So, I’ve always been a freak perfectionist about my hair color. Growing up in the Texas suburbs meant MANY-AN-UNSUCCESSFUL-TRIP to various hair salons in search of a blonde hair guru to give me exactly what I was looking for.
AKA: I consistently left hair salons in tears due to colorists ruining my hair with streaky highlights or brassy/orange undertones. I realize this is a tad dramatic, but there’s just something about someone fucking with your hair that makes you feel like your life is truly ending in that moment.
Basically, I was looking for a colorist to bless me with the blonde I had naturally in my younger years. Soft highlights, a natural root, bright around the face, etc. AND I want them to do all of the above without totally damaging my hair. Call me high-maintenance, but I’m looking for perfection, kk?
LUCKILY for me, I now live in Los Angeles, California: the beachy-blonde-hair capital of the world ( unofficial title* ).
For about the last two years, I’ve been getting my hair colored in partnership with Redken by my HAIR GOD, Spencer Henry. He’s truly the angel of all things blonde hair.
Spencer colors my other blogger friends’ hair as well. We’re like a little blonde Redken cult, tbh.
Because I’ve received numerous questions from girls wanting to know who I go to to get a natural blonde AND how exactly he pulls it off, I asked Spencer to tell me all the dirty details about his process.
I’m no hair expert, so the below is in a language I do not at all understand, but if your salon uses Redken product, your colorist probably knows EXACTLY what all of this means. So, let’s get to the step-by-step by Spencer.
hair color step-by-step
“Payton’s blonde is a mix of a few different techniques.
To start, I go through with Redken’s Flashlift Lightener with 20 vol. developer and do a fine weave of babylights (micro-stitched highlights) throughout her entire head to break up her natural root as well as create soft dimension.
Next, I go in with Redken’s Freehand Lightener with 30 vol. developer and balayage the remaining hair to give the ends an extra boost.
After rinsing with Redken’s Extreme Shampoo and Conditioner, I towel dry the hair, and then it’s time to create our own faux root.
I like to keep it deep enough to create a contrast but still lighter than her natural color. I apply Redken Shades EQ 08N Mirage and 08Gi St. Barths on her base area to soften the fresh highlights, and then apply Shades EQ 09P Opal Glow + Shades EQ Crystal Clear to keep her ends bright and remove residual warmth.
I end the final rinse with Redken’s Extreme mega mask to rehydrate!”
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I like being able to get SPECIFIC with y’all, so this is making me very content right now. Who wants to be hair twins??
BTW— on top of being the best fucking colorist ever, Spencer is as obsessed with murders/true crime as I am. Last time I went in for color, we silently watched murder documentaries on Netflix the entire time. He just gets it. You can follow Spencer on Instagram for his weekly true crime stories as well ( highly recommend ).
BTW pt. II— my hair appears SUPER long in these images because of the clip-in extensions I got at The Hair Shop. Unfortunately, I cannot remember the exact color I got, though! I’m new to hair extensions ( & I’m lazy ), so the option to quickly clip in extensions is ideal for me!
Should I do a whole post on what products & such I use on my hair to keep in healthy?? I’ve been a bit obsessed with hair-health lately. Maybe I’ll do a video on it?
Hope y’all enjoyed this one, beebs! Talk soon, xx