Moving from Brunette to Blonde isn’t an easy process to go through. Many clients may have the wrong belief that it’s easy to achieve in one appointment, simply by applying one colour all over the hair, easy as that…but it’s not true. It requires confidence, skill, patience, and experience as well as a professional colourist who is well adept in her job and a customer who is collected, cool and calm throughout the numerous blonding phases. In this blog, we’ll discuss whether you’re the ideal candidate to be blonde and the steps to take to go about getting there and how to maintain it following the blonding process.

Are you ready for this?

The first thing to do is to consider and decide whether you are ready and serious to be part of a Blondetourage. Let’s discuss what it is like to be blonde.

The major risk to consider is that going for lighter hair colour is a call for some kind of damage to hair. If you’re wearing box colour or any kind of hair colour on your hair before going for blonde, the colourist will need to use bleach. There is no other method to lighten your hair except using bleach as colour will not lift the existing colour out of hair. That’s it. This is the reason it’s crucial for you to slowly lighten up your hair as you go from one spectrum of hair colour to the other end of the colour spectrum. In the event that your hair has already been badly damaged, you have to ask your colourist to evaluate with you if it’s the best decision and interest to lighten your hair. We’ve to ask clients many times: Would you prefer to have healthy hair that is shiny or damaged and dull? When your colourist (or multiple colourists) advised that your hair is not in the best condition and state to be lightened, DO TRUST their words for it. There are colourists that will make your hair lighter, however it’s likely to cause your hair to be damaged, or in extreme situations, cause breakage. It’s not that we are saying that you should never lighten your hair. As long as your hair’s healthy and the process to lighten it is carried out correctly and gradually, it is possible to lighten your hair in due course and time. However, even if you do this you’ll still very likely have some form of minimal damage to your hair.

Time- transiting your hair from dark into light can take many appointments, usually more than three hours at a time. It is recommended to plan the salon visit wisely every 4-6 weeks to begin with and then plan to stay for a few hours at the salon for every visit. It is not recommended for any colourist to transform your hair from a dark shade to light in a single session. (We will explain the process in a minute.) In actual fact we’ve rejected clients who would not accept our colourist’s explanation when we informed them that we couldn’t transform them from dark brunette to light blonde in just one appointment. If you’re thinking of changing your hair from dark to light, ensure that you let your salon know in advance to allow the right time. If you’re a new customer, it is best to go for a consultation appointment first and also inform the receptionist the colour you’re currently having a dark hair and you’d like to transform your hair colour to blonde.

Patiently – As we said earlier, it can take some time to achieve the desired blonde you want. It is important to be patient when your colourist will need time to achieve a lighter hair goal for you. You must understand that you may need to settle for a colour that’s “in between” what you’re trying to get for a couple of weeks. Typically on the first session, dark hair naturally tends to be lifted to a warmer tone particularly if it’s got the old box colour on it. Hence you’re very likely not to end up being an “ash” blonde until you’re closer to the lightest blonde shade. But, it will still be a beautiful hair colour during the process.

As we know, blonding is generally more expensive as it has a higher maintenance lifestyle and not everyone is suitable for it. If you’re transitioning towards a blonde from a brunette, you’ll need to schedule numerous appointments for full highlights approximately every 4-6 weeks until the desired light blonde shade is achieved. When you’ve achieved your desired shade, you’ll still need to visit the salon to get a base break or touch-ups every five to ten weeks. The frequency will depend on the contrast difference in the colour you have in your natural hair versus the blonde hair. As of now, you could get by only performing a partial highlight or a full highlight every few times, which are less costly. You’ll also have to purchase quality hair products to maintain your blonde hair in order to keep your blonde hair looking healthy, and gorgeous! (more on this later)

Entering the Blonde Family

After deciding whether or not you are ready for the glamorous blonde lifestyle, we’ll discuss how you can achieve the blonde hair goal with minimal risk and good success.

Entrusting your blonding needs with a professional colourist is crucial. Trying to do the blonde highlights by yourself is not a good idea due to a variety of reasons. It could cause hair breakage and often will reveal undesired brassiness. Always seek out a professional colourist who is well adept to take your hair light without damage, while also making sure that you don’t get those unwelcome brassy tones! Like the customer in the picture below, we have witnessed numerous attempts at “at home colour gone wrong” and it will likely save you time and money by entrusting your hair with an expert colourist. (colour corrections aren’t cheap.) Do not be fearful about scheduling an appointment with a colourist or even spending time to do some research and consult a variety of salons to find the one that suits you the best may save you from some hair salon nightmares as well.

