blowing in the wind*
Pretty!
I like it.
But I LOVE your shower curtain!
Is it the one w/the squirrels???
Livinia Redlips- YES! Squirrels and owls! I love it too. I kind of wanted to do all our walls in those same colors, but Paul thought they were too “muddy.” (I LIKE muddy.)
Your new color is my natural color almost exactly! I worry about how “orangey” it is, so I am VERY glad to see other commenters saying it is not trashy-looking. I think it looks nice on you! I wonder what the same dye would do on my hair…
I’ve heard that when you’re reading the colour names that “natural” is code for one the red side and “ash” is the opposite.
@another good thing. 102 was my mom’s number! Actually she used to use 98 and 99, but when I got older, I talked her into deeper and deeper shades and 102 stuck.
@ Karen L. YAY for #102! It’s funny, I usually go in there looking for the model’s picture on the front- and when they change the girl on the front, they have to help all of us memory challenged folks by putting the old girl on the top of the box. But seriously, Nice and Easy, when it’s on sale.. I buy 5 boxes.
I know this is WAY old, but your hair was WAY too dark to box dye! You have to be maximum of 3 shades lighter or darker to box dye!
The people that are the reason that they want to dye their hair from light Blonde to dark Brown and it turns out gray, or Brown to light blonde ans it turns out orange or gold.
You need to prelighten first (AKA – bleach).
It’s $4 for bleach powder and developer at Sally’s (you’ll mix them together).
Then you’ll more than likely have to tone your hair – $4.50 for Wella Color Charm toner. Again, you’ll need developer for this, so buy the medium or even big sized bottle.
Toning takes out the brassiness (golds, oranges), so toning is a necessity as well as prelightening.
Hope this helps anyone!