Keeping it real: Why your natural colour is best
December 28th 2009 01:06
You know that saying, "Be careful what you wish for, lest it come true"? It applies to your hair colour as well! These days, hair dyes are pretty advanced in that if you wish for a certain colour - say, baby blonde - you will be capable of achieving it. The problem here is that so many women wish for something that is a long way from what comes naturally to them. As such, the end result often doesn't look much good, and sometimes it can look downright awful.
While it's virtually impossible to know exactly what percentage of the world's women colour their hair, we can guess by the number of different hair colouring products, advertisements, and articles in magazines that a solid proportion of them do, many on a monthly basis. Some girls do it for fun, to make a statement or to play around with their image (click here for some crazy examples), and these are all great reasons to colour your hair. There's no denying that hair dyes, when used for the right reasons, can really brighten up your life!
However, many women are seeking a "natural" look, sometimes to cover greys, and other times to (rather ironically) achieve a natural-looking colour that is not, in fact, their natural colour. In my opinion, what is needed here is not some incredible revolution in hair colouring technology, but a shift in thinking.
It took me several years, thousands of dollars and plenty of heartache before I finally realized this one simple fact: that the most flattering, unique, and ideal hair colour was the one that was growing out of my head. It's light brown, and with my blue eyes and fair skin, it works perfectly for me. The problem was that for so long, I'd convinced myself - with the help of hairstylists and beauty magazines - that this natural colour was boring, mousy, and dull.
In fact, it was the complete opposite. Each strand of my hair had multiple colours within it. When it shone in the sunlight, you could see countless shades of brown, blonde, and even auburn in each tiny section! And it wasn't until I'd completely wrecked my hair with bleaches that I looked back on photographs of myself as a child, and finally realized just how fabulous my natural colour was.
And it's not just light brown hair that does this. The fact is, every single strand of your natural hair - regardless of its overall colour - will contain many different colours, and will shine with good health as you have not subjected it to chemical treatments. By using artificial colours (whether they be bleaches, dyes, or even so-called "natural" dyes like henna) you are covering up this myriad of colours with just a single colour (or maybe up to five, if you're getting highlights at the salon). No wonder dyed hair looks so flat, when compared to the natural vitality of a child's hair!
For our hair to really look its best, you don't need a ton of money or the best hairdresser in the state. All you need is the simple acceptance that, in the vast majority of cases, it's your natural colour that will really work wonders for your overall appearance.
Often we don't realize this until it's too late and we've ruined our hair with all manner of artificial colourants. It took me years to grow out my natural colour again, and now that I've finally done it there's no way that I'd ever colour it again! The silkiness of it, the ease of styling, the way it flatters my face and skin, and above all, the incredible array of colour within each strand are enough to convince me to never return to my old dyeing ways.
So for those of you who can't live without their hair dye, why not take a look at some old family albums and look closely at your natural colour. Was it really so bad? I'm willing to bet that the answer is no. It will take time, and a lot of patience, to return to your natural colour but once you have, there will be no looking back.
Beautiful.... naturally.
While it's virtually impossible to know exactly what percentage of the world's women colour their hair, we can guess by the number of different hair colouring products, advertisements, and articles in magazines that a solid proportion of them do, many on a monthly basis. Some girls do it for fun, to make a statement or to play around with their image (click here for some crazy examples), and these are all great reasons to colour your hair. There's no denying that hair dyes, when used for the right reasons, can really brighten up your life!
However, many women are seeking a "natural" look, sometimes to cover greys, and other times to (rather ironically) achieve a natural-looking colour that is not, in fact, their natural colour. In my opinion, what is needed here is not some incredible revolution in hair colouring technology, but a shift in thinking.
Why not embrace that which is uniquely you?
It took me several years, thousands of dollars and plenty of heartache before I finally realized this one simple fact: that the most flattering, unique, and ideal hair colour was the one that was growing out of my head. It's light brown, and with my blue eyes and fair skin, it works perfectly for me. The problem was that for so long, I'd convinced myself - with the help of hairstylists and beauty magazines - that this natural colour was boring, mousy, and dull.
In fact, it was the complete opposite. Each strand of my hair had multiple colours within it. When it shone in the sunlight, you could see countless shades of brown, blonde, and even auburn in each tiny section! And it wasn't until I'd completely wrecked my hair with bleaches that I looked back on photographs of myself as a child, and finally realized just how fabulous my natural colour was.
Mousy brown? Not even close.
And it's not just light brown hair that does this. The fact is, every single strand of your natural hair - regardless of its overall colour - will contain many different colours, and will shine with good health as you have not subjected it to chemical treatments. By using artificial colours (whether they be bleaches, dyes, or even so-called "natural" dyes like henna) you are covering up this myriad of colours with just a single colour (or maybe up to five, if you're getting highlights at the salon). No wonder dyed hair looks so flat, when compared to the natural vitality of a child's hair!
The most natural-looking dyed blonde you can get... and it's still nothing compared to the real thing.
For our hair to really look its best, you don't need a ton of money or the best hairdresser in the state. All you need is the simple acceptance that, in the vast majority of cases, it's your natural colour that will really work wonders for your overall appearance.
Often we don't realize this until it's too late and we've ruined our hair with all manner of artificial colourants. It took me years to grow out my natural colour again, and now that I've finally done it there's no way that I'd ever colour it again! The silkiness of it, the ease of styling, the way it flatters my face and skin, and above all, the incredible array of colour within each strand are enough to convince me to never return to my old dyeing ways.
She wouldn't look half as good as a blonde.
So for those of you who can't live without their hair dye, why not take a look at some old family albums and look closely at your natural colour. Was it really so bad? I'm willing to bet that the answer is no. It will take time, and a lot of patience, to return to your natural colour but once you have, there will be no looking back.
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