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EP 312: The Rise of Recession Blonde

Danise Keilitz Season 5 Episode 312

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Recession Blonde is the hair color trend revolutionizing how we think about beauty maintenance during economic uncertainty. This approach blends style with financial strategy by working with your natural color instead of fighting it, allowing longer times between salon appointments without sacrificing a beautiful, dimensional look.

• Recession Blonde features sun-kissed hair with deeper roots that grow out beautifully
• Traditional blonde maintenance can cost hundreds of dollars every 4-6 weeks
• Techniques like balayage, root smudging, and glossing create dimension and effortless grow-out
• Brunettes can embrace "recession brunette" with rich chocolate browns and subtle dimension
• Stretching appointments by softening your root line saves both time and money
• Semi-permanent glosses refresh tone without requiring full color services
• Lived-in looks are crafted to look intentional after 8+ weeks of growth
• Embracing your natural base color can create healthier hair with more dimension
• Strategic highlight placement further from the scalp allows for longer grow-out periods
• Reducing chemical services helps rebuild hair strength and moisture

Click the link in the show notes to grab your free downloadable cheat sheet about Hair Color 101. This will help you decipher the differences between permanent, semi-permanent, and demi-permanent hair color so you can have a more informed conversation with your stylist.


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Speaker 1:

Hey there. Have you been noticing fewer icy blondes and more soft, sun-kissed blondes this year? Maybe you've scrolled past a celebrity going darker, or you've sat in your stylist's chair and said can we go a little more natural this time? Well, you're not imagining things. You're witnessing a shift, one that's as much about economics as it is about aesthetics. Welcome to Recession Blonde, the hair color trend that's quietly reshaping the beauty industry by blending style with strategy, and today we're going to talk about how to get that.

Speaker 1:

Welcome to All About Hair, where we talk shop, share stories and spill the secrets behind great hair and a great career. I'm your host, denise Kylitz, a former salon owner, educator and a lifelong hair crusader. Whether you're a new stylist building your book or just someone who loves learning about all things hair, you're in the right place. Each week, we dive into real techniques, honest career advice and inspiration to help you grow behind the chair or just fall even more in love with the world of hair, because around here, it's not just about looking good. It's about learning, evolving and having a little fun along the way. So grab your coffee, your shears or your dry shampoo and let's get into it.

Speaker 1:

Being blonde can be beautiful, right? I think we'd all agree about that. But it's also a serious investment. I know when my sister was getting highlights, she was going in every four to six weeks for either highlights, toner I don't even know what but I felt like every time I talked to her on the phone she was going back into the hair salon. I tell you, I don't know how she could afford it. I guess that's probably why she went gray. But between root touch-ups, toning, highlighting and all the maintenance in between, bright blondes can easily spend hundreds of dollars every few weeks just to keep their hair looking fresh. Yes, I think we've all either witnessed that or we know friends who have spent that kind of money and they probably aren't telling their spouses. I'm just guessing on that one. But so let's add in the rising cost of living right now, and then the talks about a recession, and suddenly that beauty routine feels less sustainable. That beauty routine feels less sustainable.

Speaker 1:

More and more people are saying I want to look good, but I also want to be smart about it. So here's the challenge how do you scale back on salon visits without feeling like you're compromising your look? Many of us fear that going darker or embracing the roots will make us feel less polished, less vibrant or just not like ourselves. But what if the answer wasn't giving something up, but just choosing something better? That's where Recession Blonde comes in. It's not a downgrade, it's a glow up.

Speaker 1:

This trend is about working with your natural color instead of fighting it. It's a soft transition from high maintenance to low effort luxury. Imagine this sun-kissed looking hair with deeper roots. You get subtle, low lights and warm golden tones that grow out beautifully. Stylists are using techniques like, of course, balayage, root smudging and glossing to create dimension, softness and that effortless. I just woke up like this hair. You know we all want that, and it's not just blondes. Brunettes are loving this too, with what some are calling recession brunette. Think rich chocolate browns, deep caramels and natural bases that allow more time between appointments without losing the shine or the style. So what we're really seeing is a larger shift in beauty values.

