A Quick Guide To Going Blonde

Ah, these wonderful summer months – filled with sunlight, heat and a lot of blonde hair. It’s no secret that Summer is the best time to go for a lighter look, after all, what goes better with a killer tan than light locks?

Celebrities like Khloé Kardashian and Selena Gomez have shown us their stunning transformations from brunette to blonde, and it gave us major hair inspo. But, lightening your hair is far more complicated than it may seem. Bleaching hair can be extremely damaging, and it usually takes more than just one – or even two – appointments with a professional to make your blonde dreams come true. Selena and Khloé are lucky to have dream glam squads who do their best to cater to their hair desires – but, if you remember, Khloé’s transition from brunette to blonde was a slow process that played out over years.

So, here are some important tips you should know before you embark on your journey to going blonde.

Have Realistic Expectations

If you have dark hair, you should not expect your colorist to transform you into a blonde in just one appointment. You should expect it to take at least 3 appointments to go from dark hair to blonde, so being patient is key. If you try to speed up the process, you’re at risk of causing serious damage and breakage to your hair – bleach is no joke!

Don’t Underestimate the Maintenance

Having a full head of blonde hair is not all fun and games – maintaining such a light hair color requires regular touch-ups to take care of dark roots. Be sure to factor in the cost and time it will take to keep up with your newly blonde hair. If the thought of lightening your roots every 4-8 weeks doesn’t sit well with you, consider getting a balayage – the hand-painted dye technique creates a natural-looking gradient that will melt into your darker roots.

Be Honest With Your Colorist

When going blonde, seeing a professional is an absolute must. They are trained to assess the state of your hair and figure out the most effective and healthy way to lighten it. That being said, you need to be honest with your colorist about the history of your hair – have you ever gotten a keratin treatment? Have you bleached or dyed your hair before? Even if you’ve never done any sort of color treatment to your hair, you should let your colorist know. Also, if your colorist isn’t asking you these questions, you may want to find someone else who does.

Do Your Research

You should always research the salon and colorist you are seeing prior to your appointment. Look at pictures of your colorist’s work and decide if you think he or she can achieve the look you are going for. That being said, the research phase doesn’t stop there. Before you go blonde you should learn the basics of taking care of lighter hair. You should avoid shampooing every day, get rid of your metal brushes, cover up your hair when you’re in the sun, and understand that you’ll need to avoid heat tools. Lightening your hair tends to dry it out, so consider investing in moisturizing hair oils and heat/UV protection sprays for when you find yourself in the sun without a hat.

Do Not DIY

Hopefully you get the point by now, but just to reiterate – DO NOT BLEACH YOUR HAIR AT HOME! It is extremely important that you consult a professional before putting any sort of bleach on your hair. Although it may seem like a good idea to buy that boxed dye, please refrain. To avoid causing so much damage that you need to get a pixie cut, go to a salon. While it is certainly more expensive, it will be worth it in the long run and your hair will thank you.

To learn more about different types of hair dying techniques, check out our ‘Hair Dying 101‘ article.