why you are still BLONDE (not brunette)

[@laurawells1711]

I grew up in San Diego. I have 2 blonde friends who had long, natural, golden blonde hair. One went to college in Oregon and the other went to college in Boston and they both came back during spring break with an ashy, mousy, brown hair color. I told one friend, “I didn’t know you were a brunette”, and she said “Neither did I!” They both look SO much better with blonde hair. Brown hair ages them. I, as a natural brunette, can pull off some hilights but look horrible with all over blonde

[@lilya7110]

Your friend did not become a brunette. Brunettes are born with some shade of brown hair.

[@abeleva_vera]

Absolutely right! I have a similar situation. I am naturally blonde with very light, almost white, cool, ash-colored hair. At the same time, my skin is very warm, with a red undertone. My hair color and skin tone look completely inharmonious with each other; so I started dyeing my hair when I was 13 years old. I didn’t choose or think about the color at all, my hand just reached out to the ginger shade of hair dye. Since then, I have tried on myself many shades of ginger and even red, and all the people around me always thought that I was naturally a redhead. Even my hairdresser, to whom I went to get my hair cut for almost 10 years, to whom I always told that I dyed my hair, was surprised every time that I said her I am blonde.

[@stur5252]

I think having light arm hair can also be added to the list as being blonde.

[@mashikoanimations]

I think I keep dying my hair too dark, When I look at my arm hair it's definitely blonde!

[@hayley179g]

No it can't! Lol

[@lilya7110]

If ALL of your body hair is light, and you were blonde as child/teen you are a blonde. If you spend any time in the sun and your hair lightens to blonde you are a blonde. If your hair lightens without a lifter or double-processing, you are a blonde. If you have light eyes and were ever naturally blonde, you are a blonde.

[@An-kw3ec]

Mmmm.... My body hair is really light, especially my brows and lashes, but my scalp hair is definitely brown, i don't even have that golden shine that many brunettes have to say they are blondish. In the other side, my cousin has naturally dark brows but she's a real blonde, maybe it's because my mom is a redhead, snad her lashes and brows are almost white despite her hair being darker.

[@crin1600]

My sister had almost white hair as a child with cool light blue eyes but her brows were almost black .Her body hair dark.

[@rebekahnewman3876]

Love Tiffany’s videos and love this unexpected crossover episode. I also love how respectfully you speak of any woman’s features, never elevating one natural feature over another!

[@XEveryoneLovesEmilyX]

I noticed a lot of people with black hair like to dye their hair black so to me it makes sense that lots of blonde girls want to enhance their blonde.

[@ourcozycorner8517]

Okay, thought about it for a minute. The dilemma comes in from a few waves of issues. The first is that if you’re born blonde & your hair darkens as you get older it creates a strange sort of faux problem to be “fixed” kind of similar to women getting wrinkles as time goes on & it happens slowly at first until one day when you see a picture or look in the mirror & suddenly feel the awareness of how much you’ve actually changed. The second part is personally I think I look better with highlights & added blonde color. I’m not supposed to say that nowadays, but it’s true. I do. A lot of natural blondes do. It’s part of why we highlight our hair- bc we’re trying to regain something we’ve lost but also we look better- more lively, more awake, more like ourselves. Think about how those early years shape our identities in deep ways- why should something tangible like hair color be any different?

[@Alyona-ty4pp]

Agree with you. Some people born natural blond and then their hair going dark due to environment or other causes. Then those people would be considered natural blond and lighten hair would look natural on them. Another point that if darker hair turn blond easy during the colouring, this hair might be blond. If hair is hard to dye in lighter colour, it means it's not blond.

[@merriamstyle]

I completely agree with what you're saying. Those years really do shape our identities, and also, I do think some darker blondes look better with their hair lightened (I kind of hinted at this in the video that somehow it actually *does* look more natural), and if the person also feels more like themselves AND prettier, I don't think there's anything going on there but that. I think that's lovely, and there's nothing wrong with feeling prettier blonde for all those reasons.

[@BoglimWrangler666]

@@Alyona-ty4pp lol ur dna cannot change from the environment. this is cope because you guys want to be light blonde so bad but you aren't anymore. so is my light red hair blonde bc it lifts to white in one short bleach session?

[@BoglimWrangler666]

@@Alyona-ty4pp how can your dna change from the environment? if you rely on intensive sunlight to change ur hair color, its NOT natural...... my hair is light red but lightens easily to white in one quick bleach session but its still more red than blonde.

[@ManulPallas-vi5yk]

@@Alyona-ty4pp the environmnt cannot change your dna lol. thats simply not your natural hair color. explain why scandinavians are the blondest ppl yet have such long harsh winters? cause sunbleaching is still fake bleaching. sorry..

[@Lighthouse1852]

Once again, Merriam breathes brand new insights into a old topic. Like many posters here, I was born blond. Very pale skin. Eyebrows and eyelashes emerged very dark, though, which nobody outside the family remarked on because it was common among my relatives. At 6, platinum blond. At 10, golden blond. At 30, gold with ash roots. At 40, my mother shocked me by asking if I was dyeing my hair brown. I hadn't realized that it had gotten almost as brown as Tiffany's. It felt weird to change the specs in my driver's license and passport. I look forward to advice on coloring this hair if I get bored or I don't like the shade of gray it turns. Also, what colors to wear. After all I found this channel because of searches for fair olives. Stayed for Merriam's lectures on the finer points or color, style and life.

[@katitadeb]

Here in Latin America where majority of people are morenos (brown skinned) and have dark hair and eyes (both light and dark skinned) there's a lot of colorism and eurocentric beauty standards (where the "whiter" you are the better), people want to be blonde because of that, my hair is darker than Tiffany's but people still consider me blonde, DARK blonde, but still "blonde". But I'm a brunette! And now I'm sure about it, I dyed my hair blonde once and it looked awful and totally unnatural 😅

[@YumeraChauque]

Moreno is hair color. Not skin color.

[@lvs6775]

@@YumeraChauqueLanguage is not set in stone and varies widely depending on location and the surrounding environment (i.e. neighboring countries). My family's from Mexico and moreno always meant brown coloring specifically skin. For my friends who are each from different regions of Colombia, they used moreno to describe black people.

[@leni0210]

I lived in Brazil for a while and I found it so funny what is considered "blonde" there. Like people called lmedium to light brown hair blonde! And yes, everyone was literally obsessed with light hair and light skin. I'm naturally very light blonde (even my lashes and eyebrows are blonde) and I had random people on the bus asking me if they can touch my hair.

