Switching from Brunette to a Natural-Looking Blonde

How to Change a Hair Color to Blonde

Do blondes have more fun? You'll never know if you never try. You can buy blonde hair color kits at most grocery stores, drugstores or beauty supply stores, and they are pretty easy to apply. Choose a shade with more honey tones if you have warm skin tones and look for more platinum if you have cool skin tones. For those with naturally darker hair, remember that bleaching hair is a necessary first step prior to coloring hair blonde.

1.

Cover your clothes with an old shirt or towel and put an old towel on the floor as well.

2.

Place a thin line of petroleum jelly along the hairline, over the ears, and along the back of the neck. Wear plastic gloves to protect skin from staining.

3.

Pour ½ of the peroxide bottle into a plastic bowl and add ½ of the bleach packet. Mix with a plastic spoon until smooth and then add the rest of the peroxide and bleach and mix well.

4.

Apply the bleach to the hair from root to tips, saturating hair evenly and thoroughly. Begin timing once all hair is covered in bleach. If the natural hair color is dark, the bleach should sit for 45 to 60 minutes, while medium brown should wait 30 to 45 minutes. A natural light brown shade should wait 25 to 35 minutes and a dark blonde color should only wait 15 to 30 minutes. Remember that the longer the bleach sits in the hair, the lighter it will be, so time carefully.

5.

Rinse thoroughly with warm water and wash with a gentle shampoo. Use a deep conditioner and then air dry hair thoroughly before proceeding with the hair dye.

6.

Reapply petroleum jelly to the hairline and cover skin and clothing. Mix together the hair dye and solution in a clean plastic bowl and mix well with a clean plastic spoon.

7.

Apply hair dye evenly and thoroughly to hair and then comb through with a fine-tooth comb to distribute the color evenly through hair. Allow to sit for 15 to 30 minutes and then rinse with warm water. Shampoo with a gentle shampoo and follow with a deep conditioner. Voila -- you are now a blonde.

Things You'll Need

1.Towels

3.Petroleum jelly

5.Hair color kit

7.Plastic spoons

9.Shampoo

2.Old clothes

4.Bleaching kit

6.Plastic bowls

8.Applicators

10.Conditioner

How to Fix Hair Color That Went Too Blonde

Uh oh. Seems like you've got yourself a case of a little too much blonde ambition, but there's no need to reach for that baseball hat, honey. Taking your too-blonde tresses down a couple of notches it totally doable. Just get to a beauty supply store and pick up a semi-permanent hair color one to two shades darker than the color your hair is right now and a gentle 10-volume developer. Together they'll cure your too-blonde blues and leave your hair just the right shade of beautiful.

1.

Wash your hair to remove any styling products. Skip the conditioner, though, because that will just coat your hair and get in the semi-permanent color's way. Dry your hair thoroughly to remove any moisture.

2.

Slip on those gloves so you don't wreck your manicure. Mix up the semi-permanent hair color with its developer, in a color bottle, following the product instructions. Shake that bottle up to mix the two really well.

3.

Apply the semi-permanent color to all your hair, from root to tip. Use your gloved hands, in a gentle massaging motion, to work the color into all your hair. You want to completely saturate that hair with color or you're going to end up with bits of that old color peeking through.

4.

Set a timer for 20 minutes and let that semi-permanent color work its magic. When the time has elapsed rinse the color off completely and apply a conditioner for color-treated hair. Let that sit on your hair for a minute or two to give your twice-colored hair a little TLC.

5.

Rinse the conditioner out of your hair and breath a sigh of relief. Now go show off that perfect new hair color.

Things You'll Need

1.Semi-permanent hair color

3.Latex gloves

5.Conditioner

2.10-volume developer

4.Color bottle

Tips & Tricks

10-volume developer contains only 10 percent peroxide, so it's nice and gentle on your hair. It's not strong enough to lighten your hair; it'll only deposit a darker color than you already have.

Don't choose a semi-permanent color that's more than one or two shades darker than what you presently have. Much more than that and you'll likely end up with a hair color that's too dark, which is way harder to fix.

If you're not sure which semi-permanent color is the right one for you ask the consultant at the beauty store. She'll know exactly what you need.

If you damaged your hair to the point of extreme dryness or breakage, you should hold off on darkening your hair color until you've given your stressed tresses a little love. Give your hair a deep conditioning treatment once a week for the next two weeks. This will increase the chances that, when you do apply a semi-permanent color over your existing one, it will actually stick around for a while. A darker hair color might not last more than a few days if your hair is really damaged and porous.

