Blonde Hair on A Budget!

Don't be alarmed!!  

This is me before and after dying my hair...I realise the picture on the left is a little scary, ha ha!  

Just a sidenote: Before you read this blog post, you may want to make yourselves a cup of tea and/or make yourselves comfortable because this is going to be a long one!  Or alternatively, watch the video tutorial here!

I get so many questions about my hair colour.  In this post, I'm going to show step by step exactly what I do to get my hair the colour it is right now (a very light, honey blonde).  First off, let's begin with some background info.  I'm a natural blonde, albeit a dark one. I've always been blonde, apart from last year when I decided to colour my hair an auburn/red.  (See pictures here.)  As a child I was very light blonde.  Here's a picture:

This is the colour that I like, and it's basically very close to what I am now (with a little help from Garnier box dye).  I stayed this fair until about the age of 12, when it started to darken.  This is my current natural hair colour:

Sorry, I know this isn't a great close-up but you get the general idea.  This was me before I started colouring my hair, age 19.  I really don't recommend you dye your hair too young, otherwise you will likely regret it as it is damaging, as I'm sure you all know.

Unfortunately, we can't all afford to get our hair done at the salon but it's difficult to know which box dyes are the best, which are true to colour and which ones will work for you.  I can only speak for myself, so hopefully if you have a similar hair colour to mine this will help you!  I personally know that I can't afford to fork out €160 every 2 months to get my hair done, so I use an at-home box dye that you can get at the supermarket or drugstore.  I have tried and tested a few different light blonde dyes and this is by far the best for me!  It is of course, Garnier Nutrisse Creme in #10 Camomile (Extra Light Blonde).

What you get inside: 

A - Developer Creme

B - Nourishing Colour Creme

C - Conditioner

Instructions

Plastic Gloves

I use this around every 2 months, to touch up my roots and give my colour a lift.  Always start off with dry, unwashed hair.  Here are some terrifying pictures of what I looked like this morning, pre-colouring!

Eek!  Don't worry, we'll sort those babies out...

Onto step 1, which is to mix the solution together.  The instructions are pretty clear, but in case you're lazy and don't like to read, you basically pour all the contents of B into A and shake well.

Now it's time to put on your gloves!

We're onto step two which in my case, is option 3.  There are various options, depending on whether you've coloured your hair before or not.  I have used this before, so I will be doing option 3, which is so beautifully highlighted below:

Apply the solution to your ROOTS only, making sure you get it all over...especially in the back (this is usually where I miss a bit!).  Use up the whole solution...or as much as you can get out by squeezing the bottle.

Leave that to develop for 25 minutes, then come back and add a little lukewarm water to your bottle (there should be a little bit of the solution left around the sides), close it back up, put your finger on the tip and shake.  This will give you a watery, diluted dye for your ends.  Apply over a bath tub or sink (it's messy!) until all your hair is covered.

Above is what your roots should look like before jumping in the shower.  After you've applied the remaining solution to the ends of your hair, wait 5 minutes for that to develop before rinsing it all off in the shower (DON'T USE SHAMPOO!).  Use the conditioner (C) provided in your box and leave that in for 2-3 minutes before rinsing:

Once you're out of the shower, I recommend using some kind of after care product.  I use Global Keratin leave-in conditioning cream and spray before brushing my hair out.  This basically keeps it from getting too damaged, and protects the ends even more.

After that, blow-dry and style as usual...et voilà!  

Blonde hair on a budget :)

Here's what my roots look like now...just look at the before and after pic!!

Another little tip for you blondes out there:

Use a shampoo and conditioner that will maintain your blonde hair...like this one!

Timotei Golden Highlights Shampoo and Conditioner

This will keep your hair blonder for longer, and hopefully prevent you from having to dye it too often.  

I hope you enjoyed this post, let me know what your hair dying tips are and have a wonderful rest of the weekend! 

Stay Stylish!
xoxo