[@ariadnameza6594]

@@YumeraChauqueIn Mexico Moreno is used to describe skin color, I’ve actually never heard it describing hair.

[@dv7361]

⁠@@YumeraChauquein the Philippines, moreno or morena is used to describe skin color not hair

[@AlexLouiseWest]

I love this video. I’ve always been outdoorsy, and therefore had blonde streaks; but since moving to the Isle of Wight, I have been sea swimming regularly and the quality of light is far more intense. Friends from my old home asked if I had dyed my hair. It then gets darker at the roots in the winter. I would describe sun and sea as natural chemical processes.

[@GothicAngelX0X0]

When it comes to the blonde argument, IMO if someone is born blonde, they are still blonde regardless if their hair darkens. It's very common for people with lighter hair to go darker. Red heads i find tend to lose the redness and turn more blonde generally but some do go darker. Technically Tiffany is still genetically blonde, she's just a dark blonde in my eyes. If Tiffany where to have children she can only technically pass down a blonde hair gene.

[@raraavis7782]

I'm a weird exception to the rule, when it comes to haircolor. Had beautiful wheat blonde hair with natural highlights as a kid, then darkened to a mousy brown during puberty and ended up dying my hair black, as an experiment. Have stuck with that for 25 years and nobody would guess, it's not my natural hair color. I can literally dye it blue black and it will still look harmonious. Maybe it's because I have extremely cool toned, light skin and dark blue eyes. And that coloring does exist with raven black hair naturally. I don't know. I like it. I'm not part of the 'blonde above everything' club. Especially not when it comes to artificially blonde hair. Rarely looks good to me. Naturally blonde hair can be very beautiful, of course...but I definitely don't prefer it to other hair colors.

[@bellavitaheart4546]

How do you know if you haven’t tried lighter hair lately? The dark looks too harsh imo.

[@raraavis7782]

@@bellavitaheart4546 Photoshop. You can give yourself any hair color or style you like in pictures. Even layer someone else's hair over yours. Or your own from old pictures. I got the idea from this hairstylist channel Justin Hickox. He does that regularly with pictures viewers send in to him. Btw...I don't think it's very polite to comment unfavorably on someone else's appearance. Especially if that person has already expressed their satisfaction with how something looks on them. And especially especially, if your opinion is completely irrelevant, because you have never even seen that person in person or in recent, properly lit pictures. Only give your opinion on looks, if someone explicitly asks for it, especially if it's a critical opinion. Just a friendly piece of advice. I get lots of compliments for my 'Snow White' appearance in real life, btw, so no worries. I'm a 'bright winter' in the seasonal coloring system and 'bright winters' look best with lots of contrast and vibrant, saturated, cool colors.

[@marieluvie]

I believe a natural lighter color might make your features look softer. I‘m glad to have left my blonde as is until in my 30s now and will leave it natural as long as possible cause it makes me look youthful.

[@hikaryagravity]

No your face looks like you should have light brown hair. Black looks unatural.

[@rosie58843]

I have to say, I’ve seen a lot of people with naturally lighter hair who dye their hair black and it always looks unnatural. Mainly because you can see their eyebrows and eyelashes don’t match the hair, and the dyed hair looks too opaque and shoe-polishy. But I understand some people identify as having black hair just like some identify as blonde even if it doesn’t look natural

[@ourcozycorner8517]

Yes. You are onto something! Was born golden blonde (not white blonde), hair became darker & my mother started highlighting & coloring my hair at 12/13…fast forward and it has been really hard to find my natural color as an adult. Obviously I can see my roots, but whenever someone colors my hair to “match” my roots it looks off- dark ash blonde, medium golden brown, etc. It is very tricky. 13:09 and yes, it’s complicated bc I was always blonde & it feels a bit weird trying to color my hair to get it back to my “natural” color, but no dye really does the trick. And I don’t want to have to keep highlighting my hair 😂 it creates a strange identity crisis when you’re born looking a certain way & that one very distinctive trait sloooooowly morphs.

[@AbstractMindsThinkAlike]

You can just grow your highlights out

[@4264127]

The only way a hair becomes darker is if there was mixing dark with blonde hair. it's not going to happen if both of your parents are blonde 🎉

[@izabelacatpabian]

I now finally understand why I am blonde and why I can handle well darker colours. Thank you for this analysis. Very helpful. Nobody before explained it as good as you 😊

[@avril.227]

I’m a blonde that went darker with age, and when I moved to Florida it went blonder again. I’ve tried doing an all over medium brunette and it looked harsh and unnatural. So I completely get this. I’m doing highlights for life.

[@afiiik1]

I was talking to a friend from Finland about her hair which was golden and what I consider blond, she told me it was brown. I didn't really understand why she didn't think she was blond u till I saw her friend who had natural platinum hair, platinum eyebrows, platinum eyelashes - that's what's blond in Finland 😅

[@valeriapebble]

I am a haidresser, I would say she is absolutely a natural dark blonde! A level 6-7.

[@coquelicot9455]

I have very dark brown hair too and I really get passed off when people say my hair is black, so yeah Merriam I totally feel what you said in the video!

[@Lindalindali]

I've stopped looking for a name for my hair colour. It's a little darker than Tiffany's, I think. Depends on the lighting. During summer it gets lighter, so the ends are a completely different colour from the roots. When I lived in Italy they called me blonde, in Germany they call it ashy light brown.

[@merriamstyle]

This is so true! I think most people who'd consider Tiffany and Blake brunette live in parts of the world that are lighter. imo, if you take the entire world population into account, Blake Lively's and Tiffany's hair colors would be considered blonde without a doubt, just as you were considered blonde in Italy. The majority of the world's population doesn't look German....and now that we have the internet, there aren't many excuses to think that it does.

[@Vonmacfire]

Russian blonde 😉

[@rosanilebron1566]

Interesting analysis! I'm a born blonde. Throught my youth my hair used to be dark ash blonde, that had a greenish tone (ash color can be weird). When I reached my 40s I started dying my hair auburn and it looked very nice with my fair neutral skin and green eyes. I'm a soft summer and three months ago decided not to dye my hair anymore (I'm in my 50s now). And my grey hair looks waaaaay better on me than the auburn color. Because as soft summer it is more harmonious and makes me look more fresh. My eyelashes and eyebrows are light, I can't wear black mascara as it looks too harsh on me. The young woman from the example has more contrast because her eyes are blue. And I think that makes her look really beautiful with blond highlights.

