Thursday, March 12, 2015

Things To Consider Before Going Blonde


Source: Billboard

Going blonde can be described in no other way but as an adventure. There's a lot to learn and consider on the way to all that fun. About a year ago (after a very brief, but exciting fling with raspberry red) I decided to embark on the journey to blonde. Here are some things I've learned from my experience and what you should consider before starting a journey of your own. It seems like a lot, but for me it was totally worth it!

It Is Going To Be Expensive
Going to a salon (which I highly recommend if you have dark hair because it is going to take a serious amount of bleach. Putting your hair in the hands of a professional is less likely to lead to an excessive amount of damage.) is going to cost you about $300+. Its most likely going to take multiple sessions (most hairdressers I know tell me they won't do multiple bleaches in one day, because hello, thats bad), and once its at your desired level, it will probably cost almost as much to maintain it on a monthly basis.

If you decide to do it yourself (and please, please at least have someone help you if you decide to do it yourself. Especially if you don't have any experience with bleach. Find someone who does. Please. For me, okay?) it will cost about half of that. But that's still a pretty hefty amount to spend on your hair if you're like me and spent the majority of your life with your natural color. Jumping from shampoo, conditioner, and styling products to having to constantly restock toning shampoo, conditioner, bleach, toner, developer, hair masks, leave in conditioner, and whatever styling products you wish to use is a big adjustment. So if you don't think you're up for spending big bucks to maintain your new color, don't do it. Trust me, it won't be worth it.

Its Going To Be A Lot Of Work
If you have the money to do this professionally, monthly trips to the salon are probably going to be your life now. Its going to take a few weeks to get there, and then its going to take a trip every four-six weeks to keep it there. If you can stand the roots enough to go longer than that, go you! But I know after about three weeks mine would start to drive me crazy.

If you're doing this yourself, make sure you only do it if you're someone that is willing to set aside the time to touch up. My hair is naturally almost black, and it takes me two bleaches to get a level light enough to tone it to my white/ash/Daenerys Targaryen blonde. Thats two bleaches of about 45-50 minutes each with a 30 volume developer. My toner takes about another 20 minutes. And I normally spend one or two nights a week putting a mask over my hair for a few hours at a time. I also only use a hair dryer and hot styling products for special occasions to keep from adding even more damage to my hair. Which means a lot of getting up early if I decide to wash my hair in the morning, and a lot of time spent waiting for my hair to air dry. This is the level of dedication you're looking at.

And you're going to need to do your homework. Read about products, read their reviews, read other peoples experiences, read, read, read, read, read. Don't just start slapping bleach all over your head without knowing what you're doing. Ask a hairdresser what volume developer she recommends and how long you should leave your bleach in. Ask your cosmetologist friend. Ask the employee behind the counter at Sally's. Watch those 50 youtube videos. Get as much knowledge about what you're doing as possible before you do it so you don't have to worry about making up for mistakes later. Give yourself the opportunity to get it right the first time so when you're looking at that beautiful, light hair in the mirror all you're thinking about is how frickin' gorgeous you look.

Your Hair Is Going To Be Damaged
There is absolutely no way to bleach your hair without damaging it. It is going to happen. Luckily you can do things to combat this, like treat your hair to some masks, some oil, maybe some leave-in conditioners, and opt to use things like soft or velcro rollers to style your hair instead of reaching for your blow dryer or your curling iron. I know it sounds like a lot of compromises, but its worth it, trust me. Who really cares what color your hair is if it looks fried?



Everyone Will Have An Opinion
All of your friends, family, and co-workers will have an opinion.. and a lot of them will share it without solicitation. It'll be great to hear the compliments the change is sure to draw in, but prepare yourself for the well-meaning (but really annoying), "I miss your old hair. This color doesn't really seem like you," and the "When are you going to dye it back?", because they will still be popping up well into your blonde adventure. Just know to take it all with a grain of salt. You look awesome.

And when/if you ever decide to go back to something closer to your natural hair color, know that the same comments will be said about how they miss you being blonde as well. Everyone has their own preferences. Luckily yours is the only one that really matters.


**Disclaimer**
I am not a licensed cosmetologist. This post is the product of my own personal experiences in the hopes that it will give people considering this drastic change a general idea of what they are about to deal with. Consult a professional before doing anything yourself. Do your research. Knowledge is power.

8 comments:

  1. I second ALL of this! I went from nearly black hair to blond last summer and boy was it a process. It took three bleaching sessions spread over two months and about $300 to lift my hair to platinum without killing it all, and I still have damaged ends. Honestly though, I would do it again in a heartbeat bc it looked amazing.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. I wish I had spread the bleaching out like that! I was an idiot and tried to do it all within a week.. and my hair definitely suffered! I did a pretty good job repairing it, but I advise everyone to take their time now haha I agree that the end result is definitely worth it. So glad to hear you loved your hair as much as I loved mine. Thanks for reading, lovely! xoxo

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  2. oh my goodness haha I want to color my hair blonde, but that sounds like so much work and so expensive, thank God I read this first!! Thanks for sharing ♥

    stop by and chat: http://storybookapothecary.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Its a lot to take on, but so totally worth it in my opinion! If you ever have any more questions about it, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @ohhmy_lauren. Thanks so much for reading! xoxo

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  3. awesome! Might I add toning. I am not a natural blonde and when I was platinum, the color would turn brassy after a couple weeks. Tone, tone, tone. It is so important for a great blonde look. Great post! xo

    Riva
    www.rivaladiva.com

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    Replies
    1. You're right! Toning is so important. And I don't know what I would do without my purple shampoo! Thanks so much for stopping by, Love! xoxo

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  4. Thank You! I am with dark brown, but considering about brighter tones in spring. I am mostly afraid of a damage..
    http://biteboo.blogspot.dk/2015/03/whats-in-my-bag.html

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    Replies
    1. Bleaching will cause damage, but there are plenty of things you can do to keep your hair looking healthy. Regular hair masks and conditioning treatments helped my hair out a lot. Taking breaks from styling tools like the blow dryer and curling iron also made a huge difference. You can always call a salon and get professional advice on hair repair! And if you ever need quick product suggestions you can hit me up on twitter @ohhmy_lauren. Let me know how it goes if you decide to go lighter! xoxo

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