So you are thinking of going blonde

So you want to go blonde! We regularly get asked at Claire Hair, how do I go blonde?  If you are thinking of going blonde, read on!

Basically there are two ways in which we do this. There is the lightening process & tone, which results in an overall bold blonde. The other way is highlights. Both have their pros and cons and there are a few things to consider before you choose which method.

Lightening Process & Tone

This produces an all over blonde which is bolder and brighter with only one blonde showing.

Things to consider:

Depending on the colour of your hair right now, generally you won’t be able to go as blonde as this in one go. If you have any dye in your hair or your hair is darker naturally then it will take a few visits before you are properly blonde. You will have to be prepared to go through the stages, depending on how dark or what colour your hair is. On darker colours or reds, your results will vary after the first visit from light brown to copper or darker blonde. The darker your hair the harder it is to lighten in one go.

You will also need to consider how healthy your hair is. If your hair is long, the hair at the ends may be a couple of years old, so you will have to take into consideration what you did to your hair two years ago. The team at Claire Hair will go through a proper consultation to discuss your hair, its health and what can be done.

Highlights

A full head of highlights result in a more natural blonde with tonal of different blondes and even browns coming through the hair.

Things to consider:

This is a more gentle way of going blonde and usually produces a proper blonde highlight straight away rather than having to go through the brown and copper stages. However, it will also take around 3 or 4 full heads of highlights before you can call yourself a proper blonde. To start with there will be more of your original colour than the blonde. After your next visit there will be around 40% or your original and 60% blonde, each time after that you will become blonder and blonder until you are a proper blonde.

This can be done on hair that is a little more fragile if necessary but if your hair is too fragile then it is best not to apply bleach at all. If you have natural hair that has never been coloured then we can use what is called a high lift color, this lightens the hair and tones it to a blonde of your choice, straight away and is more gentle on the hair than using bleach. We can also put different colour blondes through the hair this way.

What is a toner:

Toner is basically a colour. We apply it to the hair if the end result of the bleaching isn’t quite the colour we want. We can tone out unwanted tones, like coppers and yellow’s to a certain extent. It is also used to make highlights another colour such as brown or red or even pink. This colour will wash out. This is a bonus as you can try different colours each time.  

Be PATIENT!

Most of the time it does take a few visits to get the perfect blonde. This is because we don’t want to damage your hair. If we lighten it too much in one go, it will be too damaged to make it look any good. It also wont hold onto any colours or toners you want to put into it and just look terrible no matter what you do. Please remember to tell us if you have used a box or supermarket colour, these are the hardest to lighten out, just because they are so packed with colour pigment it takes even the strongest bleach a while to get through. Most box colours will only lighten a shade or two on the first visit and even less if you have been box colouring for years. It’s a bit like painting a house, think of all those layers it has to get through. The best option is to be patient as sometimes it will take a while to get the perfect blonde but it will pay off in the end. In our experience, taking short cuts just ends badly meaning more work to fix up and taking even longer to obtain your perfect shade.

Avoiding ‘Ginge’, Yellow and any other discolouration.

In the case of very dark hair, there is a stage of colours the hair has to lighten through. Red through to red orange to orange to orangey yellow to yellow (or dark blonde) to light yellow (which is light blonde) to platinum (if possible).

Most of those middle stages can be considered ginger and will be by a lot of people. There are so many really pretty shades of copper that most people won’t mind this stage but there are a few who really hate it. We usually find its someone else who has influenced this hate of anything copper by calling them ‘ginge’ (there’s always one friend who thinks they are funny!) but its a pretty popular colour lately so just go with it. As long as it’s not that fluro raw orange home-job orange then you should be fine. We try and avoid this by toning it to a nice copper or chocolate on darker hair. It isn’t until the hair is lightened to a darker blonde that we can tone out any copper completely.

A lot of people naturally ‘throw yellow’ which means their hair naturally goes a little yellow over time, usually at the roots. Things like swimming and certain hair products can also turn your hair a little yellow, but that’s why NATULIQUE is so good.  

Be careful swimming!  Chlorine and sea water can not only dry out hair terrible but also give it a lovely greeny tinge.

After Care

The care you take of your hair at home is the most important part of the process. We can take you blonde and do our best to keep your hair in a good condition but for 90% of the time, your hair is in YOUR hands. If you are using the wrong or bad products at home and ill treating your hair, there is nothing we can do about this and you WILL end up with damaged and broken hair that is hard to handle.

You will need:

A good shampoo & conditioner which suits your hair type and has strengthening qualities.  NATULIQUE shampoos and conditioners are perfect for protecting your new hair!

You will need a treatment, something that is going to deeply nourish your hair. Bleach dries the hair as it opens the hairs cuticle to get the colour out, letting out all the moisture with it. This is why your hair will feel dryer and usually more fluffy. So chat with the team at Claire Hair to find the perfect treatment to ensure your hair stays looking gorgeous.

So don’t be shy, if you are thinking of going blonde we will help you get there and look amazing, but remember – blonde is high maintenance, but definitely worth it.

Just ask Marilyn!