{Blonde Ambition 101: The Dyeing Do's & Don'ts}

For years I wanted to colour my hair blonde. I'd always tried darker shades but, being so fair skinned, would end up looking dull. It was a logical decision - my father and sister are both naturally dark blonde - but I just couldn't get myself to take the risk, and I think it was because I'd seen and heard so many horror stories. Now, having been there and done that, I'm going to let you in on my do's and don'ts for going blonde.

DON'T do it yourself. Seriously, unless you're a hairdresser put the bleach down and step away. I have seen too many brassy monstrosities in my lifetime and let me tell you, not many people can pull off yellow. Don't get me wrong, I've coloured my own hair before and sometimes it works out great but if it requires bleaching, take your tresses to the professionals.

DO start saving. Maintaining coloured hair is expensive, especially blonde, and there's no way of avoiding it. Although there are a few ways you can save your pennies. Firstly, don't bother getting it completely coloured every six weeks, maintaining your roots and only doing an all over colour every third or fourth session not only saves you money, it saves your hair. The less colouring it has to go through the better. Worried about going brassy? Don't be - just invest in a good toning shampoo and conditioner (will probably set you back around $30 a bottle) and use it around once or twice a week. This will prevent your hair from going yellow, I'm currently using Delorenzo.

DON'T get highlights with the intention of gradually going completely blonde. Trust me, I did this thinking I'd save my hair from damage and all I did was waste hundreds of dollars only to result in doing a full colour anyway. Double the damage and double the price. I don't care what the hairdressers say, it never goes completely blonde! Instead your stuck in a constant battle to get your hair the one colour. Don't be fooled, if you want to go completely blonde, do just that and leave the highlights.

DO condition religiously. This step is so important for bleached hair because, yes, it will get damaged and there's not all that much you can do to prevent it. However, you can restore the condition of your hair to some extent. Leave in treatments will be your new best friend and, on top of this, you'll need to deep condition at least once a week to keep your hair happy. Ideally, you'll get a leave in treatment that works as a heat protectant as well. Having some sort of guard against the harsh heat of flat irons, curlers and the like is essential for both natural and coloured hair. Some of the best leave in conditioners I've used are from Delorenzo, Wella and Toni & Guy, but it's hard to recommend particular products because it totally depends on your hair type!

So hopefully if you were on the fence about going blonde, these inside tips have pushed you one way or another. They do say, though, that change is as good as a holiday!