From dark to blonde – part 4
The 4th and final part of my hair colour journey
- To go from darkest brown to pale white blonde
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Here’s the final instalment of the story of my own personal hair journey. I apologise again if you have been finding all the chemical explanations a bit too technical but some consultants and hairstylists have told me they’ve really been enjoying reading all the nitty-gritty details!
My hair colour journey has taken around 18 months from when Scott Cornwall and I first discussed the possibility of me going blonde. During that time, I kept a diary of everything that happened – what the choices were, which chemicals were used and why, the interim results, photos, comments, and moments of sheer illumination too. As you can imagine, I’ve got thousands of notes so I decidied to split the story down into 4 parts. You can breathe again as this is the final one…
Final part 4
At last – I go completely blonde
After much discussion, Scott decided he wanted to colour my hair totally blonde himself so on March 11th this year he drove up from London, armed with a huge bag of colours and mixing bottles.
Here’s his step-by-step account of what he did to achieve my totally blonde colour:
- I bleached the hair all over to remove any of the older artificial brown colour and get the hair lifted up to a light base to work with.
- After the bleach developed (1 hour) it was shampooed off and the hair was dried. By this stage the hair was a bright canary yellow.
- I applied lots of foil highlights throughout using various bleaches (to achieve differing depths), these foil highlights were designed to contribute toward a natural blonde result.
- Once the foil highlights were in place – I painted through a light blonde base colour throughout the remaining hair to tone the overall colour.
- Once the foil highlights and base colour were washed off, I dried the hair and applied two different depths of light beige blonde throughout the hair to soften the overall blonde result and make the hair look 100% natural.
- I cut about 2 inches off of the length as the ends would not have withstood the multiple bleaching process.
And he advised, ‘When your roots are due ask your salon to apply the following colour: Wella Koleston Perfect 12/89 mixed 1 to 2 ratio with 30 volume peroxide. Because you still have a lot of your original dark in there (although the overall colour is absolutely grey) you will be able to use a high lift tint on the roots to achieve a crisp blonde colour. I find the Wella Koleston high lifts fantastic. If you are not sure if your salon stocks them, you can buy them from Sally’s or Salonsdirect. Salonsdirect also sell the Proclere Professional Silverizing shampoo.’
What a transformation!
Four days later, this photo was taken at my nephew’s 3rd birthday party and everyone just loved my hair.
I can now see that it was more of a golden blonde rather than the white pearly blonde I was aiming for but, what the heck, it was a massive improvement on the dull, grey soft-muted look that had made me feel like committing hara-kiri only 4 days earlier!
The next day, Neil and I picked up our two nieces from school and I nearly fell over when the 14-year old said, ‘Wow. You’re blonde,’ and when she actually smiled I had to hold on to the car door to keep upright. From a hormone-driven teenager who normally has barely two words to say to anyone, I took that as a rather large positive.
Her 9-year-old deep-thinking sister didn’t say anything to begin with, just looked me up and down with a quizzical eye. About 10 minutes later she announced, ‘It looks good. I like it.’ Approbation indeed!
And great condition too!
Back at the salon, Richard was impressed with the colour and especially with my hair’s pretty fabulous condition. We continued with the 12/89 root touch up every 6 weeks. Scott’s comments and advice:
‘The colour still looks intact in the photo! I’m glad the responses you’ve been getting are so good. I felt when it was all done that blonde really suited you. Richard’s right; a double bleaching would have absolutely hammered the hair. However I mostly used L’Oreal Platinium paste which is great stuff. It lifts the hair up but maintains the condition to a really far point. Usually bog-standard bleach will fry the hair upon the second application – but Platinium paste controls the hair’s lipid rate (its natural moisture) so you can do a lot more with the hair.
“However, the conditioning treatment Richard has used on you is a really good idea. For the next six months your hair will need good cuts every 6 weeks or so, don’t attempt to try and grow it at the moment as the longer lengths (which held a lot of that old dark colour) will start to dry out in time, so just keep getting a good inch cut off with every cut.
“The new re-growth (which will come through) can be coloured with the Wella 12/89 and it will lift to a good blonde colour. However, for at least the next four months I wouldn’t advise any foil highlights – you really need to let the hair go back to its natural PH Level.
“In about August (after 2 re-growth applications) send me a photo of your hair (showing the roots) and I will advise you if you should have some bleach foils put through. You will probably need those 8.0 lowlights around this time too – but lowlight tints don’t damage the hair.’
