Taking Hair Colour From Dark to Light: here’s the lowdown

For those that have ever considered or acted on taking their dark hair to a much lighter shade, all sorts of questions and curiosities have no doubt popped up for you from time to time.

Well taking hair colour from dark to light isn’t easy and usually isn’t doable in just one salon visit. The process takes hours and sometimes several visits to the salon. If you are thinking about going from dark to light, it can be done. It just takes patience and time—a lot of time.

The Golden Rules

Some would say that if you have hair that’s never been coloured, the process requires quite a bit of work.  Hair that has never been coloured is referred to as “virgin” hair in the industry and it is thought to be like painting a blank canvas. Anything can be done to virgin hair generally (light or dark) and easily because there isn’t the obstacle of artificial colour to deal with. So it’s like a blank slate.  And it’s easier to lift with lightener because the lightener doesn’t have to first lift the artificial colour. Clear so far?

If you have virgin hair and have decided to go from dark to light then having your starting and end points assessed is critical. How dark is your hair and how light do you actually want it to be? What is determined as a one or two level change up or down is possible to achieve in one sitting, but anything above that requires more than one salon visit to achieve two things;

1. Arrive at a guarantee or confirmation for the results and the same in your satisfaction of the end results for tone and so on.
2. That the integrity of your hair will be maintained

First and foremost for any professional stylist is doing great work while maintaining the integrity of the hair. If for any reason you feel that your stylist does not share this concern, you have to ask yourself why you are sitting in that chair.

It’s best to go slow because trying to get your hair too light right away can cause your hair damage. On average, you’ll need about three to four visits before you start to see a drastic change. There is the option to go all in and get the colour services done in a single day, which means you would be at the salon for eight to 10 hours and it would most likely be quite expensive. Yet doing so is liable to cause damage to your hair (a professional hair industry term for this is, "chemical haircut").

Any colour transition dark to light or light to dark is a COLOUR CORRECTION PROCESS and needs to be treated as such by both yourself and your stylist. That means that clients need to prepare themselves financially for this type of commitment for more salon appointments, at-home care, and other needed considerations.

Now you may have heard comments that making a major colour change will damage your hair the more you change it, or the faster you change it. Like most things in life, when done correctly and by a trained professional, your stylist in this case, there isn’t anything to worry about. Wella, for example, has a colour line called Illumina that is a colour/treatment in one that brings coloured hair back to its “virgin” state. The technology that is in these products for hair colour/lightener is so advanced that the fear of damaged hair should never surface.  Lots of conditioning agents put moisture back in the hair. You might say that your hair is altered, but “damaged” is not something to give any concern.

                      

Going lighter in stages is one of the best ways to take hair from dark to light by bumping up the lightness with each appointment. How many sessions it takes will depend on several factors, including: 

• The current health of your hair;
• Your desired colour;
• Your hair’s natural undertones;
• Your budget. 

Your colourist will create a custom plan for you, with the goal in mind of giving you gorgeous colour and maintaining the health of your hair, along each step of the way.

Make it Last: Condition

The best way to go lighter is gradually and with lots of conditioning treatments in between each service to help maintain healthy hair. Since colour treated hair is more porous than natural hair, it is liable to release colour whenever it gets wet. So you've got to take care to lift it just slightly at each step and keep on top of putting moisture back in along the way. 

Possibly even more important is to have a plan with your stylist on the best way to achieve your desired look while keeping your hair healthy and happy along the way.  Definitely consider that In between lightening visits, your stylist may recommend conditioning treatments and toning services, all of which play an important part in maintaining gorgeous lighter hair.   It’s fun to go lighter and clients should seize this as an opportunity to enjoy a wide spectrum of different shades (caramel, beige, blonde, platinum, and more) on their way to their eventual end result.

The Right Method Goes a Long Way

Colouring your hair is a great way to change your look, but it’s always best to work with a professional versus doing it yourself. A professional will also be able to confirm if the color you’ve chosen is right for you and offer advice about maintenance.

Going from dark to light is a process. It takes hours and sometimes several sessions at the salon. Once you’ve achieved your lighter shade, touch-ups (they can be every four to 12 weeks depending on how fast your hair grows) and at-home maintenance are critical elements to maintaining the health of your hair. The at-home portion of your efforts is best served using professional products. For all the time and effort you are investing, what you do and what you use at home is a key link in this potentially rewarding journey. Give yourself a confidence boost from a totally new look with a fun and easy hair colour change by going dark to light.