Be Honest – Your colourist will be asking you questions about your hair’s history and background during the consultation. It’s not for fun, but they are trying to know precisely what you’ve applied and done to your hair in the past or as far back as you can recall. Understanding the number of times you’ve put colour on all over your hair or the number of times you’ve switched from dark hair to light, and back to light hair will allow the colourists to have more knowledge and understand what are processes needed for them to achieve your blonding hair goal. It is also necessary to inform your stylist what hair products you have applied on your hair.

Make sure you are prepared for your hair salon visit. It is never too early to begin using high-quality hair products on your hair in order to ensure it is in top condition before the hair salon appointment. A few weeks prior to your appointment for hair, begin using a quality protein-based shampoo and conditioner. Perform deep conditioning for your hair and continue to do this for the rest of your life. Or at the very least when you’re still a blonde. On the day of your appointment, ensure that you have washed, clean and dry hair, so that your colourist can assess your natural hair colour quickly during the consultation. If hair is not washed, your colourist may face some challenges to determine the natural colour because unwashed hair may contain some oils and buildup and this will cause the natural hair shade to appear darker than after the cleaned hair.

First Visit- Depending on the darkness level of your hair and also your hair’s history , the colourist will likely begin your first appointment with full highlights all over your hair. They’ll cleverly and artistically perform selective highlights placement to choose where they should lighten. As you’ll still have some of your original colour that is left between the highlighted hair, it is important to not create too much contrast or create excessively “chunky” sections in order to keep the hair looking natural and beautiful until the next time you lighten your hair again. When your hair has become very dark or has many years of DIY box colour on it, your colourist can “strip” the colour by performing a colour removal process and then followed by a process to perform the highlights. Consult with your colourist to determine which one is right for you. Above is a photo of the client who came to our salon with a solid dark brown colour. We performed one full highlight the first time so as to break up the solid dark colour and then gradually lighten her all over. It’s SUPER crucial to ensure that your colourist is aware beforehand that you’d desire for this kind of transformation. If you’re scheduled to have only a partial highlight and then come into the salon and request for such a major transformation, please be understanding that the colourist will only be able to accomplish based on the time she’s scheduled to do. The major transformation process of becoming blonder will certainly take longer time and may affect their schedule for other clients.

Second or third visits – Over the next few visits, your colourist will strategically perform highlighting on the darker hair pieces out of your hair every time. You can see this in abovementioned pictures, on every visit, the hair will become more and more lighter!

When your desired shade is attained and you’ve come at the point that blondes can have greater fun…it’s time to plan for your highlight touch-ups as part of the maintenance routine. You can also experiment with lowlights or the varying shades of blonde. The colourist you have been working with has been using the lightener (bleach) all over your scalp to the ends on every visit before (hence there is risk that it could cause minimal damage) and now it’s time to let your hair rest and concentrate on hair’s “outgrowth” for a period! Some of our clients are what we describe as “blonderexic” (no judgement cause we are guilty too!) However, going lighter and lighter until the limit of no return is not good for hair too!

The process of hair lightening for everyone will differ based on individual hair history, as well as the texture of the hair. People with a history of less colouring processes and natural fine, thinner hair could be able lighter their hair much faster and more effectively than someone who has years of hair colouring, and naturally thick, resistant hair.

Staying up to date with Blondetourage

After putting time, money, effort, and even your emotions to be a blonde, it’s best for you to understand how you can get the most of your new appearance and lifestyle! Check out our article on how to prevent brassy hair in order to maintain the perfect blonde shade!

Make sure you invest in GREAT Products. This will serve as the basis to keep your blonde hair looking flawless. Everyone doesn’t want hair with straw. We highly recommend doing this along with a deep conditioner every week. This is perhaps the ultimate most crucial aspect of being blonde. It is an essential to ensure your hair is healthy both during and after the blonding process! !

Make sure you have a glaze or toner. The glaze can be described as a sheer shade that aids in achieving an ideal blonde shade as well as it can seal on the hair for an additional four to six weeks of shine and shimmering. It is possible to visit the salon to get a clear glaze to seal in the shine, colour and softness or a toning glaze that can help to prevent your blonde from turning brassy in between touch-ups!

Make use of a purple shampoo– A purple shampoo is essential for all blondies. Make sure to use it at least once a week to eliminate yellow tones, and to help maintain your blonde hair tones and brightness! Theoretically, on the colour wheel, purple is the direct opposing colour of yellow, “therefore” it is effective to cancel out any yellow tones in the blonde hair.

Shampoo Less – Try making your hair last longer by not shampooing as often! Make use of a dry shampoo so that there can be lesser blow drying needed and also prevent the possible hair damage caused by heat.

As we all know now, being a blondie is all about products which include good conditioner, great leave-in products and great shampoos! Because blonde hair is more fragile, it is important to be extra cautious when applying heat on your hair. Always make sure to use heat protector products and be sure you’re not over-doing it using the heat tools!