Maybe getting divorced is what makes you look younger!

I haven’t read the replies, but the reason women are encouraged to go lighter as they age is to blend greys, and to have a softer grow-out line for greys.

I, too, look much better with my natural medium brown hair, but I would need to color my hair every other week or else I’d have a skunk line, so my hairdresser lightens the color.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well dang, I've been trying to come up with color ideas, and was thinking about some blonde highlights. But I'm 40 with naturally dark brown hair and almost no grays. I'm not trying to appear older or younger, I'm just bored and wanting something different. My face is too round for bangs, so that's out. I've done variations on red which does look good with my complexion, but was trying to change it up. Maybe I better just keep playing it safe.

I think it looks so pretty when dark-haired women get that reddish color added to their hair without lightening the hair at all. I'm a natural dark blonde, but if I had dark hair, that's what I would do.

DP. That really depends on the skin tone of the brunette. Any red/orange on me is a disaster because my skin is cool-toned. Whenever my very dark hair starts to pull brassy or lighter, I have to tone it.

Lighter blonde hair makes people look younger unless it looks gray than you look elderly

Anonymous wrote:Blonde can really wash you out and even read as gray.

I'm the pp who has light blonde (naturally) hair. Yep. Everyone always thinks I don't wear makeup, until they actually see me with no makeup. It's quite the "oh" moment. Takes a lot to even look like I'm not wearing any thanks to everything being light...and washed out.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dyed blond usually is aging, because it doesn't complement the natural skin tone.

THIS ^^. Every woman I know over 50 seems to go blond - regardless of their coloring. It's just a sea of bleached blond women who all look the same, and some look worse because the blond is the wrong tone for them.

So many women who have olive or tan skin and go blond, regardless of age, look bad. Pick a tone that works with your natural color. I'm sure people think my hair is bleached blond, judging by the myriad and constant comments on this board, but there are actual blondes out there. Just not many of us. (and yes, it got much lighter as I got older thanks to the addition of grey)

Anonymous wrote:So conventional beauty wisdom seems to be that as you get older, add blonder highlights.

Well, I got divorced, and XH’s new girlfriend is 10 years younger than me and had blonde highlights. She is in her 30s and I’m in my 40s. We both have tan/olive complexions.

I was getting annoying comments joking how she looked kind of like me, so I went to dye my hair back to its natural color instead of balayage, which I’ve had for years. I also added bangs. My main motivator was to not look like ex and get these comments. And hey why not try a new hairdo too…

Since then, I have had multiple people say I look younger. An added benefit, although unplanned. So, I’m just curious if anyone else found that was true by going against conventional wisdom to “highlight hair as you age”?

Did you really change your hair color bc of your x's new chic?

Anonymous wrote:Well dang, I've been trying to come up with color ideas, and was thinking about some blonde highlights. But I'm 40 with naturally dark brown hair and almost no grays. I'm not trying to appear older or younger, I'm just bored and wanting something different. My face is too round for bangs, so that's out. I've done variations on red which does look good with my complexion, but was trying to change it up. Maybe I better just keep playing it safe.

I think it looks so pretty when dark-haired women get that reddish color added to their hair without lightening the hair at all. I'm a natural dark blonde, but if I had dark hair, that's what I would do.

Well dang, I've been trying to come up with color ideas, and was thinking about some blonde highlights. But I'm 40 with naturally dark brown hair and almost no grays. I'm not trying to appear older or younger, I'm just bored and wanting something different. My face is too round for bangs, so that's out. I've done variations on red which does look good with my complexion, but was trying to change it up. Maybe I better just keep playing it safe.

I have naturally light brown/dark blonde hair. I used to have bleach highlights, but stopped during lockdown. I now have my natural color grown out down to just below my shoulder blades, and have NEVER had so many compliments on my hair as I've gotten in the past year, so I assume the compliments are genuine.

I am just baffled because the highlights I used to get were so expensive and I thought they really "brightened up my face." I will say that my natural color is shiny and just healthy-looking compared to what it looked like a few years ago with highlights. I think people seem to like the glossy, natural look.

I still miss the bright blonde highlights, but at 46 am assuming I won't have my natural color much longer, so am going to just stay my natural light brown/dark blonde until the grays appear, then go back to blonde highlights.

Anonymous wrote:Dyed blond usually is aging, because it doesn't complement the natural skin tone.

+1. I don’t know why so many people think it’s attractive. We’re not in LA and it’s wrong for so many skin tones.

Blonde can really wash you out and even read as gray.

So many naturally brunette actresses look awful when they go lighter. Someone mentioned Sandra Bullock - great example. Also, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Biel, Rachel McAdams, Dakota Johnson, Jessica Alba, etc.