Neutralising the yellow tone
Towards the end of May, I had my colour analysis re-done by a good friend who is an image consultant and, especially against some of the new shades that she recommended for my clothes, we noticed some obvious yellowing in my hair.
Scott’s advice on the photo (right) was encouraging, ‘It’s lost its tone. That’s perfectly normal. It’s been nearly three months since I did it. The level of blonde (especially at the roots) is good. What happened when I coloured your hair was I had to strip out the old colour and any of the remaining dark with bleach. This stage gave it a brassy/yellow colour which is what happens as the keratin in the hair is exposed.
“You need all the tone being put back into your hair. The Wella Colour Fresh 8/18 (silver) would definitely be a good short-term solution to you neutralising that yellow tone. This way all those yellow tones will take on an ash/beige tone and rid you of any warmth. SC.’
To get rid of the yellow tones, Richard started using Koleston Perfect 12/16 and 9% volume to keep the roots bright white.
I was using the Colour Fresh 8/18 toner that Scott had recommended once a week myself and I found that it really kept the nasty yellowness at bay but the only place I could buy it was from a wholesalers. Richard recommended Joico Color Endure violet shampoo which is available at retail and does the job just as well.
I never even considered adding the highlights that Scott had suggested as the colour was so gorgeous.
Scott’s final diagnosis, “Being completely objective (and forgetting I recommended the blonde in the first place) I think the Diamond Winter look works brilliantly for you. It’s still got the drama you want but also
sits in the same winter category. Also, that 12/16 tint has now worked its way through your hair and you are getting the optimum effect from it. SC.”
My final diagnosis
Five months on and I’m currently having the roots done at the salon every 5 or 6 weeks and I use the violet shampoo at home once a week in the shower.
I don’t have to watch for the greys any more. I hardly notice them at all now. I no longer have to lock myself in the bathroom every couple of weeks for an extremely tedious colouring session. Side note: My boredom threshold is about half an inch off the floor so any process that requires repeating more than once in my life makes me want to run away to Spain to pick oranges!
One of the original reasons why I was fed up with wearing dark hair – having to colour it myself every two and a half weeks – had been dealt with.
I guess I could even colour it myself now if I wanted to but I’ve discovered that I rather enjoy the couple of hours that I’m away from the office – I get some ‘me’ time and I love the results too.
I have learnt so much from my hair journey
I’d like to make one point very clear here. At no time have I ever discussed or considered going grey gracefully. My new hair blonde hair colour has been created entirely with chemicals and will continue to be maintained using chemicals.
Why?
Because I am a Dramatic Romantic (or perhaps that has now changed to a Romantic Dramatic?) Winter and I don’t want to be anything else.
That short time of wearing a soft-muted hair colour showed me that I am absolutely not a soft-muted person:
- I do not have a soft, gentle demeanour, I look ghostly (and ghastly) in soft-muted colours, and I couldn’t be ladylike if I tried, even though my father has spent a lifetime buying me delicate jewellery as he would love me to be more like my Mum.
- I am a drama queen. I like to dress for impact. I don’t care what other people think and I love wearing my strong, bold, in-your-face, Winter colours
Soft-muted and Winter do not go together, at all.
I think what I’ve actually achieved (apart from the obvious hair colour change) is to confirm what image, colour, style analysis has been telling me all these years – that I look good and feel even better in bright, bold, cool colours in a dramatically romantic way and, becasue Scott has been so amazingly clever about the choice of Diamond Winter blonde for me, there’s no reason on the planet why I should do anything different.
What about YOU?
I have loved being an experiment but YOU don’t need to go through all this.
- If you want to find out how to dress to make the most of yourself, then find a darned good image consultant who can take you through colour, shape and – in my opinion – the most important part of all, your personality
- If you want to find out which hair colour and / or style will make you look and feel fabulous all the time, then book yourself on one of Scott’s Hair Analysis Classes immediately. And then you’ll have your very own hair journey story to tell
Kim Bolsover
Happily blonde!
