In the last three years or so I have been looking for the perfect honey highlights. I have longed for slightly lighter than a caramel but warmer than your typical blonde shade. But the art of finding the right Blonde tone For my tan skin has not been an easy task. For starters, almost everyone has tried to deter me from being easier – from Colorists to friends and even family. “You don’t have to dye your hair. Your naturally dark hair perfectly complements your thick dark brows and long dark lashes,” my mom would say. “Going blonde will ruin your curls,” insisted hair experts. But my favorite was when someone would tell me that my skin was “too dark” or “too sunbathing” for blonde hair. As Afro-Llatina, this feedback was strange to me, given the number of black women I have witnessed master The blonde look, from Beyoncé to Ciara and most recently Zendaya.
After a few years to settle for bronze or caramel brown highlights that looked fantastic but in the end not what I wanted, I decided to find a colorist who was willing to get me the hair color of my dreams. And so far I have had zero regret. I had the opportunity to get in touch with Kiss Clarka hairdresser, colorist and owner of Ink’d kisses -style co., Based in Bronx, new, which blocked a few hours from his day to serve me with a full head of highlights, a toning glaze, conditioning treatment and a necessary curl cutting.
Clark, which is half -black and half Puerto Rican with natural curly hair itself, is known for specializing in blonde color and all things attract. So, just outside the bat, I went into our virtual consultation meeting and felt optimistic. Not only did I appreciate how attentive she was after my needs, requests and concerns, but she was also really honest about what it would require to get my dream color.
When it came to finding a height that complemented my natural base color, Clark was very clear: the blonde had to adapt to my warmer undertones, which is of course a mixture of yellow and red. But she encouraged all the time and told me that there were absolutely some blonde options that would go well with my skin tone and functions. In fact, for her, the idea is that brown -skinned girls cannot become blonde an outdated way of thinking.
“Getting a brown -skinned woman is not a lot of trouble for me,” she says. “It’s about getting the right color blonde for their skin skin, right? So there are women who have an olive company or women who have a red undertone; just make sure it complements them.”
Clark likes to assess hair health, especially for her Black or curly hairwearBecause damaged curls can be significantly more damaged after bleaching or flash. “It can be very dry and very porous, and then it leaves the hair very susceptible to crime because of how dry it is,” she says. Not compromising the integrity of the hair is her main priority when painting.
For other brown -skinned girls who are curious to be easier, here are some things Clark did to get me the warm honey height points in my dreams.
Get yourself a Colorist who cares about your hair goals
No matter what color you are following, whether it is blonde or brunette, it is crucial to find a colorist who not only values your hair health but also wants to get you as close to your goal as possible. Hair significantly affects our trust, self -esteem and identity, which is why it was important for me to find an expert who understands it. As a long -haired girl with my fair part of salon trauma, it was fantastic to get the assurance that my hair is not only beautiful but would also look just as good with a lighter tone. Clark wants her customers to understand that her goal is to build a trust relationship with them. “Understanding that your hairdresser wants the best for you and finding someone you know wanting the best for you is very important,” she says.
Fresh hair is the key
When you decide to bleach your hair or become easier, you need to take into account your hair’s health. This is part of what Clark analyzes during the consultation aspect of the appointment. She cut my dead end before she started the color treatment and then did my full curl afterwards. “You had many injured, dried ends. If I were to dye my hair with it, it would not have been terrible, but you would have seen much more damage because they were already dry,” she says. “So I just got them out of the way in advance and helped me minimize the waste, as well as minimize injuries. Removing the damaged areas allowed me to let bleach sit longer without worrying about further compromising with the hair.” She also made sure to do a special treatment that restored my hair bonds while she also deeply hydrated it.
Find the right tone and technology
Before our virtual consultation, Clark asked me to send her some examples of the color and the technology I wanted on other curly girls with a similar curl pattern and skin tone as mine. That way she could better understand if what I wanted to actually migrate.
“If you have inspirational pictures, make sure the person in the picture looks like you,” she says. “I get so many of my Latinas, my brown -skinned girls, my African American girls, who come in with a picture of a naturally blonde woman and use the hair as an example, but for me it is very difficult to use because their structure does not have the dimensions that yours may have. ”
For the technology, Clark retained my natural base and added what is called baby lighting – really thin and small highlights. But in some places she made a balayage with a free hand -painted technique to add dimension to my hair and a thicker highlighted look at my ends. For my root/chronom area, she left my base more prominent and used a smoother technique to give it more of a naturally adult appearance.
Be patient
The most difficult thing about going easier is to understand that it will be a process. It is very rare that you get the exact shadow you want at the first meetings. My current color is actually a little darker than the color we originally aimed at, because Clark emphasized that she did not want to compromise with the integrity of my hair or damage my curl pattern. As a result, she told me that we would try to get as close as possible, keep the brass in the distance with a follow -up of toning, and then, in the next color meeting, aims to get the blonde color a little aspect.
Maintenance is everything
Clark emphasizes that what you do between meetings is as important as what happens in the chair when it comes to maintaining your ideal tone and hair health. She recommended that I bought a blue and purple shampoo to use alternately. The blue helps to fight orange and fair tones, while purple prevents the highlights from turning too yellow. She also suggested to make a deep conditioning mask every week to keep my hair healthy and hydrated as well.
Johanna Ferreira is the content director of PS Juntos. With more than ten years of experience, Johanna focuses on how intersectional identities are a central part of Latin culture. Previously, she spent close to three years as vice editor at Hiplatina, and she has freelanced for many stores including Refinery29, Oprah Magazine, Allure, Instyle and Well+Good. She has also moderated and spoken in many panels about Latin identity.