In partnership with my friends at Pantene

If you’re thinking of going blonde, or if you have questions after having recently gone blonde, you’ve come to the right place. I love the way my hair looks now but it wasn’t always this way, thankfully with the help of talented stylists and Pantene’s Brilliant Blondie collection I’m happy with the reflection in the mirror. Over the last five years or so, I’ve mostly worn my hair blonde with a couple of lapses in between. During this time, I’ve arrived at blonde from different starting points and style requests so there’s not much that I haven’t experienced when it comes to lightening my hair (including a very unfortunate attempt during my teenage years to go blonde at home which resulted in a flaming orange shade and tears). Here are a few of my blonde looks over the years:

From dyed black hair to blonde.

This is the most difficult transition as the bleach reacts with the dye and the dye doesn’t allow your hair to readily accept the bleach– patience is the name of the game here. If you’re able, wait for the dye to grow out; if you can’t, again it can be done but it will make your stylist sweat.

From natural Black hair to blonde.

Getting the tone just right makes all the difference between loving and loathing blonde. Take into account how frequently you intend on getting your hair done – will you be leaving it to the point where you will see roots?. If you think that it will be a while between visits you may prefer a pearly tone over starker ash as the contrast between root and blonde may be dramatic.

From black to blonde, with the use of heat – blow-drying my hair straight (no relaxer).

Heat and styling tools on top of colour are pretty damaging, to say the least; most stylists will baulk, with good reason, if you also want a relaxer. I wouldn’t recommend this as it’s so tough on your hair, but it can be done, and I myself have worn my hair like this for a couple of years. Looking back at this picture, I wish that Pantene’s Purple Shampoo was available back then to eliminate the warm tone.

No brass with Brilliant Blondie Purple shampoo.

I’ve put my hair through a lot but with a little savvy and some hard-learned lessons, I’ve managed to not only avoid serious damage but actually enjoy healthy hair. Here are my 5 tips to go blonde from black.

Professional Use Only
This is not, I repeat, this is not a DIY project. Not only is it near impossible to get an even tone, but you also risk scalp burns and/or bald patches.
Develop a Relationship with Your Stylist
It is serious work to get to a shade that you love and you need to feel comfortable to let your stylist know if the tone isn’t as expected. You also want to ensure that they know your hair, use premium bleach and toner and are confident that they can take your hair down many shades.
Maintain Your Blonde
Going blonde isn’t inexpensive and it takes time, so protect your investment in between salon visits with Pantene’s Brilliant Blondie collection, especially the Purple Shampoo. Pantene’s Purple Shampoo doesn’t deposit any colour into your hair (it will NOT turn your hair purple) but it will keep your blonde bright and prevent brassiness, orange tones and unevenness.
It is an actual game-changer. Between time, product build-up and the use of heat, my hair used to gradually develop a yellow undertone by the time I made it to my next visit (see picture above, blonde blow-dry) but since using Pantene’s Purple Shampoo my hair stays bright and cool throughout the duration between salon visits. The Brilliant Blondie collection has given me the power to achieve a shade that feels like me and that’s a gift.
Choose Relevant Inspo
Bring inspiration images with you to your visit and ensure that they are relevant, meaning look for people with a similar skin tone to ensure that your final blond destination isn’t a complete surprise when you look in the mirror.

5. Patience is Key

Whether you’re able to get to your desired shade in one visit (this is what I do) or you and your stylist determine that it should be gradually lightened in two visits, going from black to blond takes time and there’s no real way around it. Expect to allocate about four hours, especially if you have dyed hair.

My Personal Blonde Care routine:

Brilliant Blondie Illuminating Shampoo can be used daily to gently remove colour-blocking build-up with infusing hair with an added dose of antioxidants to protect blonde tones from UV damage.
Brilliant Blondie Purple Shampoo once a week to eliminate brassy tones, leaving my hair looking bright and fresh,

A little Pantene Daily Conditioner every day with the exception of one day week that I use Pantene Miracle Rescue Shots, another game changer for hydrated hair!

Thinking of going blond? Hit me up with any questions!

Check out Pantene Brillliant Blondie Purple shampoo here