Let me set the scene for you.
It’s been a long and cold winter.
You’ve spent a looooot of time indoors, working from home, staring at your brunette hair while you jump from virtual meeting to meeting.
You’re keen for a change, and rearranging your apartment isn’t hitting the spot anymore… and the conclusion you land on is that you need a refresh.
The type of refresh that can only be achieved by changing your hairstyle.
That was where I happily landed around a month ago.
I’ve spent hundreds of dollars dyeing my hair blonde in the past - all achieving varying degrees of success.
Definitely a bit rogue as a natural brunette. However, the balayage life is one I’ve always wanted to live.
And in the Spring of 2022, I decided to give it another go.
Join me along this journey as I figure out if blonde actually has to be high maintenance.
Scroll on!
Blonde Balayage: What Happened at the Salon.
Going into the appointment with Danni Solier, award-winning colourist and stylist, and co-owner of Melbourne-based salon LNDN, I was very realistic around how light my hair was actually going to get.
I brought a bunch of photos to my appointment to show Danni what I was going for:
A nice natural blonde balayage.
This is crucial for anyone thinking, 'do I want to dye my hair blonde', because the right type of blonde or lighter colour for you might not look like what you've seen on Instagram.
For example, it's near-impossible (and very bad for your hair) to go from brown to an ash blonde in one salon appointment.
Danni was really helpful in identifying what was best for my hair tone and type, and once we were on the same page, we were off!
The whole experience in the salon was around 4 hours, with an hour of that time spent on drying and styling my hair (long, fine hair feels).
And let me tell you, it was WORTH IT.
Rather than striving for a cool-toned ashy blonde colour, Danni recommended a more low maintenance warmer blonde tone.
She calls it a California Blonde, which suits my complexion... and my ‘yearning for weather where I don’t have to bring a jacket’ vibe perfectly.
Danni says lots of people are moving away from cool blonde tones and towards something more golden because: A) you don't need to have it touched up at the salon as regularly, and B) it's easier to maintain the colour at home between appointments.
I was over the moon with the results.
Here's my before and after blonde hair transformation!
My At-Home Blonde Haircare Routine.
The first part of blonde maintenance started when Danni and I worked out what tone of blonde to dye my hair.
The California Blonde shade we chose meant it would blend seamlessly into my natural hair colour, meaning I wouldn’t have to worry about redoing my roots.
We also worked out my natural hair was a really warm colour.
This meant that if we tried to dye it too ashy, it was naturally going to brass up the second I left the salon (I’m joking… only a little though).
So being realistic about that meant I was going to walk away with a lasting colour.
Next up, was some general housekeeping.
Danni made sure to check I was shampooing twice when I washed my hair, and wasn’t over-washing my hair.
Fun fact - you’re actually meant to shampoo twice when you’re washing your hair, first to get rid of the build up, and second to let the shampoo work its magic.
The more you know!
And last but not least, she set me up with a fool-proof prescription of products to use that would help my hair stay as So-Cal as possible.
As someone who has a type-A personality, having a proper routine thrilled me more than I care to admit.
Here is my step-by-step blonde hair routine.
1. L'Oreal Professionnel Metal Detox Shampoo.
What: L'Oreal Professionnel Metal Detox Shampoo 300ml
How to use L'Oreal Professionnel Metal Detox Shampoo:
Every time I washed my hair, I used this to shampoo - twice.
When using it, I focused it on my roots and hair down to my ears.
Why it’s great for blondes:
Firstly, this smells GREAT.
Secondly, this shampoo is said to help cleanse hair from the accumulation of metals which helps keep brass at bay, and while I’m no expert there, my hair loved this product.
