Transitioning to blonde - 5 things you NEED to know.
Most recent is top left - March 2020. Clockwise: Oct 2019, Dec 2018, summer 2019
‘Blondes have more fun!’ At least that is what the old adage tells us. And as a natural brunette (very dark brown - almost black) curious about the truth, I have always wanted to be blonde…
I first went blonde about 10 years ago. I achieved this by having several sessions of highlights and I loved the colour. I had lots of fun! But my hair was a nightmare to manage. I couldn’t actually wash it myself - it was so dry that when I washed it myself, regardless of how much conditioner, I could not get a comb or a brush through it. I ended up having my hair washed and blow-dried every week (expensive) and so, eventualy I went back to my natural colour and my hair slowly recovered.
Since then the hair colour industry has improved and there is lots of smart products to reduce the amount of trauma the hair goes through when you are colouring. For a few years I had been experimenting with ombre, balayage but no hairdresser would go as light as I wanted instead giving me a more strawberry blonde finish that I really didn’t like. It was frustrating, but on the plus side my hair was in pretty good condition. I had been chatting with a friend of mine and she was telling me about a new place she was going to have her hair coloured which used Olaplex so I decided to give them a try. I had heard of Olaplex but at the time, there weren’t that many salons in Ireland using it. And having transitioned my hair almost fully to blonde now - I can tell you it IS a gamechanger.
Do your research and find a salon (with good reviews) that uses Olaplex. Having had my hair dyed in salons using Smart Bonds and now a salon with Olaplex I would say there is no comparison. My hair condition is barely different despite the huge colour change - it doesn’t have that straw feeling that my previous blonde hair had. I also can let it dry naturally without it becoming a huge fuzzball! It dries as it would before I applied any colour.
Look after you hair before your appointment. This should go without saying but your hair should be in good condition before you make a drastic change. So ensure you are washing your hair well, and conditioning it in the weeks before and after your appointment.
Abit like the saying ‘you can’t outtrain a bad diet’ - you cannot out-olaplex a bad hair routine!
Ordinarily when having hair dyed, you should leave your hair greasy before your appointment. You should not do this for Olaplex. Make sure your hair is washed a day before, or that morning so it is not greasy.
(You are welcome - I have now saved you the embarrassment of rocking up to the hairdressers with a greaseball on your head and being told that the dye cannot be applied to greasy hair and they will have to wash and blowdry your hair before they can start the colour - morto)!!
I know I know… you are growing your hair but if you are colouring it, ensure you also get regular trims! You don’t need to cut inches off each time you go, but regular trims to get rid of the dead ends are a non negociable! Nothing ruins the look of luscious long locks more then split and ratty ends.
Upkeep can be tough and expensive; especially if you are dark like me and your hair grows fast. I have had to learn to love my roots; I tell myself that it shows me how much my hair is growing and I feel instantly better! Essentials for looking after your new blonde locks include a purple shampoo and a good conditioner. I currently use the Kerastace products but these still contain SLS. Once these are finished I want to try the Australian brand - ELEVEN - which apparently doesn’t contain these harsh chemicals.*
*My hairdresser has advised me that the brand is SLS free but I cannot see that information on the website. Will update this once I buy the product and can check the ingredients or feel free to correct me below.