- To know how long to wait between highlights when going blonde, you should consider two things: the growth rate of your hair and your base color. I’ll tell you more about that later.
- Generally, highlights are touched up every two months. The darker your hair is, the more highlighting sessions you’ll need to get to blonde.
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Unfortunately, this is one of those questions that I can’t answer in a clear and precise way.
Why? Because all hairs are not the same.
Also, I know you probably are a dark-brown-haired woman who wonders how long to wait between highlights when going blonde.
There could also be a brown-haired woman asking the same question.
Obviously, the answer won’t be the same for both of them.
They start from different base colors.
Also, their growth rate will probably be different.
Some women get a haircut every month because their hair grows quickly.
Others, in turn, suffer because they notice that their hair grows very little in three months.
From my experience in the salon, the time you have to wait between highlights when going blonde is two months.
If your hair grows slower, it could take up to 3 months. If your hair grows faster, you can touch them up once a month.
To touch up the highlights, your colorist will always wait for your roots to grow out to achieve a perfect result.
Also, to achieve blonde highlights, you’ll have to go through several touch-up sessions. That only depends on the color you start with.
The darker your base color, the more highlights sessions you’ll need to get to blonde.
Finally, you need to consider your hair health. Every time you get highlights, you bleach your hair, and it becomes drier and more brittle.
I don’t want to confuse you with so much information. Let’s take it one step at a time and start with the times.
Tabla de Contenidos
How long you should wait between highlights when going blonde according to hair’s growth rate
Colorists touch up highlights when the roots are at least three centimeters long.
- If your hair grows at a rate of 1 cm per month, you should wait 3 months to touch up the new highlights.
- If your hair grows 1.5 cm per month, you can touch up the highlights in 2 months.
- If your hair grows 2 cm per month, you can wait for 45 days to return to the salon.
Why is it necessary to wait for the roots to grow?
Because highlights are done by coloring hair pulled through a cap or wrapped in aluminum foil.
It is impossible to color the same strands every time. That’s why it’s recommended for achieving lighter colors. Eventually, all the hair will be bleached.
As you can’t remove the same strands every time, the hair is allowed to grow out for an even touch-up.
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In the meantime, your hair also recovers from the damage caused by bleaching.
Bleaching is very aggressive to the hair. So, if you do it too often, you’ll start to notice hair loss.
And I don’t mean ten or fifteen hairs. I’m talking about strands.
You need to respect the times between each highlighting session to prevent your hair from damaging.
Waiting for those days will also help your hair get strong from roots to ends.
In the meantime, you can repair your hair with keratin hydrating masks, tip repair serums, and natural oils.
Think of this waiting time as a chance to take care of your hair and avoid suffering.
How many highlights sessions are needed when going blonde according to your base color?
The number of highlighting sessions you need when going blonde hair depends on the color you start with.
The darker the color, the more sessions you’ll need. Therefore, the longer you’ll have to wait between sessions.
Unless your stylist has special products such as Olaplex, which are designed to be used during bleaching, you’ll need to respect the time frame.
You can’t go from brown to platinum blonde in one day. These changes take time.
So, considering the color you start from, let’s see how many highlighting sessions you’ll need:
- Black 1: you’ll need between 5 and 7 highlights sessions.
- Dark brown 3,: you should apply between 4 and 5 sessions.
- Brown 4: you should apply 3 to 4 sessions.
- Light brown 5: between 2 and 3 sessions.
- Dark blonde 6: 1 or 2 sessions.
This table is only a reference because you should also take into account your hair type.
For example, if your hair is very porous, you’ll need less bleaching sessions.
Finally, if you dare to do your highlights at home, please! Do the strand test before each highlights session.
How to do the strand test before each highlights session
This test will help you make sure that you can go blonde with the highlighting technique while keeping your hair healthy.
The strand test is very simple and only takes thirty minutes.
- Separate a strand from the back of your hair.
- Prepare the bleach and cover the strand.
- Wait for 20 minutes and rinse out.
Wait for your hair to air dry. Once it’s dry, touch it.
How do you feel the texture?
If it doesn’t feel gummy, you can bleach it.
Is it too frizzy or did you find it difficult to detangle?
Wait for two more weeks for highlights, and nourish your hair with intensive moisturizing treatment.
Conclusions
Generally, highlights are applied every two months when going blonde. The darker your base color, the more highlighting sessions you’ll need.
If you apply highlights at home, do a strand test before each session to see if your hair will withstand the process.
Highlights are one of the most recommended techniques lift tones when going blonde because they bring light and freshness to your face while concealing gray hair.
