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I wrote a post about what happens after I go to a blonding appointment. I’m not sure why it didn’t occur to me to write about what happens at the actual appointment. I know there are different ways hairdressers operate, but I thought it could be helpful to share what I encounter as an Asian woman with dark hair who continues to stay blonde.
I decided to keep a running log of what happened at this appointment. Conceptually, it’s like most hair appointments where you sit and stuff happens to you. But my maintenance appointments can take two to three hours, and a full-on blonding appointment takes even longer. I thought it would be good to identify the things that are happening and in what order when I have a big blonding appointment.
I haven’t been paying much attention because this has become part of my routine. I’m used to it, I’m friends with my hairdresser, and time flies.
I’ll be honest, I did my best to track everything. I think I did a decent job, but I got swept away with conversation and eating. Here’s what happened at my last hair appointment.
Before We Started
We were late.
My boyfriend and I go to the same hairdresser, so when we schedule, I try to line up my appointments with his. This appointment was at 11 a.m. He goes every four weeks. I go every 12 to 16 weeks. This was one of those days when our appointments aligned, but we ran into traffic. We were just under 10 minutes late, but I sent a message saying we were running behind.
When we got there, we got buzzed in and walked into the salon suite.
During the consultation, we knew this was my big blonding for the summer. Since we decided to sort of break up the blonding into stages, today was finishing what we started at the last appointment. Lots of highlighting all over.
I asked if I had more gray this time around, but he said it was about the same, especially for my age. It’s funny because he always forgets I’m 40. I have about 20% gray going on with my hair. It’s not something that bothers me, but it is something I notice more.
11:33 AM: The Foils Begin
11:33: Foils applied starting on the left side.
He always starts on the left side of my head. I don’t know why he does that. I’m going to ask him the next time I’m there.
While we’re chatting about the game plan, he brushes my hair with a paddle brush. When he starts sectioning, I don’t even notice anymore. My scalp isn’t sensitive, so a tug doesn’t bother me. What can bother me is when one baby hair is being pulled. While all of this was happening, we were just shooting the breeze.
12:14: I was offered jerky. It’s really good. He is now working on the back part of my head.
After about 40 minutes, he was still working through my hair. I was offered some killer beef jerky and it was delicious.
It was also at this point that I learned he marks the time on my first foil so he knows how long he’s been sectioning and foiling. I just thought he was super good at keeping time. I have a lot of hair, so there’s a lot to sort through.
12:17: Mixed another bowl of lightener. BLONDME 9+ with clay.
When I read my notes back, I had no idea what this meant.
He told me he creates a lightening mix using BLONDME 9+ and clay so the lightener doesn’t swell. This helps him apply the lightener precisely where he wants it without the foils slipping. He also told me BLONDME has since reformulated its 9+ lightener with anti-swell technology, and he wants to try that on my hair next time.
Writing this now, I realized that as he blondes me, he’s always looking for products that can improve my blonding. Between the lighteners and toners, it’s rare for him to approach my hair exactly the same way more than twice.
According to my notes, we also discussed the Olaplex at-home kit and the challenges of him starting a solo salon. I was pretty peeved with the Olaplex at-home kit. It was 2020 when I did it, and apparently they’ve improved it by adding a spray nozzle. Maybe I’ll do an updated post about it.
Anyway, I told him I really admired how he did his own thing by running his own salon suite and that I hope he keeps succeeding.
Socially, it’s easy. He used to work at one of those sleek, on-trend, expensive salons where I felt the need to “dress up” or whatever. Now I feel like I can be comfortable. It’s like I’m going to a friend’s house, but not.
1:07 PM: All the Foils Are Finally In
1:07: All foils are in place.
At this point, all the foils are locked in, and this is when I notice how heavy my head is. My head ends up angled back from the weight of the foils and lightener.
It didn’t surprise me that the foils took roughly an hour and a half. It used to take a solid two hours.
1:12: Begin removal of initial foils one by one, brushed and smoothed out.
A few minutes after finishing my head, he started poking around the first foil he placed. Then they started coming off. He takes a peek and makes a judgment call. He removes a few and brushes through my hair, bleach and all.
My neck relaxes once the foils start coming off, but my head still feels heavy. By the time they’re all off, my head feels cool. With all the foils in my hair, I feel like a baked potato. It’s not hot hot, but I notice the warmth dissipate once they’re gone.
