In this blog post I will be showing you how you can achieve platinum perfection but shedding light on the process behind it! Many people see before and after photos from dark to platinum and are under the impression it happened all in one go. But it doesn't always happen this way! It's one of the the biggest misconceptions us hairdressers are faced with, so I wanted to take the time to show you what really goes into this process.
In this post I'll be using myself as the example, and as you can see in the photo below, when I first started working at The Hair Boutique I'd been box dying my hair black for years!
I told the girls that I wanted to get close to my natural colour (Mousy blonde) and eventually go super light. Straight away I knew it was going to be a lengthy a process. For those that have virgin hair that is naturally quite light this would be a lot easier. But for most who have darker or naturally warmer hair achieving platinum is hard. Especially for those who have previously dyed their hair even if it was years ago, it can still cause you problems. I have had every colour known to man on my hair. So the first step was removing the black and just getting a bit lighter. Even if lighter meant bright copper!
To achieve this colour we did a full head bleach and lifted out the black. Instantly my hair lifted to an extremely warm orange so we went with it and enhanced it to create a beautiful bright copper!
After about 3-4 months of having copper hair the colour we had used gradually faded and the overall colour naturally lightened slightly. We then decided to tone it down and give me a brown root leading into auburn ends.
I kept this colour for a very long time, but I eventually got bored of it. So I bit the bullet and decided to have another full head bleach on my extremely grown out coloured hair. This was an extremely long process. I stayed behind after work and it took a whole 6 hours of work to get me to this level of blonde. I was very happy but my hair had felt the strain.
Condition of the hair is a massive factor when going not only platinum but just lighter in general. Going lighter gradually will be so much better for your hair in the long run! You need your hair to stay as healthy as possible during this process otherwise you could be left with damaged hair.
After I had achieved blonde I had my hair cut super short to get rid of any damaged hair and ensure I had healthy hair was ready for future processes. I then gradually went lighter over time ensuring I kept the strength of my hair. After about 8 months of being blonde and lots of hair care using Olaplex in the salon and at home! I took the plunge and went platinum.
Again, I stayed behind after work and it took 5 hours to get me to this perfect platinum. I had another full head bleach. But this time we used 10% (a low peroxide) and left it on for nearly two hours. The bleach wasn't very strong so it kept the condition of my hair but lifted it slowly and cleanly! This method is effective and damage free. My hair feels lovely and the overall colour is so even.
I'm not saying this will work for everyone as it all depends on your hair and the history of it. My hair is very short so the process was made slightly easier. Those with long hair may find it more difficult as you could experience banding (build up of previous colour). Generally this service would be booked as a colour correction due to the amount of time involved in this service. Rates for a colour correction service range from £53 with a Senior Stylist to £67 per hour with a Style Director.
Be mindful of these factors and understand that everyones hair is different. For any hair lightening enquiries we highly recommend our Senior Stylist: Georgina Evans. She is our lightening expert and she is the amazingly talented stylist who took me through this process! Just remember to be patient and understanding and I hope this has helped you understand the factors involved in achieving platinum hair 🙂
If you would like to discuss this further with someone, you are welcome to book in for a free consultation with one of stylists and we will give you our honest advice on what would work best for you.
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