How to Correct Too-Dark Hair Color

Nothing quite describes the feeling you get in your stomach when you look in the mirror after coloring your hair, only to find that something went horribly wrong during the process. The knee-jerk reaction following a bad color job is to slap some more color on it, but color correction requires more thought and preparation than picking up another box of color. And when hair goes too dark, it's impossible to fix it with color alone. You must lighten the dark color and color your hair to the desired shade. It's a complete redo, starting with an almost blank canvas.

1.

Mix equal parts lightening powder and 40-volume developer in a color bowl. Blend the mixture thoroughly, using the color brush, until the texture appears smooth and the mixture is evenly colored throughout.

2.

Put on the latex gloves. Apply the color to the hair using the color brush. Part the hair in small, easy-to-manage sections measuring approximately ½ inch by 2 inches. Work the color through each section, using your fingers and the color brush. Saturate each section thoroughly from the root area to the ends of the hair.

3.

Set a timer for 10 minutes, and wait.

4.

After 10 minutes, dampen the end of a towel and use it to rub away the color from a small strand of hair. Inspect the color. If the color is lighter than the desired color, stop now. If not, reapply color and wait an additional 5 minutes. Repeat until the color matches or is lighter than the desired color level. Remember, you're only inspecting for color level, not tone. Your hair may appear orange or yellow-orange. This is normal and will be corrected during the second coloring.

5.

Rinse the hair thoroughly with warm water. Shampoo twice to remove any remaining color and color residue from the hair. Condition the hair as you normally would. Towel-dry the hair and allow it to air-dry completely before moving onto the next step, or dry it with a hair dryer. Clean the color bowl, latex gloves and color brush with warm water.

6.

Mix equal parts of the desired color and 10-volume developer in the color bowl. Blend thoroughly. Apply the color to the hair the same way you applied the hair lightener. Massage the color into the scalp, and make sure the hair is completely saturated through to the ends.

7.

Set a timer for 20 minutes. Remove the latex gloves.

8.

After 20 minutes, rinse, shampoo and condition. Dry and style as desired.

Things You'll Need

1.Hair-lightening powder or powdered bleach

3.Color bowl

5.Latex gloves

7.Shampoo and conditioner

9.Hair color of desired shade

2.40-volume (strength) developer

4.Color brush

6.Timer

8.Towels

10.10-volume developer

Tips & Tricks

As hair lightens it goes through several color phases, including red, red-orange, orange, yellow-orange and yellow. If you want to color your hair a light brown but ended up with dark brown or black, you do not have to lighten your hair past the red-orange stage. Lighten your hair to the desired level and counteract the orange color with an ash-based hair color.

How to Add a Dark Natural Blond Hair Color to Dark Brown Hair

Are you looking far too dreary and serious with that dark brown hair color? Then, baby, it's time to lighten up. Lightening your hair from dark brown to dark blond is a fairly straightforward process and the results can be stunning. You'll be amazed at how just going a few levels lighter can brighten your skin tone and give you a whole new attitude.

1.

Go to the beauty supply store and purchase a level-six dark blond hair color with a neutral ("N") base. It will likely be labeled as "6N." The neutral or natural base will ensure you get the natural look you want, without too many red or gold tones to it. You'll also need to grab a bottle of 30-volume developer while you're there.

2.

Mix the hair color with the 30-volume developer, in a color bowl, according to the product line's directions. Mix the two together really well with the color brush or a small whisk. Remove all the lumps to end up with a creamy concoction. Slip on your gloves to protect your manicure from color damage.

3.

Section your hair into four equal parts. Use the tip of the hair color brush to part your hair from the middle of the front hairline, to the middle of the back hairline. Part the hair again from ear tip to ear tip, and use four large hair clips to keep each section pinned up and separate.

4.

Let down one of the back sections first. The back of your hair tends to be darker than the front, so when lightening your hair, start at the back sections. Begin applying the hair color to the mid-shaft (1 inch from the roots to 2 inches from the ends) in 1/2-inch-wide sections throughout that entire section.

5.

When you've made your way through one back section, move to the next back section, then keep the color train going on both front sections, as well. When all your hair has color on its mid-shaft, go back to your first section and apply color to the roots and ends of the hair. Tackle each of the four sections in the order you applied the color to the first time.

