Going blonde can become an addiction.
Once upon a time, inspired by a Pinterest picture, I asked my stylist to, “Take me as light as you can, please!”
My (professionally trained and very ethical) stylist talked to me about possible breakage and how rough a color treatment like that would be on my curly hair. She didn’t feel comfortable using any more lightener on my hair. So, I thought the most logical thing to do was to do it myself. After all, how much could a blonde-ing hair color specialist who was educated and experienced really know anyway?
Clearly, I was young. Fresh out of high school, I was ready for my new look! I marched into a beauty supply store, asked the counter girls for instructions, and bought all my supplies. I thought since it wasn’t technically box dye, I was doing it right.
We all know how this ended up. My shoulder-length hair suddenly transformed into a chin-length bob and I had bangs I never asked for. It was a harsh way to learn the term “chemical cut”!
Moral of the story: Listen. To. Your. Stylist.
Today, I work in a salon where stylists trained to color platinum blonde hair won’t do it if the client’s hair doesn’t have the integrity to handle it. We are trained to discuss the facts with our guests and often start with a plan to restore the hair health (often through gentle or no color treatment, frequent cuts, avoidance of daily heat styling, and a custom-tailored collection of restorative product) which can take some time. We’re in it for the long game strategy with our guests!
Trust me, chemical cuts are NO FUN and the regrowth process can be painful. Please talk to us and don’t DIY on this one!
Blog by Emily