Here's What You Should Know Before Going Blond, No Matter Your Natural Hair Colour

Dyeing your hair blond can make a huge difference in your overall appearance, but it's a pretty involved process — especially for people with a naturally darker (or red) hair colour.

Depending on your base shade and how light you want to go, it might take you a while to achieve the colour you want if you're not a natural blond. That's why hairstylist and brand founder Guy Tang [1] suggests you get a proper consultation ahead of time with a pro stylist "to understand your hair's colour history," he told POPSUGAR. "This can change the process dramatically."

While the specific stages and steps vary depending on your particular goals, the general process of going blond is relatively similar across all hair colours. The main difference, he said, lies in the strength in the bleach and developer the pro uses. "This is all determined by the current level of your hair and how many levels you would need to move to get blond," Tang said.

The level system is a system used by colorists [2] to denote how light or dark your hair is. The colours in the system are scaled from one to 12; level one hair is black, while level 12 is the lightest shade of blond. Read ahead to get more info on how to safely go blond [3] if you have black, brown, or red hair and what the aftercare process should look like.

How to Safely Go Blond If You Have Darker Hair

When it comes to the level system, brunettes tend to fall somewhere near level six, according to Tang, which means they would have to lift the hair at least three or four levels to achieve the blond they want. Aside from making sure you're getting your hair lightened by a professional, the safest way to go blond if you have dark hair is to approach it in phases as opposed to bleaching your hair all at once.

"A phased approach is best for anyone's hair," Tang said. "You can push the hair to do what you want, but that doesn't mean it will stay on your head. The safest way to go platinum blond is to gradually get lighter and lighter each salon visit."

Tang also suggested using the weeks or months prior to going blond to give yourself routine protein and deep-conditioning treatments — like the #mydentity #MyHero Internal Collagen Reconstructor [4] ($36) — to ensure your hair is as healthy as it can be before putting harsh chemicals in it.

How to Safely Go Blond If You Have Red Hair

The level system doesn't actually sort red hair into a specific category, though Tang said many redheads can fall under level six as well. This means that, like brunettes, people with red hair would have to lift their hair colour at least a few levels to get to a blond colour. Again, you may have to see your colourist a few times to get to your desired shade of blond, so be patient.

In the same phased approach, adding highlights to your hair may also be worth considering when going from red to blond, since the highlights will make the contrast look less harsh when your natural colour begins to grow back out.

What Should the Aftercare Process Look Like?

Once you've gone through with lightening your hair, the most important thing you can do is be gentle with it considering it's been through a lot with all of the bleach and chemicals.

"Weekly hydration or Olaplex No. 3 Hair Perfecter [5] ($28) treatments at home will be very important to replenish the moisture in the hair," Tang said. "Also, be careful with products that have any kind of pigment, such as a yellow hair serum or oil."

The aforementioned yellow products can give your hair a brassy look over time, which is why it's recommended that people with lighter hair colours use purple shampoo [6] to correct the colour and cancel out the yellow. A few of our favourites are the Kérastase Blond Absolu Anti-Brass Purple Shampoo [7] ($35), Not Your Mother's Blonde Moment Treatment Shampoo [8] ($8), and Moroccanoil Blonde Perfecting Purple Shampoo [9] ($24).

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