Soooooooo, you think you want to go platinum do you? I got suckered into this trend a few months ago, because once you start going blonde, there is no such thing as TOO blonde. I got addicted to blonde highlights, and wanted to switch up my look a bit so I decided to take my naturally dark hair platinum blonde.

Here’s what you need to know before making the transformation, which I wish I knew prior to my dye job.

First things first, know that going platinum is A LOT OF WORK. Not only are you committed to being a salon rat, outside of the salon there is still quite a bit of maintenance required.

The initial transition took me about 8 hours. Yes, I said 8 hours. It was an all day thing from 10 am – 6 pm. I set up camp in my artist’s chair, while two hair stylists worked their magic on my locks. The reason two stylists have to work on one person, is every single piece of hair needs to be dyed platinum, however the pieces that were previously bleached from highlights can not be touched to avoid breakage. This is very important, as going platinum can really damage your hair if you do not take care of it, or do the process correctly.

One thing I want to mention about the initial dye job is how painful it was. I was not expecting it to actually hurt my head, but it did. When dying the scalp, bleach and tone needs to be added to alter the natural dark root and this product is left on the head for about 30-40 minutes. No exaggeration I could feel my insides burning and could not wait until freezing cold water was poured on my head to rinse the product out.

The initial turn-around after seeing myself from a highlighted blonde to a platinum blonde was a bit of a shock. Leaving the salon I was not sure how I felt and almost thought I made a big mistake. However, a day or two into having my color I got used to it and looooved the way my new hair looked.

MAINTENANCE 

I want to point out a few notes about the maintenance of platinum blonde hair. Not only will you be living in a salon for touch ups, because it is very important not to go over 5 weeks without touching up the roots (or else you will face having to do the whole initial process all over again). And let’s face it, who wants to be in a salon for 8 hours more than once. NOT ME!

Another note, after any dye job of platinum you must avoid the sun at all costs until your scalp can heal a little. I was going to Coachella the next day and had to wear hats every day to protect my scalp from burning or my color from fading or turning yellow.

This might come as no surprise to some of you, but it’s a good thing I asked my hairdresser this; can you swim with platinum hair: absolutely no swimming in chlorine pools! This will literally turn your hair green, and no one looks cute like that. Salt water is okay, but it’s recommended to put some form of coconut oil or conditioner in prior to swimming so your hair does not soak up too much salt.

Another maintenance tip I think is mandatory: sleeping in Olaplex #3. This product is NOT conditioner, it is a patented formula that actually repairs the bonds in your hair, unlike any conditioner could or would do. My hairstylist recommended this to me, and it changed my life. It’s one of my go-to beauty tricks I’ve shared with anyone that will listen. You might be thinking, so what, that is not so hard. Contrary to belief this means I now had to plan when I would wash my hair, and actually base decisions on when to go out based on when I could sleep with the product in my hair. Washing your hair should be kept at a minimum, 1 because shampoo dries it out, and 2 you want that blonde to stay as platinum as possible for as long as possible, so I recommend 1-2 a week MAX for washing your hair!

DOWNSIDES, WHAT TO BE CAREFUL OF 

Breakage is susceptible for any blonde, so I even changed part of my diet to overcompensate and prevent breakage. I did tons of research on what foods to eat for healthy hair. Hair is protein, so it makes sense to eat a well balanced diet with a lot of protein. The foods I incorporated for healthy hair are: oats, make sure to eat a lot of protein because that is what your hair is made of.

If your hair grows pretty quickly like mine, you will see a big contrast in the root in about 2 weeks. This can be a cool disjointed look, but if it’s not your vibe just know it will have to be something you can get used to seeing because it would be impossible to be touching your hair up every two weeks (no stylist would put those chemicals on you that frequently).

STYLING

Lastly, styling your hair when platinum is basically not an option. This was a major lifestyle change for me. I went from using a heat tool almost once a day to now using a heat tool maybe once a week. I styled my hair by blowdrying it out straight and letting it stay like that for about 4-5 days. This meant a lot of ponytails, low buns, the occasional braid. I had to get creative to switch up my looks, because not applying heat is actually way harder than it sounds.

Investing in good products and good tools will also help minimize damage on your locks. This is why I highly recommend the Dyson blow dryer. It is gentle with the hair, and has multiple heat/cooling settings really letting you control the amount of heat you put on your hair. Since making this purchase it has been a game changer when blowing out my hair.

Soooooooo, if you’re thinking about switching up your look and taking the platinum route, these are definitely things you will have to keep in mind. If you’re a low-maintenance person, this trend might not be best for you, and I would recommend a wig to get the same affect. However, if you don’t mind the maintenance this could be a really fun transition for any blonde or brunette. Hope this information helped you guys! Feel free to comment below, or follow me on my socials for more advice!

xx

-Nic

Hair color is done at 901 Salon in Los Angles, for inquiries please call the salon.