by Mattison Brooks

Created on: April 19, 2008

I have had a great deal of experience in this area. I became obsessed with being blond in my teens. I tried everything under the sun to make my medium brown hair as blond and beautiful as Pamela Anderson's.. To me, blond was beautiful. I tried highlighting kits, blond hair color, bleaching kits-you name it, I tried it. My result each and every time was either orange all over, or bleached out ends with orange colored roots.Needless to say, this was not an attractive look. I now know that the reason for my results is quite simple.Hair colors that contain bleach or peroxide are designed to "lift" the color out of your hair, and then deposit blond tones into it. Some hair is very resistant to lift. Mine being very, very resistant, orange was all that I could achieve at home. However, if you are bound and determined to be super blond, you can head to a salon. If your hair can withstand it,(and your scalp, a professional can lift it until your hair is white, and then dye it blond. Beware-because I have heard horror stories of bleeding scalps, burning and sores. The products used are extremely damaging. Once your hair is the shade you want, expect to get root touch ups as much as every three weeks or so in order to maintain this look.

So what to do if playing kitchen beautician has left you with orange hair? Well, for starters, reach for the deep conditioner. Apply the conditioner (or mayonnaise, if you don't have any) and wrap your hair in a warm towel, fresh from the dryer. Leave it on for approximately 10-15 minutes and then rinse. The next step is to color your hair. It is best to wait until the next day, to allow your scalp to replace it's natural oils. These oils help to protect your hair in the coloring process. Purchase a hair color that is close to your own natural hair color. Because your hair is more porous now, it is best to choose a color one shade lighter than your natural hair color, as it will turn out darker.

For someone who is sitting at home with orange hair, being told to go back to your natural hair color is probably not what you wanted to hear. As someone who has been there, I am telling you that trying to go blonder from this point is like playing Russian roulette. (see my article on hair extensions-there you will find an interesting story about pink mush!)From my experience, I have found that it is much better,(and prettier) if you choose a base color within two shades of your natural hair color, and then highlight it very heavily. The results are gorgeous, and much easier to maintain.As for me, I have returned to the dark side...

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