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One of the hardest parts about leaving New York for sunny LA other than just about everything was coming to terms with the fact that I was going to have to replace my blonde making magician of a hairstylist.  Before I left, I got my locks artificially kissed by the sun, and kissed Anna (my hairstylist) goodbye.  Living in the land of blondes, I figured it’d be easy to find someone , but having been burned (like, literally.  My hair fell out.) before, I was totally hesitant  to try someone new.

I don’t get many lucky breaks.  No, really, ask my friends and family.  It’s like I’m followed around by a storm cloud, but in this instance, I dumb lucked into the hair trend that took over the land whilst in between haircare masters: ombre.  While most girls went out and had their stylists darken their roots and lighten their ends.  I sat back, relaxed, and watched my hair grow.  Which is kind of the equivalent of watching paint dry, except slightly more exciting because you never really know what color your natural haircolor is after 10+ years of highlighting.

When I started posting selfies on Instagram, my darker locks got some seriously positive feedback and many a blonde pal asked just how I had managed the switch.  So, below I have outlined my rules to achieving the look and wouldn’t you know?  The end of summer is the perfect time to try the continuing trend.

1. Commit to the challenge.  No one said it was going to be easy.  They just said it would be worth it.  Okay, it’s definitely not that serious, but just brace yourself for a transitional period.  You aren’t going to look the same.  You are going to have to change your makeup.  Different colors are going to look better on you.  Some people even told me my facial structure started to look different.  I think that was because I packed on winter weight, but that’s neither here nor there.
2. Blend In.  This is just about the only situation in life where I will advise you to do so… unless you happen to be hunting.  In which case, stick with camo.  To make the switch from amber to auburn less abrupt, have your colorist paint in some lowlights and start blending away the blonde.
3. Keep it trim.  Sure, you won’t need to spend half your paycheck being painted the perfect buttery blonde anymore, but that doesn’t mean you have to skip the salon altogether.  I hate getting haircuts, but letting too much time pass between trims can lead to some hairy situations; much like missing a bikini wax.  Schedule a visit every six to eight weeks depending on your hair length and style.
4. Be patient.  Similar to growing out your bangs, your roots are going to get to that stage where you just wanna say, “F%ck it!” and get back on the bottle.  But don’t do it.  Stay off the sauce.  Though you may be looking like Courtney Love of the 90’s (not someone I aim to emulate either), you will get through this.  Much like how I got through Advanced Calculus and my last breakup.
5. Start from the bottom (now you’re here).  Your ends are old.  Some of them have been with you longer than a few of your friends.  Think about it: hair grows about half an inch a month.  So unless you’re sporting a Miley Cyrus pixie cut, you may have strands aging over ten years!  Now, when it comes to sudsing up in the shower, you’re going to want to focus most of the shampooing on your roots and conditioning on your ends.  Same principle applies when putting on product post bathing.

The whole process took about an entire year, but I have hair that’s halfway down my back.  And while that sounds like an excessive amount of time, each phase was kind of like having a new look.  Where the lighter strands are in relation to your face make all the difference.  You may stop the process when your golden strands greet your chin.  Seeing as the sun has been kind to my color, I, too, will be repeating the process this fall.  Unless, of course, I go for that Miley pixie.

xx,

WhyDid