Hi friends! Thanks for stopping by. Today I’m sharing all the deets on how I went from brunette to a full-blown blonde.

How will it look? Will my hair fall out? Is it going to cost an arm and a leg? How much damage will this cause my hair? These are all the questions swirling through my mind as I contemplated crossing over. This wasn’t just some little change I was thinking about like cutting bangs, this was more drastic than that.

After the thought initially washed through my mind, I considered a gradual approach may be required for example adding more and more highlights over time until eventually walking out one day as a blonde. With no inspo pic armor in hand or even an inkling of an idea on how to describe what I was looking for, I called and scheduled an appointment for a full head of highlights. Additionally, we just moved and if you don’t know how intimidating it is to find a new hairstylist in a new place, I hope you never have to find out. I decided the best place to start is a national salon with the rationalization their stylists have some sort of standardized training and my hair would land somewhere on the spectrum decent to looks good. And I was right, it looked good. After a full highlight my hair was lighter over all however still on the dark side.

Then one day a switch flipped, and I was finally ready to live life as a blonde, just so I could see what it was like. And where do spur of the moment hair decisions always start? That’s right the infamous grocery store box hair dye aisle. Talk to any professional hair stylist and they will tell you to steer clear of this forbidden place at all costs. So on I went, and purchased not one but TWO platinum blonde boxes filled with promises to lift my hair a full 8 levels. And boom! With a little assistance I was a beautiful shade of cast iron rust in just 60 sweet minutes. The color actually wasn’t the absolute worst the issue was the box bleach formula is not user friendly and is difficult to distribute evenly throughout the hair resulting in brown blotches. Luckily, I didn’t panic and started strategizing.

I began combing through local salons on instagram and conducting hashtag research. Eventually I found a hair stylist whose work caught my eye. She has her own place which turned out even more perfect since high traffic areas and public crowded spaces are overwhelming for me. After scheduling a consultation and this time with inspiration photos in hand, she accommodated me for a color correction appointment a week later. She foiled EVERY SINGLE hair on my head and after a 7-hour day, I stood from her chair and began my life as a blonde.

If you are thinking about lightening your hair don’t make the same mistake I did. Go to a salon first and skip the grocery store aisle that shall not be named. Below are a couple of tips to help you along the way:

1. Prep ahead of time

If you plan to go lighter, more than likely you will have bleach applied to your hair. Bleach is known to dry and damage hair. Combat this ahead of time with nutrients. Biotin and nutrient rich supplements that support healthy hair will give you a good foundation for your transformation.

2. Invest in quality haircare

No point in spending the money to make such a drastic hair change if you neglect to invest in maintenance. Find a hair product that nourishes in the shower, protects during heat styling and heals in between. You can find the regimen I am currently using here. This step goes hand in hand with prepping ahead of time. Start using quality products at least a month before going blonde.

3. Schedule a consultation

Consultations not only help you and your hair stylist get to know each other but it also allows your hair stylist to schedule the proper amount of time for your appointment ensuring no one feels rushed.

4. Bring inspiration photos

Photos are essential for communicating with your hair stylist. Find three pictures you like and be ready to describe what you like about them.

5. Budget

If you’re naturally a brunette, blonde hair will require a higher level of maintenance than what you’re used to. Discuss this during the consultation so you are on the same page about how often you will need your hair toned or your roots touched up. Toning shampoo can help neutralize brassy, orange tones between appointments. Here is one I use that works.

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