How To Lighten Your Hair Without Killing It — Yes, It's Possible

As the seasons gently transition and the leaves change hues, it's only fair to crave a change of your own—be it a wardrobe refresh, spring cleaning session, or even a hair color change. With the latter, you'll see a common spring beauty theme: leaving darker tones in the winter and adopting a brighter color palette for warmer months.

The cardinal rule of hair transitions: Never go blonde in just one session. Now, if you're already blonde-ish, then you may be able to achieve the lighter tone you desire in one go, but those transitioning from brunette to blonde have to proceed with caution. 

"In this case, for all hair types, I recommend more than one session of hair coloring," Perry says. "'Low and slow' is my motto for a transformation like this in order to keep the hair healthy." 

While bleach is essential most of the time, you don't have to use tons of bleach all over your hair. "With my approach to highlighting, I always use a clay bleach with a lower volume," Perry notes, as it's a gentler way to lighten hair than going in full force with traditional bleach. 

Each stylist will have a different approach, but it's worth asking your local hair experts and finding someone who is on the same page and shares your goal of lighter yet healthy strands. 

You may also consider trying balayage first—this coloring technique involves hand painting highlights into the hair, generally starting at the mid-shaft and becoming more opaque as it moves toward the ends of the hair. 

Regardless of how gentle you are, lightening the hair in any capacity does put you at some risk for damage and dryness. To ensure your hair stays at its healthiest, add some bond-repair products to your routine.

Perry's choice? "I always recommend Living Proof's Triple Bond Complex for all clients with bleached hair—it helps to maintain the color and keep it healthy." 

It is certainly possible to lighten your hair without completely wrecking your strands, but you'll have to book with intention. Find a stylist who shares your goal of lightening your hair in the safest way possible, be patient if it takes more than one session (knowing that's a good thing), and start using bond-repairing products ASAP. Still not sure what color you're going for? This quiz could help.