It seems to me that a lot of vintage and retro gals are attracted to bold and contrasting hair colors. I know that ladies of the past also enjoyed these colors.
Dark hair and bold brows set of lighter eyes.
And there's Marilyn's famous locks that we all know had some help getting this shade.
But what is it about these bold contrasting shades that draws us so? Especially considering that most of us don't have stylists on retainer to follow us around and touch up our color!
Ashley of Lisa Freemont Street has been rocking RED locks for a long time (and platinum blonde before that). As much as I love red hair, I know how much maintenance it is even if you are lucky like Ashley and have light enough hair that you don't have to bleach it first!
Brittany of Va-Voom Vintage has rocked both darker and lighter hair. Maybe because we tend to do more with our hair than stick it up in a pony tail, it makes us desire a stronger color to show off our hair dos.
Plus there's Candice of Super Kawaii Mama and her iconic blonde streak which does look awesome in rolls and such. Maybe we like standing out in our outfits and want our hair to do the same.
Then there is the crayon box colors that are becoming more and more popular. Gertie of Gertie's Blog for Better Sewing has rocked pink tips and a whole head of pink! There seems to be such a sense of fun and excitement with these bold colors.
Not to mention that pink hair looks awesome on camera as modeled by A Vintage Vanity. One reason that I really want to get away from black hair is that it does not show up well on camera.
So what is our obsession with crazy hair colors? Did we pick it up from stars of the past? Did we bring it from other subcultures in our past? Is it just that it's so easy now to do? Are we getting bored too fast? Is it just a reflection of the greater acceptance of less natural hair color by society?
Or maybe most of us are more like Casey of Elegant Musings-quite content with the hair color that naturally springs from our head and it's just the flashy, bold looks that get more screen time because they are "more exciting".
So let's discuss while I ponder what color I want my hair!
Yes! What a great discussion. I find that when I have a bolder hair color I can wear much bolder colors of clothes, which for a vintage girl is kind of important...reds, blacks, hot pink, aqua, etc. This is because it isn't washing out my naturally mouse-brown hair. At the same time, I hate the idea of dyeing because the chemicals are so bad for you.
ReplyDeleteI have always had fun with my hair color. I've had blonde, brown, red of every shade, orange, blue, blond with blue tips, black (bad choice for me) blonde with rainbow streaks...I think I love to change my hair color because it's a quick and easy way to get a totally different look. If I don't like it, I wait a while and go for another shade! I miss the blonde but Im really liking the brown for a while. Platinum is pretty glam but I'm finding the the brown feels more sophisticated. I do miss the blue and I really want lilac hair!
ReplyDeleteSometimes it is fun to just try new hair things. I think I've only really experimented with hair. I will never get a pixie or short short hair, but I have had dreadlocks, blonde, red, brown, pink, various lengths of hair, and I know I love having it long the most and that I enjoy having bangs best. Sometimes it is just fun to try.Have fun!
ReplyDelete+Victoria+
Hair color is always a huge problem! Most of my life I have been blonde different shades but still blonde... I was light red head for about 1 year some years ago but it was so hard to keep a nice color! I'm lately thinking about darken a bit my hair but still haven't decided yet... hard to make a decision.... is it possible to keep the same wardrobe with a full different hair color? That's my main question....
ReplyDeleteI have really dark brown hair and it does sick that it doesn't show well on camera, especially if I wanna show off very intricate styles! I have always wanted to do blonde, maybe I will one day but I love how the dark hair compliments my pale skin an light blue eyes. I had red hair which was so fun but I had trouble with not feeling weird when I wore orange/red.
ReplyDeleteThis is really neat, thought provoking topic, Stephanie. For me, I've always, always felt like I was meant to be a redhead (my mom says I had light strawberry blonde hair for the first few months of my life, but that it then turned pale blond, which it remained until I hit puberty and then morphed into the blandest dishwater, mousy brown hue).
ReplyDeleteI really can't explain why I feel this way, I just know that since the earliest of ages, I have, and it's for this reason that - though I did play around with other colours over the years - I've always preferred to colour my locks some shade of auburn or red over the years. I like the idea of bolder hues, contrasting steaks and the like, but they're not really me when all is said and done, so again, I stick with my beloved crimson locks. :)
♥ Jessica
I would love to do a pastel or bold crayon color {as you put it} someday. I just don't have the time or energy to work with it. I'm so lazy when it comes to my hair. I guess that's why I chopped it off.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I dyed my hair black for years, probably 6 or more. Then I just let the black grow out and have it trimmed till I have my natural hair color. Now I'm loving my natural hair color.
I've never colored my hair, with the exception of trying some lemon juice last summer to see if I could get some more highlights. I just love the variety in my own hair color, and I think I would really miss it if it was all one solid color. Mine is one of the ditchwater blonde/tawny/mousey/medium brown shades that defies classification as either blonde or brunette.* But I love it, because it's not any one color. I have medium ash brown, I have blonde (particularly a wide natural highlight at the nape of my neck), and I have a lot of both gold and red, particularly at my ends. I even have a silver-white streak at the front of my part that I first noticed when I was 19. (Who knows how long it had been there!) I'm a medium/dark Summer in coloring, but the red tinge in particular lets me wear greens and even a few oranges that I shouldn't be able to. I love the variety of my natural colors. It's a mix that's perfect for my eyes and coloring, and I just don't want to mess with it! :)
ReplyDelete*Hmm... I wonder if that's one reason why so many like to color their hair? It's easier, and maybe more fun, to find good colors to wear and follow vintage fashion advice with a straightforward blonde, black, or red.