New hair, new life, right? Every time I enter a new life stage (new job, love life, or age milestone), I get this strong urge to change my hair. It helps me to embrace the changes and feel like a totally different personality. Or I just get easily bored with the current color or style. Either way, I’ve always wanted bright blonde streaks with a dark brown ashy base ever since I can remember. Gray hair just looks so badass to me, and at the same time, I can be bright blonde without the full commitment.
My friends have been recommending Urban Azta Salon to me, but I’ve only managed to save up enough money last July 2019. Was it worth it? Did my hair turn out the way I’d hoped? Read on to find out!
Dark Brown Hair Before Ash Blonde Balayage
So this is the before pic. My hair was dyed dark brown with bleached tips a year prior to this—to cover up a hideous dye job. I’d bleached the flying fuck out of it before (read: Bleach Fried The Eff Outta My Hair! Here’s How I Saved It). You can say it almost looks like healthy, virgin hair, right? Naturally, I was scared I’d be frying it again.
The Process: Ash Blonde Balayage at Urban Azta Salon
The fun part: bleach and LOTS of it. It took a whopping 5 hours to get it to a pale yellow shade. Sir Herbert of Urban Azta ATC was a pro about it. Unlike past (cheaper) salons I frequented, he did not rush the bleaching process. He carefully checked the foils and even though I was the last customer at the salon (we ended a few minutes past 9pm), he didn’t just give up and made sure I reached pale yellow, not yellow-orange. This is to ensure that it would be the smoky ash blonde that I wanted.
This isn’t the end result yet! I was at first shocked to see my hair this blonde. It brought back memories from 2013, when my hair was actually this color from all the blonde box dyes.
The Results: Ash Blonde Balayage at Urban Azta Salon
…and it’s done! Look at this gorgeous ashiness. No filters at all. Of course it faded over the next few months to more of a blonde color, but amazingly, the color right now doesn’t resemble rust. I use purple shampoo and all that (I’ll write about purple shampoos here, so keep posted.)
Some more vain pics for you guys to check out. I’m pretty happy with the results and everyone (and I mean everyone!) loved my hair. I received tons of compliments the next day! And until now, the grown out balayage I’m sporting still looks chic. If you’re going for a similar look, I recommend Urban Azta.
This is 6 months after, FYI!
Pro-tip: Bring a book, a coffee, and snacks with you because I did not. I was bored and scrolling through Instagram for 5 hours.
- Price: P6,000+ (I availed during a seasonal promo and worked out the fee during a consultation with Sir H)
- Location: L/G Service Town, Alabang Town Center, 2294 Access Road, Ayala Alabang, Muntinlupa, 1770 Metro Manila
- Opening Hours: Weekends: 10am – 9pm, Weekdays: 11am – 9pm
- Contact: (02) 8851 6394
So, are you ready to unleash your inner blondie? Or are you looking for ways to heal your colored hair first? Let me know in the comments! I hope this helped and stay tuned for more hair transformations by subscribing below.
Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post (heh, I wish!). I bought these services with my own money and this is my honest experience with the brand.
