Hair Care
Your Hair-Saving Guide To Going BlondeYes, even going light has a dark side -- but there's no need to fear straw-like strands with this guide |
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"I have never told someone no to going platinum blonde in one session," Lewis says. "However, for those whose hair can't handle that sort of process, I usually recommend stages, as do most colorists, going at least three weeks between sessions. On the first visit I can get them to a light caramel brown with highlights. The second, I get them to a soft blonde with highlights, and in the third, platinum."
Any time you have to strip color from your strands to make it lighter, you fight your hair's natural undertone pigments, and if you've colored it in the past (guilty), it's kind of like battling an entire box of crayons. Think back to when you were a kid in art class. When you mixed all your paint colors, you got brown. In order to get white (or in this case, blonde) you have to first remove each of those colors in the mix. The undertone you hit first is usually red or orange. Past colors and your hair strand strength will determine what shade you can get to in one visit.
If your copper mop is really bringing you down, you can tone down the brassiness between sessions with a purple shampoo, like Joico Color Endure Sulfate-Free Violet Shampoo, $33.99.
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