All About Blonde Hair

As of summer 2013 I am officially blonde. It only took me a little over a year to get the color blonde I achieved. I have read up on so many blogs and websites. Watched so many tutorials and catch all videos. Asked hair dressers, professionals, and enthusiasts alike. And let me tell you, there is plenty of info to benefit from out there! I must say I am quite happy with my hair right now. That goes for color and the health of it. It could stand to be a little thicker but that is sacrifice for over-processing your hair. Otherwise, my hair is healthier then I ever thought it could possibly be as a blonde.

This video encompasses everything I know about blonde hair.

How to achieve the color

Avoiding Bleach

Repairing Your Hair

Smoothing the cuticle

Keeping it soft and shiny

Keeping it healthy and gorgeous

Never go to a salon again! This is how I went from a darker brown all the way to platinum blonde. Here's everything you need to know!

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Products Mentioned:
.Ion High Lift Color 305215 High Lift Natural Blonde HL/N 12.0
.Salon Care Professional 40 Volume Creme
.Garnier Nutrisse Extra Light Ash Blonde {White Chocolate} 111
.Garnier Olia Lightest Cool Blonde
.AG Sterling Silver Shampoo Mild Toning Shampoo
.Redken All Soft Conditioner
.Mane and Tail Conditioner
.Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum {or any serum for that matter}
.Paul Mitchell Forever Blonde Dramatic Repair
.Tresemme Heat Tamer Spray
.Silk Elements Heat Protection Spray

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References. Learn More!

The Natural Haven Bloom
Black Girl Long Hair
Natural Beauty Wellness
How to Get Bleach Blonde Hair At Home. Maintain Platinum Blonde Hair
Drugstore Dye Job - How to Dye your Hair Blonde At Home

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If you have any questions leave them down below.
If you have some other tips, leave those in the comments too!

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Disclaimer!!!!
Yall know I am just a normal who went from a dark color to light blonde at home, right? Obviously, I am not a professional. But don't worry! I learned all of this on my own and did all the experimenting for you so you don't mess this up- You can do it! Please watch the videos and read the blog post's I have listed here for you. If you want to take care of your hair, these are great places to start!




I know all my of beauty bloggers have some great tips. Leave them down below? 
Thank you!

take care,
Erica

High End Hair Products: Shampoo and Conditioner

Last month Ulta was having their liter sale. At that time, I was watching a Bentley Blonde video on how she keeps her hair platinum blonde that she made a few years back. She mentioned Ulta was having a liter sale back then, and that anyone with damaged or highly lifted hair should "run" to the nearest Ulta. It just so happened that I used a high lift hair dye {form of bleach} on my hair a few days before that. This was also when I realized Ulta was having that same liter sale they had years ago. It was obviously fate.

They also had the two liters that she mentioned I needed. Fate, I tell you. One of them was the AG Sterling Silver Shampoo. The other was Redken's All Soft Conditioner.

AG Sterling Silver Shampoo:

I am new to purple shampoos and I have only tried this one and Clairol's Shimmer Lights. I may have to compare them later. This shampoo is no joke. It is a deep, dark purple. It scared me, initially. I thought it would get my shower all purple. This did not happen though. I find that it doesn't stain neither my skin or shower. Once you start lathering it {and yes it does suds up really nicely} into your hair, it turns into a pastel purple. Your supposed to massage it and leave it in your hair for at least 1 minute. If you look on the color wheel, purple is opposite of orange. Anyone that is an unnatural blonde knows that they do not want those orange brassy tones in their hair. Just like you learned in art class, purple counteracts orange. That is the idea behind a purple shampoo.This stuff really does help neutralize brassy tones. I honestly never see any brassy tones. Years back when I was blonde in high school, I wish I would have known about this. It would have made my hair look much better and like it was either done by a professional or genetics. This also has AG's CARE complex. That stands for Color and Radiance Enhancing Complex. I don't know what it is, but it is good.

To prove that this should be an addition to your shower routine if your blonde, I have had a couple people ask me about my hair. When I tell them I am not a true blonde, they are surprised to learn that. I do believe I can attribute this to many different things I do, but my purple shampoo is a must have.

Redken All Soft:

I knew I had to buy AG's Sterling Silver Shampoo, but I was on the fence about the conditioner. It was only when I learned from Wendy at Bentley Blonde that Redken's All Soft shampoo contains an ingredient called Gold Camelina. Camelina is only found in conditioners you get with your box hair dye as far as she and I know. It is a natural ingredient that has exceptionally high levels (up to 45%) of omega 3 fatty acids. It is also rich in antioxidants and has a lot of protein. You can also use camelina as a cooking oil for all of these benefits. Above all, all of these things are great for your hair. I find this conditioner really nourishes my otherwise dry, over-processed hair. It is a really thick conditioner and it smells and feels luxurious. Along with my Sterling Silver shampoo, I smell like I just walked out of a hair salon. I love that smell. Kind of like an herbal coconut. I am in love with this conditioner. I wish I could only use All Soft, and All Soft only, for the rest of my life. Think of this as the Macadamia Natural Oil Deep Repair Masque only in conditioner form. Except better.