6.

Set a timer for 30 minutes and let the color work its magic undisturbed. When the time is up, rinse the hair until the water runs clear. Slather the hair with a generous dollop of conditioner and rinse that after one minute.

7.

Congrats! You've now traded in your sultry dark brown locks for a sexy new dark-blond hue.

Things You'll Need

1.Hair Color

3.Latex gloves

5.Timer

2.30-volume developer

4.Color bowl and brush

6.Hair conditioner

Tips & Tricks

Dark brown is classified as a level-three hair color. Using a 30-volume developer will easily lift your hair the three levels to a level-six dark blond, but if your hair is darker or lighter, you'll have to adjust the hair color you buy, or your expectations. If your hair is a level two, you'll only get to a level five with 30-volume developer. If you want to go lighter you'll have to bleach first. If, on the other hand, your hair is really a level four, a level-six color and 20-volume developer will give you the dark blond color you crave.

Lightening your hair more than three or four levels is very hard on the hair and often looks totally fake. You're better off keeping it real and sticking within the three- to four-level guideline rather than trashing your hair for a color that will likely wash out your skin tone anyway.

If I Have Bleached Blond Hair, How to Get Light Brown Hair Color

Bleached-blond hair readily absorbs the base color of whatever color you put on it. Ash colors -- ash is just colorist lingo for green -- have a green base. Slap an ash color on your hair, and you'll end up looking a bit froggy. Other color bases may leave you with different set of issues. Beige colors typically take on a smoky or grayish tinge. To keep your hair looking natural, pick a natural brown -- the terms neutral and natural are used interchangeably in color -- or a warm brown color.

1.

Pick a light brown hair color with a warm, natural or neutral base. Mix 2 oz. of it with 2 oz. 10-volume color developer. You can dump it all in the color bottle, screw on the lid and shake it until blended.

2.

Apply the color to your dry hair, from the roots to the ends. Put on gloves first, though. Brown hair color will stain your skin and fingernails, especially if your skin is dry. Make sure you get the color on all your hair by taking small sections and working the color in with your fingers as you go.

3.

Wait 35 minutes.

4.

Rinse with warm water for five minutes. Shampoo twice to remove all the color. Work conditioner through your hair, clear through to the ends. Wait three minutes and rinse with cool water.

Things You'll Need

1.Warm brown hair color

3.Color bottle

5.Shampoo

7.Towels

2.10-volume color developer

4.Gloves

6.Conditioner

Tips & Tricks

If your hair is damaged, mist it with color filler before attempting to color it. You can purchase color filler at any beauty supply store.

How to Color Bleached Hair to Dark Ash Blond

Ash color has a green base. Slap it on bleached hair, and you could go green, but not in the healthy, environmental way. Your hair could turn green. Yuck! To prevent celery-colored hair, you have to put some yellow back in -- bleached white hair doesn't have any. The yellow -- infused by way of color additive -- will give your hair a base color that can accept ash blond without going green.

1.

Spray the heck out of your dry hair with color filler, paying particular attention to the ends. Don't worry; you can't spray too much. Douse it good. If it gets damp, it will dry while you're mixing up the color.

2.

Combine 2 oz. ash color, 1/2 oz. yellow color additive and 2 oz. 10-volume color developer in a color bottle. Shake the bottle to mix it -- just like a baby's bottle of milk.

3.

Squirt the color onto your hair, dividing your hair into small sections as you go. Work it in with your hands -- better get some gloves on first if you don't want nasty, stained hands -- until you cover all your hair from root to tip.

4.

Time it for 25 minutes.

5.

Rinse with warm water for five minutes. Even when you feel like your back is breaking, keep rinsing. Shampoo, rinse and repeat. Follow with a good conditioner.

Things You'll Need

1.Color filler

3.10-volume color developer

5.Color bottle

7.Timer

9.Conditioner

2.Ash blond color

4.Yellow color additive

6.Gloves

8.Shampoo

10.Towels

Tips & Tricks

Worried about turning your gorgeous skin a hideous shade of gray? Prevent color from staining your skin by rubbing a layer of petroleum jelly on the skin around your hairline, ears and neck.

When you put an ash color on white hair, it can end up looking green. Use the yellow additive to prevent mossy color. If your hair is already golden, you might be able to get by without it -- emphasis on the might.