Confession: I was born with blonde hair—specifically an ash blonde that loves to turn almost platinum in the summer—but I can still tell you how to go from red to blonde like a pro. About three years ago, I got tired of my virgin locks and decided I needed a change. After much deliberation and staring at Blake Lively's red hair for several minutes (read: hours), I decided to go with red. It's not that I don't like my blonde hair - I do. I'm lucky enough to have naturally highlighted hair, something a lot of people spend hours in the salon trying to achieve, but after 20 years with my light hair, I'm bored and have something about redheads that's just spiky Called "Boss".
I made an appointment at a salon in Chicago to dye my hair red. When I went to the salon, I showed them pictures of Blake Lively's mermaid hair and left the salon with a different shade of strawberry blonde, but not quite the drama I wanted. So within a month, I ran to CVS, picked up a box of crimson hair dye, and never looked back, until one day this year, when I looked in the mirror, I was exhausted by the thought of dying my hair. Hair again.
(Me and my adorable cousin Ben, right after I dyed my hair red at home for the first time.)
For about three years, I dyed my hair red from the box every four to six weeks. At first, it was bright red and I loved it. Then I wanted something that looked more natural, so I spent about a year dying it a deep reddish auburn. Last summer it faded back to a reddish strawberry blonde and I toyed with the idea of going back to blonde since it got so light over the summer. But needless to say, once fall hits, I'm back to deep auburn.
(My orange-red strawberry blonde hair came from spending the entire summer of 2015 in the sun.)
By January 2016, I had lost motivation. Dying your hair every few weeks is so tiring. I stared at my blonde roots and decided immediately—it was time to return to my natural color. I started researching how to turn my red hair blonde and watched some YouTube tutorials that talked about using "Color Oops" twice and then bleaching my hair and then dying it blonde. The girl in the video did it all in one weekend. I find this somewhat difficult. I figured I would either need to space these steps out over a few weeks to avoid hair loss but an awkward hair color since I was trying to remove three years of red pigment, or I would have to go to the salon. Luckily, years of box dye fumes hadn't completely diminished my ability to make rational decisions, and I made an appointment with Aveda.
I met with one of Aveda's top colorists, Terry Varty-Kaslow, from Juut Salonspa in Edina, Minnesota. The process started with a color consultation where Varty-Kaslow assessed the condition of my chemically treated red hair and I showed him the following photos of the color I wanted, specifically Cara Delevingne and Gigi Photos of Gigi Hadid's perfect blonde, and a photo of her natural blonde from my senior photos (baby Melanie has a really pretty, natural ombre, NBD).
He claimed it would be a process but could be done while keeping my hair healthy. Varty-Kaslow instructed me to use Aveda's Color Protect Intensive Treatment as many times as possible before my first appointment.
Aveda's Color Protection Intensive Treatment , $12, Amazon
(That's what I'm trying to get back to.)
After a week of color-protecting intensive treatments (which will leave your hair incredibly soft—I highly recommend it even if you don’t dye your hair), I walked into the salon for my first appointment.
Color Preserving Intensive Treatment , $12, Amazon
The first step in the process? Removing red pigment from your hair essentially uses bleach to remove the color that has been repeatedly applied to your hair over the past few years. This step is always a bit of a gamble—the color can come off quickly and easily, or it can be difficult. My hair turned orange, which while not the most flattering color, was definitely lighter and definitely a step in the right direction.
After he washed out the magical whitening bleach, he conditioned my hair a few times, leaving my hair feeling stronger and healthier than before the bleach. crazy!
Next up: color. The difference between this bleach and the color-removing bleach is that this step contains some pigment, which helps make my hair less of an intense orange and more of a darker "apricot" color. After another cleanse and a series of conditioning treatments, Varty-Kaslo applied some facial contouring highlights to bring it all together. After about five hours in the salon, my hair was lighter in color, but it was definitely not blonde.
He instructed me to continue using the Color Protection Intensive Treatment for the next three weeks while keeping my hair chemical-free. Three weeks later, when I came back for round two: Balayage.
Color Preserving Intensive Treatment , $12, Amazon
For those of you who don't know what balayage is, it's essentially having your hair hand-painted by a very talented stylist, which is really great for hiding your roots and allowing your hair to grow out with very little maintenance. Helpful, that's definitely my end goal. I can't even imagine a world where I don't have to change my hair color once a month. I can not wait anymore.
He worked around my scalp and applied the blonde to two-thirds of my hair (if I had to guess), which means the reddish-orange still shows through, but it's a step in the right direction. Remember: this is a slow process. After applying the balancing color and letting it sit for the appropriate amount of time, he washed it, did some conditioning, and mixed in a toner to help remove some of the warmth from the hair. After the second day, I left the salon with dark strawberry blonde hair. Not quite blond yet, but one step closer.
Exactly three weeks later, I returned to the salon for my second round of balancing. Using the same method as last time, Varty-Kaslow hand-painted my hair, adding more gold to the current strawberry condition. After applying the Balancing Color, I sat anxiously awaiting my new blonde hair. After a few more conditioning treatments and another handmade toner, I'm officially blonde. It still has a warm tone and there are some strawberry bits showing through, but I'm a blonde in every sense of the word. Hallelujah!
Now that my hair was mostly back to normal, I headed to the salon for one final treatment with the goal of lightening my hair a bit, especially the remaining red parts, blending the new color with my dark blonde roots, and removing as much as possible Keep the hair as warm as possible. Vaty-Kaslo cast his balancing magic on the pieces that missed the first (and second) time, turning everything roughly the same gold.
He added some face-framing highlights to prevent noticeable dividing lines when my hair starts to grow, and we did a final conditioning treatment and a final toner. Voila – my blonde hair is back. My dad even texted me saying he finally recognized me again. (Dad jokes are so funny!)
What I learned from this experience is that restoring blonde hair is a process—a very difficult, time-consuming, and expensive one. But, it all worked out in the end. My long hair is still very long, and thanks to his hard work and color-care intensive treatments, it's probably healthier than before, and now I know exactly what it takes to get my natural color back, so I can make responsible decisions next time Want to completely change my hair.
Color Preserving Intensive Treatment , $12, Amazon
(Colors in this photo may be lighter than in reality.)
course? If you have blonde hair and are considering dyeing it red or any other dark color (while red is the hardest to remove, it also fades the fastest, how unfair!), know that getting your hair back to its original shape will take some effort. This is the original color.
I want to thank Terry Varty-Kaslow, who spent a lot of time with my hair and answered all of my (possibly ridiculous) questions. You are the real MVP.
Image: Melanie Richman; Avatar; Jiffy.com
