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First Time Hair Color
Hi ladies, new poster to this board, as I normally stick to the Pets board. I'm biting the bullet and going in tomorrow for my first ever hair color/highlights (and my annual haircut... )
I'm pretty antsy about what coloring/highlighting might do to the quality of my hair and how it will affect my daily hair routine. FYI, I'm a honey/caramel blond and I'm wanting to go lighter - and my current routine consists of washing/drying only. I'm not a fancy gal, can you tell?
I have hair that goes almost down to my elbows, and for the cut I'll probably have them take about two inches off. My hair is naturally pretty (I like it) and healthy, but my DH really misses how blond my hair used to be (it's naturally darkened these last 8 years).
Here are my questions: what should I expect tomorrow at the appointment? What should I ask for (what's the lingo)? What kind of questions should I ask the stylist? What should I do afterwards to keep my hair healthy? What kind of schedule should I anticipate for continuous care/touch ups?
Thank you, ladies, for any help/advice you might have. I'm fairly nervous about the situation as a whole.
Re: First Time Hair Color
I color my hair at home pretty frequently, and I have to say it's in great condition considering the amount of styling, color etc I put it through. It's not real hard to keep it healthy either, might take a few minutes extra time everyday but that's it.
Always use a wide-tooth comb when combing your hair when it's wet, it'll prevent extra breakage. Use a deep conditioning treatment once or twice a week, I really love Aussie's 3 minute miracle, and it smells amazing! Always use a heat protectant on your hair when you're gonna use heat, even if it's just drying it. I really like Neutrogena's leave-in conditioner with heat protectant. When you put that in start at your ends, and work your way up to your roots, you don't want your roots to look greasy. I use Tressemme color safe shampoo and conditioner.
I would ask your stylist how often to expect to need touch-ups, that's all I can think of at the moment. But don't be afraid to ask her tons, she'll appreciate it.
Be very honest with your stylist. Tell her that you're a low maintenance gal. In general for highlights, they'll tell you 6-8 weeks. I have stretched it to 8-10 (and sometimes 12 when I'm really lazy and don't mind dealing with roots).
I like sulfate free shampoos/conditioners.
Thank you both so much for the amazing advice!
RecoveringActor, do you have any specific brands of sulfate free shampoos/conditioners you use?
Honestly gals, I use whatever's in the shower, be it Garnier or Head & Shoulders... Shampoo then conditioner on the ends. I rip through my wet hair with a brush (at least I start from the bottom right?), then flip it over to blow dry with a hair dryer with a bristle attachment. Sometimes I don't even brush it after I am done drying... and it typically doesn't get brushed more than once or twice a day.
And I wasn't kidding about the haircut... Last one I had was in June of 2012.
So obviously I'm starting from scratch here, and any other tidbits or things that normal people know are lost to me
I tend to use salon brands, but you can get sulfate free by L'Oreal right now. It's the "Ever" line. There are 3 or 4 of them, and they all start with "Ever." Ever Pure, Ever Sleek, etc.
Please stop ripping through your hair with a brush, though. Get thee a wide toothed comb!!!
If you're going in for high lights expect it to take time. I get all over high lights with root touch up and a cut and it's usually a good three hours and the longer the hair, the longer it takes (bring a good book). You can get highlights all over or at the top to "frame" your face. The more foils they use, the more it's going to cost. As for shampoo, I too use a sulfate free shampoo. I buy mine at a Sally's beauty supply and it's called diamond shine. Runs about 11-12 dollars a bottle and I use both shampoo and conditioner.
I really don't do a lot with my hair other than shampoo it and use garnier's humidity milk. If you use any kind of iron (flat/curling) make sure you get the thermal spray for color treated hair.
If you haven't started getting any gray hair, you could probably go 8-12 weeks before having to get touched up. Talk to your stylist, they are going to be able to give you a lot of info. You could even go with two different colors of highlights to add a little more dimension.
Thanks Ladies
The deed is DONE!
It looks fabulous, a little lighter than I imagined, but almost the exact color I was 6 years ago. Pretty crazy! $120 for the highlights, cut, and style, plus $60 for the shampoo/conditioner she talked me into, and then $30 tip and (sigh) $15 for the parking ticket I got for going an hour over on my meter. Who knew highlights would take 3 hours?