Humanly possible to get long blonde hair?

Hey. I just had a question, seriously, is it possible to have long dyed blonde hair? Everything I've read, and most people I talk to say no, not unless you want fried, unhealthy looking hair.Yet I swear I have seen girls with long dyed blonde hair that doesn't look fried. I have virgin light ash brown hair, and want to be blonde, not exactly platinum or anything, just blonde. Can anybody please give me hope? I hate my natural color, it's too boring, the only other color that looks good is a ridiculous red color (cool skin tone) and I dont really want that. What would make the process less damaging? How about aftercare? I will be as maticulous as I need to. Thank you for any suggestions guys!!

Tracy

Yep I agree with long hair dreams, it is very possible.

About 5 years ago I had hair down to my butt which I put through the ringer during high school. I had my hair stripped down to bright yellow and then had purple studio colors put over it, then stripped down again and dyed back to my darker blond.

However you do need to take care of it- really good care of it.

I washed my hair once a week (or longer) with a very gentle shampoo and only on my scalp where it was oily. I use good quality conditioners/ leave in treatments and weekly power pacs. Also, I let it air dry as much as possible.  My hair was so silky and shiny after I really started looking after it - even with all that damage. And if i was having a bad day and my tips looked a tad dry I'd use a finishing shine spray.  However looking back I should have opted for a few trims to get rid of those dry ends!

It is possible, but know you'll have to treat it like gold after! Good luck!

Yes, it is easily possible.  My hair is to my waist in the back.  Naturally it is a dark blond, but I run color on it because I like having medium to dark golden hair with red tones to it.  (And, uumm, I think I say a hint of gray - noooo! )

My hair is thick - but fine in texture.  It is prone to split ends, but these can be managed with trims and proper hair care - the right brushes, etc.  I find damage to hair with coloring can be minimized if you do things like root touch-ups rather than re-coloring your entire head of hair each time to color it.

Personally I find the L'Oreal brands the most gentle on my hair, but you might want to test a few out.  Whatever you use - ALWAYS DO A TEST STRAND LIKE THE BOX SAYS. 

Also be aware of the different kinds of products one company will have.  I find L'Oreal Excellence works well for me, but this is a color that is fairly mild.  L'Oreal's Preference is a bit stronger (according to how my scalp feels, but still fairly mild).  L'Oreal's Feria is very different.  That line is a lot stronger, bolder hair color, and a lot harsher.  Some people prefer the sronger hair colors because they have problems keeping the color.  But I have noticed something about hair coloring. 

Some colors stick better than others regardless of the strength of hair color used.  My hair holds golden blond with no fading at all.  Yet it will not hold a red even if I use the 'permanent' color.  If I wanted to be a bold redhead, I would have to use something stronger than the Excellence line.

1.  DO NOT bleach your hair.  It is truly astounding how many people post here with disasters in hair bleaching.  As someone with light ash brown hair, an off-the-shelf hair color/toner should be sufficient to get you to blond.

2.  DO NOT use regular or golden blond hair colors if you do not want any red in your hair.  Again, it is astounding how many people post here with misadventures in blond coloring and end up in the orange zone.  Many people's natural hair colors have red in them and golden/regular blond coloring can really bring them out.  Stick to the ash/wheat blond colors.  These colors tend to eliminate any reds coming through.  And as always, when trying something new - DO THE TEST STRAND FIRST.

3.  Although some highlights can be rough on hair - a highlight job combined with your natural hair will better blend in future root problems.  You might want to get these professionally done.

4.  Once you start the road in coloring your hair - stick to your range or family of color (for example - as a person with light-brown ash hair, black cherry is not for you. )   Stick to the same brand of hair color.  This especially eliminates a lot of potential problems.  Since I use L'Oreal, I do not use Clairol or Garnier in case there might be a problem.  There may not be a problem, but you never know.

5.  If you color, do not perm  If you perm, do not color.

6.  Do not buy hair color on clearance.  Hair color can age and have an adverse effect on the chemicals which could damage your hair when used.  If you see your color on the clearance/bargain shelf at Walmart - do not pick it up no matter what the savings.  Chances are it has already passed its shelf-life. 

7.  Not sure how light you want your hair, but if it is drastic change to the lightest end of the blond spectrum, try a wig or computer test run first.  Gwen Steffani may look cool with her white-blond hair, but not everyone can pull it off.  And you don't want to put your hair through that unless you are certain.

8.  And to re-iterate, when using a new color brand - ALWAYS RUN A TEST STRAND FIRST.