How to prepare for going blonde

Lightening is the service where preparation matters most. Not because what you have to do is complicated, but because the condition of your hair on the day decides how far the work can go.

Do not wash your hair right before

This is the most common misconception. The scalp’s natural oil is a barrier against the lightener; hair washed a day or two before is more comfortable and safer than hair washed that morning.

What to avoid: a thick layer of dry shampoo, hairspray, or an oil mask immediately beforehand. These sit on the hair shaft in a way that makes the lightener work unevenly.

Say if you have coloured at home

This is information, not a confession. Box colour from the chemist — black and copper shades especially — can contain metallic salts that react with lightener. Your stylist needs to know, so they can pick a different product or a different schedule.

The same goes for henna and for older, grown-out colour. A single hair can carry several layers of colour at once, and each behaves differently.

Set the time aside

A full lightening on long hair runs around four hours, a root lightening three and a half. This is not an appointment to squeeze between two meetings.

Bring something to occupy yourself, and expect the stylist to check on the lift from time to time — that is not a process you can cut short.

One session is not always enough

If you are starting from dark, previously coloured hair, an ash blonde is not a one-sitting question. Hair takes as much lightening as it takes, and no more; your stylist can see that limit on the day, and it is better to stop before it.

Two or three sessions with treatments in between leave you with healthier hair than one forced day. That is not a commercial argument — it is about the hair still being on your head afterwards.

Afterwards

Blonde hair goes yellow. That is natural, caused by the pigment left behind after lightening. Silver shampoo brings the tone back, but only once or twice a week: daily use leaves a grey, flat cast.

Chlorinated water and seawater work on the colour too. Rinse your hair with tap water before you swim and put in a leave-in conditioner — hair that is already saturated takes up less chlorine.