How to Embrace Your Natural Hair Color

*Disclaimer – I am not a hairstylist, hairdresser or cosmetologist. I did not go to school to be a hairdresser or cosmetologist. This blog post is based on what has worked for me in my life; I simply want to share with others about my experience.

---

Let me start off by saying that I have dyed my hair a lot throughout my life. I’ve never ventured into colors like pink, purple, or blue, but have always admired when those colors are done well. For some people they just really work ya know! Like they were meant to be born with pink hair. I’ve tended to stay in the natural category when it comes to hair dye… like I am a sucker for a good balayage if you know what I mean. What I’m trying to say is that I am a fan of all hair dye and also a fan of going all natural. You do you boo! 

Why am I talking about embracing your natural hair color when I’m over here ogling over the endless opportunities to put the color of the rainbow into your locks? It’s pretty simple really; for the last four or five years I have not dyed my hair and I tried something new – I have intentionally embraced my natural hair color, awkward placed highlights and all. And I have been LOVING IT!

• 

• 

If you are thinking about giving your color damaged hair a break, need to adjust your hair care budget a bit so it’s more affordable, or your just simply curious about going all natural, I have picked up a few tips and tricks along the way that have helped me REALLY embrace and love my natural hair color. I wanted to pass along to you!

Let’s dive in…

1. Start with a haircut

Sometimes all you need to give your hair some life and a little bounce is to change up your haircut or your hair style. I didn’t cut my hair for 18 months until recently and, while I absolutely LOVED my long hair, it was all one length and very heavy. With reluctance, I asked my hairdresser to cut “the dead stuff” off and give me some long layers. I always slightly regret getting my hair cut immediately after doing so, but two days later after I’ve had a chance to live in the new cut for a bit, I end up wondering why I didn’t cut my hair sooner.

If you need some haircut or fashion inspiration, check out my Pinterest Board HERE.

2. Play with your hair to find what style works best for you

Immediately after getting my hair cut, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my hair in terms of styling; do I straighten it, curl it, or leave it all natural and wavy? I usually try everything within the first week of having a new hair cut to see how my hair falls around my face and if I like the style or not. When my hair was long, I wore it straight almost every day; I loved the way it looked and it was easier to manage on a day to day basis. Now that I’ve cut several inches off and have less hair to work with, I have found that I prefer to curl it every day.

I feel like I need to clarify something though, when I say “every day”, I am not saying that I wash my hair, dry it, and style it every day. It’s not healthy to wash your hair every day and I have been told in the past that your hair will actually get greasier quicker if you do that because your body is constantly trying to replace the oils that you just washed out; so in turn, after one day of no washing you end up looking like a grease ball! Everyone is different and some people are more oily than others so you need to do what works for you though. With that being said, I just wanted to clarify that my hair care routine consists of a wash every three to four days, then styling and touching up as needed every day in between. There are days when I can brush my hair, touch up the curls around my face, and I’m good to go.

Bottomline, you have to play with your hair to find what style and routine work best for you. I’m a mom so I like to be able to get my hair done quickly, but also have it look like I spent some time on it if you know what I mean. Find what works for you and your daily routine and then roll with it.

3. Have a stylist “transition” your hair to your natural color by using for example: highlights, ombré, or balayage

When I was pregnant with my daughter, I wanted to be a brunette. I wanted to be a deep chocolate brown brunette and I fully embraced it, but about eight weeks after dying my hair, the light blonde roots started to show and I quickly realized that I couldn’t afford to keep getting my roots done as often as I should. I also had a change of heart and simply wanted to go back to being blonde. The transition took some time, but with the right stylist and their recommendations on how to transition back to my natural hair color, it was a worthwhile process. 

4. Use the color wheel to dress yourself and accessorize

Taking some time to understand what colors accentuate your features is worth the end result. If you haven’t seen a color wheel, you can find one HERE.

By using a color wheel and gaining at the very least a minimal understanding of what colors are best suited for your skin tone, hair color, and eyes, you will be able to fill your closet with pieces that accentuate those features and bring out your natural beauty. For example, I have found that brown and blue tones make my blue eyes pop and the highlights in my hair stand out a little bit more. Another example is when bright and vibrant primary colors look gorgeous on darker skin tones. This is important to do with the clothes that you wear, but also the accessories you choose. It’s great to take inspiration from others on Pinterest or Instagram, but those people don’t have your exact combination of hair color, eye color and skin tone; you have to understand what colors work best for YOU and then thrive in them.

5. Don’t give up and color your hair before the old (dyed) color is gone

I remember when the hairdresser cut off the last of my hair that had any hair dye in it. It doesn’t seem like something that would have a significant impact, and to be honest it was a little unexpected, but I really embraced the moment. There were so many times that I wanted to color my hair while I was transitioning to my natural color. I didn’t give up though and now I’m happy to see my natural highlights come through the dark blonde tones in my hair. I truly felt like I wasn’t able to start playing with my natural hair color and embracing the color for what it is until that moment when the hairdresser cut off those last dyed pieces. I’ll be honest, I probably will dye my hair again at some point because sometimes ya girl just needs a change every once in a while, but I’m glad I gave my natural hair color a chance; here I am four years later with no dye and still loving every minute of it.

And that’s a wrap…

You know, if I could pinpoint the time when I decided to go all natural and ditch the hair dye, it was when I was working as a research assistant and my coworker at the time said something I absolutely loved! She had dirty blonde/mousy brown hair just like me; when we were talking about our hair color one day she said, “This isn’t mousy brown, this is harvest wheat!” She flicked her hair off of her shoulder like she was hoping for a slowmo shot and a ray of sunshine. It was great! “Mousy brown” sounds well… dull, boring, and mundane. On the other hand, “harvest wheat” sounds almost… trendy! If I had to pinpoint a moment, that was it. I mean saving money on hair dye every eight weeks was a big part of it too.

My passion is talking about sustainability, sustainable products, and how we as consumers can lessen our impact on the environment, but I’m also a girl that loves fashion, beauty, and talking about family. 

To subscribe to my blog and stay up to date on the latest posts, SUBSCRIBE HERE.

Until next time,