[@sheri6089]

You've described my coloring to a tea!

[@rosanilebron1566]

@@sheri6089 🩵💜🩵

[@noodlep2547]

2 of my sons were born blonde, but one was a green-ish blonde. They both had very pale golden blonde hair as they grew up, but turned darker, ashy blond as they reached late teens, early twenties. You are the only person I’ve ever heard refer to this greenish colour!

[@notaclue822]

I live in Vancouver, where we have rain and overcast weather for most of the year, and I had a hairdresser from England. He noticed the hair colour of people who live here would go darker over time. So yes, I agree the sunlight, even the daylight, affects our coloration much more than we might think.

[@AlexLouiseWest]

Yes. Mine has always had blonde streaks, but since moving to the Isle of Wight, England, it’s much lighter due to sea swimming and a much more intense quality of the light.

[@mollyt6835]

This is so interesting Merriam! When I watched Tiffany Fergs video, I kept thinking about how Tiffany is blond. On a spectrum. It is all about perspective though. It’s interesting how so many people with dark brown hair do not consider their hair black, like you. From my perspective, as someone that has light hair, I may consider that black at times, depending on the lighting or time of year. But many of us change so drastically depending on the seasons and climate. And Ive never seen you in person, so I will take your word for it that your hair is not black! My hair is red, brown and blond all at the same time, so I personally ponder these things a lot 🧐😂. Thanks for another awesome video!

[@user-cw4zl2uc5g]

Interesting analysis and I think I agree with you. There are some people who can have brown hair, but they still just feel blonde to me. Hailey Bieber, for example, who was blonde as a child.

[@gallagrrr]

I think part of this is a confusion between hue and value! I say "blonde" to refer to a range of colors in the same hue family at different values of light and dark whereas most people use "blonde" to refer only to the light shade. I think we also can intuitively see what looks "natural" on people because many genetic color traits are linked. For example, we don't see many redheads with dark eyes. I think there is a similar thing with people in the blonde family--we can also see that their natural skin and hair coloring doesn't suggest, for instance, a deep reddish brown like mine, whereas I have other "ginger" traits like all-over freckles that would make, say, a true neutral black look out of place. I don't know the science but I bet those aren't genetically compatible! Just a thought.

[@LGrian]

Really? About half the redheads I know have medium to very dark brown eyes

[@12Sanguine]

Very interesting! As a mouse brown blonde I appreciate this message

[@Cultivatingjoy07]

So true! I've never heard anyone explain this before, so thank you! Being a dark blonde\light brown hair type at the natural roots as an adult, that used to be completely blonde as a child and who's eyebrows look so pale if their hair is dyed even a light brown or black, I can absolutely relate to this! This makes so much sense to me.

[@realtalkz4540]

As a man, its very clear to me her hair is brown.

[@mariajosemartinez5135]

I was born blonde, I was a blonde little girl. As a teen my hair turned ashy, and when I became an adult it was medium ashy brown. I keep my hair natural, and I can see how it bleaches itself and starts to look reddish and golden 😅 Now I have my hair long and roots are ashy brown but my ends are golden. In summer all of it look reddish. My eyebrows are ashy and my eyelashes are also ashy but darker. They are my darker hair. I don't condider myself in the blonde or the brunette family. Mostly in the medium family, related to the other two and sometimes close to the reddish one 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@floross-opazo4760]

such an insightful video! in high school during an oral presentation in Spanish class I described my hair as "marrón" and so many people shouted "NO!". They corrected me and said my hair was black. It's definitely brown!

[@libertylady8462]

Thank you! I was blonde as a kid and have golden blonde eyebrows and arm hair even though my hair has gotten much ashier and darker. I’ve been feeling conflicted as to should I highlight it and I feel much better as a blonde!

[@JayeMallard619]

Excellent point about looking at other hair on our body to better judge our coloration. In French we use the word "châtain" specifically to describe those in-between shades (I would say typically anywhere from a level 5 light brown to a level 7 blonde would be dark châtain, medium châtain and light châtain to a French speaker). When I was younger, I had light châtain hair, and now it is a medium to dark châtain, but still in that same 'confusing' family.. ;) But my lashes are indeed fairly light (on those rare occasions when I wear mascara, I go for a brown rather than black), my eyebrows look freakishly detached from me if I use a brown pencil, and I sometimes let the hair on my legs grow a full centimeter before realizing I've let myself become a hairy beast only when the light from the sun starts to catch in them ;D , so definitely quite light overall.. I also loved how you compared identifying as blonde to identifying as being olive skinned. I was thinking the same when I watched Tiffany's video, disagreeing that it was about some white supremacist ideal, but rather just a matter of how one has grown up knowing themselves. We know that our blueprint of life is acquired before the age of seven, so it only makes sense to me that whatever we saw in the mirror as children is what we continue to believe to be true of ourselves when we grow up. I love how deeply you think about these things and come up with very wise insights.. :)

[@cw9452]

Thanks for your opinion. I am one of those people with dark blonde hair. In some photos I can look very blonde and in others my hair can look very brown. I am constantly unsure of my hair colour. lol. But I think that thats what having dark blonde hair is all about. Theres lots of different tones in the hair going on and its going to look different depending on the lighting.

[@rocioluque956]

I think that the differences about dark blonde and light brown are the undertones, if your hair in the light reflects yellow or golden tones then you are blonde, but if your hair reflects reddish or copper colors then is brown, that's the differences that I've read about brown and blonde hair, I also was unsure about if my hair was brown or blonde, but after seeing what tones reflects in the light then I confirmed that I'm a dark blonde

[@cw9452]

@@rocioluque956 Yes that makes so much sense. My hair shines golden in the light.

[@emilywilson7835]

This is so validating to hear. Thank you!

[@notaclue822]

You have such an in depth take on this. I've wondered where I fit too and while i now identify as a dark blonde, coming from a family where others are lighter, I haven't always known that. It's all relative. Now I'm turning grey so the contrast adds something else to the picture...texture wise as well as colour wise. I do appreciate your posts. Thank you.

