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Summer has finally graced us with her radiant, hot, humid self! Now that we have locked our winter clothes into a trunk and buried them about 50 feet under, we may be toying with the idea of a new summer look which means a new hue for our curls! Now before you break down your stylist’s door, there are five things you may want to consider:

1) Maintenance: Going platinum blonde when you have dark brown chestnut hair is definitely a walk on the wild side, but it can also be a walk on the expensive side as well. It’s great to do something different and noticeable but don’t forget about the cost of maintenance. This can include certain curly haircare products that are safe to use on colour treated hair and have ingredients that will keep the state of your curls healthy. Don’t forget that it may be necessary to go back to visit your stylist every few weeks to have touch ups.

2) What is involved? I have finally gotten my hair back to a healthy, strong state and it took 2.5 years. I had this seemingly great idea to get bright blue highlights in my almost blue black hair, until my stylist burst my bubble and told me that I would have to have a really strong bleach put in my hair just to “hopefully” get the colour I want. It just took years to get this mane back on track; I have no intention to ruin my hard work in just 2 hours! Be very weary of harsh chemical processes your hair may have to endure for you to get the colour you want. If you have gone natural, ask questions during your consultation as to the process they will put your hair through before committing. Likewise, if you have just started using curly hair products that have aided in restoring your curls back to a healthy state, damaging them with a harsh chemical process may put you back to square one!

3) Get some insight: The last thing we want is to have our friends or partner stare at us in utter dismay and shock because they don’t recognize the new you! It may be a good idea to get a few opinions from close family or friends before getting it done. They can offer a different perspective and then you can think on it before making a quick decision.

4) UV Rays: One last thing to consider is the UV rays which can make our hair much lighter in the warmer months. Our curls can dry out from overexposure to the sun and correct me if I am wrong but straw, unless it’s in the form of a hat, is not sexy. Nutrients, among many other things can be stripped away during a chemical colour so it is important to almost “prep” your hair for this. It would be wise to invest in the right products to help in restoring healthy hair and aiding the chemical colour to last longer. I personally recommend CHS Pure Silk Protein because it is pH balanced for curly hair and is compromised of authentic silk proteins from the silk worm- meaning these proteins will not damage your hair! By applying it to the hair the day before you do the colour and leaving it on for 5-10 minutes and rinsing it out- it will enable the colour to latch onto the proteins in the formula. Then full richness and shine of the new colour will be amplified thus making it last much longer in between colours as well as protecting your hair from damaging UV rays that will alter your colour. Read a full explanation of why colour fades in the sun.

Ultimately, curlfriends, you have to be happy with how you look every day and to some degree it needs to go with your lifestyle. Only you have to love who is looking back in the mirror, so do some research and get it girl! Happy colouring!