Brunette is In — Blonde is Cheugy. Here’s What it Takes To Go A Darker Shade

Admittedly, we were taken aback by the recent suggestion that blonde hair is out. But certainly, brunette hair has always been in style and we’ve featured tons of it on Tousled Online Magazine (see our latest feature on it here). But before you tell your stylist you’ve had a change of heart and want to shift from blonde to brunette, here are a few things you need to know about darkening your bleached blonde hair. 

How to go from bleached blonde hair to brown?

First of all, it's a good idea to use a filler first so that the color washes out evenly depending on the color. Then, we do the opposite of what we do when bleaching hair - this means we first apply a dark shade to the roots, and then by selecting the strands, apply medium brown or light brown shade.

Going from light to dark brown seems easy enough, and since the processing time needs no bleach, it could look that way on the surface. But colorists have a reason to discourage it. When done wrong, previously bleached hair can have muddy and green hues when colored by an inexperienced colorist. To get a good even result, your stylist may opt to balance pigments by “filling in” the lost colors removed while bleaching. So don’t be surprised if mid way your stylists color your hair orange or red first before making it a lush brunette.

Going Darker Can Be Just As Damaging

You would also need to assess how the change would affect the condition of your hair. If you’ve had rounds of bleach, your stands may be severely damaged and porous, which means adding even more pigments can make it more brittle. On dark asian hair, your stylist would need to determine if your hair can take it, and if so you may mean a need to add extra treatments before the service to ensure hair is conditioned. 

It Takes Time

Don’t reach for the box dye and color your bleached hair by yourself! In this care, we strongly recommend you involve a professional as it is harder to color correct once you’ve done it wrong. As  Ian McCabe, the owner of Ian McCabe Studio in Washington, D.C. put it, “going darker is a commitment, it’s not like putting on a wig where you can decide to take it on and off.”

Blonde Hair Rules Still Apply

Does going blonde mean you no longer need damage repair treatments or toning shampoos? No, you absolutely still need them. Once the cuticles of your bleached hair have been exposed there really is no going back. To maintain your color, you’ll need a color safe / pigmented conditioner, plus a damage remedy mask or treatment to make sure your hair remains strong and protect it against fast color fading,

For more on care for bleached hair visit our collection here.