[@Bianca-nb7by]

I’m brunette, soft and muted, soft classic, high contrast, with light olive skin and I have Italian and British ancestry. My hair lightens naturally somewhat in the sun, although at 42 I spend less time in it now. I have long curls and there are pictures of me as a toddler where I have blonde curls in the summertime. I also have the kind of brown eyes that change in the sunlight, they look like a lighter, warmer brown. I hadn’t really noticed it until my partner mentioned it one day when we were sitting facing a window at a cafe. I never seem to get as many compliments on my hair as when it’s highlighted with slightly warm tones. I go between my natural medium brown and highlights and just a couple months ago highlighted my hair again and have gotten so many compliments when normally people don’t notice my hair unless it’s been blowdried smooth. I’ve been unsure about which I prefer but after watching this, I think I might stick with the sunkissed dark blonde highlights ☀️ Thank you for these videos Merriam ❤

[@SonyaOpritova]

I’m used to the fact that there are several categories of people based on hair color: blondes, brunettes, redheads and brown-haired people. for the last category there is a special word in my native language and it’s not just “brown-haired”. But nevertheless, in France you often meet people with a specific shade of brown: from a distance they look like brown, but in the light their hair seems to be transparent brown. in the same way, my husband was born blond and was blond until puberty, but then his hair changed its color and now from a distance it looks black (like eyebrows and eyelashes), but if you look at the light, they are reddish and seem to be a little transparent. To me, the girl from the original video looks like a brown-haired woman. 👩🏼👩🏽👩🏻

[@ih2439]

I have the same current natural color as Tiffany (and was also a lighter blonde when I was younger). I have no problem accepting the fact that my hair color has darkened with age (especially after pregnancy and all the crazy hormonal changes). However, my current natural color looks like crap on me and I think that’s true for a lot of blondes who have darkened as they’ve gotten older. My theory is that this natural dark blonde color does not have the same dimensionality as true brunettes. Blonde that has gone dark with age just has a flatness to it that is hard to explain but if you have that color, you probably know what I mean. Thats why highlights/balayage are so popular, it gives your hair that extra element of multi tonality that it’s lacking otherwise.

[@delightfullydotty7130]

This is so interesting! I tend to look at everything through an evolutionary biology/psychology lens and this is something I hadn’t considered. I’m always trying to grow out my slightly dull brown hair and I always end up having it highlighted again because it feels wrong. I think I’ll just go and have it highlighted and stop stressing about it!

[@kathystclair9485]

Very interesting. In other countries who have very dark hair Tiffany would definitely be considered blonde even with her darker grown out roots. I was born with white blonde hair, then by teen years it became an ashy medium to darker blonde by the time I graduated from high school. It became darker after I had all 3 daughters in my 20's. I have light skin, blue eyes,light eyebrows and lashes. About 38 I started getting highlights. Now that I'm older I dye my roots and do highlights. There is just something about once you've been blonde it feels unnatural to go a darker color.

[@merriamstyle]

lol yes, so true. My dad is Algerian and he pointed at a girl with literally brown hair and called her blonde. Maybe that's going too far, I'm probably more toward the middle. Perhaps I call Tiffany blonde in part because I'm definitely not blonde. But hopefully I made some convincing points in the video! It's interesting how much your hair color has changed, but definitely, from your profile photo, your hair color in that photo appears to be blonde and also appears to look very natural on you.

[@kathystclair9485]

@@merriamstyle I sent my color analysis to your website. should get the report back in a couple day. Very excited. I did not realize it did not include body typing, until I already registered. I will probably have my body type analyzed also after the color typing comes back. I will have some more up to date pics to send in with that.

[@sonder2874]

I think you’re 100% correct and it’s something I’ve also noticed. I had a similar thing where my hair used to be light blonde but got darker the more time I spend inside. My hair isn’t as dark as Tiffany’s, but my sister is also blonde and it has turned as dark as Tiffany’s. Some time ago I called my sister a dark blonde and it was very validating for her (not that I intended that, it kinda shocked me) because apparently most people call her hair brown. I think one way you can tell someone is blonde is that in the sun it has a golden tone/shimmer, even if it’s dark in value. Some (most often light) blonde haired people can be massive gatekeepers, probably because they feel like they have some special trait they need to preserve. To me that’s very gross especially because white beauty standards are already workingin their favor... yikes yikes yikes. Just because capitalism forces most of us to work indoor from 8 to 5 and drains us of our energy so must we barely have time to relax and go outside doesn’t mean that it also gets to rob us of our natural blondeness! Haha

[@TheKatelinn]

I am light blonde, my daughter is medium blonde, her hair looks golden when the sun shines on it. Gorgeous and cannot be easily replicated with any kind of dye.

[@AlexLouiseWest]

Totally agree with that final paragraph. I’m lucky enough to live on the Isle of Wight, England, so it’s rural and coastal. My hair has got much lighter since moving here due to very intense light, sea swimming and more time outside.

[@mervisa89]

I'm a dirty blonde. People think that a dustier, ashier color, tends to be darker since it doesn't reflects the light the same, but I was suprise to learn that I have a level 7/medium blonde

[@autumnleaves-77]

Finally, somebody who truly understands hair colour! :) Yes her hair is naturally blonde. My hair is similar, but I'm more strawberry blonde. My hair goes very light blonde in the summer, and darker blonde, almost brown in the winter. I also have very light blonde eyelashes and eyebrows. I'm definitely a blonde.

[@sarah-kk4om]

As someone with this hair colour I hate it when people tell me I have brown hair. I’m blonde. I should know.

[@Jordè1222]

I also think that if you were a blonde baby it would suit you to lighten your hair as an adult. Pretty much whatever your hair is as a baby will make you look youthful as adult. In my case my hair was a ringlet bob as a baby and i just recently stopped straightening my hair and cut it into a curly bob and i look so sweet and youthful❤

[@runae7368]

Her hair is photographed with indoor lighting. Looking at the hair under natural outdoor lighting will make a difference in seeing the true variation of color and undertones.

[@alrighttumbleweed4782]

Merriam I love how you are switching up the vibes with the intro So interested to have your input on this blonde debate!!

[@dianaaugustine5438]

You might have just convinced me to get highlights. I was a blonde child and am now a brunette adult, but my hair gets a slight blonde look in the sunlight. I was considering getting highlights to camouflage some of the grays that are popping up. I also feel like the light brown I have currently really lacks personality. I wasn’t sure about the lighter coloring, but now I’m convinced. I’m a blonde!

