An ode to yellow hair and why I did it.

 

Yellow hair wasn’t even a color that was on radar two years ago. My natural hair color is medium/dark brown peppered with about 15%+ grey (I started greying at age 20 and it has been a very slow progression). Before I bleached my hair, I kept it brown for a few years because I thought when I turn all grey I would have missed the opportunity to have my natural dark hair. I also had green and pink for a bit.

Here’s the thing: I don’t miss my brown hair. At all. But I really miss not having to double process bleach my roots. My scalp is sensitive. It burns. I have to sit in a salon for hours making small talk (I really hate small talk). And then the bill. Oh lord the bill. To top it all off I was constantly toning my hair. Sometimes with a toner and developer combo, but mostly with a purple shampoo and conditioner. But I really really really love having white blonde hair and felt it suited my personality. Basically it’s a chore. But I do love the outcome.

Yellow was only supposed to make a short appearance.

I decided I wanted a shade in between bleached white and my natural medium brown hair to cut down on lightening my hair. Perhaps a dark copper blonde, I thought.  Of course, yellow isn’t that. The yellow was intended to be a fun temporary experiment before I dove all the way in to dark copper blonde. As you probably know, you need to have super light hair first, to achieve a bold yellow color. So there you go. I shared my thought process.

There are affiliate links in this blog entry where I receive a small percentage of what you order. This doesn’t affect your price in any way.

You know, yellow isn’t just yellow.

There are tons of shades of yellow. I wanted a vintage yellow. Or a marigold. Or pale orange. Something that reminded me of women in old photographs.

If you aren’t sure what shades you gravitate toward (maybe you like all the yellows or all the pinks or all the blues), you can use my super easy process for finding the color you gravitate toward! This isn’t only applicable to yellow hair. Any shade will do.

How to find the shade that speaks to you.

1. Search through hashtags on Instagram related to hair color you like. I sifted through #yellowhair and related hashtags.
2. Utilize the save function. Anytime I saw a photo that was a color I’d like to see on my head I “saved” it.
3. Look at your collection. After I “saved” about 20, I looked in my “saved” folder and noticed the shades were all were remarkable similar. I decided to figure out how to make that shade.

My scientific formula for marigold hair.

• One entire 4 oz bottle of Arctic Fox Hair Dye – Cosmic Sunshine
• Two gentle squirts of Arctic Fox Hair Dye – Orange Sunset 
• Heaps of white conditioner

After I mixed that, I followed the directions. I covered my hair with a shower cap. Left the color soak into my hair for an hour. During that time, I blowed dried my cap covered head.  Rinsed in cold water.

The outcome.

When I first saw my new hair, I laughed because I totally hated it. I seriously did. It was a WTF-did-I-do moment. It did match the color in the photos I saved, but it was a shock. I thought I more so resembled a clown than a femme in a vintage photograph. As a child I was a clown for Halloween with a yellow wig that was approximately the same hair style I currently sport. Too close to home.

 

If the color is too much, wash it.

To fade your color use strong shampoo, such as a clarifying or a dandruff shampoo. I washed mine with a clarifying shampoo for the next two showers to subdue the color. It worked. I actually even kind of love it now.

Why I love the yellow.

• Nostalgia: there’s a vintage photo of my grandma Eldora and she looks like she has yellow hair! She has always been style goals.
• Photogenic color: Seriously all of my photos have improved since I dyed my hair yellow. Of course, that is subjective. BUT in my opinion, they are leaps and bounds better. My hair pops out! Of course, I like images with a bit of a strong graphic quality, that isn’t everyone’s bag.
• Low maintenance: It has been about a month and my hair is still bright yellow. I wash it about 3 times a week. This will probably turn into a con when go white blonde again…

Conclusion

If you want to try something and can, do it! I always change things up. I’m the type of person who when I go in for a haircut, I can’t just get a trim. I need a whole new style to get my money’s worth. My point is, I don’t always change things up because I hate what I already have.  Have fun when you can. And remember there is no age or size limit to style. Do what pleases you.

If you like this please share on social media!

You can see more photos of my hair on Instagram.

Best,

Jamie

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave