Friends said it wouldn’t suit me — wrong!
EMILY HARRISON, 26, is a mortgage co-ordinator. She lives with her partner Scott, 27, and their six-month-old daughter, Lily. Emily says: MY HAIR has always been naturally dark, but about four years ago I went for a red tint, around the time I met Scott.
When I was pregnant, I was so ill with morning sickness that I was bedbound for months, and had my hair cut to shoulder length because I didn’t have the energy to look after it.
Now, though, I’m ready for a makeover. Scott liked the idea of me going blonde, thankfully — but I’m worried that I might look brassy or silly.
NICOLA SAYS: It’s possible to turn a brunette into a naturallooking blonde, but we never quite know what the end colour will be. It also takes a great deal of time — around five hours.
We first removed any buildup of past tints with a gentle colour remover, then put in highlights with foils, as well as the freehand Balayage technique. Very dark brunettes may be better off with highlights around the mid-lengths to the ends of the hair, rather than around the face as a direct contrast to skin — as here. On Emily, it works beautifully as we kept subtle brown tones in her highlights — if you’re a brunette, make certain your stylist doesn’t go for one block colour.
EMILY SAYS: My new look makes me feel younger and so much more confident. I wish I’d had it done sooner! Everyone said they couldn’t imagine me with blonde hair and it wouldn’t suit me. Now they’re pleasantly surprised.