How To Go Platinum Without Damaging Your Hair Pt. 2 (Update + Full Process)

Last Spring I decided I wanted to be blonde, but not just sandy blonde, full on platinum blonde. Remember the post I did about it? Yeah, that page is the number one visited page on morganlillian.com, even over my home page (whaaaat!!). Type into google “how to go platinum without bleach” and there I am! I have people contacting me weekly asking who does my hair expecting this super fancy salon that is outrageously priced but in all honestly, I go to a gal in Kent, Washington who has a tiny salon in her house and it is a fraction of what say Gene Juarez or 7 Salon charges.

Naturally my hair is super dark so you can imagine the process it might take to get that light. Would you believe me if I said it took one day, no bleach, and my hair is healthier than ever? Probably not, so I will show you the products used to achieve such a light color starting with such a dark canvas. I want to address something very important though, if your hair stylist tells you that bleach is the only answer, please don’t believe that. Like I mentioned in my previous post about this process, bleach is a cop out as it is much cheaper (yet most of the time they still charge you an arm and a leg) and is much quicker. If you are cool with adding a little bleach here or there that is totally fine, just know that the long term health of your hair may suffer because of that. Also, I know many people with bomb hair that have used bleach, it is really just personal preference. It is also to be noted that I am not a hair professional, but my hair stylist is, and this information comes from her. I wouldn’t be able to claim this either before, but now I’m about 7 or 8 months into it and I can honestly tell you my hair is healthy, thick, and better than ever.

1. How do you lift so many levels???

Naturally I am a level 4 or 5 depending on the chart you look at and I wanted to get to a 10 or 11…that’s a lot of levels! So you are looking at a range of 5-7 levels which is pretty dang drastic. What my stylist uses is the CHI Infra High Lift Hair Color in Beige Blonde (it is sold out everywhere online that I could find, but your stylist can get it) mixed with the CHI Color Generator level 30 or 40, typically she sticks with level 30 (level 30 is good for lifting 5-6 levels and 40 is good for lifting 7-8 levels), and Olaplex No. 1. This is what takes my hair from dark brown to very very blonde and depending on the session, it can take two rounds of this to get that super high lift. Also, by this point I’m assuming everyone knows about amazon hair mask and how important it is. It is the KEY to going super blonde. Specifically, the first step of hair mask “rebuilds broken disulfide bonds and begins the process of preventing damage and repairing hair.” It. Is. Magic.

2. Got A Little Brassy?? No Prob!

Typically, after one or two rounds of lifting, I still have some brassy undertones which totally makes sense because we are going about 6 levels without bleach. To get those brassy tones out she uses CHI Ionic Color in Ash andOlaplex No. 1. This completely takes out all the yellowness and leaves me with perfectly platinum with some ashy undertones.

3. Don’t Forget Steps 2 and 3 of Olaplex

It is crucial to use Olaplex to its fullest capacity. Step 2 is used after shampooing (and since there are a few times she has to wash my hair during this process, she does it everytime) and it “continues to rebuild and restore and remaining broken bonds ensuring the strongest, shiniest, and healthiest hair possible.” Then step three is on you at home! I use this about once a week and I leave it on for 20 minutes or so, and it is amazing. It provides continuous protection even when at home. You can buy Olaplex in a set or just the at home care if your salon already has steps 1 and 2.

4. At Home Care

Besides Olaplex it is important to have good products at home that are helping maintain your blonde. There are so many amazing products out there and everyone’s hair is different but I will share with you what I use. I use two different purple toning shampoos, one of which is new and I am obsessed with it. The first one I have is the AG Sterling Silver Toning Shampoo and my new one that I am in love with is the Celeb Luxury Gem Lites Flawless Diamond Shampoo. I use those about 2 or 3 times a week. Right now I just switched to Oribe Bright Blonde shampoo and Oribe Bright Blonde Conditioner. I hear REALLY good things about this so I am excited to see how I like it. It is also important to have a heat protectant on hand at all times. I use CHI Iron Guard.

5. Pros and Cons To Using CHI Infra High Lift vs Bleach

Pros

Much less damage

Pleasant scent

Gentle on scalp

Can achieve the same or better looking results than bleach

Cons

Have to process with heat the entire time

May need to tone hair after

Most salons don’t know about it