This might go without saying, but don’t bleach or lighten your own hair, especially if you have dark hair and have never been blonde before. Leave hair coloring to the professionals if you want to achieve your perfect shade.

Consult your stylist in person and bring photos of what you’re wanting for reference. What’s blonde to you (platinum), may not be in line with your stylist’s idea of blonde (golden tones with a deeper base)—for example. Your stylist takes into consideration the health of your hair and the ability to lighten it effectively. The conversation can continue from there, so you are both on the same page.

Before heading to the salon, you want your hair to be as healthy as possible because it becomes weakened by excessive bleaching. A reparative, protein-based treatment mask with antioxidants will improve hair strength, deeply nourish, and seal in moisture. Chemically-processed hair needs hydration and protection from breakage. Hair masks or treatments are good for all types of hair before and after coloring.

Another must-have hair prep is a high-quality hair detangler that provides the perfect balance of moisture and proteins while also protecting your hair from thermal and UV damage. After shampooing and conditioning, spray your leave-in detangler on towel-dried hair and comb through. This is essential, especially if you heat style and use a hairdryer.

Your at-home hair care products are extremely important to keeping your blonde hair healthy and brass-free. There’s nothing worse than gorgeous blonde hair that turns yellow or orange. Any old shampoo won’t suffice. A professional-grade purple or violet shampoo for toning will keep your blonde hair and highlights brighter and lighter. An excellent product will gently cleanse and reduce brassiness in blonde, gray, or any toned hair. You won’t need to use a purple toning shampoo every time you wash your hair because it will last through several washes.

In addition to purple shampoo, you need an everyday conditioner that’s formulated to moisturize and maintain your blonde hair until it’s time to go back to the salon. Prevent your hair from becoming dried out with a daily purple conditioner that can be used on both tone and non-tone shampoo days. You may also want to get an ultra-conditioning treatment that tones, brightens, strengthens, and repairs—all in one formula.

As needed, be sure you have also updated all of your styling tools, such as a wide-tooth comb, boar’s hairbrush, hairdryer, and curling iron to truly maximize your new ‘do.