Mistakes Blondes Make With Their Hair Products

Blondes Have More Fun, Right?

Colorists hear all the myths and see all the mistakes women make when going over to the light side.

I think at some point most of us thought about going blonde, even if it was for a little while. But, taking care of blonde hair is a challenge in itself. The first time I tried going blonde, I ended up damaging most of my hair.

Why did this happen? I did not know how to take care of it! I had the products and the time to do my hair, but It was as if my hair kept getting drier and more brittle. Then I soon realized that the problem was lying in the products I was using at the time. Many blondes make this mistake all the time and do not understand how damaging the results can be.

It’s important to know what not to do first, to ensure your color looks natural and hair stays healthy. Dying your hair blonde comes with its challenges. It can start to fade and lose shininess as soon as a week after dyeing it.

Get the Blonde Look

Before we get into what not to do with blonde hair when it comes to hair products, let’s start talking about how to achieve the perfect hue for you!

All blondes know that finding that ideal blonde shade takes time, money, and a commitment to keeping the color as fresh as when you left the salon. While it's up to your professional stylist to provide a blonde toning service at the salon, you should still be committing to maintaining your hair color at home.

The Lightest Shades are Fairest on Pale Skin Tones

Blonde shades on the lighter end of the spectrum, flatter the undertones in fair skin.

But keep in mind that they also demand more maintenance, including regular deep conditioning treatments and frequent root touch-ups. When you blend darker shades with light or natural, such as honey highlights, or sandy, beige tones, this can also look amazing!

Every Blonde is a Match for Medium Skin Tones

Every nuance of blonde looks excellent against the medium-toned skin, whether it's a single all-over color or a blend of highlights.

Warm Tones are the Gold Standard for Dark Skin Tones

Blonde hair, with a warm base like honey, caramel, or beige, flatter dark skin with a golden glow. Cooler tones are also an option, but the closer to platinum and ash, the higher the chance for the skin to appear dull.

Mistakes Blondes Make With Their Hair Products

When you go to a salon to make the significant change, make sure your colorist knows everything about your hair history.

And when we say everything, we mean everything. When people dye their hair darker, they don’t realize that months and months later the color is still in their hair. So say in September, someone went brown and in May she wants to go blonde.

Since you were darker in the fall, you are going to be battling tons of orange and red tones from the original hair dye. If you’ve already dyed your hair before, we need to know that, because coloring virgin strands are different.

At home care is different, but it is essential to have some method that can help you care for your blonde strands. Let’s look at some of the things you probably never even thought about until now!

You're not deepening the roots

If you’re not going for pure platinum, you want to make sure the roots of your hair are darker than your ends, so the color looks natural and grows out nicely.

Most stylists do double the amount of painting towards the bottom of the hair than at the roots. The ends of your hair should be a little lighter than the root area. Otherwise, the color can look not like your natural hair color.

You're buying the wrong box color

If you’re daring enough to tackle the challenge of dying your hair blonde at your house, then choose the box color you want to go with very carefully.

Keep in mind that what you see isn’t always what you get! If you wanted a buttery blonde, sometimes you might have to buy the ashiest box in the store, which is the opposite of buttery.

That’s why stylists in the salon consider everything, like how much gray you have, how dark your hair is and if you have ever color treated it before. It is best to go to a professional in a salon if you plan on going from super dark hair.

Putting too much heat to your hair too often

There is a point where you need to stop the constant manipulation that you do to your hair.

Therefore, after you make a color change, give your hair a break! It does not matter the color, because the point is your hair is now more sensitive to any manipulation. You must realize that hair that has gone lighter contain a little bit of bleach.

Bleach plus heat with a blow dryer, flat iron or curling iron causes breakage. Do not end up like me!

You're not using a purple shampoo

Purple shampoo is an absolute necessity for blondes to use between hair coloring sessions as it quickly helps keeps your blonde beautiful.

It may look scary to slather a purple product all over your strands, but trust us, it works. Purple shampoo is a bottle of shampoo with purple pigments that help to keep undertones at bay. Think of it as your at-home toner that helps to beat brass.

Because it is known to help neutralize yellow-orange brassy tones that can occur from washing your hair, environmental stressors and naturally if you started as a brunette with reddish undertones. Use a purple shampoo at least once a week to help alleviate that problem.

It is possible for your hair to turn slightly purple for a few days, but it is only temporary. On really light, white blonde hair and you’re trying to push the envelope, you could end up lilac, but generally, it does not last for a long time.

Hair dye dry’s your hair out

This fact is how I ended up damaging my hair a few years back when I decided to go blonde.

