brunette to blonde transformation

Not to come right out and age myself, but this month marks 20 years in the industry for me! Holy.Freakin.Cow.

If you had asked me on my first day where I wanted to be in 20 years, never in my wildest dreams would I have believed I could be where I am now. 

Not to say it was an easy journey… 

I’m not shy to say I’ve had my fair share of mistakes… you know, like the BIGGEST hair mistake I ever made and how I handled it all wrong. 

That being said, I’ve also learned a LOT. Like how to transform a client with natural brunette hair into a bright, blonde bombshell in a single session. Yup, you heard that right. 

I’m walking you through step-by-step in this brunette foilyage tutorial so you can get stunning results that will WOW your clients and save you time and money. 

Let’s dive in. 

Grown Out Brunette to Bombshell Blonde

(check out the video tutorial for a more in-depth breakdown)

Step 1: Mix up your lightener

I’ll be using Redken Flash Lift with a 10 volume developer to start, my client has a lot of hair and it will take some time to get all the foils placed. I’m going low and slow with this one. When I move to the last half I will bump up the volume to 20 vol

Step 2: Using the halo technique work from the perimeter internally

This is different from my signature open-air balayage placement, instead of starting at the nape of the neck and working forward, we’ll be starting around the hairline and then moving internally. 

Giving your client the brightness around their hairline and then having it drop down in the center. 

Step 3: Take sections that are parallel to the hairline

I’m taking weave sections to keep it soft but still making it bright

Step 4: Don’t forget the “hidden hairline”

I see a lot of stylists missing out on the “hidden hairline” as I like to call it. I’m talking about that spot right behind the ears. 

PRO TIP: Hair is a moving piece of art, you want to make sure it looks good down, pulled up and every which way your client wears it

Step 5: Complete the perimeter of the hairline using back to back weaved foils

Step 6: Begin to work on the interior

To create the depth in the interior we are going to pivot around the part line. This will avoid chunks and stripes of color

Step 7: Apply to the nape of the neck and work upwards

Using 45-degree angles that go in line with the hairline, apply your foils 

PRO TIP: At this point, you’ll want to apply your lightener lower from the root to create the rooted look

Step 8: Apply shadow root at the sink

I gently tap the shadow root right at the root of the money piece. Don’t forget to apply at the nape of the neck!

Step 9: Tone at the sink

I’m using Redken Shades EQ in 9GI and 9N (check out the video above to see how it turned out)

Step 10: Rinse, blow-dry and style

Don’t forget to snap those pics!

And there you have it. 10 steps to transform your brunette clients into bright, blonde bombshells, all in a single session!

I’d love to know if you try this technique, why don’t you shoot me a DM or tag me over on Instagram @dawnbradleyhair. 

If you want to see more foilyage techniques, check out this YouTube playlist I put together for ya.

See ya next time, friend. 

Go on, binge the latest posts (you know you wanna)…