Health & Wellness

Platinum Hits

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My soul had always been a natural blonde. My hair was a different story. I was born a blonde, but around the age of 14, my hair started turning a dirty dishwater brown. Though I had been wanting to start highlighting my hair, my hairdresser/emotional therapist and my mother warned me that after my first lightening, there was no going back, and I was pretty much crossing the Delaware. Or should I say, Dela-hair. It turned out that they were right. Through the highlights and the lowlights, nothing could foil my determination to remain a natural (looking) blonde.

Sixteen years later I still had the same hair color. I was also going through my third-life crisis, having just turned 30 and needing a semi-drastic, semi-permanent, life change. So instead of leasing a Corvette and getting a prescription for Cialis, I changed my hair color from natural blonde to platinum blonde. Double process platinum blonde that is, with my locks enlightened by Providence’s LalaLuxe Salon.

The sparkling chandeliers were the first things to catch my eye. Both sleek and dainty in design, if LalaLuxe was an architectural term, that’s how I would describe the interior. The second thing I noticed was the cool, edgy style of the entire staff (I was glad I wore my high-waisted acid washed skirt that day). I was greeted by Casey, who would be my stylist that evening. Having worked at Boston’s Shag Salon for multiple years prior to LalaLuxe, she shared that hair coloring was her passion. Entrusted by salon owner Leah Carlson due to her coloring super-skills, I had a feeling my hair was in good hands.


We discussed the coloring process and Casey described the different levels of blonde that could be achieved; from very blonde to silvery white. We decided to go with a bright blonde, right in the middle of the platinum color spectrum, and she began the lightening process. When applying the lightener, Casey comically darted from side to side leaving no dark locks behind. I could tell she was in her coloring zone. She lightened my roots, which were far beyond the acceptable Carey Bradshaw rootiness, to a very pale yellow. Then she continued to the middle and ends of my hair, trying to achieve the lightest color Mother Nature would allow.

Casey warned that although the double platinum process can be harsh on your hair depending on the techniques and products used, LalaLuxe employed multiple nutrient-rich products that maintained the integrity of my hair and helped in preventing damage. Being gifted with especially fine hair and not that much of it, this put me at ease. Additionally, the final bleach, and second part of the “double” process, was actually a bleach wash applied to wet hair. Instead of applying to dry hair, this method was far less harsh in evening out the areas that didn’t lift as lightly as others. After the lightening was complete, Casey rubbed a toning glaze into my hair, which doubled as an über relaxing massage for my head. A second round of Olaplex, a hair protectant against chemical damage, was applied to prevent breakage.

Then came the blow-drying, styling and big reveal. Even though I couldn’t see much without my glasses, the brightness of my hair was crystal clear. I popped my specs on and took a look at my platinum locks. I was blonded with love, from my roots to my tips. Casey advised that I should now go further between hair washings to avoid dryness. An extra 20 minutes of Boston Terrier Instagram videos in the morning? I’d gladly follow her advice. She gave me a list of additional products that would help maintain my hair’s color and moisture. I also couldn’t leave without getting the dry shampoo paste used during styling, so I could go even further between showering.

Going Platinum has been my favorite third-life crisis impulse decision. All I needed was a platinum engagement band to match.

LaLaLuxe Salon
139 Elmgrove Avenue
383-3797

LaLaLuxe Salon, Elmgrove, Providence, Salon, Blonde Hair, Providence Monthly, Kim Tingle,

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