I know.
They tell me that redheads are hard to find.
That we hold a halo of mysterious fog in our fiery red hair.
That we are unique, chosen by I don’t know what different genes and that most of us are descendants of Nordic Gods.
But beyond any mythological and almost magical explanation, the truth is that I was tired of being a redhead, and I was dying to go blonde.
At least for a little bit.
The thing is, I knew very well that dying my red hair blonde was not going to be a simple task.
Checking here and there, I found stories of redheads that had wanted to dye their hair blonde, but it had ended up a horrible, rusty, orange color.
Also, as a redhead, I have those tiny freckles on the tip of my nose and cheeks and those you can’t dye.
Against the disapproving looks of my boyfriend, who was convinced that redheads are more fiery, the pleading of my mother who tries to extend the proud lineage of redheads in our family, I decided to go blonde.
Blondes also have their fame, and as far as I know, Barbie, Marilyn Monroe, and Cameron Diaz never abandoned the line of happy, beautiful blondes.
So the decision was inevitably made.
From that day on, I would go from a redhead to blonde without a hint of guilt.
And to get the best results, I prepared myself thoroughly.
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How to dye your red hair blonde in 4 steps
If I learned anything in this process, it’s that there is a lucky color palette, with tones and counter tones, that is important to keep in mind before and after you color your hair.
So, I already started feeling more confident, because if I started seeing orange pieces of hair, the only thing I had to do after finishing the bleaching was washing my hair with purple shampoo.
And that is it, because the orange is opposite violet on the color palette, meaning that violet neutralizes orange.
But we’ll get to that part.
Let’s go with step 1, bleaching. I felt it a bit because, as everyone knows, it’s a treatment where the chemicals are aggressive for the hair.
But I didn’t have any other option than to bleach; it was the surest way to erase the red from my hair.
So, I prepared myself.
Step 1: Bleaching
The night before, I put coconut oil in my hair, and I let it sit for three hours.
This helps reduce the harmful effects of the bleaching.
The next morning, I prepared all of the elements.
- Bleach powder
- 30 volume Hydrogen Peroxide
- A pair of gloves
- A bowl
- A t-shirt, one of those old ones that we hide from our boyfriends
Start by preparing the mixture. I used one proportion of bleach power to one of hydrogen peroxide.
I put on the Rolling Stones t-shirt that would never have another use than sitting in my closet or being made into rags or gloves, and I continued.
I divided my hair into sections to make it easier to distribute the bleaching mix.
And I started.
Slowly, always from the roots, so as not to damage the ends that are always punished most. Don’t ask me why, because I don’t know. Although, after thinking about it for a bit, maybe it’s because it receives less nutrients.
Once I finished spreading out the bleach mixture throughout my hair, I put on a shower cap so that it would work faster.
Step 2: Wait for a miracle
I didn’t leave the mirror.
I had heard that you have to pay a lot of attention to the time you bleach your hair.
I could slowly see the red colors of my hair, those that ruled in the Nordic Valkyries that have been disappearing.
Minute by minute, it faded away, and the first hints of blond that I dreamed of started to appear.
I think that I had gotten it.
It was time to wash the bleaching mixture out of my hair and finally see the blonde taking over my head.
But that would be exclusively for step 3.
Step 3: Evaluating the results
I washed my hair with my regular shampoo.
I scrubbed my scalp well to get out all the bleach residue.
I got out of the tub, wrapped my hair in a towel, and practically could hear the typical sound from the suspense movies.
I stood in front of the mirror
And… it was a chicken blonde.
Oh my god! From Nordic God to Queen of the chicken coop.
But I was ready for the last step.
Us redheads never lose our forward-thinking nature.
Step 4: The power of the purple shampoo
Since I didn’t want to keep putting more chemicals into my hair, I decided to “kill” those orange pieces of hair by applying purple shampoo.
It’s a type of shampoo that blondes use to get not only rid of orange streaks but also that ugly chicken blonde.
I applied it to my dry hair, streak by streak. And I let it sit for ten minutes because I read that if you don’t sufficiently control it, your hair can turn a lilac tone at the ends.
I washed my hair and understood the words of Marilyn Monroe, “Being blonde is a state of mind.”
And my state of mind was perfect.
I had gotten it.
Finally, I was blonde, and my hair looked pretty healthy even though it had been put through the bleaching process.
Maybe in a few weeks and after seeing how my hair looked, I would add some blonde tone to my hair, although for now, I was happy.
How to care for your blonde hair so that it always looks beautiful and attractive
In the next two weeks, I will intensify my hair care regime with masks to hydrate the hair fibers, because since I bleached the hair, the cuticle was weakened and lost protein.
Do you want to know how my boyfriend reacted to my new look?
The first few minutes, he looked petrified, and it’s understandable. It’s a radical change.
But after, he loved it.
My mother will take a bit more time to get used to the change, but since she sees that I’m happy, she isn’t resisting. Mothers are like that. They always support us, even in our craziest moments.
After all, I’m still me, behind the color of my hair.
Now, I’m merely waiting to discover the advantages of being blonde. We’ll see if it’s true that they have more fun.
And what do you think? Blonde or redhead?
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