As you can see in this lovely slideshow, my hair has been through a ton of processing the last 3 years. I always loved how easy it’s been to maintain the balayage – but there are definitely some things to consider when going light: 

It’s expensive. I’m a firm believer in the idea that you get what you pay for – especially when it comes to hair. From personal experience, I’ve found that I’ve never seen the results I wanted when I tried to find a less expensive way to lighten my hair. The salon I see now does cost me around $300 each appointment, but I only go twice a year. With the right maintenance, I find that doing it “right” once makes a lot more sense for my wallet then trying to spend less multiple times at cheaper places. 

No instant results. I decided to start the blonde process at the end of 2015. And I would say I didn’t look “blonde” till the start of 2017! To do it the least damaging way, you have to take your time and have several appointments, depending on the condition and current colour of your hair (ie. light brown hair will probably only take 1 session, but black hair will take longer).  Just because Kim K goes blonde in 24 hours doesn’t mean you should! Trust me, your patience will be well worth it – your hair will thank you. 

It takes more care. I can’t believe there was a day when I used to skip conditioner on my hair – I would use it as a “treat” sometimes if it happened to be in my shower. Those days are long gone! I definitely spend more on products when it comes to my hair. There’s the purple shampoo, the salon-grade products and oils. I’ve attached a few products to this post that I absolutely swear by! One thing I MUST say is how much of a difference salon-level shampoo has made on my hair. I’m a lot more selective about what I use for my mane, mainly because my hair is definitely a lot drier and it needs the proper care to make it look good – such a difference than my easy, black, straight hair that I had before.