The article written by Rachel Nussbaum and Emily Cieslak for Instyle magazine explores the best way to go blonde at home with expert commentary from our founder, Luis Pacheco. The top selling TO112 Collagen Mask is featured as the hero for bleached-out hair (or any blonde hair, highlighted hair, or damaged hair, or any chemically processed hair for that matter.)

Check out Luis' tips on things to know about dying your hair blonde.

Excerpt from the article:

Taking dark brown and black hair to blonde isn't for the faint of heart, but the before-and-after photos from Creme of Nature's Lightest Blonde set are so gorgeous, it's like the brand bottled good lighting. Celebrity hair stylist and founder of TO112 Haircare Luis Pacheco recommends that those with coarse hair stick to gentler formulas as their hair is already more prone to dryness and breakage.

What to Keep in Mind

Tone
From warm strawberry to icy platinum, there are so many different shades of blonde. Before you pick a box dye, consider your skin tone to decide whether you want to go for a warm, cool, or neutral blonde.

"When deciding what tone of blonde, follow the cues of your skin tone. Cooler blondes (think ash or icy blonde) often look best on cooler skin tones and warmer tones, like honey or golden blondes, for warmer skin tones," says Pacheco. If you are not sure if you have a warm or cool base skin tone, do a vein check at the wrist. If you have green veins you have a warm skin tone, and if it leans to blue or purple you have cooler skin tone. Neutral or olive skin tones often have a hybrid of blue and green. "When in doubt, go neutral and stay closer to your natural color to protect the health of your hair," Pacheco says.

Peroxide Level
While you may be tempted to go for the highest concentration of bleach if you want platinum locks, it's better to gradually lighten your hair. Bleaching hair at home is always risky, and a general rule of thumb when bleaching (even professionally) is to go with milder, low volume peroxide formulas, says Pacheco.

"It's better to do a low volume peroxide, over a longer period to avoid damaging the cuticle of the hair," he says. "Naturally dehydrated hair, like kinky and curly hair, should be wary of high volume or high-intensity peroxide because the hair is already more fragile due to its natural tendency towards dryness."

You can also look for ammonia-free formulas. While the chemical is extremely effective at lightening hair, it gives off harsh fumes and can damage the hair's cuticle, so more brands are leaving it out.

Formula
These days, home hair dyes come in liquid, foam, cream, and gel forms. Liquid is the traditional consistency and tends to be thin and very spreadable, making it easy to cover your entire head of hair. However, it tends to be more messy, potentially dripping and staining your clothes and bathroom.

Foam, creams, and gels tend to be more beginner friendly as they are thicker and less likely to drip. You tend to have more control where you place the color with these thicker formulas, so they are good for beginners or anyone trying to concentrate the color on a specific area.If you want to be extra gentle to your hair, look for formulas that have extra nourishing ingredients, too. Things like plant oils offer a hydration boost and proteins, like collagen and keratin, work to rebuild the hair shaft.

Your Questions, Answered

How do I bleach my hair without over damaging it?
"The best way to protect your hair from getting overly bleached, or damaged in the process, is to be patient and give your hair time to achieve the blonde you're after. It took Billie Eilish multiple sessions over six weeks to go from black to blonde," says Pacheco. "Even on naturally dark hair, you have to lift through the orange stage to get to blonde."

If you are going from dark hair to blonde, Pacheco recommends waiting two weeks between bleachings to allow the cuticle to bounce back and recover from the process of lifting.

Another way to lighten your look without over drying your hair is to get highlights rather than bleaching your entire head.

"When bleach overlaps previously bleached hair you get breakage. This is why highlighting is so popular, because it not only creates beautiful dimensional colors, but it preserves the overall hair strength, shine, and health by meticulously selecting sections for bleaching," says Pacheco.

Unfortunately, Pacheco says it's hard to reach that multidimensional, expensive blonde look at home. So if you want hand-painted highlights, or simply are wary of bleaching your locks by yourself, it's best to go to the pros.

How do I maintain my blonde shade?
Once you reach the blonde of your dreams, you have to put in some work to maintain it. Pacheco recommends using a detoxifying shampoo once a week to remove water buildup and prevent your hair from turning brassy. If you already have a brassy tone, you can use a purple shampoo to cancel out yellow tones and blue shampoo to pull out orange.

It's also key to add a mask to your routine. "I can't recommend protein masks, like TO112 Collagen Hair Mask, enough. Look for collagen and keratin in the ingredient lists to repair the broken bonds on the cuticle for maximum hydration and strength," says Pacheco. "The lighter the blonde, the more frequent you should mask. Do it in every wash to fortify and moisturize your chemically treated hair, and I promise you'll see less breakage and hair on your pillow."

And take a cue from Kelly Ripa and Kristen Bell and invest in a silk pillowcase to prevent breakage and frizz while you sleep.

How often should I bleach my hair?
Another important point to consider before going blonde is that the color needs regular touch ups to look good. Pacheco says you shouldn't wait longer than six weeks to get your roots done, so they are more easily managed to prevent color bands and overlapping damage.

"Only apply bleach to the regrowth to match the roots to the previously bleached hair," says Pacheco. "The heat from your scalp assists the bleaching process to help speed it up, so focus on the roots and watch the shade lift to match the existing blonde level."

Read the full article here, including Instyle's recommendations for at-home hair dye.

Want to know more about the TO112 Collagen Mask?

It's a premium, collagen hair mask infused with tamanu and argan oils that boost shine. Keratin additives strengthen your locks while promoting hair growth.

Hair
TO112 Collagen Hair Mask is specially formulated with collagen to help restore damaged hair and give it the boost of strength, elasticity, and softness it needs. Whether the damage comes from a love of excessive color processing, heat styling, or simply the environment you live in; this mask nourishes to help hair feel new again.  A consciously selected blend of oils, proteins, and ginseng root extract to infuse your hair with moisture, prevent breakage and promote shine, all without leaving behind any oily residue.

Foundation
Collagen: A natural amino acid that stimulates hair growth by assisting in cell renewal for stronger, more flexible hair.

Tamanu Oil: Long-cherished by French Polynesian women for its nourishing and moisturizing qualities to add shine and improve hair health.

Argan Oil: Packed with beneficial nutrients including fatty acids and vitamin E, argan oil encourages healthy hair growth while moisturizing hair and scalp.

Keratin: A natural protein making up 90% of our hair, in this unique formulation it fortifies, and when added to hair care products the extra keratin helps to strengthen hair, making it more resistant to breakage.

Aroma
An all-natural blend of patchouli and vetiver, with a deep, earthy aroma to ground the mind + body.

It is free from known toxins - it is SULFATE FREE, DEA FREE, PARABEN FREE. CRUELTY-FREE. And it's safe for use on extensions, all chemically processed hair including color and keratin-treated hair.