A. Why Did My Blonde Hair Turn Brown? Causes, Fixes, And More
Have you noticed that your blonde locks aren’t as shiny as they used to be? Or are you a brunette who was once a blonde? If so, you may be wondering, “Why did my blonde hair turn brown?” Many natural blondes darken over time, ending up as brunettes in their early teens or even later. If you’re wondering why this happened, we can help. In this article, we will reveal some reasons why blonde hair turns brown. Let’s get straight to the point!
1. A quick look at the genetics of blonde hair
Before we delve into the culprits behind hair darkening, you need to know why you went blonde in the first place. The color of our hair, skin and eyes depends on our unique distribution of melanin (natural pigment). There are two main types of melanin: pheomelanin and eumelanin. Eumelanin is responsible for dark hair, skin, and eyes, and we all have varying amounts of it. Dark-haired people have an excess of eumelanin, while blondes have too little. We are all born with genes that determine how much melanin our bodies produce.
2. Why did my blonde hair turn brown?
Now that you know the basics of why you had blonde hair, it’s time to delve into the reasons why your blonde hair turned brown. Some of the reasons may surprise you!
a. Your hair pigment genes have been activated
Not many people know that pigment genes can turn on and off, but it’s a fairly common phenomenon. Your hair pigment genes can be turned on or off based on a number of factors, one of the most common being your hormones.
You can experience a hormonal hair color change (e.g. white or gray hair) at any age, but here are the most common cases where hormones could be to blame:
- At the time of starting school – around the age of 6 years.
- During puberty – from elementary school to high school.
- During or after pregnancy.
Note that many other things can cause genes to turn on or off. So if some of your previously inactive eumelanin-producing genes suddenly turned on, it could be responsible for your color change. Also, eumelanin production often accelerates with age, which can cause your blonde hair to take on a darker hue. Researchers aren’t entirely sure why the production of eumelanin accelerates with age.
b. Your water is giving you away
Another cause of blonde hair discoloration is hard water. Hard water has a high mineral content. These minerals can fill the hair shaft, making it tan and appear darker. About 85% of American homes have hard water. Even if you’re one of the lucky few who doesn’t have hard water, your plumbing can still be a problem. If you live in an old building with copper or lead plumbing, the minerals in those plumbing can still cause your hair to darken. Chlorinated water can also cause a color change.
c. Do you have an education
We all need a fresh start now and it’s not and your hair is no exception. Almost anything we put on our hair can build up: hair gel, hairspray and conditioner are common. The build covers the hair shaft, causing it to take on a darker hue. But even if you don’t use a lot of products on your hair, residue from air pollution can still build up. His blond hair acts like a sponge and can suck smog, smoke and other things into the air.
d. You burned your hair
Heat can also cause your natural blonde hair to darken. If you’ve ever seen hair burn, you’ll notice that it takes on a darker shade. The same can happen to your hair if you use too much heat and don’t use a heat protectant.
e. You overdid it with the purple shampoo
Many blondes who notice their hair becoming darker or more coppery use purple shampoo or conditioner to lighten it back up. These products deposit a small amount of purple dye on the outer hair shaft to neutralize wobbly tones. But if you use purple shampoo with every wash, it can work against your hair and darken it.
3. How to prevent blonde hair from darkening
If the cause of your hair darkening is genetic, there is nothing you can do about it (i.e. your hair follicles produce more melanin). However, if an outside influence is to blame, there are a few things you can do to prevent your tresses from becoming even darker. Because if you do nothing about it, your hair may continue to darken. Read on to find out what you can do to preserve your shade of blonde (or what’s left of your light hair color):
a. Stop brass
Shades of coppery yellow and orange can appear on both natural blonde hair and bleached blonde hair. To fix this, protect your hair from chlorinated water. Before entering the pool, wet your hair with clean water from the shower or faucet and put on a shower cap. You can also apply a ton of hair conditioner before covering it up. This will prevent the chlorine from coming into contact with your hair.
b. Fix your hard water problem
Hard water is one of the biggest contributors to unwanted hair color changes. To counteract this, invest in a shower filter. It rids your water of chlorine, minerals and other impurities that can darken your hair over time.
You can also try the following:
- Use a chelating shampoo. Chelating shampoos are stronger than lightening shampoos and help remove minerals from the hair. Ion Hard Water Shampoo is one of the best chelating shampoos on the market.
- Perform a deep clarifying treatment. If your blonde hair has already taken on unwanted bronze or darker tones from hard water, you may need a stronger lightening treatment. You can schedule a whitening treatment at a salon (often referred to as a “crystal treatment”) or you can have one at home. Malibu C Blondes Wellness Hair Remedy Packs are a disposable treatment containing Vitamin C and Citric Acid. This treatment not only helps remove mineral deposits, but also brightens and restores shine.
c. Keep your hair free of buildup
With all the hair products and treatments we use regularly, many find it difficult to prevent build-up. But you can do this if you have the right product i.e. H. clarifying shampoo. Brightening shampoo is similar to regular shampoo but with more cleaning power. Depending on your hair type, you may need to use it once a week. We do not recommend using it more often – it leaves your hair dry and crisp.
d. Keep the heat away
Since excessive heat can cause locks to darken, all you need to do is limit the use of heat and always use a heat protectant. When using heat, keep the temperature as low as possible.
4. If nothing works
If the above remedies don’t slow or prevent your hair from darkening, you have a few options:
- Accept the fact that your hair should be dark.
- Take steps to lighten your curls using natural or chemical methods.
- Lemon Juice – Spritz your hair with lemon juice and olive oil (equal parts), then leave some sunlight outside for about half an hour. Don’t forget to use sunscreen to protect your skin. After the session condition or deep condition your hair to restore moisture levels. Repeat this treatment about every two days until you reach the desired level of lightening.