The entire story:
- Part 1 The story of my hair colour journey
- Part 2 Another idea gets in the way of my big plans to go blonde
- Part 3 Yet another choice to make
- Part 4 At last I go completely blonde
Kim recommends
1. Fabulous cutting-edge(!) hair resource for Image Professionals
Top UK Hair Image Consultant Scott Cornwall has written a fantastic new beginners’ guide called An Introduction to Hair for Image, Colour Consultants and Stylists. You will:
- learn how to safely advise clients in the topic of hair in relation to overall image
- find the answers to all your hair questions
- have so much more confidence when you speak with both clients and hairdressers about hair in relation to image
You will love the easy-peasy 5-minute hair colour consultation and the separate 5-minute hair style consultation, both of which you can do with your client within their colour or style consultation. We’ve even provided the related consultation handouts for you to print off straight away.
Order this fabulous book now for immediate download straight to your computer; you could be print it off right now.
2. How to remove unwanted artificial hair colour
This is what removed 20-odd years of dark brown colour build-up on my hair in one fell swoop. Scott Cornwall has developed his own branded haircare product range and you can buy Colour B4 colour remover either online or straight off the shelves in Boots.
I recommend the extra strength version but if you’re in any doubt, book your own individual personal hair consultation (see 3. below).
3. Personalised Hair Analysis Class with Scott Cornwall
My own hair colour journey started with a personalised Hair Analysis Class with Scott Cornwall. He told me what was possible, and what wasn’t, and then gave brilliant advice for me, my colouring, my style personality, my hair type and texture, and even spent time emailing my own hairdresser with advice and tips on the techniques and chemical processes required.
If you want to find out which hair colour and / or style will make YOU look and feel fabulous all the time, then book yourself on one of Scott’s Hair Analysis Classes immediately. And then you’ll have your very own hair journey story to tell.
Are you an image professional?
Book Scott Cornwall now to run Hair Analysis Classes for your clients on your own premises. You will:
- round out the service you offer to include client-specific hair guidance
- raise the prestige of your businesss
- earn commissions
- receive your own hair consultation absolutely free!
Download all the details here but beware! This opportunity is only for a limited time. The reason why is explained in this pdf.
4. My own hairdresser in Chesterfield, UK
My other half says that I have a Dallas hairstyle – when I get out bed each morning, it looks as though I’m a guest star on the TV series because my hair always looks as though it’s just been styled. This is due to Richard’s cutting skills.
Callie and Richard worked with Scott on getting rid of the old brown colour by using Colour B4 in the salon, and have then worked hard to get rid of the yellow tone and bring my hair up to its current glorious Diamond Winter.
- Telephone Richard on 01246 278207
Elysium Hair, 413 Chatsworth Road, Chesterfield S40 3AD
Comments
“Well what a fascinating story, and insight into a parallel universe as far as I’m concerned. Your closing remarks said it all, in that it was all clearly worth it to you to enable you to go on being, feeling and looking like you – the same important thing that you have taught me. My auburn hair is beginning to go grey. I don’t know what I’ll do, I’ll just see what it looks like as it changes, but I do like the colour of my hair and I don’t really want it to go, but I can’t imagine going through your process.” Susan (UK)
“It was great re-visiting the hair journey. When I looked at the photo of you taken back in March I was reminded of all that yellow tone I spent ages painting over to get rid of. I knew that lovely icy blonde would eventually take over once the roots were coloured and growing down with the 12/16 but it was a case of killing all the old dark once and for all to let you get to that stage, what happens with this is the keratin is all exposed!
I think your hair journey shows everyone how tricky hair can be but how being patient and allowing it to trenscend really pays in the end. Now you are a ‘grown into’ blonde your colour will always keep a good tone and you will no longer have to worry about condition and excess bleaching!” Scott Cornwall
“I am going through my own hair crisis at the moment (bored with what I have but don’t know what else to do) so have sent off for details from Scott.
By the way I think the blonde hair looks great.” Carolyn (UK)
“Must tell you that in my opinion you look wonderful with your new hair colour, in fact you have knocked years off yourself!” Caroline (UK)
“I am absolutely fascinated with your story, I didn’t realise you had ‘gone blonde’, what a ‘dramatic’ change to have made! Love the blonde and thank you for your wonderful newsletters.” Ceann, Image Consultant (NZ)
“Fascinating newsletter – even more so than usual. My goodness, sounds like Scott knows his stuff! Any chance he could put it in written form for people like us who are 10,000 miles away? Hairdressers I work with basically have to get their seasonal colour input from me – and that is limited as I am not a hairdresser.” Jeanette, Image Consultant (NZ)
Yes, it’s already in written form. Order Scott’s book ‘An Introduction to Hair for Image, Colour Consultants and Stylists‘ for immediate download to your computer
