I had no idea that Deborah Ann Woll is not a natural red head. In an interview with Elle she reveals that she has been self-dyeing for a decade for under $10. Joanna Cox of Elle asked her about it.
At what age did you first dye your hair?
“During my freshman year of high school, I was 14.”
Why red?
“As a fair skinned blonde, I disappeared into the background. I’ve always been a loner, so I suppose dying my hair red was a way to say, “I’m here, I exist, I’m a human being and you can’t just push me aside.” I’m also a fan of old movies, and was very into Rita Hayworth at the time. I always fancied someone might call me “red”, like Katherine Hepburn.”
You’re a major actress now—why aren’t you going to a fancy salon to get your color professionally done?
“That’s very flattering of you to say. I’ve never been a much of a glamour girl. If it’s working and looks natural out of a $9 box — then why spend the money? Also being blond I don’t have to bleach my hair, which you should definitely go to a professional for. My coloring process is very simple comparatively.”
Do you ever see yourself going back to your natural blond?
“I have for roles. And I’ve been every other shade, too, for different projects. I don’t see myself going back to blonde outside of work though. I really like the red.”
And for those who will no doubt want to try this $9 drugstore secret, are you willing to share which product and shade you swear by?
“Of course! I use L’Oreal Paris Excellence Crème in Reddish Blond (8RB).”
I’m soooo happy that you just posted this!!!! I’ve been dying to dye my hair the same color as hers!!! I’m soo happy right now!
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HERJJ Reply:
September 22nd, 2010 at 10:34
The product placement worked!
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i love red hair. it’s exotic to me. true blood apparantly likes redheads too because there are a ton on the show. sophie anne is a redhead, then you have arlene, and jessica.
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BBB Reply:
August 21st, 2009 at 6:57
I’m glad you noticed that too…I think it’s an Alan Ball preference. The 2 female lead stars of Six Feet Under are redheads too.
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cocoablossoms Reply:
August 21st, 2009 at 15:16
i didn’t think about it but that’s true. claire was my favorite on that show and i did always admire her red hair. nothing against blonde but i find red hair so much more covetable. i love my black hair, but if i were forced to switch i would do red over blonde.
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She is so beautiful…she’s the reason my husband will watch the show with me :))
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I am SHOCKED she’s not a redhead! She looks great with red hair! The fair skin and blue eyes… love it!
What a beauty :] I’d love to see some pictures of her original blonde hair though out of curiosity!
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OMG I had no idea that she dyed her hair that beautiful red! She certainly picked the right color……it is perfect for her skin tone and those beautiful blue eyes! I really can’t picture her as a blonde.
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That surprised me as well. I thought she was a natural redhead. She’s so honest and forthright. Thanks, Deborah Ann, for sharing your hair secrets. You are a stunner, my dear.
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I think I’ve seen some of her head shots where she dons her natural blond hair so I’m not that surprised. She is beautiful no matter what shade she uses. Even if she uses cotton candy pink and she’ll still be drop dead gorgeous.
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I was very suprised to learn that I have also been using the exact same haircoloring as Deborah has. Loreal makes a good product, the results are as good or better than going to the salon and for all us slightly older women out there, it’s wonderful at covering those pesky gray hairs too.
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Hannah Reply:
May 11th, 2010 at 15:37
I like those “pesky” gray hairs. Gray hair can be beautiful too if you take care of your hair, and I embrace aging gracefully. :-)
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She looks like a million bucks. Red shades can be tricky but she sure found the right one for her. Looks as natural as can be. I just adore her.
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Awesome. Thanks for posting this. I just dyed my hair with that dye tonight and loooooove it. :D
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Interesting read! Love her red hair; natural or not though!
I found this really funny music video by Stu Stone about redheads. Check it out – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdb8nuMH1B0
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Does someone know if the color is 8RB or 9RB?
Because it says different on some sites and I’d really like to dye my hair in this color! :/
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Shadaliza Reply:
August 14th, 2010 at 10:22
Drop the questions on the Facebook page, they might know. http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Deborah-Ann-Woll-Jessica-from-True-Blood/38454565151
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Rina Reply:
August 14th, 2010 at 11:16
Okay I will. Thank you for your reply :)
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Erin Reply:
January 26th, 2013 at 19:09
It’s 8RB. I use the same color
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No idea if the actors or actresses actually read these things ever, or not… Know that fan stuff can sometimes get overwhelming and a pain. However, if Deborah ever comes on here, I just wanted to say that as a natural ash blond with pale skin, I felt exactly the same way when I hit high school as well. Unfortunately, my first shade of red was not as great of a pick as yours. I discovered Sallie’s Beauty Supply store before knowing about hair dye. Grabbed what I thought was a pretty burgundy wine-ish color and ended up dying my hair bright kool-aid purple… Thankfully I’ve long since lived past that…and I get my red out of a box now too! You’re doing an awesome job! Thanks!
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Devastated, betrayed, heartbroken, that’s me right now. Such beautiful redheads and then you find out they aren’t really redheads…..ouch! I’m now taking her down from a 10 to a 9 and removing some wallpapers of her for doing such things. I will need some time to recover.
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Its probably actually a 9 shade- been dying mine a 7 or 8 for years, to get a light red, but it is definitely not that bright a strawberry.
Major LOL at KingCarcas. I always tell men early on that I’m not natural. They don’t remember, and get reminded anew every time I dye it a different shade. Its not us bottle gingers’ fault that it looks good enough on some of us that no one can tell. Unfortunately the ‘not a real ginger’ doesn’t work on 90% of redhead fetishists…
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I am a huge fan of True Blood. I find Jessica (next to vampire Pam, my ultimate cougar vampire crush) totally hot and attractive especially her flaming red hair. However, when I saw season 4 episode 7 earlier when Bill was putting silver chain to Jessica’s body to prevent her from going to the sun. The extreme close up image of Jessica’s face actually showed blonde streaks/roots. I was so shocked that I immediatly googled it and here I am! Anyway, now I am wondering if Vampire Pam is a natural brunette. For some strange reasons, I am not fond of Sookie heehee
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