If you’ve always wanted to try a lighter hair color but are scared to because your hair is dark in color, you’d don’t have to take any risks.

Most women would know how disastrous it can be to end up with discolored mess of hair.

Here are 3 tips by Lucille Javier, a hair stylist at Sally Hershberger, who specializes in hair-color transformations:

1: No Drastic Hair Color Changes

Do not try drastic hair color changes at home. Leave this task to the professionals. This is because it takes a lot to get it absolutely right. If you don’t (and you most probably won’t), you will lose a lot of hair as well as ruin it completely. Moreover, at-home dyes aren’t as potent as those available at salons. Most of all, if you color your hair regularly, going blonde will damage your hair even further.

 2: Change the Hair Color by Increments

The best way to go blonde is by doing it in stages. Lucille says that it should take up to four sessions to be able to do this. This also depends on the hue that you want for your hair as well as the damage it can cause you. Of course, if your hair is very healthy, then you can get the hue of your choice in one sitting itself. It must be pointed out that you’ll have to sit at the salon for seven to eight hours at least.

3: Moisturize Your Hair Before Leaving the Salon

Lucille uses a number of treatments and masks just before a client leaves the salon. For example, she uses a new bonding agent called Olaplex to reduce any damage done to hair after it has been bleached. After this, a gloss as well as hair mask is left on the customer for about 30 minutes. The objective, according to her, is to leave the hair soft and bleached before the client leaves. But that’s not all – you have to continue hydrating your hair in the weeks ahead.