How to dye your dark brown hair ash blonde without damaging it

Congratulations on deciding to change the color of your hair.

If you have dark brown hair, dyeing it ash blonde is a difficult decision.

So, since you have made the difficult decision, I congratulate you.

 

 I spent a long time going around in circles about dying my hair ashy blonde until I finally brought myself to do it.  

I didn’t bring myself to change my hair color for two reasons.

 

First, I was scared that I was going to choose the wrong color.

And second, I was scared that the coloring process would ruin my hair.

That’s why I put off the idea of dyeing my hair for years.

 

While all of my friends experimented with new colors in their hair, I maintained my natural dark brown hair.

My friend, Raquel, changed her hair more times than she had a new boyfriend. She went through the classic colors, like blonde and more extravagant colors like blues and pinks.

 

Until one day, I finally made the decision.

It was as difficult as choosing my major.

Do you remember when you finished school and you had to decide what to do in your life?

 

Well, that’s how difficult the decision to change my hair color was for me.

But also, I knew that it was something that I wanted to do.

 

 Like I said to you before, dyeing your hair ashy blonde from a dark brown is a complex process.  

If you are anxious, I’ll sum up the steps for you.

After, we’ll go into each one in more detail.

 

 

It seems simple, right?

Well it isn’t!

 

Don’t think for an instant that the millions of photos that they show you on Instagram of the before and after can be achieved in a minute, or on the same level.

That is definitely a lie.

These changes don’t happen from one day to the next.

 

 It also isn’t true that there is a healthy way to go from brown to blonde. Your hair will lose some of its healthiness. It’s inevitable. 

And lastly, the truth is that blondes can have more fun, but brunettes spend a lot less time in the salon and spend a lot less money on hair products.

Even so, now, I’m an ashy blonde, and I’m very happy with my decision.

That’s why, if you are bored with your dark brown hair and you need to find your true you, today I will tell you how I took my hair from brown to blonde.

But, nothing in life is free. You should be patient and consistent. Because if you want to do the least damage possible to your hair during the transformation, you should realize that it’s a long, tiring and expensive process.

 

 I know. You are thinking that Kim Kardashian did it. Of course, but she has millions of dollars in her bank account and you and I don’t. 

Also, she contracted one of the best stylists and you and I will do the transformation in the bathroom of our homes.

 

So please. Let’s avoid the obvious and assume the commitment.

To go from dark brown to blonde, there is one path: patience.

 

 

Step 1- prepare your hair for bleaching two weeks prior

This is very important.

I repeat. VERY IMPORTANT!

The more you prepare your hair for the transformation to ashy blonde, the less damage you will have.

 

For this, you simply should:

Let’s go girl! You have an imagination. Use it! Improvise with different hairstyles, apply accessories in your hair, use hats, anything that comes to mind.

But never the flat iron. If women in prehistoric times survived dinosaurs, you will survive forgetting about the flat iron for some time.

 

It isn’t necessary to spend a fortune on commercial masks. You can use olive oil. Yes, the same thing that you mother uses to season salads.

 

This is vital. The night before starting the process to get to blonde, apply a generous amount of coconut oil over your whole head.

This will form a protective barrier against the chemical products of the bleaching.

You can sleep with the oil on your head, wrapping your hair in a shower cap.

And of course, don’t even think of rinsing it out.

 

Step 2- Bleach your hair two tones

Locked in my bathroom with all the elements to start with the first stage of the transformation to ashy blonde, a few doubts came to mind.

Had I made the right decision?

And if my hair fell out?

And if I turned into a horrifying, ugly monster?

 

 I took my last selfie with dark brown hair. I took a sip of my chamomile tea to calm myself, and I started.  

And I remembered a quote that I had heard I don’t remember where, “People’s eyes are naturally attracted to light and naturally unattracted to the dark.”

 

Alright, you got me. I came up with it. But everything goes to get up the conviction to become Daenerys Targaryen, the blonde from Game of Thrones.

 

For this first part, I prepared:

 

Preparation:

 

Application:

I recommend that you divide it into two parts: the upper and lower parts.