I never realized my hair was processing at different rates until I started seeing my current hairdresser. I think I noticed it more because my hair was considerably longer and we were going even blonder. The longer the hair, the more time it takes to get everything situated.
I realized my hair’s processing time is running on different clocks. He peeks at the foils to check the color of the lift and touches my hair to make sure it isn’t rubbery.
1:37 PM: Apparently I Don’t Know What’s Happening on My Own Head
1:37: I actually bleach now. I thought it was flowers.
So, I think my notes suffered from some autocorrect magic. After thinking about it for a while, I finally figured out what I meant.
My hairdresser has an oil diffuser in his salon, and he had changed whatever scent was in it. I think what I was trying to write was, “I actually smell bleach now. I thought it was flowers.”
Apparently I had been sitting there smelling bleach and attributing it to the ambiance. I try not to inhale too hard because it’s chemicals. I need to save the brain cells I have so I can continue to write these posts.
1:46 PM: At the Bowl
1:46: In the bowl. Cleansing Cream by Redken.
We finished removing the rest of the foils at the bowl because it was easier to take them out there. He used Redken Hair Cleansing Cream to shampoo my hair, followed by the rest of the Redken Acidic line. I used to use this. I’m not sure why I stopped. I’m thinking of putting it back in rotation.
I couldn’t see what my hair looked like at this point because he has one of those lay-down spa bed things with a shampoo bowl.
Toner is applied.
I have no idea what toner was applied. What I do know is that there were two different things happening. One was closest to my root, which is usually darker to help blend my natural color as it grows out. The other was for the length of my hair to produce the blonde I’ve grown to love.
Unfortunately, I did not note what time the toner went on my hair.
I do know this is when my boyfriend got his hair cut, and he usually gets a bald fade. I was laying there while my hairdresser kept checking my hair. At some point the toner reaches the end of its useful processing time, so it isn’t just sitting there getting darker and darker while my boyfriend gets his fade.
3:12: Washing out toner.
Again, I didn’t note when the toner went on my hair, so I have no idea how long I was actually laying there. After the toner was washed out and I got the warm towel swaddled around my head, it was time for my boo to get his mini head spa while my hair was dried.
At this point, my hair looked darker because it was wet.
3:22 PM: Finally Back in the Chair
3:22: In chair for blow-dry. Ever.Smooth by Kevin Murphy.
My wet hair looks dark. I know the second it’s dried it will be lighter, but every time I leave the bowl after the final wash, I worry about it. Lol.
The Redken Acidic line was used at the bowl, and before he dried my hair, he used Kevin Murphy Ever.Smooth. It’s a smoothing, heat-activated style extender from their Blow.Dry line.
I was on the hunt for a new blow-dry spray. I was using Kenra, but I wasn’t happy with the amount I needed to use because the sprayer was such a fine mist. It’s still a great product and smells great, but it was time for a change. I’ve been using Ever.Smooth for a few months, and it’s wonderful.
He styled my hair how I normally have it, straight. We sometimes curl it and take photos for his Instagram, but today wasn’t the day. It was a long day.
As always, I was happy with the outcome.
Final Thoughts and Reveal!
I feel like I zoned out on note-taking. I wanted to be more detailed about everything, but I was too wrapped up in conversation. Nothing seemed more complicated than it needed to be. We discussed the two toners ahead of time, so I was prepared even though this was the first time we were doing it this way.
Documenting this appointment did make me realize how much time goes into placing all the foils in my hair. There’s also a lot happening that I don’t normally think about because I’ve been doing this for so long.
I like knowing what’s happening for my own education. My hairdresser knows so much about the science of what is happening chemically and color theory, and I try to remember what he tells me because I just want to know. I’m nosey.
I didn’t get into all of that here because I’m not qualified to explain those things. Just know we chat about it, and I’m glad I know. If you have a question about what’s going on with your hair, ask your hairdresser. It would be a red flag to me if they didn’t want to tell you.
There are points during the appointment when I’m quiet, like when the blow-dryer is going or I’m getting my hair washed. But since I shared the magic of my hairdresser with my boyfriend, it’s nice to let him in on my world. We get to spend time together, and as a result, I think I’m even closer to my hairdresser.
Nothing feels forced. It’s truly a time for me to relax.
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