Sofia Richie’s Hair Colorist on How to Get the Healthiest Blonde
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To say my hair has been through a lot would be an understatement. I’ve been platinum blonde, red, pink, purple; the list goes on and on. As a natural reddish brunette, all that bleach really takes a toll, especially on fine hair. That’s why I’ve been all over K18, with the leave-in masks and in-salon treatments, to strengthen strands and protect them from additional damage.
So, when I got an invite to try K18‘s new Professional Molecular Repair Mist, I jumped at the chance. I was especially excited to see Tauni Dawson, Sofia Richie‘s colorist. Richie’s hair is the perfect blonde for any brunette. It has a seamless blend at the roots, which I’ve always wanted to try to help keep my hair healthy and reduce the amount of time I need to spend in a salon.
But first, before I could update my blonde, I had to try the new K18 Prep + Repair Service. After discussing my color needs and my breakage concerns, Dawson applied the professional-use-only K18 Peptide Prep Pro Chelating Hair Complex to my strands. “[It removes] the minerals and metal buildup on your hair from hard water,” Dawson explained. “It’s helping neutralize all those chemicals before going in on a color service.”
We left it on for four minutes before applying the professional-use-only K18 Professional Molecular Repair Mist to start repairing any damage before color. The super-popular K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask ($75 at Sephora) is for after color, she explained.
After leaving that on for another four minutes, we right right into color. Dawson recommended I break up my blonde with some lowlights so I would be able to go longer in between appointments and the regrowth wouldn’t be as intense. She mixed them with highlights but kept the pieces around my face bright. If you take a look at Sofia Richie’s hair, she also has some darker hues around the roots, which makes the whole thing look much more natural.
Next is my favorite part: the wash and tone. Dawson washed my hair with K18 Peptide Prep Shampoo ($36 at Sephora) before applying the Leave-In Mask. After four minutes we rinsed it out and I was shocked I didn’t need conditioner. I always need heavy conditioner to even get a comb through my dry, faux-blonde hair at home. But it was shockingly soft thanks to all the treatments. It was like we didn’t lighten my hair at all.
But we did and I was obsessed with the results. In the sun, you could barely see where the highlights started. This is the rich person blonde I’ve been craving. Now, weeks later, I have some regrowth but it still feels soft thanks to the Leave-in Mask, no real conditioner, and a few sprays of a product Dawson got me hooked on: Unite 7Second Detangler Leave-In Conditioner ($38 at Amazon ). It’s the perfect prep for a blowout since it protects strands against heat damage.
I’m not usually one of those celebrity fans who follow their fave’s every mood. But I’ll be trying Richie’s slicked-back hair tutorial now that my roots are fresh, not to mention keeping up the rich girl blonde look. I’m hooked.
