I understood the concept of getting blonde. I didn’t understand how to stay blonde.
I used to do the typical foils here and there to lighten everything up. That felt simple. I also didn’t keep up with appointments, and it didn’t really matter back in the day.
Going fully blonde was different. I did it on a whim and gradually went lighter from there. I learned pretty quickly what happens when you don’t keep up, including what that actually costs.
In theory, it’s just bleach, some toner, and you’re blonde. Staying blonde is a different story.
If you’re thinking about taking your Asian hair blonde, there are a few things I wish I understood beforehand.
Going Blonde is Usually a Gradual Process
I’ve been all different kinds of blonde. From heavy highlights to scalp bleaching, I’ve been there over the last decade. It’s taken time to figure out what I like, what my scalp can tolerate, and how much time and money I’m willing to spend in a chair.
What I can tell you is that I didn’t go from a few foils to a full scalp bleach in one appointment. If you find someone willing to take your dark Asian hair to platinum in one sitting, run. You can risk a lot more damage than you need to if you don’t do it gradually.
There are people who will take advantage of how badly you want a change. There’s also a chance you’ll land somewhere in between that you actually like. There are a lot of versions of blonde, and you might not need to go as far as you think.
It doesn’t have to take years, but I am glad I took my time.
Not Every Hairdresser Can Blonde the Same Way
This was definitely a lesson learned. I’ve had legitimate mistakes made on my hair. You’d think that would freak me out, but hair grows out and can be cut.
I really understood this when I was looking for a new hairdresser after the pandemic. I reached out to a friend who had just finished beauty school because I wanted to support him. When I asked about blonding, he said, “Oh no, not me.” He knew his limitations.
I assumed anyone who went to cosmetology school could blonde. I was even willing to be his guinea pig, but he knew how I felt about my hair and didn’t want to risk it. He referred me to the person who taught him, and that eventually led me to my current hairdresser.
As an Asian woman, ask your hairdresser if they have experience blonding Asian hair. The last thing you want is someone who doesn’t enjoy doing it or hasn’t worked with hair like yours.
The Reality of “Pain is Beauty” When Going Blonde
I don’t mean that in a cliché way. There are moments where your scalp might feel uncomfortable.
When I was scalp bleaching, there was a noticeable tingle when the bleach was first applied. It makes sense, they’re chemicals. You should never feel actual pain, though. If something feels off, say something. It’s possible to get burns or discover allergies.
There’s also the physical side of sitting in a chair for hours. That time adds up. It’s time you could be doing something else, and it will affect your schedule more than you expect.
Blonde Hair Maintenance is Not Optional
I didn’t really respect how important it is to stay on top of appointments. If you let it go too long, you’ll deal with demarcation lines or end up paying more to get back to where you want to be. Sometimes that means a full color correction.
Part of why I’ve been able to keep my hair as long as it is, comes down to maintenance. Regular trims, and occasionally a more significant cut, make a difference.
Home care matters too. The products you use between appointments can either help or make things harder. It adds up, and it’s part of maintaining long blonde Asian hair.
Recently, I’ve been paying more attention to smaller things, like hair ties. As I’ve been testing different ones, I’ve noticed less hair in my drain after a wash day. It never really occurred to me to adjust something like that before, but it makes sense now.
Getting Blonde Is One Thing. Staying Blonde Is Another
I didn’t plan this. I just kept going, and that’s really what going blonde ended up being for me.
I think what actually helped me settle into being a Blonde Asian was understanding what was happening. Not in a super technical way, but enough to know why things cost what they did, why certain treatments mattered, and why you can’t just ignore appointments.
A lot of that came from experience. Once you go through it, you can’t really un-know it, and that changes how you show up to it moving forward. That’s the part I didn’t understand at the beginning, that getting blonde is one thing and staying blonde is something else entirely.
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