15 Jessica Alba Hair Colors I Tried This Year
Fifteen shades tried across a year of going lighter and back again, with what each one actually cost in time and upkeep — and the one I stayed on. It was not the one I expected.
In this article · 21
- What I Was Judging On
- The 15 Tried
- 1. Warm Mid-Brown
- 2. Chocolate Brown
- 3. Caramel Balayage
- 4. Honey
- 5. Golden Blonde
- 6. Bronde
- 7. Auburn
- 8. Copper
- 9. Deep Burgundy
- 10. Dark Chocolate
- 11. Ash Brown
- 12. Mushroom Brown
- 13. Money Piece Only
- 14. Root Shadow with Balayage
- 15. Back to Natural
- What the Year Taught Me
- Mistakes to Avoid
- FAQ
- Final Thoughts
A year of changing brunette shades, roughly one every six to eight weeks, with what each actually cost in sessions and upkeep rather than what it looked like on day one.
The one I stayed on was not the one I expected, and it was not the most dramatic.
What I Was Judging On
Sessions to get there. One appointment, or three.
Upkeep interval. How long before it needed attention.
How it faded. Whether the halfway stage was wearable.
Whether I kept doing it. The only test that matters in the end.
The last one turned out to be the most useful. Several shades I liked immediately, I stopped maintaining by month three — and a colour you stop maintaining is a colour that does not suit your life, whatever it looks like.
The 15 Tried
1. Warm Mid-Brown
One session. Gloss every three months. Kept. The one I stayed on.
2. Chocolate Brown
One session. Very low upkeep. Kept. Almost identical in practice.
3. Caramel Balayage
One session. Four months. Kept. Best value change of the year.
4. Honey
One session, three levels. Three months. Kept. Lighter without the blonde work.
5. Golden Blonde
Three sessions. Six weeks. Not again. The upkeep beat me by month four.
6. Bronde
Two sessions. Three months. Mixed. Good, but honey did it with less work.
7. Auburn
One session, no lift. Six weeks for vibrancy. Mixed. Loved it; the fade was fast.
8. Copper
One session. Four weeks. Not again. Faded fastest of anything here.
9. Deep Burgundy
One session, no lift. Two months. Kept as an option. Fades gracefully.
10. Dark Chocolate
One session. Three months. Kept. Needed dimension adding to stop it going flat.
11. Ash Brown
Two sessions. Six weeks. Not again. Fought my warm base constantly.
12. Mushroom Brown
Two sessions. Eight weeks. Mixed. Beautiful for a month, then dull.
13. Money Piece Only
One session. Four months. Kept. Most visible change for least work.
14. Root Shadow with Balayage
One session. Four months. Kept. The lowest-maintenance lightening there is.
15. Back to Natural
One session with a filler. No upkeep. Kept. The reset.
What the Year Taught Me
Upkeep interval matters more than the shade. Every colour I abandoned, I abandoned because of the schedule rather than the look. Six-week roots sound manageable in the chair and are a different proposition in month five.
Warm shades suited my base and cool ones fought it. Ash brown and mushroom both needed constant correction because my natural warmth kept coming through. Going with the undertone was less work every single time.
The biggest visible change for the least work was a money piece. Two front sections, one session, four months. Nothing else came close on that ratio.
Going lighter is a commitment to a routine, not to a colour. That is the honest version of the decision, and it is the one I wish I had understood in January.
I ended up one level from where I started. A warm mid-brown with a caramel money piece — which is roughly what my hair does in summer anyway.
Mistakes to Avoid
Judging a colour on day one. Judge it at week six, when the maintenance starts.
Cool shades on a warm base. Constant correction, and it never quite holds.
Stacking lifting sessions too close. Six to eight weeks minimum between them.
Assuming you will keep up the routine. Most people do not, and that is worth planning for.
Ignoring how it fades. The fade is most of the time you spend wearing it.
FAQ
How often can you change colour safely? Darker often; lighter every six to eight weeks.
Lowest maintenance brunette? A warm mid-brown near your natural level.
Is going lighter worth it? Only if you will keep doing it in month eight.
Final Thoughts
Ask how often it needs redoing before you ask what it will look like. Every colour I gave up on, I gave up for the schedule — and the one I stayed on was the one that asked for almost nothing.
For the shade itself see 20 beautiful Jessica Alba brown hair ideas, and for going lighter see 15 gorgeous Jessica Alba honey hair looks. More in Celebrity Hair.