No matter what color you choose to dye your hair, after the process, the ends will inevitably end up dryer than before, but this is especially the case for blondes. We tend to underestimate how summertime activities, such as swimming in the pool, can dry out your hair.

Use a deep conditioner or mask in place of their usual conditioner. It does not have to be heavy, and you don’t have to take 20 minutes out of your day to do it. Just put in the deep conditioner instead of regular conditioner, even if it’s just for one or two minutes.

Let’s Get Technical

Now that we know the basics of taking care of your blonde strands let's discuss something equally important.

Color can be difficult to mess with, especially if you decide to do it by yourself at home. Depending on your current hair color and the color you are trying to achieve, the color can take a few times to look exactly the way you want it.

So, let’s get into some of the more common mistakes we see when attempting to go blonde by yourself.

The blonde hair looks yellowish

A common concern for all the blondies out there is that blonde hair can quickly become yellow and Barbie-like.

If that is the look you are going for, then congratulations. But, for most people that is not the case, especially if you're using the wrong products. Here is something I just learned: Purple sits opposite yellow on the color wheel.

So that’s the shade you need to choose if you want to neutralize the warm tones as soon as possible. Again, this is why it is a good idea to invest in a purple shampoo. Go for a lightweight purple-toning shampoo and conditioner to restore some of the natural hair hues.

However, a long-term solution would be the next time you visit the salon have them take care of your mistakes. Once a week, use a toning mask to keep any warm tones from returning and ruining the blondes you want.

The hair turned our orange

If an orange look is what you are going for, then maybe you do not need to worry about it.

But unfortunately, brassiness can happen to the best of us, and orange tones can be particularly stubborn and challenging to deal with a lot of the time. Lucky for you, it is not an impossible task.

There are a ton of purple toning treatments out there, but dark-blue/indigo purples work best for canceling out orange undertones. A long-term solution is to let your colorist know that you have been struggling with the brassier or orange tones in your current hair color. Make it very clear what you want and even bring in some pictures if you would like.

If you prefer an ashier shade, they need to know. Sometimes your stylist will need to lighten your hair (Check out this article on how to lighten hair without bleach) to a blonder color to lift out the orange tones, but then they will drop it back down to the desired color. Do you see why it is vital to keep heat and manipulation out of the picture?

For example, if your hair is naturally dark, but you want an ashy blonde you will need to lighten the hair more and then tone it darker, adding the ash into it.

If your blonde looks too ashy

Ashy blonde can be cute with the right hue and skin color to compliment it.

But in your case, you wanted an ashy blonde, but it’s gone way too ashy; think, grey-meets-green. It almost looks like a nasty accident, even though it was. To fix this issue, consider if it's a toner that's gone too ashy, then use a clarifying shampoo for the next few washes, it'll help to strip out the color quicker.

If that doesn't work, use warm, at-home hair color. Mix it with a bit of conditioner and leave on for 5-10mins, then wash out. You’ll notice hair is instantly warmer and those ashy undertones will be toned down. If you need another solution, then ask your stylist for golds, coppers, and peaches, because these are all warmer tones. You should take a picture of the shade you want.

But if you’re not sure, a good colorist should be able to advise you on which hair colors will suit and which won't.

The hair color looks patchy

Sometimes a patchy look can be tasteful depending on the color and the look you are going for at the time, but other times it seems like a rushed job.

You wanted one color all over, but the dye has taken to some spots better than others, now it appears patchy and uneven. The easiest way to hide patchy hair is a little styling. Wear your lengths in one or two French or Dutch braids, and it’ll help to disguise the mess.

This tip is only for a temporary solution, though. If you want more long-term results, then you must realize that when it comes to patchy hair color, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all fix. That is also why giving your stylist pictures as a reference is so important. A good colorist will know what to do when they see your patchy hair, and the color you’re trying to achieve.

Also, I know you are probably tempted to do this, but do not try to color it blonde again. It will only make everything worse. If your hair is too light, then apply a darker shade of color to your hair, keeping it on for half the recommended time. Make sure you are using the same brand too! Do not mix brands.

Check the color every five minutes until you feel that it’s dark enough. Then, you can rinse. A hair color remover is also an option.

Are You Legally Blonde?

Blonde hair can be difficult to achieve, especially if you are going for a specific tone or hue.

Your best bet is to visit your local hair salon and find a professional hair colorist to do it for you. If you must do it yourself at your home, then follow these tips and make sure to do plenty of extensive research, so you do not end up with long-term mistakes. Keep your hair manipulation to a minimum, buy some purple shampoo, deep condition and mind your business.

What type of blonde look are you going for this time? Did you make a mistake when dying your hair before? How did you recover? I would love to read your responses! Leave a comment or question below!