Part of the reason I love my job is the new adventures it brings me each time. Not a single day is the same as the last. Every day is a different day and more than anything I wake up excited to go to work!
One of the many cool things I will never get tired of is playing a different character at work when we're shooting or filming for a job.
Sandra (@sophieandlunalondon) first approached me about doing a shoot for their website on Instagram and honestly, it’s always been a dream to do a really cool shoot like this.
For the first time ever I had the opportunity to wear all my favourite wigs in one shoot and having seen what Sandra makes, I was more than excited about the entire concept. It was also really lovely to not have my real hair damaged with heat during this shoot since it was predominantly the wigs that were styled by the amazing Katie (@katiejanewhitlock).
I love changing my look to match my mood and sometimes I get asked to change my hair for work which isn’t a big issue unless they ask me to dye it to black or a darker colour which is a total no-no. A great reason to buy wigs and also keeps my hair from becoming seriously damaged.
Having light blonde hair is a high maintenance look, it’s gorgeous as long as you stay on top of the roots, toner and hair mask...
Eventually, it can get expensive and in this post, I will give you a breakdown of how much I personally spend on my hair’s upkeep. How I keep it as healthy as possible and how it affects my job.
Every 4-6 weeks I get a root bleach which usually ranges from £90-120 depending on how long my roots are. This tends to be more on the £120 ed because it's better for you hair to grow out a little so the hairdresser doesn't bleach over already-bleached hair which will make it weaker.
When it's time to wash the lovely locks I use Olaplex (@olaplex) home treatments, this includes a mask, shampoo and conditioner.
- Olaplex No.3 RRP £30 - but much cheaper on (amazon £17)
- Olaplex No.4 & No. 5 RRP £48 - marginally cheaper on amazon too (£20 per item)
- I usually use a smoky shampoo (RRP £6) intermittently from Bleach London (@bleachlondon) to keep the brassiness at bay.
Olaplex is my favourite brand to have ever used and has definitely helped my hair become stronger and maintain its good quality- as good as bleached hair could be to be fair.
Sometimes, when you use too much purple shampoo I realised it starts to make your hair dull and gives it an odd slightly green tinge (not sure if other people have had this). However, when this happens I combat it with a pink rise shampoo from Bleach London too (Rose Shampoo - RRP £7.50) which neutralises the green tinge and makes my hair a little brighter.
After my hair has been washed of course I have to apply leave-in treatments I used three from Bumble & Bumble (@bumbleandbumbleuk)
- Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Heat/UV Protective Prime (RRP £21)
- Hairdresser's Invisible Oil (RRP £35)
- Surf Styling Leave-In (RRP £23)
With these products, they tend to last forever with me since I don't have long hair and I don't wash my hair that often. I'd need to top up about every 3 months.
Due to the intense amount of bleaching done to my hair bi-monthly I tend to let it air dry 90% of the time. I very rarely use heat on my hair since I know sometimes they will be using it on my hair at work anyway. To add a little texture to my hair I twist it into two buns while letting it air dry which gives me nice little waves so it's not too flat.
Most days at work they tend to just style my hair without using heat. However, I do make an effort to make sure I take my favourite heat protector spray by Bumble & Bumble Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Heat/UV Protective Primer with me most days in case they don't either have it or have forgotten to apply it. With the rush of having to be ready at a certain time or whatever it sometimes slips their mind but because my hair is an important part of my trade, I look after it vigilantly.
Most of the time I politely ask that if they use heat to use the lowest setting since my hair is bleached and porous it tends to be easier to style and stay in its styled form through the day. Luckily they always understand. Although, I've had my fair share of hairstylists that don't listen in which case just I tend to insist they use a lower setting and if they don't (which has never happened), I ask them graciously to stop.
In a normal week, I’d probably have to wash my hair once or twice depending on how much styling is done to it on set. I was told that letting the natural oils sit in your hair is good for you which I can understand the reason why. However, the same person that told me this also told me your hair starts to wash itself after a few months of not washing it - not sure about that one though.
While it's all good and well keeping your hair healthy on the outside, part of it staying healthy is eating well. I take omega oil tablets and eat a lot of fish to keep my hair and nails growing well. Getting a trim to avoid wispy ends always helps to keep it looking healthy too which for me costs around £40 with my regular hairdresser (@bluetitlondon). This probably only happens probably about every 3 months though.
I've been lucky enough to have strong hair genetically (I've been told by many hairdressers) this could also be partly down to the genetic lottery. People of an Asian descent tend to have stronger hair generally - only Darwin could explain why. So as much as I look after it, my parents are partly responsible.
So overall for products I spend £150 every two months
(£600 a year)
Bleaching £120 every two months (£720 a year)
Cut £40 every 3 months (£160 a year)
Which means I spend, overall, roughly around £124 p/m on my hair. It's worth every penny for me since it is a huge part of my look. So if you want to go blonde, I would totally recommend it but I would only recommend using great products in your hair, normal store brands could be good but in all the years of having blonde hair, the products above are the only ones I've ever loved and swear by.
I'd always recommend getting bleach done professionally too. DIY ends in sadness, patchy and a lot of orange hair. May also lead you to drastic haircuts you never ever dream of having trying to get rid of the wet cotton wreck sitting on your head.
As for now while I'm still young I think I'm going to keep my hair blonde for quite some time. Fingers crossed for no fall outs!
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