[@Just_Kirsty]

This actually makes a lot of sense. I was born with white hair which turned a very light, golden blonde when I was a toddler and then started to soften over the years when I wasn't that much in the sun anymore. I had grown out my hair color a few years ago and it looked way darker than I had anticipated (and warmer). People didn't even believe me it was my natural hair color and I felt like it looked a bit off too. I saw my brother's hair lighten in the sun once and it turned a bronzy blonde color (he's about as "dark" as I am). I think such a bronzy blonde is what looks most natural on us. Maybe with a few softly blended lighter bits, if the hair is long enough for that. I do observe the changing hair color of my cousin's daughter too. She's been born white blonde too and her hair changes exactly the same as mine did when I was at her age. It's now in that golden/honey stage and the top part already softens (it's like a frosted honey). I think that's when the eumelanin production goes up in blondes and the hair darkens and softens a lot. What I also did notice: Blondes usually have hair that appears a bit transparent in sunlight. Something I never saw happening in actual brunettes' hair. When I have my hair lightened and do have a visible regrowth, in the sunlight it almost disappears. So coloring my hair DARKER (even in the same level of depth I naturally have) it just looks weird. Like ink, way too opaque. The only darker color that works for me is plant based color. Because it isn't as opaque and allows the variation in the natural hair color to stay intact.

[@LittleWoba]

Does this theory apply to red heads too? My hair was light copper until I turned 13 then to a darker copper (level 6). I dye my brows to a 6 because they are so much lighter yoh can barely see them from a distance, in photos etc...I also have alot of freckles. My hair looks reddish/brown in winter and copper in the summer. So, would you call me a redhead or a brunette?

[@Claudialupperocd]

Good question. I had reddish blonde hair as a child and auburn hair until it started going gray and I started covering that with dark blonde. Underneath it is still auburn, like really red, but golden blonde on top where the sun lightens it. So...what am I? A redhead? Dark strawberry blonde? Who knows.

[@XEveryoneLovesEmilyX]

I found my people. Blonde is an overall vibe. Putting people in brunette that don't fit the brunette vibe doesn't make sense

[@Diana-fg2vy]

I find that I'm quite low to med contrast so foils add the contrast and brings my features out adding youthfulness as my hairdresser once said

[@ekaterinal8631]

Do you think brook shields looks better blonde or brunette? I’m not sure what color her eyelashes are so I’m not necessarily talking about her but I’ve seen some natural blondes with DARK eyelashes and I remember always being baffled by their genes because even though their hair was light their eyebrows and eyelashes were quite pigmented and sometimes even quite thick.

[@pizzakrydder2515]

A boy in my class (in Norway) was completely dark haired as an 8 year old, probably a 2 on the scale. But he grew up in Spain and showed us photographs from when he was a few years younger and he was super light blonde, like a 8 to 9.

[@kathystclair9485]

Our great nephew had blonde hair for the first several years of his life. He is 17 now and I was so shocked when I saw a picture of him. His hair is jet black. I asked my husband if he dyed it and he said NO. His parents both are blondes, but his grandfather (My husband's brother was blonde at birth until several years later and then it turn a very dark also. Very fascinating.

[@SolutionsWithin]

Very very very interesting. I'm Irish and I've always wondered why I look so good with so many different hair colours: blonde, light brown, and even red (if ashy which I literally didn't know existed til I watched your other video LOL). anyway, now listening to you saying this, it reminds me of how I always used to say I look good with blonde hair b/c when I was a child, and even youth, I always had blonde hair which got much lighter on sunny vacations (ofc people roll their eyes and say ya ok lol). But, pregnancies and hormones much have changed it (as per my hairdresser). But the problem is that it makes it harder to choose what colour to do, the dye is very damaging and I want to grow it so damaging it wouldn't help! but brown can look dowdy on me. I look better with all the highlights in it but don't want damage and toxic chemicals. I would be interested your opinion on how age and hair length affects the topic b/c I am in my 50s and I am trying to grow my hair to waist length (I know it's not common and don't care if people laugh), but having a bright, blonde or chemically treated colour would just draw way too much attention.

[@Vonmacfire]

So I definitely struggled with this over the years. As a child I was blonde. But around the age of 9 my hair would darken to almost red in the winter and get golden in the sun. Eventually it just would stay darker ashier by 16. So I decided to get highlights and omg yes I looked so good. My natural hair color was no longer considered a desired shade. People shamed that hair color and praised the lighter hair color. So proceed over 20 years of highlighting and the praise. Covid happened so I grew out my hair color and the praise is gone and my natural hair color doesn’t get the same attention. In fact someone recently told me I should lighten it and that I would really look amazing. So that’s why natural blondes lighten their hair color because as they get older it darkens and people no longer value that hair color even describing the hair color as mousy, dishwater, etc. Anyways I personally at 45 learned to love my natural ashy reddish goldish hair dark blonde hair 😂. But it took time and acceptance from me because honestly society doesn’t think highly of that hair color. Also I can attest that after your 20’s the hair no longer lightens in the sun. I lived in Singapore over a year with my natural color and spent lots of time outdoors and it stayed the same boring 😂 color.

[@charlotte-dp9sz]

One of the reasons I like colour analysis is that the aim is to enhance your natural features. I feel like from the 1990s onwards every woman in the west basically, attempted to look like Kate Moss. Highlighted or blonded hair and skinny jeans became the definition of beauty. Its a look that worked on some women in sweden, poland etc but it looked really ugly on many red faced heavy set English girls. There was this hideous miss match between the skin colour and the hair colour with the quality of the girls hair becoming ever more degraded with each bleach. I think part of why the look was so popular was it was cheap. Colourful clothes are hard to match and expensive.

[@luluesparza7360]

Do you know why some black/brown (not processed) hair turns burgundy’ish (naturally) after spending a lot of time in the sun?

[@merriamstyle]

when I was younger (like six years old), I noticed that with my hair a little bit. I don't know why necessarily but I do know of the phenomenon you're talking about.

[@luluesparza7360]

@@merriamstyle thank you for your videos!

[@mosaicmind88]

My natural color is brown black. I had it at birth. But in kindergarten it turned true auburn for about 2 years, then returned to brown black. I read an article that said, if you want to dye your hair a different color but want it to "work" for you, go 2 shades lighter or darker, but no more. Or pick the color you had at age 5. Thus, I dyed my hair auburn and changed my whole perception of myself. It felt more ME than my dark brown black hair, and I never looked back. I dye it a normal auburn color. Nothing fancy or artifical looking. I get at least 1 compliment on my hair/eyes/complexion combo every week. At least once a week. I get these compliments so often throughout my life that my family turns and gives me a knowing look when someone mentions my hair. Bottom line, a fake hair color can look better than your current color. Keep it within 2 shades of your true color. Lean towards your color at age 5 because it will obviously work for you because it really was you.

