Fervent Youth

You've been scrolling through Pinterest, dreaming of the day you finally muck up the courage to dye your hair blonde or maybe even silver. You've got an entire board pinned with messy buns, braids and curls that just seem to look better with hair that has a California summer vibe to it, right? If you've finally decided on going from brunette to bleach blonde, you know that maintenance and upkeep is a full-time job! From the three hour hair salon visits every month to the weekly purple-shampoo wash, you'll stay busy trying to keep up with the latest hair trend.

I'm going to share with you my tips on how I keep my hair healthy, strong and most importantly, perfectly bleach blonde. There is a huge struggle to eliminate those yellow, brassy tones from your blonde hair. The trick is to keep up with it after you leave the salon (also important that your stylist picks the perfect toner for you). My hair is a little bit of both silver and blonde; it always starts off as silvery hair with cooler-tones then slowly regresses into a bright blonde with warmer-tones due to my natural hair color trying to come through.

Transitioning from dark to light hair was difficult; it was a long, timely process with many awkward stages in between each salon visit. The biggest complaint I had was that it took so much time. You can't bleach your entire head in one session expecting to come out looking like Kim Kardashian with platinum hair. The process isn't supposed to be quick so that it can keep your hair healthy for the duration of the transition.

Now that you have reached the perfect shade of blonde, you run into the dilemma of keeping it that way. Personally, my roots collect water deposits and naturally regress into brassy tones that do not match my complexion but I have a few tricks that keep it nice and bright after leaving the comfort of my hair stylist's shampoo bowl.

Purple-Shampoo

This stuff is a Godsend. It is so important to wash your hair with purple-shampoo at least once (or even twice) a week. Don't get intimidated by the violet-tone! The purple in the shampoo is made to counteract with the yellow and orange tones in your hair by restoring the blue-ish pruple tones with the original chemicals put in to make it bright again. Make sure not to go overboard with it! This shampoo is only supposed to be left on for a few minutes in the shower (I typically shave my legs or wash my face while it's soaking in) if you leave it on any longer you'll end up with a lavender tint to your hair. If you are totally into that look then by all means go for it and rock the purple hair.

Build-Up Free Products

Skip the paraben, sulfate and silicone filled shampoos!! These product can strip the color in your hair and are known to lead to brassiness. You may think they work great because they leave hair feeling shiny, thick and usually smell way too good. These products are filled with waxes that will not only strip your blonde locks, but also lead to breakage after applying heat. The wax builds up on your hair and overtime melt into the hair and cause little beads at your split ends that cause major damage. I know what you're thinking "I bleach my hair with super-harmful chemicals but can't wash my hair with them??" The answer is no. Go home and use products that are kinder to your hair; my Top Five Beauty Products post shows some of my favorite hair treatments, check it out here. Using lemon-water or lightening sprays can really damage your hair and lead to major brassiness, so be cautious when using a DIY spritz!

Your Shower

Your shower plays a pivotal role in the tone of your hair. Now, it may not be something you can totally control unless your family owns the entire water and sewage system of your town (highly unlikely) but there are some measures you can take to eliminate changes to your hair caused by water. Most water used in the shower and sink have fluoride and other mineral deposits that can chemically react and cause hair to turn brassy. For me, the water at my friends house in California did wonders to my hair and left it shiny and blonde, but the water in Dallas never fails to leave my hair feeling toned down and yellow. Best practice to eliminate this from happening: purchase a water-filter for your shower head. You can buy a cheap, easy installation filter from Amazon for around $15 or go wild and instal a whole new shower head system for $50 - $75.

Toner

Instead of going to visit your hair stylist for three hours, create an in between appointment if the brassiness and yellow-tones are getting out of control. Ask your hairstylist to put a toner in your hair for ten to fifteen minutes and it'll brighten your locks again! Going in between visits for a quick hit of toner will save you more money than your initial coloring session. If you feel super confident, or have been advised by your colorist, then you can purchase a toner at your local beauty supplier and touch it up at home. This process is not for beginners so make sure you get some good advice from your hair stylist (and probably therapist, I get the best advice from my go-to gal).

Following these tips and tricks will surely extend the life of your bleach blonde or silver hair and ward off any early-on set brassiness. After you leave your colorist's chair, remember not to neglect your full-time job as a blonde and proactively make changes to your hair regiment.

