Lightening Hair~Suggestions?

Hi,

I have really dark brown hair (almost black w/auburn highlights...especially in the summer). My hair is really healthy and I don't use any styling products on it. It is very stubborn, doesn't like color and doesn't hold any curling or crimping.

I colored my hair years ago and it made my hair really flat. I use to have really thick hair (couldn't pinch my thumb and 1st finger around it). After the coloring, my hair thinned out a lot and now I can over lap my fingers to my 1st knuckle. It never seemed to go back to the way it was (although it's still shiny, healthy and strong).

I am really ready for a change in color, so I went to the store and bought a box of color that OF COURSE didn't do much since my hair is so dark. I'm thinking of going to a light-med brown but I don't know how long I should wait before trying again. I'm a little nervous of what my hair might do, too!

Any suggestions? It's greatly appreciated...

~TJ

Also, the fact that you have already colored your hair, even though you can't really see the results, will make a difference in any lightening you try to do.