[@ehhmeh4869]

@@mosaicmind88Just a thought, but do you think it might have been due to how much time you spent outside during kindergarten (if you did, of course)? I just noticed something similar happened to my own hair when I lived in a sunnier country 🤔

[@kitty_s23456]

​@@luluesparza7360I know someone similar to you - he's a Romanian guy. Indoors & in pics, his hair looks black. In the sun, his hair has reddish tints. I found it fascinating. My natural hair is black (Asian). Under the sun, it turned blue-black. That was when I didn't color my hair. Nowadays, my hair is several shades of brown, reddish brown & blonde. The blonde streaks are the grey hairs that have been covered by dye.

[@babe8917]

My friend is blonde and it turned more dark blonde when she was in her teens but I would still consider her a blonde, all her arm hair is blonde, she has almost translucent white skin and has blue grey eyes and most of all both of her kids are super light blonde. Her husband as well is a dark blonde. And they both get light streaks when they are in the sun. In Germany people will always use a derogatory term for that kind of dark blonde. which is kind of sad and probably also leads to people lighting it more. her cousin as well had pretty strawberry blonde hair but didn't like the red hue because she wanted to be blonde like her friends. this is why I liked Tiffanys video. I have naturally black hair and growing up where that is not desired, you will see the blonde privilege. i mean it is the same with straight and curly hair. I used to straighten my hair on a daily business and destroyed it in the process. now I had to learn to embrace my natural features, but that doesn't mean I don't know that some people will not consider them beautiful

[@CatSchrodingers]

That is very interesting topic. I might add that I did see a few dark brown-haried(not ashy) brunettes that looked good with their brunette colors but they turned out to be blondes before puberty. So i dont know if you are always ment to stay blonde if born blonde. I was reddish-white haired blond till puberty and ashy light-blond till 25 when i died my hair red. Pepole who only saw me as a red head think that it is my natural color. And my roots nowdays seem much darker than in my blonde days. I dont really know what is the point of my comment:))) I guess i wanted to say that our hair can change over time quiet drasticly as we go through different life stages

[@angelinab.5917]

Can you do a video on “why you are still red” lol because I can meander on the red spectrum despite my roots looking brown or dirty blonde. I was born blonde and my hair lightens to strawberry tones in the sun.

[@mommacat75]

Mine sounds the same. I was born golden blonde but it darkened to brunette. I look terrible blonde but I can wear red hair color very well. I usually dye my hair darker than my natural color.

[@calliope6623]

I don't know, a lot of white people were blond as kids. I was a blond child, and now I have dark brown hair, and even darker brown, thick eyebrows and eyelashes. Never dyed anything. I also have dark brown eyes. In the summer my hair gets a little lighter but not much. My father is blonde, my mother's complexion looks similar to yours. I think it would be a stretch to say I am a "blonde".

[@Helga-fe5xl]

She has a blonde face, its hard to explain

[@rosie58843]

I think people with light ashy brown hair usually look better with blonde hair. And if your hair is a deeper brown, chestnut type color, blonde hair usually looks worse. I think it has to do with how dark your eyebrows and eyelashes are more than your skin tone.

[@outdoorasmr]

Very interesting! As a child I was very blonde, as I've grown up I'm a very light ash brunette and in the summer when I'm outdoors more my hair turns ash blonde. I wish I could include photos to show the difference. Whenever I get my hair cut by a new stylist they always ask if I'm blonde or brunette.

[@madgesticm]

Merriam, this is so interesting. Do you think Karlie Kloss looks better as brunette, or blonde? I cannot decide. Also, I'm forever debating going back to brunette, but can't make up my mind. My natural hair colour is medium brown, and can go light in the sun. My eyebrows are medium brown and eyes medium brown/dark hazel as there is some green to them. I notice brown hair accentuates my eyes and brows, and blonde highlights my complexion/fair olive. People who didn't know me as a brunette think I'm a natural blonde, even though I'm bleached blonde. Family prefers me brunette. I like both for different reasons. To make things more complicated, I'm Winter type - typed Winter by a few people, and black, white, navy and magenta are colours that suit me best; and re. my makeup, it needs contrast and brightness/freshness

[@nitzan3782]

Excellent video, it's why I see my bf as a blond even though he thinks he's a brunette. Born platinum, his brows and lashes are downright invisible. I'd love to see a brunette vs black-haired video too.

[@SoMagicalMichele]

My daughter was born with a really dark blond hair that looked brown to an untrained. You can't go by "born with" but if by the time you are 3 -6 months old if you are obviously blond, then yes you are blond. Now that she is 21, her hair is so dark it almost looks brown and some people call it brown but to me, it is still dark blond. There is something about blond vs brunette that I can see but I don't think all others can. There is either an ashy or golden quality that shows up differently than it does in brunette's. Of my 6 kids, half are blond and the other half are brunette. In the summer, my hair went really light brown but it never crossed into blond and I look HORRIBLE in blond hair. I made that mistake ONCE. My daughter has fairly dark eyebrows, which can be common for blonds. They aren't as dark as mine but compared so some blonds, they are dark. Some blonds do switch to brunette. My dad was a toe head. Super blond hair as a kid and black hair as an adult. They are a rare happening and by their teens have already switched to that very dark color.

[@LD-io9zv]

So true ! I have natural black hair ( almost grey to blue black) but can lighten my hair only now that I’m going grey to darkest brown . Your hair is a rich dark 2/4 R brown - just beautiful !

[@Shell.29]

I see what you mean. I'd use"fair" for people who suit blonde because as you said, Tiffany's adult hair is brown (light brown, but still). Interesting, to change blonde from natural blonde hair to "looks natural w/dyed blonde". I'm "blonde" like Tiffany too.

[@clairewillow6475]

Can you please please do a video on auburn / reddish blondish brownish hair. It’s so confusing because I’m pretty sure I have a cool undertone to my hair but it looks red in the sun

[@amordesdemona]

I'm in that cusp between blonde and brunette and I do think I look best with a shade a smidge lighter than my 'natural'/root color. I was blonde as a kid but not super light, just blonde, and it 'became' brown overtime. But I also look odd in platinum blonde, partly because I'm not 'full' blonde and - I think - because even though my lashes are rather light, my eyebrows are pretty thick and not super light.

