What is the risk of going brunette?

It will take a 100 years to grow out unless you want to do a serious bleach job. I’m blonde too and think you should stick to within a few shades of your natural color. You could go for a deeper golden blonde or a strawberry but I don’t think a solid brunette is a good choice.

Main risk is hating the change, going to bleach it back out, and destroying your hair.

I’d recommend first finding out whether you have warm or cool undertones in your skin, and choosing a shade from there. Then, try out a demipermanent dye – it will fade quickly and wash out almost completely in a month or two. If you don’t hate it by then, then invest in a more permanent haircolor.

I have done a very dramatic hair color change, but it involved a lot of forethought, planning, experimenting. Ultimately, I love being a deep redhead instead of a dishwater blonde, and have kept it up for years. Many people are shocked to learn that this is not my natural color. I attribute it to simply having the matching skin tone for my chosen color.

Ultimately, it’s just hair and it will grow back, so don’t be afraid to give reasonable experimentation a try.

Because you’re a natural blonde with a fair complexion, brunette might be too harsh for you. As @Coloma said, it might not be a good idea for you to try darker shades. You could also experiment with some temporary colorings that are gone after a few washings.

Well, one risk is that you may not get the color you’re expecting. To the good side, though, green or purple or blue hair is not as unusual as it used to be. You can always pretend that’s what you meant to do.

I was a honey blonde from childhood into my twenties. Once while in college, just for fun, I did my hair dark brown. It was kind of a kick. The most startling thing was how dramatically different I looked to myself. I’d glimpse my image when passing a mirror and halt because my peripheral vision had detected a stranger in my vicinity. Really, it was shocking to me.

I think that was mostly because it drastically changed the degree of contrast between my flesh tones and my hair color. Fair-complected blondes have a much lower contrast than fair-complected brunettes. Darker hair just frames your features differently.

After a bit the brown pretty much wore off, and I never did it again. Now I use coloring products to try to keep my natural color, not cover it.

I’d say maybe use a temporary rinse just to see how it feels, or go try on some wigs. You can probably learn enough in the first few minutes to satisfy your curiosity.

The risk is that the carpet won’t match the drapes.~ Actually you could get a chemical burn or allergic reaction to the dye. Also your roots will show in time. Also you would stink up the bathroom with ammonia unless you have an ammonia free dye. It will end up being expensive.

compared to unprotected sex practically none

Do you know how many women would kill to have blonde hair?
Honey I would flaunt what I got! DO NOT DO A THING TO YOUR HAIR!

Blonde hair is all well and good until you’re in your mid-20s and people say things like “Honey, if you’re going to make a fake ID, at least put a believable age on it.”

I still get sidelong looks sometimes, but it’s way better now that I look much less like Alice of Wonderland fame.

Try some highlights around your face to see if you like it. I always had black hair when young and when I got bored I colored it red. Terrible choice since most of my clothing color choices really did not go well with my natural complexion and my new hair color.
So fast forward a few years and I did burgundy highlights and a fresh and different hair cut. It gave me the difference I was looking for without requiring too much maintenance or completely changing my wardrobe, oh, and make up.

You run the risk of having brown hair.

@dopeguru – they are called Colorists for a reason. Ask around or call a salon around where you live. You will do better at a beauty shop/salon rather that just a ‘cut n’ run’ quick-stop. Put the color in a box down and go make an appointment.
Colorists are licensed in such areas- chemistry is included in most professional colleges and schools now. A ‘must’ for state boards and licensure.
Discuss color. Some places offer computer apps with joining your pix with various shades.
Open your mind to different tints, colors, etc.
Then have a professional color your hair.
As it grows out, you needn’t look like you’ve had a swirly down at the public restroom at the local watering hole.
As your hair grows, try alternative colors and highlights. You’d be amazed at how knowledge and excellence turns out great results.
Cost-wise- you may be surprised. $ really tight? Go to the ‘hair school’ close to you. The instructors are right there assisting the students. Go with those close to graduating if you mix any extra colors into the hair for highlights.
Try highlights first- if you wish.
Have fun with color on your hair.
Get professionals who know their stuff.
You can ‘go back’ at any time you choose- with a colorist.
No growing out color disasters.
Have fun now. The older humans age, the grey is not as changeable nor colorful as is natural colors when younger.
So those who wait, don’t get to have any fun.
( Still talking hair color….. )
Enjoy! – with a Colorist.

Oops, almost forgot.
Eyebrows.
Decisions, decisions.
Different parts of the body- different hair gods- ( Wikipedia if that reference flew over )
You have to at least ask Colorist- not best food-color- Kool-Aid colored friend, please, what your options are for your eyebrows.
Different growth, different colors, etc.
Dye? Shave? Pluck? Bleach à la Lady Gaga -every day…. :/
Or if you are a guy- they tend to color the Hell out of eyebrows which, in turn, renders the color of their hair invisible due to absolutely frightening outcome below the forehead! Yow!
See about suggested ideas from your colorist also.
If as you say you are blonde, there’s usually no problems.
Dark to light- your call. Try having groupings of tips of dark all the way around in your hair color at the bottom of a shorter cut – if jagged ends. Color tints along facial area -outlined a little leaving the brows darker. Platinum haircolor with black tips/under-color varies in popularity. Some can carry it off beautifully.
As above- have fun with it.
If robbing a bank?
Save time.
Use nylon stockings or a wig.
A Groucho Marx mustache?
Run fast.