Should I Put a Thick White Stripe In My Hair?

[Archangel]

Should I put a thick white streak in my hair?

[Lungfish]

Why do want to look like a raccoon is what I wanna know?

[Archangel]

Originally Posted by Lungfish

Why do want to look like a raccoon is what I wanna know?

I don't, I want to look like a punk rock vampire.

[HongKongFooey]

Meg's pretty thick. I say go for it.

[Uthrecht]

Eh, I have no idea about how potentially and permanently damaging something like that can be, but I would expect that as long as you don't get all the way down to the root, any horrible damage you inevitably do will just grow out.

So give it a go.

[3acres]

The only person I ever knew who had a white stripe in her hair was my seventh grade teacher, and she was like, I don't know, 150 years old or so. We always wondered why she had a racing stripe in her hair. Of course, that was in the 1960's and it seems like styles have changed a little since then...

[SmartAleq]

Kinda depends, really. I'm assuming your avatar pic is you and your hair is thick and long enough to support a dramatic feature like that--but placement is all. Have you tried photoshopping a streak in where you think you'd want it to give you an idea how it'd look?

[Lungfish]

Go for it. And when you tire of people pointing and laughing at you can always dye the white streak back to your normal hair colour or shave all your hair off.

Oh, if you deicide to do please post a picky of it, I promise I won't laugh.

[Uthrecht]

Originally Posted by SmartAleq

Kinda depends, really. I'm assuming your avatar pic is you and your hair is thick and long enough to support a dramatic feature like that--but placement is all. Have you tried photoshopping a streak in where you think you'd want it to give you an idea how it'd look?

This is a good idea. I'll take it one further. Go to one of the FX shops that can do your head up in laser 3-D. Then you can put it wherever you want and test it out. As a side bonus, you can rig your head up to be some kind of creepy animated head like Polar Express.

Originally Posted by Lungfish

Go for it. And when you tire of people pointing and laughing at you can always dye the white streak back to your normal hair colour or shave all your hair off.

Or take the white streak and a bungle of black hair and braid them together. Then you can look like some kind of barber shop hippie.

... I'm not sure I'm helping, here.

[severe delays]

I see no option for Cruella de Ville so I picked Pepe le Pew. I have no idea who the other people are. I think you should go for it regardless.

[Taur]

Originally Posted by Archangel

I don't, I want to look like a punk rock vampire.

Wouldn't you want black hair with a red stripe then?

[Tamerlane]

Like Alexandra?

Poor Alexandra. She really deserved Alan more than that goody two-shoes Josie.

ETA: Jeez, I'm all nostalgic now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjEt8uUPbig

[Archangel]

Ooh, photoshop test is a good idea, thank you! Maybe Cap can do that for me.

Yes, that's me, and yes, my hair is very thick. The damage would be horrible, but Uthrecht is right, it would grow out in, with my hair, probably 5 months.

Ooh, Cruella de Ville, a fashion icon!

[Archangel]

No, Dave Vanian (of the Damned) is the original punk rock vampire and his was white. Plus I've tried red before, it doesn't show up in my crazy thick black hair.

[Archangel]

Oooh, Tamerlane, that's a bit more aggressive than I intend (I'm thinking 2 inches wide here) but I LOVE Alexandra!

[Uthrecht]

Originally Posted by Archangel

No, Dave Vanian (of the Damned) is the original punk rock vampire and his was white. Plus I've tried red before, it doesn't show up in my crazy thick black hair.

That's because you're dying black hair red. If you bleach it out, get it white as a primer, then go with a BRIGHT red, that could be something.

[Lungfish]

Originally Posted by Uthrecht

Or take the white streak and a bungle of black hair and braid them together. Then you can look like some kind of barber shop hippie. ... I'm not sure I'm helping, here.

A single black/white braid would work. Archangel could wear the braid like this girl: http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidshama/4000663149/.

[Tamerlane]

Originally Posted by Archangel

No, Dave Vanian (of the Damned) is the original punk rock vampire and his was white.

There was also Bryan Gregory from the original lineup of the The Cramps .

[WednesdayAddams]

I think you should go a different direction entirely. Cut it short and away from your face.

[Kat]

Originally Posted by severe delays

I see no option for Cruella de Ville so I picked Pepe le Pew. I have no idea who the other people are. I think you should go for it regardless.

Naw, Cruella de Vil was half black/half white, not just a white streak.

And how could you not know who Yvonne De Carlo is? She's Lily Munster!

White streaks actually make me think first of Rogue, but she's not a choice.

[Ramsey]

Yes, you'll look like Pepe LePew.

[SmartAleq]

I rather like the bright red stripe idea, much better than white--white against very dark hair is so harsh and if it's framing the face it does terrible things to the complexion, what with the lighting from black/white hair, just a disaster. But bright red or blue or purple is hawt. Even better is having it professionally done and streak the whole thing with red. That would look so cool...

And yeah, I'm with Wenz in that it looks like you could and should pull off a shorter, more layered/structured look, what you have going on is in danger of overpowering your face, at least in that pic. Do you have a larger, full face pic in natural light you could post? We could give you much better advice if we knew exactly what we're looking at...

[IronHorse]

I've only seen it look good if you do it with the (long) bangs. If you're talking white stripe down the back, yeah skunk. Or, if you don't do it well, old lady whose roots are coming back in.

ETA: And, yes, you could be a lot freer with red. Just remember to bleach it first. Heck, if you're like my sister, you'll have a reddish tint beneath your black, and dying it red will look oddly natural for a non-native color.

[Archangel]

I think Tamerlane is on the same page as me. I'm not really trying to look pretty, or natural...anyone seen "Ladies and Gentlemen the Fabulous Stains?" Anyway, it would be one long streak of white on the side, the part going over my eye, I think. OTOH I don't really want to look old or ugly either...