[@AliceUnchain3d]

I'm from Argentina. When I was a child i used to be blonde however my hair color started to get darker with years and never change it or lighten my hair until the age of 26(months ago) I went to a hairdresser and decided to have blonde baby highlights. My natural hair color is brown with kind of golden highlights that it can be notice in the sun, and if I'm close to a lamp i guess. Sometimes it looks more orangish in the sun and photos... but blonde at the end of the day... I also noticed that part of my roots are darker... and then it looks more brighter till the ends. I honestly like my hair before(the blonde highlights) and now I do like it as well at first i felt that the highlights looked unnatural on me I guess? And now they still there, visible but softer and suits my hair color even more wich I'm more comfortable with that... so yeah I never really wanted to go full blonde cuz I can't stand it on me, I just think it wont suit me like when I was a child or my natural brown hair. I have a very pale skin, brown eyes, dark brown eyelashes and dark brown eyebrows. Also I never felt like a true blonde myself in some way because my hair been brown but always aware I wasn't truly a brunette/black haired like other girls in school... and also theres always been other way more natural blonde girls so my thought always been that my hairs just turned brown that happens to have golden highlights and thats it.. no blonde...🤔 I dont know if it makes sense. Reading some comments made me realize that maybe I'm more blonde than I actually thought? Blonde as a child, then having golden highlights and also my hair bleached fast and a lot when I got these baby highlights. Im sorry for my english. I don't really comment on youtube I just saw this and wanted to comment on this. I also had in some parts of my body blonde hairs but not anymore.

[@dandelionstars6700]

I’m a dark blonde who was called brunette (hair was called light brown) by my coworkers, until I took down my natural/virgin hair from its braid and they saw it in entirety. Your roots will be the darkest. When I get highlights, now, the stylists try and make my hair darker sometimes. It’s very annoying, because my fine, blonde hair picks up pigment really fast. One time, a stylist had put in a blackish blue pigment. Next to my white blonde highlights (she also left the bleach on too long) made me look skunk like. It would be nice for more people to identify dark blonde as an actual blonde shade without it having to be a discussion and proved by those who have had it their entire lives- lol. Always been a blonde (golden to dark, white if I get out enough in the sun)

[@YukataKaytee]

I came here because I'm tired of getting recommended brown eyebrow pens and finding none that look natural. So far, I found a dark grey, and it has been the closest. I also got a dark blonde eyebrow paste, but it got discontinued...

[@junebug_8976]

Very interesting video - Thank You!

[@emilyharshaw3464]

Interesting! I’m not sure what you would consider me. I was born blonde but my hair got darker as I got older and I have light brown hair and dark brown eyelashes and eyebrows now as an adult. I was typed as a bright spring. I have dyed my hair blonde before and don’t think it looks good on me as it washes me out and takes away a lot of my natural contrast! (very fair skin with very dark brown eyes and dark brown eyebrows) I do experience hair photobleaching and my hair does get lighter in the sun though so I’m not sure!

[@Rachael91]

Yes, finally! This is so validating :D

[@SB-xl8lp]

The sun lightens my hair to an ashy blonde that is extremely difficult to get from any hair coloring. The red tones look not great on me, making my skin look blotchy and ruddy. But being older now, it takes forever for the sun to lighten it much since it's become pretty dark. I look more natural and overall better with a chemical blonde, even with the reddish tones, applied than without, so I've done it a few times in the last few years.

[@searching4serenity9]

I was born blonde and my hair got naturally darker as a got older but when I've dyed my hair blonde using store dye it turns orangish. I think I'm ash blonde to ash brown. My hair can turn that greenish color when swimming in the pool a lot. My hair can look light brown to dark brown depending on how much sun I get. My mother had blonde hair and blue eyes and my father had brown hair and dark eyes and I have very dark blue eyes. It's interesting because it's like no one wants to be in-between, people either want to have fully dark hair or fully blonde hair. They don't want that greyish blonde brown what they used to call mousy hair color. Which is what I naturally have. :p Well, that did change for a while a few years back but it seems to have gone back the other way. My mother had blonde eye lashes and I have dark eye lashes. :/ It's crazy to me that people don't get that you can be very dark blonde to the point of not looking blonde naturally.

[@sheri6089]

What do you think of changing your undertone from a neutral-warm to neutral-cool when grey

[@sylvia470]

You are right, I used to be blond, very light blond as a kid now it's turned dark blond. The hair that I have at the back of my neck close to my skin are a tone or two darker than the rest, because they are never exposed to sunlight since my hair is very thick.

[@sophistocat]

I think Tiffany's high contrast is due to her cool coloring. I am warm toned, natural golden blonde with green eyes. My brows are only slightly darker than my hair, body hair is blonde and fine) and am very low contrast. Interesting video. :)

[@zenobiaw831]

I must have had an unusual metamorphosis, I was born with dark brown hair which turned dark golden blonde as a toddler. So, not all blondes are born blonde. But I actually have pale blonde hair mixed in with the medium colors, so at the very least I'm a dirty blonde. I came to this epiphany when my hairstylist recommend all these blonde hair care products after a few dips in an over-chlorinated pool actually turned the ends of my hair super blonde. Always wear your hair up in a pool if you have a lighter hair color!

[@Cultivatingjoy07]

If you dye your hair brown or black and your eyebrows do not look dark enough aka they are pale by comparison, you still have that natural blonde look! Even when When I let my roots grow out instead of gently lightening my hair my eyebrows look too pale, now I understand why!

[@merriamstyle]

yes exactly! it's the eyebrows and eyelashes (sometimes) that give it away!

[@EM-cg4iy]

Oh my three girls were all born very very blonde and crossed into brunette around 11 or so, black eyelashes and very very dark eyebrows. Loads of people with European ancestry start out life blond but can go quite quite dark, close to black before they are done cooking. But yes I would agree that those with blonde eyebrows and eyelashes are kinda still blonde even when their hair gets dark.

[@KRKimbler]

Interesting theories! I wanted to be blonde and warm-toned for many years. I look plain with blonde hair. It's clearly not my natural state even though I dyed and highlighted my hair for years. I was born blonde, and I have blue eyes and light (not fair) skin. As a young child, I was what I called a summertime blonde and wintertime brunette. I guess it was part of my identity even though, like Marion, I'm a brunette with cool-toned summer skin. I fully embrace that now, but it took many years.

