Summer is here and we all know what that means, blonde baby…… blonde.
From pop-queens like Beyonce and Katy Perry, and models like Bella Hadid and Emily Ratajkowski to every family member of the Kardashian-Jenner clan, all have transformed their natural dark manes to blonde. For brunette's, this is our first sign of hope … that if the most media-attention of our community are confident to go blonde (and not damage their hair) then maybe there are ways to avoid the adverse side effects of bleach.
Well, we're here to tell you that to pull off a successful conversion from 'dark to light' will depend upon a few key factors. Product choice, hair quality, your hair maintenance routine and definitely, your hairdresser, they are a key player in this process and should strive to maintain your hair quality during this metamorphosis.
Are you ready?
For brunettes everywhere, listen in, we're going to guide you step-by-step on how you can achieve born-with-it blonde looking locks that people can't help gawking at – and of course, how to maintain it!
1. PICK A BLONDE THAT COMPLEMENTS YOUR SKIN TONE
A successful brunette to blonde makeover is more than the hair products that are used ... it’s also the colour pigment you set out to achieve. After all, you wouldn't want to go icy blonde, if it meant looking super drastic like Kim K’s Draco Malfory transformation.
Before sitting in the salon chair, have a consult with your colourist to determine which blonde is right for your skin tone. If you have cool skin tones, we suggest platinum or an ashier hair colour to bring drama and chicness to your mane. Whilst those with warmer red-tan skin tones, golden shades would look fabulous. It is also worth noting that blonde can have a washout effect on those with yellow undertones.
BEFORE BHAVE 360 - CREDIT @jeffthehairdresser / @oneil_the_hair_advice_centre in the UK
AFTER BHAVE 360
2. DISCLOSE YOUR ENTIRE HAIR HISTORY
No one wants a roadblock in their path to glorious blonde locks, but trying to lighten previously damaged hair can be extremely harmful and will have a bearing on how the new colour will affect the quality of your hair. Always let your hair colourist know if you have lightened, treated or tinted your hair before. A bhave rescue treatment would be an absolute must before and during the new colouring process.
If you have severely dry, straw-like textured hair, your colourist may recommend doing highlights first to gradually and safely take you to blonde or recommend waiting until it's in better health to begin a blonde ‘metamorphosis’. Our advice is to prep your hair beforehand and make sure it is as healthy as possible.
How? We recommend a routine of bhave Rescue shampoo and Rescue conditioner for severely dry and brittle hair for 4–8 weeks before going blonde. If you’re super concerned about your hair integrity post-bleaching, then it is highly worth consulting a bhave colourist who uses bhave 180 colour to lift existing dark hues, lighten and tone. The bhave colour range has a plant-based keratin technology to restore the proteins in your hair, so you won’t have to fear brittle hair post transformation.
3. MAKE SURE THE STYLIST IS USING THE RIGHT LIGHTENER
You want to make sure that the lightening technology your hair colourist uses has proteins in it. Keywords to listen out for is 'moisturising’, ‘hair-protection’ and ‘protein’ all of which help to keep hair healthy and intact. bhave 180 colour range has all these incredible benefits plus the added advantage of essential oils, amino acids, ultra-conditioning properties and keratin technology. Fortunately, the bhave colour range is used in hundreds of salons around the globe, so all you need to do is reach out to hello@bhavehair.com and we will locate the nearest salon to you.
CREDIT - Joyce Vsg using bhave 180 in The Netherlands (achieved in one session)
4. STAY PATIENT AND TRUST THE JOURNEY
As the saying goes, Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither is a blonde transformation. If you have ultra-dark hair to begin with, you're looking at a handful of appointments at the salon. If you try to speed up the process, you could risk drying out your hair and causing severe breakage. No thank you!
Don’t be discouraged … instead, try understanding that to achieve your dream blonde hue, you need to put your hair health first, even if that means colouring over a few weeks.
Those wanting quicker results, without using bleach or dye from a box, we suggest seeing a professional bhave hair colourist. A bhave hair colourist has the best tool in the box bhave 180 lift & load, to safely lighten your hair up to 7 levels, transforming black to natural blonde in a single application (rather than bleach and tone in separate steps) with a processing time of 20-50 minutes. Not only will you maintain your mane’s integrity, but you can avoid walking out of the salon with yellow/red highlights.
We should mention your bhave hair colourist might instruct a second appointment to achieve the right shade after lightening. After all, you may be tempted to throw in some silver, grey or even light blue highlights to your fresh blonde locks.
CREDIT - Jera Hendriks using in The Netherlands (achieved in one session)
5. MAINTENANCE IS KEY
Once you achieved your ideal blonde colour, make sure you give it the extra TLC it deserves. Start by adding bhave’s Blonde Bombshell shampooandBlonde Bombshell conditioner which will nurture the tone and quality of your hair.
To avoid long regrowth (the kind of nightmarish colour banding seen on those still in iso) touching up your roots every few weeks is highly recommended to make sure the colour nicely blends from your scalp to the line where the regrowth ends.
If you notice your locks turning sunflower yellow or copper then you'll also want to combat that brassiness with a toning masque. For those who have gone platinum, icy tones we suggest reaching for the violet toning masque, whilst those who went for ash or baby blonde, we just love our bhave Slate Toning masque.
Now, what about when you want to add back some brown highlights? When that day comes, check out the colours we are dying for. You may even find some inspo for a completely rare colour altogether.
