DIY Hair: Goldilocks Wanna Be a Platinum Blonde

WARNING:
girlie post ahead
contains Product names, and
is an exceptionally dull read unless you are unnaturally interested in other people's hair
OR
thinking about trying John Freida Precision Foam or Colour Restore Iced Platinum Hair Toner

I used to be blonde. Very blonde.
But as I got older, and after dying my hair darker a couple of times (I've been red, brown, reddish brown and black), it got dark and dull.
So I did the sensible thing, and went to a salon to get some highlights. The results were nice, but my bank account was, sadly, not thrilled. So eventually I had to do something myself.

That was rather scary.

Online research, while somewhat helpful, did not reveal a lot. I found some products, read some good reviews, and struggled to find good images of the actual results. I never really intended my blog to be about product reviews/advertising, so consider this a one off. But, since it is clearly absolutely essential that everything can be found on the internet, here is an overview of everything I have done to my hair, starting with the natural colour:

I was getting more and more frustrated with my natural colour, as I felt it was rather dull. 

(October 2011)

1st time getting my highlights done at the salon, the result was a natural looking but much more interesting, dark blonde.

(December 2011)

Highlights done again, went a little bit lighter.

(March 20112)

As my bank account was giving me some dirty looks, I had to take a chance and do my hair myself. I used John Frieda precision foam extra light beige blonde 10B.

I liked the colour overall, though it did look a little bit too orange to my taste. I guess I might have left it in too long, or my natural hair colour is too dark.

(May 2012)

Same product, but this time I was careful to not leave it in too long. Still a little bit orange-y, but a little bit better than before. 

(July 2012)

The day after colouring my hair, I tried Colour Restore Iced Platinum Hair Toner to see if something could be done about the unnatural looking orange tones. I am quite happy with the result, not too platinum but a nice, cold, light blonde.

Timeline

Conclusion?

It is possible to go blonde at home without any major disasters.

But it is frightening. Cross your fingers and hope for the best.

And if everything fails, there's always black.