GOING BLOND-ER : MY HOLIDAY HAIR

Many of you wrote back that you'll love my new hair color, which you'll have seen in my last Outfit post on the blog. I try and chronicle my hair color journey, whenever I can. I have been my hair colored since I was 16 and I can tell you I have enjoyed my journey so far. From browns to caramels, to various shades of blonde, I love to change up my hair color routine, every now and then. And all of this has been possible, as I have always had the wonderful hairstylists taking care of my hair. Amanda Pogue, of Studio A Salon KC, has been taking care of not only my hair but that of my human family, for the last decade. We love you, Amanda!

Before I go on to what we did this time, let me share a bit about my regular hair color routine. I get my greys covered every 8 weeks or so, and we refresh my existing highlights, or change them up, every 16 weeks or so. Not to forget regular trims, as well. As far as hair care goes, for chemically processed, textured hair, I will soon have a detailed regimen typed up in another post, so stay tuned.
Now let's talk about how we got my hair ready for this year's holiday season. I had my appointment just before Thanksgiving, and needless to say, I am in love with the new color. My stylist Amanda is wonderful as she not only styles your hair brilliantly, she explains everything so well. She always gives me an unbiased answer of what can be done, and in which case will the chemical breakage be high.

And going Blonde is a journey. If you wanted to go blonde, in one sitting, then you need to do your research well. I have been Honey Gold, I have been Super Blonde, I have had Chunky Higlights, and I have had Balayage, many times in the past, and we have also trimmed away all of that, to ensure the health of my hair. So when I had chopped off my existing blonde locks, last October, it was a journey going back blonde again We started with Caramel Toffee Highlights and went lighter with every succeeding appointment. This time for my highlights, Amanda used Pravana Ultra Lightener to balayage pieces. We were able to get a little lighter, as Amanda was highlighting the previously lightened pieces.

Then we did a shadow root/gray coverage. I have always been a huge fan of shadow roots, as it has always helped anchor my light-colored hair. Love love the contrast. After rinsing the hair, Amanda used the L'anza Silver Brightening Shampoo to tone the blonde. If you are a blonde, then you know all about the importance of toning. You have to use a product to counter the orange/brassy tones a blonde can achieve. I continue to use a Silver/Purple Shampoo for every alternate wash, to tone the blonde. Purple is the exact opposite of orange on the color wheel, so that helps the blondes from staying fresh.

We decided to style it straight for the final blow out, coz sometimes I am too lazy to sit with a straightener at home and do it myself. So I enjoy the treat when I am in my stylist's chair. Amanda styled my hair with Amika First Base mixed with L'anza Keratin Healing Oil. This air color looks equally good whether I style it straight or curly. I have received compliments for both. If you didn't know, my natural hair is curly, and I plan to pen down how I take care of my curly hair, in an upcoming post.