[@EM-cg4iy]

Oh my three girls were all born very very blonde and crossed into brunette around 11 or so, black eyelashes and very very dark eyebrows. But yes I would agree that those with blonde eyebrows and eyelashes are kinda still blonde even when their hair gets dark.

[@kathystclair9485]

Mirriam, this is off topic and for that i apologize. I watched a video of yours that was dated 4 years ago, but I did not comment since I thought you may not see it from that far back. My mother had very dark brown hair and so does my sister, but their skin is very light. Back in the day when tan was in, my sister always tried, but only got terrible sunburns and it would never turn into a tan. My mother worked hard in the sun and always stayed pale. I was wondering for someone like them would they be cool and radiant? I haven't seen you talk on this subject about people like them. Thanks.

[@laura.2551]

I was born blonde, but my eyelashes and eyebrows always were quite black... I was always confused because even nowadays some people naturally tell me I'm blonde for them and some others just think that I'm Latina 🤔🤔

[@sideeffect2]

I was bright blonde until puberty. I was shattered when it turned darker. I've always had light colored eyes, eye lashes and eye brows. I look sick without makeup. Very interesting topic!

[@destinychild4659]

I disagree that people who are born, still look blond. Not necessarily. As as kid, I was light blonde. But as I grew up, I turned brunette. And totally naturally. 😂 I have hight contrast and hair dresser's don't think I should lighten my hair.

[@Staraestheticandother]

I have dark ash-ish(?) blonde hair, on the edge to medium/light brown, but shines gold when in sunlight or certain unnatural lights. Most of my body hair is invisible, my eyebrows are pretty dark, a bit darker than my hair, and my lashes look black when not compared to black, but I was born with light blonde hair and had that every summer until I was like 11, but had medium blonde hair in the rest of the year. I also look more natural with much darker hair(black) than much lighter hair, but a shade or two is fine, while brown looks pretty normal. For context, I am 15 and probably not done with puperty. What am I according to you? /nm /gen /lh /nf

[@jessicacox2005]

I was born with jet black hair. By the time i was 3, my hair was very light blonde, not quite white, but close. My Eyebrows were light brown, black eyelashes. Now at 40, my natural hair is aboutvthe same as Tiffany. Am I blonde? lol 😂

[@majatodorovic8683]

Interesting topic. I was born dark blonde but by the time I was three my hair got dark brown. I look 10 times better when I dye my hair blonde even though I always wanted to be "all healthy and natural" - I just look bad with darker hair. I was bleached platinum blonde for a few years and looked better than ever. Now, because my hair got damaged, I cut it short and have to satisfy myself with only highlights. And I dye the rest of my hair blonde, but it is more rusty,goes to orange...7 years ago I got this red pigment in my hair, so every blonde dye is orangeish on me,I am desperate 😅. Before, every box dye would make my hair light blonde and now I can get that only with bleach. Is there any solution for that red pigment in hair?

[@majatodorovic8683]

Oh and to clarify: I am cool and radiant. Don't have freckles nor does anybody in my family have red hair. My natural hair color is dark mousy brown.

[@ΛΕΜΟΝΙΑΤΑΣΟΥΛΑ]

I don't know if you've ever heard of the fact that Angelina Jolie was born a natural blonde. I don't know if that's true but I think she looks more natural with brown hair.

[@principessa1127]

It also depends on where you live and what your perspective is. I’m really blonde (naturally a 9.) I don’t consider the first lady blonde, but that’s just because I’m comparing her with myself. Compared to you, she’s blonde, so to you she’s blonde. If people consider her blonde, that’s fine. Really, only a tiny portion of the world are “actually” blonde. If people want to move that marker so that more people can consider themselves blonde, that’s fine too. “Blonde family” is a good term.

[@affectojfgidi1246]

That's interesting!!!! In Russia (and maybe other places I'm just unaware!), we don't have JUST blonde and brunette; we have blonde, CHATAIGNE and brunette. Chataigne is for brown-haired people. Differentiating between chataigne and dark blonde is tricky too, and I guess in russian terms Tiffany case would be about that instead of brunette. We also have a special name for Tiffany's lighter hair color: русые, although it's still a part of blonde. I also think that I'm in-between brunette and blonde "by your system". I have brown hair; I was born blonde; I have dark eyebrows; neither bleaching my hair nor going full black would look good on me XD i guess you would put me in dark blonde though because of my literal hair tone. In Russia I'm chataigneXD

[@lja530]

I agree with a lot of your points but I think the reason Marion didn't look great in that one particular picture is that it was a warm shade of blonde. She'd probably look better in a cooler, ashier shade of blonde. Also, I'm naturally blonde (light blonde as a kid, honey blonde as an adult) and I had dark brown hair as an infant. I only turned blonde later.

[@Jeanne7774]

My eyebrows are light and invisible unless I put make-up on them and then they are still delicate even with black eyebrow gel. Arm/leg hair fine and light. But my scalp hair was never decidedly blonde, nor brunette, just an in-between brownish shade. I used to lighten it, it looked natural, it was so me. I only let it grow out because I didn't want to keep using bleach that would dry and thin out my fine hair and was fed up of roots and having to re-touch them. I wanted to try henna for the thickness it gives the hair but don't want to be red. Where do I fit? I have had this dilemma for a long time of not knowing what to do.

[@linibellini]

There’s actually one thing to consider: blond hair naturally usually occurs in northern countries where the sun isn’t powerful enough to bleach hair that much. So in her “natural territory” her hair would’ve not bleached that much even thousands of years ago. The reason why European hair bleaches more quickly in the sun when you’re in areas with higher UV exposure, is that it usually is finer. The finer the individual hairs, the more easily they bleach (both through UV exposure and chemical processing). African, Native American and Asian hair is usually thicker so it doesn’t bleach as much. That doesn’t mean that this thicker hair is more real brown or black than a Northern European with dark hair that is fine. Also about the "born blond" aspect: Not everyone who was born blond will look natural in blond hair when they're adults. In my family there are people who were born blond (not platinum but honey blonde) and have dark body hair, dark eyes, dark lashes, eyebrows and facial hair. They would look absurd in blonde hair. But as children they had medium lashes and brows and obviously a lot less visible body hair. But often with puberty the hair can darken a lot including body and facial hair. This is actually somewhat common in middle eastern or mixed people.