Brunette to Blonde At Home

This post has been a long time coming.
I've always been pretty brave when it comes to changing up my hair color. Back in October I shared this post with you after I had dyed my hair brown. A couple months after I colored my hair I was ready to go back to blonde. As someone who is a fan of instant gratification, I wanted my old hair color back and I wanted it back right away. However, going from a dark brown to blonde is not exactly an easy process.  I explain everything in the video below, but to learn more about what I did click the 'read more' button at the bottom of this post! Hope you enjoy :)
First and foremost you must understand that I am not -- I repeat -- I am NOT a professional. Everything that I did is based on a crap ton of research, trial and error, and just overall experience coloring my hair. So basically if this is your first time ever coloring your hair, just stop what you're doing and go to a salon. You'll end up saving yourself money, tears, and the risk of completely ruining your hair in the long run.
As far as my research is concerned, I turned to professionals, the employees at Sally's, YouTube, and countless sources online to make sure I had everything down to a science -- literally. I studied the scientific aspects of hair coloring to determine how to get my hair from such a crazy dark color back to my usual blonde with the least amount of damage possible. 
Damage is impossible to avoid when going from approximately a level 2 to a level 8 or 9. My hair had to lift 6-7 shades to get to where it is now and that's pretty risky.
Before you start, make sure you have EVERYTHING you need -- supplies, color, etc. This is pretty obvious but I feel like I have to stress this point. Go to Sally's or any other beauty supply store in your area. Here's what I stocked up on:

• Ion Color Brilliance mixing bowl & brush
• Ion Sensitive Scalp 20, 30, 40 volume developer
• Black Latex Gloves
• Plastic Measuring Cup
• L'Oreal Super Blue Creme Oil Lightener Kit (2)
• Wella Color Charm T18 & T11 Toners
• Clairol Professional Shimmer Lights Shampoo & Conditioner (Blonde & Silver)
• Ash Blonde Hair Color
• Conditioning treatment (I used the sample packets from Sally's but now use the L'Oreal Ever Pure Moisture Deep Restorative Masque)

Once you have everything -- and have done your research -- you can choose to follow what I did or do your own thang:
>> I initially went to the hair salon and told my hair dresser I wanted to be blonde. Since going from such a dark color to such a light color is a long process, she suggested highlights to kick off my epic journey to lighter hair. She used bleach to put highlights all throughout my hair and the results were less than satisfying to a girl who thrives on instant gratification. My highlights ended up a grey/silver color and was still overwhelmingly dark. I went back a few days later to have toner applied, but still wasn't happy. It was absolutely NOT her fault AT ALL (she's amazing) -- I just wanted my dark hair to go away with the snap of my fingers. 
>> I decided at this point I would take matters into my own hands (she would probs kills me for doing it myself). After hours upon hours of research I decided I would trek my sassy brunette ass to Sally's and grab some bleach. I picked up two -- yes two -- boxes of L'Oreal's Super Blue Creme Oil Lightener, some ashy blonde hair color, the rest of the supplies listed above, and peaced out. I was determined to be blonde once again.
>> The second I got home I mixed the kit together and applied the bleach with my Ion brush. When I washed out the bleach I nearly screamed in complete and utter terror -- my hair was bright orange. Like the ugliest orange I've ever seen. If there was a puke orange color, that's what my hair looked like. Puke orange. 
>> I panicked and drowned my hair in purple shampoo and conditioner. Nothing. My boyfriend knocked on the door, saw me, and got that deer-in-the-headlights look. I told him not to ask any questions, but much to my dismay, he did. I kept all the lights pretty dim that night.
>> A couple days later I did my second bleach wash. I went from puke orange to a blindingly yellow color. Better than the orange though. I toned my hair with my purple shampoo and conditioner, then used that all-over ashy blonde hair color. I rinsed and I was left with a pretty normal blonde color. Success in my book.
>> With the advice of Silvia from Ellebangs (her YouTube channel is AWESOMENESS) I used the Wella Color Charm T18 and T11 toners and finally achieved my perfect blonde. I still use these two toners to refresh my hair every few weeks, and I am loving my blonde locks once again. 
To sum up, do your research. Look everywhere for advice before you touch your hair. It took me weeks to prep for this major transition, and I am so glad I did. If you are as dark as I was you HAVE to use bleach to strip out all the color. Your hair will more than likely be a horrendous color for a couple days, but that's just the nature of the blonde beast. Trust me, it gets better. Just hang in there. 
After you do a bleach wash or two (your hair can only lift a couple shades at a time), go in with an all over color and then a toner to take out all that yellow/orange coloring. Toning with the Wella toners and the purple shampoo/conditioner is going to ensure that the yellow/brassiness goes away. 
If all else fails, go to a professional. They will save your hair. Like I said before, I did an overwhelming amount of research and have had lots of experience coloring my hair so I felt comfortable doing this all myself. If you are nervous, just save yourself the trouble and have someone else do it for you. 
One more thing -- make sure you are conditioning your hair with a good treatment. Going from a super dark to super light color is going to seriously damage your hair. Take a break from hot tools for a little while and your hair will thank you later. Get regular trims and take care of your mane. 
I hope this helped those of you who want to transition from dark to light. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to leave me a comment or get at me on twitter, email, etc. 
xoxoxo