Thinking About Dyeing Your Hair From Brunette to Blonde? Here’s What You Should Know Before You Do

Dyeing your hair is a big decision – especially if you’re trying to change your hair colour completely, like going from brunette to blonde. From the colour process to the maintenance afterwards, you want to make sure you’re prepared so your hair colour comes out looking like you want it to – aka like the hundreds of photos you saved from Instagram as inspiration.

“For someone who is naturally brunette, going blonde can be fairly easy depending on the type of blonde they’d like to be,” said Nikki Lee, Garnier’s consulting celebrity hair colourist. “It can be done through a few different techniques: highlights, balayage, or all-over colour.”

The best way to determine if you’re a good candidate for going blond is to speak with your colourist. “When you’re planning on making a big change, consultation is key,” Lee said. “The lighter the brunette base, the easier it will be to go blonde. Anyone with a medium brown hair or darker will need multiple sessions of colour, pending the level of blonde they’d like to achieve.” If you have “virgin” brunette hair, as in hair that hasn’t been coloured before, you should have a fairly easy time transitioning to blond.

Talking with your stylist will also help you find the right shade for you, which, depending on your skin tone and eye colour, makes all the difference. If you have dark, almost black, brunette hair and you want to go icy blonde, it will take longer and more appointments for you to achieve your desired look than for someone with lighter brunette hair wanting to achieve a dirty blonde hue, but that shouldn’t discourage you. Lee says it’s all about having patience.

“The upkeep depends on the type of blonde you are trying to achieve,” Lee said. “If you are a more natural rooted blonde, you could go six to 10 weeks without a touchup, whereas platinum blonde has to be touched up every three to five weeks.”

In between salon visits, be mindful of the water you’re using to wash your hair. “To keep blonde from getting brassy, make sure to wash hair with filtered water to keep harsh minerals and chlorine off,” she said. This, in addition to using a shampoo and conditioner formulated for blonde colour-treated hair and using regular hair masks and treatments, should keep your blonde hair colour looking fresh and new.

For inspiration, check out all of the celebrities that successfully dyed their hair from brunette to blonde ahead.