Sometimes, you feel the need for drastic changes in your life. You want to freshen things up and bring a new look to the table. Often, the best way to do this is to change your hair. Choose for new hairstyle is one way to do it, but changing your hair color is another wonderful option. Especially if you are making a dramatic change, like going from a dark brunette to a light blonde!
If you have never done this before, you can appear to be a whole new person. It’s a brilliant and simple way to do something different and feel a little better about yourself. They say blondes have more fun, so it seems fair to put this theory to the test! Unfortunately, there is no fun in messing up the hair coloring process. Too many people find that going from brunette to blonde ends in tears. If you do not do it the right way, you can mess it up and end up with a hair color that looks more like a carrot.
How do you go from brunette to blonde without mishap? Here are some points and tips to help the process go as smoothly as possible:
Have realistic expectations
Many people assume that going from brunette to blonde is just a matter of applying bleach and waiting a few hours. In one day, you became a blonde bombshell! It’s not going to occur, so do not expect it. As a natural brunette, you’ll at all times need time to lighten your hair gradually until you are blonde. Otherwise, you’ll end up with orange or coarse hair after one sitting. This is a mistake that almost all people make, meaning that you spend quite a lot of time hiding with a hat on.
So, set yourself realistic expectations for how long it will take to go blonde. Remember, you cannot color your hair multiple times every day – it takes time to heal. If you are planning to go blonde for an event, such as a marriage or a party, prepare months in advance for the day. Don’t start bleaching your hair a week in advance and expect to show up to the event looking perfect blonde!
Start by lightening your hair
The hair coloring process starts with lightening the hair or lifting the colour. Effectively, this is where you gradually take your hair from brown to a lighter shade. There are many lightening products you can use for this, and the amount of time it takes to lighten your hair will rely upon how dark it’s, to begin with. Some people even recommend bleaching your hair at first, then you can follow up with a blonde hair color kit.
Effectively, you need to realize that you cannot make the big jump from brunette to blonde in one sitting. It does not matter how strong your dye is, or even if you go to a professional salon to get it done, your hair can never make that big of a jump. Instead, you need a few sessions where you lighten it gradually, apply a small amount of toner to your hair, and see how it looks. Some of you may achieve a dirty blonde color and that is what you are attempting to find. Others may prefer platinum blonde, in which case you can lighten your hair a bit, then start with a hair dye.
Another tactic is to give your hair blonde highlights or balayage to lighten it. From here, it is much easier to go into a full blonde look since your hair color is much lighter.
The bottom line is that your natural hair color will need to get lighter, which will take at least two sessions for most brunettes. Those of you with darker hair that borders on black will need more sessions than this!
Color your hair at the salon
The previous advice applies to people who want to color their hair at home. Purchase some bleaching and pre-lightening products/toners, in addition to a blonde kit. You can already see how this gets confusing and expensive. You will make your life a lot easier if you head to the salon and book a few appointments. Yes, you’ll need more than one, which discourages many people as it’s also expensive to have your hair coloured by a professional.
However, consider the advantages of doing this:
- Salon artists are very experienced and have dyed quite a lot of people’s hair, so they know precisely what they’re doing. This means that it is less likely that your hair will fall apart when you go from a darker color to blonde.
- Salons have access to professional dying products that work better than what you can purchase at home and will last longer. They also tend to be better for your hair because they’re expensive and packed full of things like keratin keep your hair strongg during the dying process.
- It’s easier to get the exact shade of blonde you want when you go to the salon, than to try it yourself at home. Many people struggle to accomplish this color, repeatedly dyeing their hair, which can damage it.
- By the way, because salon artists know what they’re doing, they can schedule your appointments to allow your hair to properly recover, leaving it in the best condition.
- It’s also much less messy than if you did it at home. Therefore, you do not need to worry getting bleach or other dying products on the towels or bathroom surfaces at home.
To be clear, you can absolutely dye your hair at home if you want. If you are completely against going to the salon or prefer to save some cash, this is a decent option. The best approach is to follow the directions on all the products you have purchased. Also, looking at some of the online tutorials will help you visually understand what to do. Here is a video that you may find useful for at-home hair dye:
Use purple shampoo to maintain your hair color
Once you have achieved the blonde look, you need to ensure that it stays as charming as possible for so long as possible. Naturally, the colour will start to fade and alter over time. This is because the pigments in your natural hair color will blend back into the dye. What tends to occur is your hair gets really rough and you start to see an orange tint appear.
Here, you can stop this with purple shampoo, which can be used once or twice a week. For those of you wondering, what is purple shampoo? This is a special type of shampoo that uses purple pigments to interact with the colour pigments in your hair and neutralize harsh colours. In essence, it is designed to keep your hair blonde for so long as possible. As just mentioned, it is advisable to use this once or twice a week to maintain blonde hair.
Following all this, you’ll turn from a brunette into a blonde! Now, you look like a different person and that can change how you feel about yourself. For many people, a change in hair color is all it takes for a self-confidence boost. If you want to keep this beautiful blonde hue, make sure to book yourself a top-up appointment every 8 weeks or so. If you are using a home method, just add a product of your choice every 8 weeks.
