Recently a client brought in her young daughter who had watched a Youtube video and attempted to lighten her already colored at home hair on her own. She had grown tired of the reddish brown and wanted to go blonde. It all looked so easy on the video. She went out, purchased some products and proceeded to wreck havoc on her hair. What she ended up with was a brassy, orange/copper color that had a spotty application. She needed help.
I evaluated the condition of the hair and whether anything was possible. In the event of very compromised hair, I would suggest losing some length to remove some of the "dead" hair lots of conditioning, and send her home. Fortunately her hair was in suitable shape. I placed many foils with lightener very close together over her entire head. Whatever was left out I applied a Demi permanent to tone down the copper. Four hours later and $$$$, she emerged with very acceptable blonde that will only get better in her next and following visits.
What is the moral of this entire story:
1/Colorist take years to master their craft. Decolorizing artificial pigment to an acceptable blonde is one of the more challenging techniques to learn. In some cases, it's not even recommenced--the blonde hair you leave the salon with may be the hair that is on the floor.
2/Most things look easy when done by an expert, doesn't mean that it will be easy for you at home.
3/Upkeep, maintenance and a colorist you trust is an essential consideration in this process.
