The violet hair makeover

Turning my hair purple was no rash decision. It was something that I’d deliberated over a lot, after many image searches of Nicole Richie, Kelly Osborne and Katy Perry and numerous attempts of going to the hairdresser only to end up saying: “Just dark again, please”. But finally, with the help of Luc Espace Hair Salon, Aveda and the talented Technical Director and Trainer, Janelle Dongalen, I was ready to take the plunge and this time there was no turning back.

The hair

I have only ever dyed my hair blonde once. The rest of the time it has been a dark brown, with a touch of balayage here and there. Prior to my makeover, it had been dark for roughly six months, with at least the last two colours having been dark. There was no trace of blonde to be found and taking it to an almost white blonde was going to be no small feat because, as you may have guessed, you can’t go purple without going blonde first. Aside from the colour, my hair was in fairly good condition, but a little on the dry side. I’d recently had a trim and had religiously been applying a nourishing hair mask every week for the past month. I knew my hair had to be strong in order to complete this colour transformation.

The technique

The ends of my hair were the first place to be lightened, as this was the area with the most build up of colour. Janelle sectioned off my hair, piece by piece to ensure every inch was covered and then left it to set. Next, my roots were covered in the same lightening formula, but these required only a quarter of the time to become the blonde that was needed (because less colour build up means less hard work).

As I waited for my hair to turn from dark brown to blonde, I was treated to a neck, shoulder and hand massage. It was so relaxing and the time passed so fast that it felt like I went from brunette to blonde in no time! My hair was then rinsed, but the ends still needed to be lightened to ensure the best colour result. Janelle explained that the violet hair colour would produce a more vibrant hue if the hair was as blonde as possible. Once the second stage of lightening was finished, we were ready for the purple (squeal!).

Janelle mixed three different shades of purple: a pastel pink/purple, a medium purple and a deeper violet. Aveda use plant-based dyes that are made from natural ingredients, so I was relieved to know this stage would be less stressful for my locks. My hair was split into three colour sections from top to bottom, with the lightest purple applied to the top, the medium in the middle and the darkest at the bottom. The colours themselves were so vibrant that my hair looked like a mixture of bubble gum and berry frozen yoghurt. My heart was beating so fast and I was so nervous that the twenty minutes it took for the colour to develop felt like a lifetime!

The result

Hi, my name is Sam and yes, I have the craziest, coolest hair in the world.

To say I’m absolutely thrilled with the result is an understatement. As soon as my hair was rinsed and shampooed, I knew it was going to be love. As my hair was being blow-dried, I could see the colours settling into a beautiful, pastel violet combination and I couldn’t tear my eyes from the mirror. See for yourself below! The transformation is so amazing, it’s hard to believe what my hair looked like before.