If you have ways that you keep your blonde hair strong, bright and healthy, please leave a comment bellow! Don't forget to share, subscribe and leave some feedback on this post. Follow me socially, links in sidebar!

xo, kristina

After working at my first internship for about a year and a half, I’ve learned valuable in-office lessons as well as some life lessons. As an intern for a Marketing and PR firm, I had a lot of computer-based work; this included: tracking mentions for companies, drafting and posting content on social media, occasionally drafting a company blog post and more than anything, countless hours creating lists of people to reach out to or for specific events, newsletters or reporters for clients.

While there was never time wasted working on billable hours for clients, there was some downtime that was occasionally filled with mind-numbing tasks: making umpteen copies, hand-writing addresses on note cards (horrible for millennials), cutting and labeling photos, ordering and unpacking office supplies or simply organizing the hard-copy files of previous projects.

The number one lesson I learned; always be hungry for work. Even if it is dull or tedious, there is always something to be done. This fact seems especially true in a small office setting.

As a millennial who had never worked in an office setting before, I learned how to fax a letter, weigh and stamp postage, and come to the conclusion that my cursive handwriting is almost useless (handwriting addresses was a struggle). These small tasks, along with the major marketing and PR duties I’ve learned, have taken my knowledge of my major further than I thought it could go. With that being said, I also realized that I know close to nothing compared to someone who is 10 to 20 years my senior. Every day I have learned something new whether it had to do with style and formatting, marketing lingo, or simply how to proofread a document. Here are some other tips I can offer:

Secure at least one internship in an agency setting.

This being my first internship, I have learned that each company no matter the size operates in its own way. Not only have I gained insight on the day-to-day activities in my own office but also in our client’s offices. I was able to sit in for conference calls, work with our clients directly and also work behind the scenes and still get an idea of what everyone’s role is on a project.

Show up on time or call if you’ll be late.

Self-explanatory

Always bring a pen and paper into your meetings.

The number one, most important thing in my opinion is to WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN. As a millennial, I am incredibly grateful that I do not rely on an e-copy of my calendar or tasks; I am a pen-and-paper kind of gal. I love keeping lists of everything I do or have done. Also, it’s great to go to instructional meetings dealing with your next project with pen and paper in hand. Mostly so that your boss doesn’t repeat their instructions more than once, but even more so that you don’t forget to actually finish the project itself. When it comes to billing at the end of the week, it’s much easier to flip back through your notepad to see what you worked on and how long it took rather than to shuffle and filter through countless emails you’ve received in the past month.

Realize that there is much admin-related support work.
I was warned there is a lot; it’s actually not that bad. Your attitude about an internship really plays a large role. If you are dissatisfied by doing assignments that aren’t directly related to the job at hand, it will make your internship unbearable. The admin-support related work breaks up your day and often times you learn life-skills that aren’t typically addressed in your regular busy schedule. For me, I learned how to properly weigh and apply postage to a letter that I wouldn’t have done at home. I even got to play with a toddler that was out of school early for an hour while her mom was on a conference call. This was particularly fun for me since my previous background included many years of being a nanny and after-school babysitter.

Look for ways to wow us in your work or with your ideas to streamline any processes.

In this field, I think the best way to wow someone with your work is too make sure you get it done correctly and in a timely manner. Using spellcheck and grammar check is also important even on an internal email; small things make a difference. If there is a deadline, I encourage you to meet it or beat it. Prioritizing your work will get you far. If you do make a mistake or fail to meet a deadline, make sure that your boss knows you’ll avoid it next time.

Ask questions, especially if you don’t understand an assignment.

Many interns fear asking their employers questions because they are worried that they won’t seem smart enough or that they are unable to understand or recall instructions the first time. It’s hard to swallow that you do not understand how to do everything you’re given, but it will save both you and your employer time if you ask questions and do it right the first time. I catch myself asking questions about press clips (a project I have done daily for the past 17 months) almost once or twice a week. The same goes for assignments I do throughout the week.

Maintain the relationship.

Follow ups are a crucial part of being an intern. These can lead to networking opportunities and potential job opportunities that you wouldn’t find unless you have been personally referenced by your employer.

Start and build your LinkedIn profile now.

Since working for MPD Ventures was not my first job, I had already created a Linked In. But after managing profiles here, I have learned it is important to keep it up-to-date, post articles and share posts that are related to your expected career, and stay on top of adding new folks to your network so you are in the loop for open positions and company events you could be a part of.

To learn more about me and my qualifications, check out my LinkedIn profile here. I wish the best of luck to any other interns and hope that you can benefit and reap knowledge from this article.

xo, kristina

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