Once the entire lower part was covered, I wrapped my hair and waited twenty minutes.

When it started to look orange, I jumped into the shower and abundantly rinsed. I used a sulfate-free shampoo and a conditioner that was full of proteins.

When I looked in the mirror, I understood that I was going to need a liter of chamomile tea.

 

 My hair looked completely orange. And even though I knew this was going to happen, I couldn’t stop the tears in my eyes.  

But after, I remembered. This was the first step to get to ashy blonde.

But I could still transform that orange into a color that wouldn’t be as noticeable.

I ran to wash my hair with a blue shampoo. Which, of course, I had bought previously.

Blue is the opposite of orange on the color wheel, so, it cancels out the strong tones of orange, softening them.

Now, for two weeks, this would be my best friend.

 

Because I still needed to do the second stage of the bleaching to get to ashy blonde.

I told you that you needed to be patient and consistent, but I assure you it’s worth it.

 

My life between orange and ashy blonde

Do you want me to tell you the truth?

 

Those fifteen days were a living hell.

But what helped me get over it was that I had my goal in mind: being ashy blonde.

 I had to put up with even my boyfriend calling me “his favorite carrot.” Can you believe it? 

 

Add to that my mother’s criticisms, my grandmother’s apocalyptic prophecies that said I would lose all my hair, and my little brother’s jokes.

But I stood tall with my head held high.

Because with my hair, I could have been blonde, but in my heart, I was an Amazon and a brunette warrior.

After fifteen days, I was prepared for the third step.

 

Step 3- From Orange Hair to Chicken Yellow

Remember that the night before, you should protect your hair with coconut oil.

Basically, the process is the same that I explained in step 2.

The only difference is that this time, instead of letting it process for forty minutes, I left it in for twenty.

 

For this, there isn’t an exact science.

When you notice that your hair is sufficiently blonde, it’s time to rinse the bleaching mixture.

 

Prepare yourself because after rinsing and drying your hair, the image will be shocking.

From carrot orange to chicken yellow.

 

But don’t panic. I know it’s easy to say that, but this yellow won’t last long.

Because there’s one step left in my transformation to ashy blonde.

Toning.

 

But you should apply the toner in a week. I know. It seems like a lot.

But looking back, we have come a long way to start being patient now.

Also, remember: we are looking to get to ashy blonde in the healthiest way possible.

 

Now, because I was really annoyed by those chicken yellow chunks, I softened them by using a purple shampoo.

It isn’t a final solution, but it helped.

Let’s go! We’re just about there!

 

Step 4- Finally getting rid of the chicken yellow streaks in your hair

The day had come! I was so excited!

 

After almost a month, the day had come to finally become a woman with ashy blonde hair.

And the best part is that my hair looked pretty healthy. Patience has it’s advantages and I had persevered and had triumphed.

 

The moment had come to use a toner. I recommend toner Wella T18, but you can use whichever one you want.

 

You will need:

 

I divided my hair into two sections, like when I bleached it.

I started with the sections underneath, and ended with the roots.

I waited ten minutes. I recommend that beforehand you do a strand test. That way, you’ll be able to know how long to use the toner.

When I finished rinsing my hair, I applied coconut oil to nourish it and then let it sit for an hour.

 

After, I washed it again using a sulfate-free shampoo.

At this point, I was prepared to face the mirror.

I had done it!

 

 I had gone from a dark brown to an ashy blonde and my hair looked healthy! 

 

Now, two weeks have passed since I went blonde and I love the change.

Because I have actually changed in other aspects.

I care for my hair more. I’m more motivated to be innovative with my make-up.

 

Being a blonde has changed my life. I feel like people look at me a different way. Before I felt like my dark brown hair was a “Do not bother” signal.

 

 Now, my blonde hair says, “Hello boys.”  

 

I think that this new hair color changed the perspective that I had of myself, improving it. And for me, that was enough motivation to change from brown to blonde without hesitation.

Do you have any doubts? You can leave them for me int eh comments and I will respond shortly.