Can You Make My Hair From Brown to Blonde in One Day?

The title of this blog post is one of the most common questions we get at Zucci. We get a daily request from people to have their hair turned from dark to light in one day. BUT it is a question that usually has an answer that most people don’t what to hear… No we can’t.
Hair is more complex and fragile then most people think. Today more then ever with celebrities changing their hair on a monthly basis from dark to light, short to long and everything in between, has started a trend that this is possible for every person to achieve.
We decided to write this post as a guide and to give some insight into what the process is to have a dramatic change, we will outline a step by step, cost and also the maintenance that is required for this look.
But firstly let us introduce you to Casey, who asked Shakira for this change back in November 2017. Casey has been having her hair done by Shakira since April 2017. The reason you need to know this about Casey is that she has built a relationship with Zucci. This is really important when you want to change your hair. It is important to have a relationship with your colourist and salon. So this leads us to…

1. What is in and on your hair?

Hair colour and chemical treatments linger in the hair till it grows out or is cut off. No matter what you put on your hair (at home colour, henna, semi-permanent, temporary fudge colours, in salon colour, keratin straightening treatments ect) they all leave residue and build up on the hair. This is the fist big step in understanding if your hair can be lightened or not.
You need to let your colourist know what the history of your hair has been for a minimum of 2 years. Hair grows 1cm a month on average take a look at the length of your hair and if the length from roots to ends is more then 24 cm that hair on the ends is over 2 years old… it is a bit gross when you think about it but also really really important as that hair has been exposed to so much and may not lighten as well as the new hair.
Casey had her hair coloured with Shakira 4 times over 2017 and had some colour in there before she started colouring it. She has had aprox 5 cm cut of the ends over the year too so all the colour on her hair was Aveda colour that Shakira had done.
Once you colourist has determined the history of your hair it is up to them to indicate if it is possible to go lighter and what that lighter colour is going to look like. Next we need to know.

2. What can my hair Actually do?

Do you want long hair? Do you want blonde hair? Are you willing to cut off “x”cm off your hair? Will you do this at home treatment? Will you be in the salon every 5 weeks to have your colour maintained? Will you be able to spend “x” dollars each time you need to maintain your hair.
All these questions need to be answered before the final colour is determined. Hair can only do so much and your colourist can only do so much. So it is vital that the desired colour is realistic and achievable.
Casey had images that were a bright, white creamy blonde. She works as a model and has her hair heat styled on average 2-3 times a week by different hairdressers for different modelling jobs. Casey is loving her hair the length it is and is wanting to go a little shorter with the shape. But there is colour on her hair. She is a natural medium brown (level 5) and has had her hair coloured a level 5 over the past 8 months. This means that lightening to a white blonde with the hair being in a healthy condition was not going to be possible in one day. But it does not mean it is not possible over time.
When lightening coloured hair, the lightening product not only has to eat through the existing hair colour but the natural colour underneath. This means eating through all the colour pigments from blue to red to yellow. And yellow is the last pigment to leave hair and it is the MOST stuborn. Yellow colour molecules are so small and they imbed themselves deep in the cortex of the hair it is a very very long process to get them out. 
It was decided once we had all this knowledge that the goal would be a beige blonde for Casey’s colour. Beige is a combination of warm and cool. This meant that if we could not get the final traces of yellow out of Casey’s hair and still maintain the condition of the hair we would then use ash toners to neutralise that yellow out but there would still be a visible hue of warmth.
The photo ->  are the reference images we used for the final tone. Pictures are super important as a guide for what to expect, not just for the final hair colour but for how the hair colour can change aspects of your face.

3. How long will this take and how much will this cost?

Money makes your hair go blonde. This process on Casey took 7 hours just for the colour… that is right 7 hours. Not only 7 hours but 700g of colour and 3 separate colour applications. What this means is that the colourist has to focus on your hair for 7 whole hours and it is pretty hard to do anyone else’s colour in between the 3 separate colour processes.
Pricing for this service at Zucci is different case by case as everyone’s hair is different. We do not quote for these types of services unless we have a face to face consultation and we may prescribe treatments and products to use prior to having this process done.
So it is important to know that it may take 7 hours and may cost over a $1000 to get this colour. And then the ongoing colour and treatments at Zucci it is a minimum of $200 every 5 weeks and then a home-care regime of Aveda products to maintain the colour.
Casey was willing to commit to all these requirements to get the result she wanted. And she knows that if she wants to change her hair to a different colour it will not be possible to go back to being blonde again for a minimum of 12 months. 

4. What will this colour do to my skin tone, face shape, eyebrows?

Colouring your hair lighter all over changes the face shape and can alter your complexion. If you have dark hair naturally and dark eyebrows, lightening all your hair can blend your hairline into you skin tone and make you feel like your face-shape has changed. It is vital that you maintain your natural eyebrow colour or deepen them a little as this will help maintain focus on your eyes. Also lashes are really important, having them tinted ensure that the eye pops.
When lightening hair it is vital that the hair colour goal is one that will compliment your complexion. Pale skin and ash hair can make the skin tone look dull and bring out any darkness in the skin on the flip side; warm hair and warm skin can make the hair colour look gold and brassy. It is important if you have red in your skin you don’t want too much ash in the colour as it can bring out more red in the skin. These are the important discussions you need to have with your colourist when you are planning on changing your hair colour.

5. Is this the right decision for me?

Why are you changing your hair colour? This is the key question you need to ask yourself before you do this. No matter if your hair is natural and healthy or really coloured this process does dry out hair and can cause damage to the hair. It is vital that know that before going down this road. It is a commitment, having the colour maintained every 5 weeks and also at home, with a customised home care regime and also ensuring that your hair does not get damaged from styling, sleeping, swimming, and other environmental impacts.
As we said earlier the hair is fragile and complex, please ensure you have a thorough conversation with your hairdresser when considering changing your hair colour.
So in conclusion Casey had loves her hair. The condition is still strong and the colour is exactly what she thought it was going to look like. Having this change of hair colour is liberating and exciting. We hope this post has given you some more insight on to how this process happens.
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