I went to Elevation Salon with an embarrassing hair shade—an unintentional black-brown ombré courtesy of a cheap-ass box dye from the supermarket. I’d like to think I’m luckier than those with brass-hued strands born out of amateur bleaching. But you know who’s the luckiest?
Anne Curtis for having that face and Australian genes to match her new blonde ‘do. The woman’s got a singing career, her own app, and now, even the perfect yellow mane—talk about having it all.
Well, at least we have Elevation Salon’s creative director Thomas Ellsworth telling us what matters when going blonde. Thank effing God one of them doesn’t involve us turning Caucasian.
#1 First thing’s first: blonde doesn’t just mean yellow
The term “blonde” covers yellows with many different undertones. These may range from reds, ashy hues, to iridescent platinum. In fact, there are six levels of blondeness, all separated into their respective color families.
They’re further divided into two: warm (yellow with red and brown undertones) and cool (yellow with blue and green undertones). The former is distinctly vibrant, while the latter is a toned down, pale type of blonde.
#2 It’s time to give self-bleaching a rest
Because if we don’t, we’ll end up having uneven patches of color on our hair. At best, liquid peroxide (you know, that strong thing you use on wounds) can give us a brassy orange.
Salons are equipped with cream peroxide, the kind that’s filled with cosmetic fragrances, and other additions that smoothen and condition hair, and possibly other nice things. Do you really want to skip this?
#3 Starting from virgin black hair? No problem. It’s actually the easier way to do it
Filipinos fold when dared to don this shade. “It’s too black, it’ll come out like mud!” say many. Thomas says it’s actually a better idea to go blonde with your virgin black hair. Because the mane hasn’t been touched by any other color, it’s easier to jump to your desired level of blondeness compared to colored hair that needs endless shade corrections and blending.
#4 Know the biological basics: your skin tone and your face shape
So the next important part—how do you know which shade suits you best? Time to stop looking at your hair, and start knowing your body.
Thomas suggests looking at your wrist veins for reference. For those with blue veins, go for warm blonde shades like gold and strawberry to downplay pale skin. For those with green veins, opt for colder blonde hues to neutralize Asian yellow skin.
When it comes to complementing face shapes, blonde shades need to work in contrast to the problematic areas (i.e. wide cheeks, prominent jaws etc.) by way of softening them through hues.
#5 The whole treatment takes three hours or more
This is not for the impatient. The blonde job is a three-hour-long treatment that strips hair of its color via “high-lifters” or basically safe bleachers. Don’t worry: There are treatments with and without ammonia.
So which do you choose? Virgin black hair can take treatments with ammonia. Considering ammonia’s long-time effects, Thomas can’t say the same for damaged, compromised hair, so the best choice is the safer, less-damaging substance.
#6 Staying blonde means maintaining it through professional treatment
Nothing assures us better than a knowledgeable colorist and a salon with treatment programs for our hair. When going blonde full-time, we need to prioritize maintenance. “[This hair color] is not so much a risk if you follow all maintenance methods. As long as the aftercare is spot on, there’s nothing to be worried about,” says managing director Kat Romero-Salas.
Thomas also recommends the use of good ol’ oils like avocado to keep the mane smooth and shiny.
And in light of the treatment’s chemistry and its wear-off tendencies, “don’t ever, ever go out of the house when your hair is wet,” he says.
#7 Before we forget, those brows don’t need to be as blonde as that mane
You don’t bleach them; you just color them. Understood?
Elevation Salon. Building 3, Jannov Plaza, 2295 Pasong Tamo Extension, Makati. (02)830-3030, (02) 864-0658, or 09188303030. For more information, visit their website.
Art by Dorothy Guya