Being Blonde
This post has been in the back of mind for a while but it wasn’t until I had constant comments from co-workers and shop assistants on being blonde, (beige blonde in particular) that I decided to write this post. Being a blonde can be a lot of maintenance, but there are some major payoffs such as; you can wear less makeup and it blends better with grey hair. The main factors you want to keep in mind when being a blonde are the colour and condition, these two factors are vital in determining the overlook of being a “good” blonde. Keep reading as I discuss both these factors.
Colour
The darker your hair is, the more processing your hair has to go through to become blonde. Hair has different underlying pigments depending on its colour. These pigments range from red, orange, yellow and pale yellow (see my fancy paint picture above ;)).
So for example if you had brown hair and it had an undertone pigment of red and then you bleached it but didn’t leave it on for long enough you would end up with an orange blonde colour rather than a clean blonde. This is because although you may have lifted the brown through the red pigment, you may not have lifted it past the orange pigment.
Bleach takes out the pigment in your hair, the tricky part is knowing the amount of time you should leave the bleach on for hence why it is always best to get a professional to dye your hair or else you might end up with an orange or banana based blonde colour.
You want to avoid something like this (left hand side).
*Sourced From
Ok so now we have covered some theory here are some tips for getting the right blonde for you.
- Get a professional to do your hair, bring in pictures of what you do and don’t like, you need to be on the same page with your hairdresser when it comes to dying your hair blonde. Do you want a platinum blonde look, a sun kissed blonde or a beigey blonde look? Not all blondes are the same. Think about whether you suit a warmer tone or a cooler tone.
Olaplex!!!!!I’m sure most blondes have heard of Olaplex by now, it’s a professional system that is used to help prevent damage to your hair when it is being processed. Normally if you were trying to take someone from a dark brown to a blonde you may not be able to do it in one sitting but Olaplex keeps the integrity of the hair intact so that bleach can be left on for longer without causing breakage.(See picture above for results!!!) This is definitely something I recommend for people who have naturally dark hair and are wanting to take the blonde route.
Condition
Treat Treat Treat …. You need to treat blonde hair with extra care. Use a Hair mask every time you wash your hair and use conditioner to comb through your hair in the shower. Coconut oil treatments are your best friend ,you need to hydrate the hair but not weigh it down. Some of my favourite hair masks are Loreal Serie Expert Liss Ultimate Masque, Moroccanoil Restorative Hair Mask and Toni and Guy Nourish Reconstruction Mask .
Trim – You want keep blonde hair in shape, spilt ends tend to show so you need to maintain your hair with regular trims. Every 8 weeks or so.
Heat – try and use less heat when possible, blonde hair has gone through a lot of processing so heat can cause extra stress to the hair. Try to stick to heat styled look once a week and leave hair natural the rest of the time.
Toning Shampoos – Every blonde needs a silver shampoo to counteract any brassiness. My all time favourite is De Lorenzo , This is just perfect it’s not too purple or too blue .
To get that beige blonde look:
- Coat your hair in Conditioner and mix my 2 pumps of silver shampoo with 1 pump of De Lorenzo Rosewood shampoo apply to your hair .
- Leave on for about 20 seconds and wash off.
*if you’re not sure of how the colour will come out and you want to avoid that grandma purple rinse look then always coat your hair with conditioner or a mask, this prevents the colour from grabbing to your hair .
When it comes to toning shampoos and timing you want to experiment with how long it takes you to get your desired look. Also keep in mind, if your hair grabs product and colour very quickly you will probably need less time than is suggested on the bottle.
Lastly ask people whose hair colour you like, that’s the best way to find out what hair colour you like.
Love
LetsBeFranc
Picture sourced from
Olaplex
https://www.facebook.com/olaplex/photos/pb.347578558683494.-2207520000.1444122307./850827978358547/?type=3&theater Colour correction done by Katy Rose-Prichard (IG Handle: katyroseprichard).