Do you have any life-changing shampoo, conditioners, or hair products in general?

Do you know of any other hair products containing camelina?

As always,

thank you for reading

xoxo

Erica

You Guys Wanna See Whats in my Birchbox?

Im sure you do if you clicked this, so here we go! This month the Birchbox decided to have their first every guest curator, designer Cynthia Rowley. All of these products are her must-haves and let me just tell you, the girl has great taste! I know I say it every time, but this seriosuly is the best Birchbox yet!

ybf beauty automatic eyebrow pencil- I have seen this product time and time again on HSN and I have always wanted to try it, considering my obsession with eye brows. When I seen it in my Birchbox you can imagine how exited I was to try it out! I really like this, my brows look really natural.

 philosophy purity made simple face wash- this stuff has such a great reputation! my aunt stands by this face wash- so exited to try it!!

redken shine flash- another great pick! I tried it, and yes it does make my hair shiny, and it dosen't feel like there's a bunch of product in my hair

korres shower gel- this is something I haven't heard of since Birchbox

So I would say the thing I am most exited for is the ybf brow pencil! I am so exited about that one just because I have seen it so much on hsn and ive wanted to try it out! I also am really happy I got the redken shine flash (that bottle a $10 bottle people!) and also the philosophy face wash. If you get a Birchbox, what did you get in yours this month? if not, sign up! and don't forget to mention that Erica sent yah!

HOTD: Party Curls

hey ladies! I hope everyone is having a really fun weekend! I know the weather is gorgeous & HOT here! These curls are so much fun, but they are for summer nights, at the bonfire once it cools down! These were inspired by the clipless iron which are a million dollars (well not really but like $100..which is alot) so I found a great way to achieve those curls with a regular iron.

Here's what I used (in order):


John Frieda Frizz Ease Hair Serum: I recently found this tucked away in a box, it used to be my favorite product, I remember why! I pretty much is the same thing as Paul Mitchell Skinny Serum which is also one of favorites. A serum you put in your hair while it's wet, although with this product you aren't supposed to towel dry your hair. Either way once it dries, its makes your hair really soft and smooth and prevents frizz...hence the name after I smoothed that through my hair, let it air dry for a few mins, considering I couldn't towel dry it which was annoying! I put in...

Paul Mitchell Round Trip Serum: This is another serum but it's instead for wavy, curly hair. Since my hair already is a bit wavy it adds lightweight detail & gives it a flexible hold and bouncier curls to to my hair type- which is great, because in the end I don't have to use as much hair spray. I recommend this serum for my wavy hair chicks, especially for days when you don't feel like blowing it out & you just wanna scrunch your hair...No crunchy curls allowed! You will get a perfect texture to your hair with this stuff, plus it smells freakin good!

Redken Guts 10: This is a volume spray-mousse foam...no kidding that is what the bottle reads.I spray this on the roots of my hair near and around the crown of my head, then kinda work it in by massaging it in my scalp/hair- Give it some oomph!

L'Oreal Studio Secret Hair Putty- It does the same job as the Redken 10 Guts, this one is a cream/wax (dont worry it doesn't feel wax, actually pretty creamy) why would you be worried? IDK, I just work this into the roots at the tippy-top of my head to give it even more oomph! You really dont need to use both I just had them both on had. Oh yeah, I don't use this until my hair is dry, & im ready to curl!

Then let it dry...I was on a kick the other day and was trying not to blow my hair out. It has been years since I haven't used a blow dryer so I threw curlers in and let my hair sit for a little- and then I did cheat and blow dried it for 10 minutes at the end, with the curlers still in my hair...oh well its better than nothing! my hair needed a day off....which is a contradiction because I am using a curling iron in this post..lol whatever dis-regard this - lets move on

With the curling iron (which is a 2" barrel) I open the clamp and holding it with my left hand, I take the hair on the right side of my head, turning the curling iron upside down, wrap my hair around the barrel (with the clamp still open). Did we follow that? Then after the hair is wrapped around, let go of the clamp and that will hold your hair for a few seconds.

While your curl is still hot right out of the iron take the strand of hair and cup it in your hand. Now take a bobbi pin and clip it to your head so that way when all of your hair is done and all of it is clipped up and cooled down- what I do is just give it a few spray's with the hair spray I had on hand. This generic hair spray was fine- my hair wasn't extra crunchy or anything and the hairspray says it also conditions, protects and holds- awesome, sounds good to me.

Wow long post, no? I hope everybody is having a good week-end. I am off to ride my bike and go swimming! I always feel like a kid in the summer time, playing outside and all. Me and Alex (BFF) found out about this really nice bike trail that I am thinking goes around the whole county if im not mistaken...I mean it's freaking long! We wanna be able to ride the whole thing by the end of the summer...wish me luck!

thanx reading too!