So, a couple of weeks ago I got it in my head that I wanted to bleach my hair platinum. Where did this come from? I’m not entirely sure – I’ve dyed my hair many colors over the course of my life, but they’ve all had my true brunette as the baseline. While at a regular pixie maintenance appointment, I mentioned to my stylist that I had this inkling, and his response was, “So, let’s do it!” Three hours on a Saturday afternoon later and…

All the hair credit (color + cut) goes to the amazing Kendall Dorsey at Parlour Salon.

Y’all, I LOVE IT. I don’t buy into the “blondes have more fun” thing because I’m pretty sure I maxxed out on fun-having approximately 9 years ago, when I was a senior in college and my roommate and I decided to create a full-on nest in the living room of our apartment (turns out, Southwestern University students, that a Lord Center living room nearly exactly fits a sofa and two queen-sized mattresses) and went as far as having pizza delivered to it. But I will say that *this* blonde is loving the way her newly towheaded locks make her green eyes pop and the fact that wearing black no longer looks goth on me.

Still, it has been a bit of an adjustment. Previously I never gave one thought to hair products identified as for “damaged” or “dry” hair – my fine locks and oily scalp weren’t exactly begging for moisture. After a double process of bleach, however, I started looking around for the products that would make my hair breathe happily again, and I think I’ve found them.

Split End Seal | Oribe

This is one of the products Kendall sent me home with, and it is spectacular. When you bleach hair, one thing that happens is the hair becomes much more porous – which is what makes it feel dry and brittle. Products like this can help fill the pores, making your hair feel soft and smooth again. It can be used on damp or dry hair, but I’ve chosen to use it mostly on dry hair. Turns out that moisturizing your hair while in the shower doesn’t last on bleached hair the way it does on “virgin” hair – at least in my experience, later that day your hair will start to get brittle again. I keep this in the beauty bag in my purse, and whenever my hair feels parched I simply run a dollop of this through my strands and it goes back to feeling silky smooth. No silicones, no parabens, so it’s all the good stuff getting right into your locks. Plus, as anyone who has ever used anything Oribe makes, the smell is worth the cost of purchase all on its own. So glorious!

Caviar CC Cream | Alterna

Another realization I had with my newly dry hair was that my normal styling products were no longer useful in the same ways. Where I was previously going for more volume, I now wanted to go for smoothing. Many of my existing volume-promising products had alcohol in them, which – you guessed it – dries out hair. I happened to have a sample of Alterna’s Caviar CC cream on-hand and YOU GUYS AMAZING. This is my new styling product. It provides UV protection as well, which is key when you’ve got an artificial tint in your hair. I use it anytime my hair is damp and sometimes after it’s dry to provide a bit of texture and hold.

Shade Variation Care in Baby Blonde | Cleansing Mask with Lemon | Clarifying Shampoo with Camomile and Cornflower

The brand I had never heard of until I began my research on going blonde, Christophe Robin’s products are basically a full-day spa treatment for your scalp and locks. Plus, you know I love a good mask, and CR makes the best hair masks. The cleansing mask uses lemon oils to exfoliate the scalp while repairing tresses. You put it on dry hair, let it sit for 20 minutes, and rinse (thoroughly) under lukewarm water. (Here is a lesson on being blonde: hot water is your enemy!) The other mask has a purple tint – thoroughly agreed-upon Internet-wide as the best way to keep blonde hair from getting brassy or yellow – and follows the clarifying shampoo, which despite its name is a very gentle way of removing build-up from your hair. His products are NOT cheap, but given that (a) I have hardly any hair and (b) I use each product no more than once per week, I decided the price was justifiable since it would take me a very, very long time to use up any of them.

Blonde readers, what other words of wisdom do you have? I’m fully on board with this blonde life, and can’t wait to go even lighter!