As for the cutting it and moving it away from my face...mental baggage. I have Lyme disease and my face has a slight droop on one side. No one but my doctor and me can see it, really, but it drives me nuts so I hide it with my hair.

Back in a min. w/ a better photo.

[Archangel]

Did that work?

[SmartAleq]

Yup--avatar has changed! So, is your hair dyed black? Because the previous pic showed closer to auburn...

Hmmm, you're pale--I'm not sure that a white streak will be flattering, it's gonna be very harsh. You're young and can probably pull it off, but I'd still advocate for a Manic Panic level color rather than a white streak. Also, I'm assuming the side away from your part is the side you camouflage--your hair is so thick you could cut some nice heavy feathery layers on that side that would liberate your eyes, frame your face better, still hide the flaws you imagine are there and also serve as a showcase area for streaks. Going for a hot color on the streaks like red or orange would give a little warm color to your complexion, kinda like blusher you wear in your hair!

[NoClueBoy]

I want to vote: "Yes, you'll look like Pepe Lepew."

[Archangel]

Originally Posted by SmartAleq

Yup--avatar has changed! So, is your hair dyed black? Because the previous pic showed closer to auburn...

Hmmm, you're pale--I'm not sure that a white streak will be flattering, it's gonna be very harsh. You're young and can probably pull it off, but I'd still advocate for a Manic Panic level color rather than a white streak. Also, I'm assuming the side away from your part is the side you camouflage--your hair is so thick you could cut some nice heavy feathery layers on that side that would liberate your eyes, frame your face better, still hide the flaws you imagine are there and also serve as a showcase area for streaks. Going for a hot color on the streaks like red or orange would give a little warm color to your complexion, kinda like blusher you wear in your hair!

No, my hair isn't dyed in either photo...it's just the lighting. It's very dark brown that does in fact have red highlights in bright sunlight.

And I'm not QUITE as pale as this pic either, but yes, I'm pretty pale.

All right, I'll consider the layers and the warm colors...in the meantime, someone pointed out to me elsewhere I can try it with a clip on to see how it looks.

[Uthrecht]

Bear in mind that you can always bleach a strip white, then if you don't like it you can dye it a bright red, orange or whatever. Since that would probably be the best way to get a vibrant color in the first place, there's no reason you couldn't leave off the second half to see what you think.

[Dragonlady]

I got all the way down to post 24 before I realized you meant a streak on the side of your hair. I thought you meant down the middle of your part and all I could think was "Why would anyone WANT something that looks like your roots need a touch up?"

[OutStandingInTheField]

Originally Posted by NoClueBoy

I want to vote: "Yes, you'll look like Pepe Lepew."

FWIW, my wife has a "natural" stripe: a patch of hair just above her temple that has aged faster than the rest, shall we say. She tried to hide it under her bangs for a while - which worked OK since her hair is not dark - but eventually it showed through. Apparently it is perceived as a fashion statement, as she was asked where she had it done on at least one occasion.

But we just call it her skunk stripe.

[Clayton_e]

I vote no... A friend of mine had a bright purple stripe in her long hair. It didn't look good.

[Smithish]

Here is what I would say to you In Real Life:

OMG!! Why would you do that to your perfectly lovely natural hair color? What is with you girls??!? What do you have against your hair? Your hair is fabulous the way it is! Why do you insist on messing with it until it looks terrible? Bleaching it out that much is going to be too hard on your hair. You will have a chunk of fried hair to grow out after you decide you are tired of the white stripe.

I could go on, believe me! My daughters friends have been known to show up when they know I'm home so I could bitch about what they had done to their hair.

[Steerpike]

Get Jack White to sit on your head. Then you'll have a thick White Stripe in your hair.

::runs away laughing hysterically::

[HongKongFooey]

Originally Posted by Scissorjack

Get Jack White to sit on your head. Then you'll have a thick White Stripe in your hair.

::runs away laughing hysterically::

Hmmph! What was wrong with my Meg reference in post #4?

:stomps off in a huff:

[Mirhanda]

I think hair your color looks fantastic with select small strips of bright, unnatural red. (When I say red, I mean something like stop sign red, not carrot top red.)

[Archangel]

Jack White can sit on my head any time.

Sorry, I just didn't get the Meg reference!

[Archangel]

And thank you, Smithish...I actually am fond of my natural hair color, which is why I don't color it often. Just looking for a dramatic statement because I'm bored....maybe I should look elsewhere.

[RedRosesForMe]

One of my best friends has nearly black hair like yours, and she's had a white streak through her bangs for as long as I can remember.

I think it's a cool look. ETA: and if your hair is thick, bleaching it won't damage it too bad. Then all you'll have to do is touch up the roots periodically. But if you aren't very familiar with bleaching or dyeing hair, I'd recommend going to a salon. The boxes of "bleach" you can buy at CVS aren't strong enough to strip the color out of hair like yours, and I wouldn't advise someone who's never done it before to buy the professional stuff from Sally's.

I have very thick hair, and I used to alternate between platinum, black, and cherry red about once every 6 months for several years (with a little purple and blue every once in a while). My hair did not fall out, although the ends did get a little fried eventually. I did keep it fairly short, though.

It's just hair, and I've never really been attached to mine.

[teela brown]

Actually, I think Pepe LePew would first try to sweet-talk you and then end up humping your head. Which would be funny.

But there was no option for me to vote that way.

[Amythyst]

Originally Posted by Kat

White streaks actually make me think first of Rogue, but she's not a choice.

That's what I came in here to say! I had a temporary white streak in my hair when I dressed up as Rogue one Halloween. It wasn't a good look for me.

I think your hair looks great just the way it is. If you still want to add a streak, though, I second the idea of trying it out with a photo first.