- Use bleach or hair dye to chemically lighten your hair. Hair dye is a better choice than bleach when it comes to the health of your hair. However, you can achieve more drastic whitening results with bleach.
B. How Come Blonde Hair Turns Brown?
Do you remember what color hair you had as a kid? It was probably different from its natural color now. mine is. When I asked some friends, some said they were redheads with almost white hair when they were kids. Then at the age of 12 they turned into a dirty blonde. That happens to most blondes. The hair darkens to dark blonde or even brunette but does not take on the golden or white color of childhood. Brunettes darken or develop interesting highlights.
1. What Causes Hair Color Changes?
The color is due to one or more compounds of the melanin group. Melanin is responsible for the color of hair, eyes and skin. A total lack of melanin causes a condition called albinism. You’ve probably seen an albino before. They have white hair, very pale translucent skin, and red irises. They have no protection from sunlight and are very likely to develop skin cancer. The two main types of melanin are eumelanin, which produces a brown or black pigment, and pheomelanin, which produces a red pigment. The more eumelanin in your system, the darker your hair color. The more pheomelanin you have, the stronger the hair and the more red streaks.
2. How does blonde hair turn brown?
Melanin pigments are produced in the hair follicles at the base of each hair and respond to hormonal changes in the body. The increase in hormones during puberty mainly causes an increased production of eumelanin and light-colored hair becomes darker. The amount of melanins produced is controlled by your genes. Some babies are born with black hair while others have light brown, red, or blonde hair. Hair color is determined by your genetic makeup. There are people who will have light blonde hair their whole lives. They are mostly ethnic Scandinavians as blondes are usually found in Northern Europe. But most of us will have to rely on a hairstylist to go blonde.
3. Why did my hair go from blonde to brown as a kid?
The brown pigment is controlled by the production of eumelanin, which is controlled by the sex hormones estrogen and testosterone. With the onset of puberty, the number of sex hormones in the serum increases dramatically. As well as many other hormones and enzymes dependent on sex hormones. Hair follicles produce more brown pigment as hair grows and new hair turns brown.
4. Can this hair color also appear in old age?
As we age, the amount of melanin in our skin and hair decreases and the color of the hair fades, leaving the hair white or gray or a combination of both. Hair graying is genetic. The paler your skin, the more likely you are to turn gray. Whites in particular tend to gray early, around age 30, about 10 years earlier than African Americans. But by the age of 50, about 50% of people are 50% gray.
Certain hair types become progressively darker with age, usually from light brown to black. This is not uncommon in Asians. Black is the most common hair color in the world. About 75-85% of people have very dark brown or black hair. Red hair is the rarest, only 1-2% of the world population has natural red hair. Scotland has the highest concentration of redheads. About 13% of Scots are redheads. Natural blondes make up 2-3% of people. But blonde is the most popular synthetic hair color. Because of its natural rarity, it is valued higher than black or brown.
5. How is hair color determined?
In general, there are two genes that are important for hair color, one from the father and one from the mother. If one of these genes is associated with dark hair, the child will have dark hair because dark hair is a dominant trait. There are other genes involved, but they mostly affect shadow. But both parents can have dark hair and have a blonde child. The genes for red or blond hair are recessive. So if both parents have one dark and one blonde gene, there is a 25% chance that the baby will get two blonde genes and be a natural blonde. There is a 50% chance that the child will have a blond gene and a dark gene and will be able to pass the blond gene to the next generation. There is a 25% chance that the child has 2 dark genes. If that’s the case, all of that person’s children will have dark hair because there isn’t a blonde gene to pass on.
6. How to stop blonde hair from turning brown?
Can you stop your blonde hair from getting darker in puberty or later, or should you just embrace the change?
There are several ways to keep your blonde.
- Lemon Juice – This is an ancient, all-natural remedy. Spray lemon juice or lemon juice diluted 1:1 with water on your hair. Then sit in the sun for an hour. Sunlight activates the citric acid and tends to destroy the eumelanin in your hair, making it lighter. You must apply conditioner after treatment as lemon juice will dry out your hair. This process must be repeated at least once a week.
- Vinegar – Vinegar works basically the same as lemon juice, but is specific to red hair. Follow the same directions and use vinegar instead of lemon juice to accentuate the red in your hair and keep it a light shade.
- Hydrogen Peroxide – This is essentially the same process as lemon juice. However, hydrogen peroxide is a stronger bleach. You should let your hair dry in the sun, but not for an hour. After drying, apply the leave-in conditioner. Repeat weekly.
- Chamomile Tea – If you are looking for a golden look for your hair, chamomile tea is the natural answer. Cook 16 oz. water (2 cups) and pour 5 chamomile tea bags into the water. Leave for 15 to 20 minutes and remove the tea bags. Apply to hair after washing and conditioning. Let the tea rinse. Use weekly for golden highlights or shadows.
Add cinnamon or honey to your conditioner and let it sit to keep your hair blonde. Of course, there are more permanent ways to keep your hair light. Home kits are available in all pharmacies. And your barber will likely use milder products with better results.
7. Conclusion
Nowadays you can have any hair color you want, be it blonde, red, blue, purple or pink. You can dye your hair red for Valentine’s Day, then green for St. Patrick’s Day and pink for Spring. However, every time you apply harsh chemicals to your hair, you damage your hair strands. Your hair is not alive. It consists of dead cells produced in the hair follicles. These cells cannot repair themselves. Damage to hair strands is permanent. And the more damage you do, the worse your hair will be. Be careful with your hair. Treat it gently and only use non-aggressive products. Talk to your barber. He or she can suggest you the best dyes. Have a good time. Keep your hair light or leave it black. Enjoy and take care.
