I agree. Don't let hairdressers fob you off with colour charts (as they always seem to want to do with me). Stick to your guns and insist on just bleach. A good hairdressers will know if your hair is strong enough to take it and if you invest in some good hair products, there's no need to worry about your hair looking dry. Whenever I have bleach and the hairdresser is ready to wash it off, I always insist it stays on for a little longer! Having said that, I know my hair is pretty stubborn so it needs to stay on longer. I last had my hair bleached in April and work colleagues are regularly saying "have you had your hair done again?" If it were colour, it would have faded long ago. Go for it, nothing like a good hair change to make you feel fab!