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I wasnt up for the task of growing my hair out (and its too hot in NYC forwigs!
Lucy Nystorm for Hairstory
), so I thought maybe a new hair color was the answer.
I had toyed around with the idea ofgoing blondebefore but always chickened out.
Around the same time I was bitten with blonde fever, I happened to meet coloristJulia ElenafromHairstoryin NYC.
Jason Rowe
She assured me that together we could find the right blonde to complement my mahogany skin tone.
I was nervous about it, but I thought why not?
Here are a few tips for going platinum from a newly minted bottle blonde.
[A consultation is] kind of like youre going on a date, she explains.
Plus, getting to know what you do for a living also helps.
Together, Elena and I departed from a traditional blonde route to something more in the rose family.
Elena likes to pick colors that make darker skin pop.
She compares it to selecting a makeup palettebut for the hair.
And I happen to love rose gold highlighter, so this warm pink tone was spot-on for me.
It was cold upon software, but within a few minutes I got used to it.
Since I had virgin hair (i.e.
no prior color) it took a while for the color to lighten to Elenas desired shade.
We want to get it just past that yellow color, so we can manipulate it later with toner.
Toner is the very important second half of your color equation.
Ever see someone with yellow hair?
They likely skipped the toner.
I snuck a peek of myself pre-toner to see what she meant.
That was 100 percent a no-go after I dyed my hair.
Once I switched, I also noticed an improvement in my hair texture.
This purple treatment brings my hair back to the original color Elena bleached it to.
Plus, it puts moisture back into my hair.
There’s really no way to prevent that.
The biggest question people ask me is how long will I keep the blonde.
It took my short hair from kinda cute to absolutely brilliant, if I do say so myself.
Hopefully my personal journey inspires a few more women of color to take the plunge.
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