It all started when I was 17.
I let a friend of mine, a beauty school student, bleach my long straight hair so we could dye it bright purple. It was a glorious 3 weeks before the color started fading, leaving me with patches of brassy blonde and dull grey. From there, I used box dye to achieve a natural deep red, then a month later tried out blackest black hair (it looked awful.) As many of us know, once you go black you really shouldn’t go back… but I’ve always had a rebellious streak.
I went back to my friend the beauty student and allowed him to bleach my hair once again (less than 6 months after the initial bleaching.) We let a blue hair dye sit for close to an hour, but when it came time to wash it out, my hair couldn’t hold the pigment (except for my fresh roots, which were now bright blue.) Picture this: me with long yellow hair, patches of orange and fraying edges, and bright blue roots. (Not to mentione those over-plucked eyebrows, ugh.) Yup. Lesson learned.
I had to cut most of my hair off to get a fresh start, which was yet another beauty faux-pas, as the cut was in no way flattering to the shape of my face. I did nothing but trim it for the next 4 years. Throughout college, I re-grew my hair long and natural in an attempt to make up for the series of ill-advised cuts and colors I endured during high school. 
But last December, I got bold.
I decided it was time for a big change. My hair ought to complement my edgy personality, eccentric sense of style, and minimalistic make-up routine. I aspired to achieve granny-hair (à la badass fashion blogger Feral Creature) but realized I would first have to lift my natural brunette to platinum blonde– no easy feat! Then, when I was finally ready to add the silver dye, my hairdresser informed me that her preferred brand had unexpectedly pulled the silver dye off the market! I trust her judgement, so we agreed to hold off on adding the silver until they brought the new and improved formula back.
And that’s how I ended up rocking platinum blonde hair for the last 6 months, which is serendipitously on-trend. I’ve had mostly positive reactions, which is a relief, because I wasn’t sure I could pull this look off. Still, such a loud hairstyle affects every outfit I wear and colors every interaction I have with strangers. Here are some of the questions that people seem to always ask me, along with my responses:
1) Is that a wig?
Really. That’s the first place many people go, and that’s how they decide to word the question. (I also get “Is your hair real?”) I can’t decide whether to be flattered or insulted by this question, but no, it’s definitely not a wig.
2) Is that your natural hair color?
*Sigh* No, I was not born with luminous ice blonde hair and dark brown eyebrows. But thanks for not assuming it’s a wig, I guess.
3) What is your natural hair color?
My natural hair color is somewhere between a dark blonde and light brown, depending on the lighting. My eyebrows are a good reference, as I very rarely fill them in with makeup.
4) How did you get your hair that color?
The short and polite answer: bleach and toner.
The short and snarky answer: SCIENCE.
What I really want to say: I don’t have time to stand around here and break it down for you step by step, just give me my coffee, and quite frankly I don’t know how– that’s why I pay a professional to do it.
5) Who does your hair?
I swear by my friend Ashley Romano, better known as BigGirlFitGirl. We met on a photoshoot a few years ago, right before her major weight-loss. She’s great because she’s truly passionate about hair and is willing to accomodate me after-hours to work around my schedule. And because I agreed maintain regular touch-ups, Ashley was able to work out a special rate so I can maintain my look without breaking the bank!
6) Why did you do that to your hair?
This is a stupid question all around and it irks me more than any other. Obviously, I did it because I wanted to. See the introduction above for details on the series of events that led to how I actually arrived at platinum blonde.
7) How do you maintain your hair color?
I try to keep my appointments with Ashley Romano no more than 4 weeks apart so we can achieve the most even color. When my roots are grown out less than a half-inch, the heat from my scalp helps to activate the bleach, resulting in roots that are white in one shot. I also wash my hair with Clairol Shimmer Lights Shampoo & Conditioner
8) How do you keep your hair so healthy?
Well there’s no short answer for this. It’s a combination of lifestyle factors, genetics, and regular touch-ups by only the best hair professionals. I owe it to Ashley Romano for initially lifting my whole head to a yellowish platinum blonde in one 3-hour session without frying my hair off– thanks girl!
When she does my touch-ups she is super careful not to overlap the bleach onto previously lightened hair which is the number one reason I don’t have a lot of breakage. She uses Matrix V Light
Sometimes we use Arctic Mist
We haven’t had to use it yet, but over time if my hair starts to show signs of damage we will start adding Olaplex to the process. Olaplex is a new product available only to professional stylists that can be added to bleach and acts as insurance to the hair. It’s an add-on service so it costs a little more, but when you only have a choice between going back to brown or suffering from long term chemical damage, it’s an easy choice!
As far as my lifestyle, I try not to wash my hair every single day since shampoo strips the hair of it’s natural oils. It’s important to understand that wet hair is much more fragile than dry hair so you must be extra gentle when washing it and combing it out after.
When you’re as light as I am, it’s important to use styling products that add protein to the hair to help maintain it’s strength. I alternate between using It’s a 10 Miracle Leave-In Product
It’s also worth noting that I rarely did any heat-styling (neither blow-dry nor flat-iron) to my natural hair, so it was in very good shape to start with, and I still avoid heat-styling the majority of the time.
What have I learned?
The truth is, maintaining platinum blonde hair is a lot of work, and it’s not cheap either. It’s like my mother always said to me growing up, “It hurts to be beautiful.” In my case, it burns my scalp and it burns a hole in my wallet– but let’s be honest: when you look this good, it’s worth it! If you’re thinking about going platinum blonde, consider the following: regular touch-ups are imperative, you get what you pay for, and you will get more attention. A lot more attention.
My advice? If you’re thinking of trying out the platinum blonde ‘do, just go for it. If you don’t like it, you’ve still created the perfect base for literally any other imaginable hair color after all. And if you do like it, you may just discover a whole new side of yourself!
*Special thanks to Ashley Romano for her help writing this article.