Speaker 1:

Recession blonde is just one part of a movement toward intentional beauty where self-care, wellness and financial mindfulness all meet together. We're all watching our pocketbooks nowadays. People want hair that looks amazing but also feels good to maintain. You don't want to spend tons of money on your hair every four weeks. You want to spend less time and money in the salon and more time enjoying your life without sacrificing your confidence. So here's how you can start embracing the look. First, you're going to stretch your appointments. Ask your stylist to soften your root line or add low lights so you can wait a little longer between visits, and then you can try a gloss. A semi-permanent gloss can refresh tone, add shine and give your hair a polished look. Without a full color service, you can also ask for a lived in look. These styles are crafted to grow out seamlessly and still look intentional after eight plus weeks. You can also embrace your natural base color. Sometimes the wisest choice is the one that celebrates what's already there. So, instead of getting root touch-ups all the time, you can actually just maybe freshen up the ends of your hair instead of the roots of your hair, because, honestly, less fuss, more freedom that's the new luxury these days.

Speaker 1:

Okay, now I'm going to answer your top seven questions about Recession Blonde. So what exactly is Recession Blonde? Well, it's a hair color trend driven by the desire for lower maintenance and more budget friendly beauty. It focuses on softer, lived in blonde shades that blend well with your natural roots, meaning fewer touch-ups and longer stretches between salon visits, saving you time and money. We all love that. Another question is is this just a trend for blondes or can brunettes do it too? That is a great question and I know we just talked about this.

Speaker 1:

Brunettes are absolutely in on this trend. It's often called recession brunette and it involves deepening your natural color, skipping your frequent lightening and embracing the rich tones that require less upkeep. It's all about subtle, intentional shifts for both color families. With brunettes, you're probably going to put your highlights further apart just to give dimension in the hair, and then you would go in maybe every time you get your haircut just for a toner instead of a touch-up. Until, if you have long hair, it would just grow out and maybe every six months you would get a touch-up on your highlights, depends on how far up you want them towards your scalp.

Speaker 1:

Another question does recession blonde mean going darker permanently? Not necessarily. It's more about working with your natural color instead of fighting it. You don't have to commit to a full-on brunette look. Think warmer tones, root smudging, low lights or a gloss to soften the grow outline. It's about flexibility, not permanence. What we're talking about here is that you don't get that demarcation line, that grow out line, that skunk line, if you will. You want a more subtle grow out, so you're not married to your appointments going into the salon.

Speaker 1:

Another question that I often hear will going darker make my hair look dull or flat? Not at all. In fact, many recession blonde looks have more dimension than bright blondes. Stylists are using techniques like lowlights, root shadowing and glosses to create richness, shine and contrast. The result is often healthier looking hair and more dimensional hair. Beautiful, believable. We all love that.

Speaker 1:

Here's another question Can I still get highlights if I want a low maintenance look? Yes, absolutely, but it's about how you get them. Balayage, tz lights or foilage are great techniques for a blended look that grows out beautifully. Ask your stylist for a placement that gives you longevity between visits less foiling, more freedom, or another way to look at it is the further away it is from your scalp, the more grow out time you'll have, because if you place the foils right next to the scalp, you will get that grow out line. Now, some people still like that, but this is not what we're talking about. We're talking about low maintenance. Another question will my hair be healthier if I go recession blonde? In a lot of cases, the answer is yes, reducing the frequency of lightening and bleach exposure gives your hair time to recover, it rebuilds the strength and it retains the moisture Plus. With fewer chemical services, you're also cutting down on potential damage.

Speaker 1:

Final question how do I talk to my stylist about transitioning to recession blonde? How do I talk to my stylist about transitioning to recession blonde? This is the best question out there. You have to be really open about your goals, both your budget and the look you're going for. Say, you're looking for a color that grows out well and doesn't require frequent touch-ups. A great stylist can guide you toward techniques like root smudging, lowlights or glossing to help you make a seamless stylish shift. I hope these answered your questions. If you have any other questions, please text me. Go over to Instagram. Any way you want to look at it. You can go onto my website. All the links are in my show notes and I look forward to hearing from you.

Speaker 1:

If today's episode gave you something to think about, whether you're a stylist, a client or just someone trying to be more mindful with their beauty budget, I've got something special for you. Click the link in the show notes to grab your free downloadable cheat sheet about Hair Color 101. Cheat sheet about hair color 101. This will help you decipher the differences between permanent, semi-permanent, demi-permanent hair color. You can take it to your hairstylist and have a conversation and remember when you know better, you do better. Thanks for tuning in to All About Hair. If you loved this episode, hit, subscribe, leave us a review and share it with a fellow stylist or hair-loving friend. You want more tips, tools and behind-the-scenes goodness? Follow me on YouTube or head to my website at denisekeilitzcom. Yes, I know it's hard to spell, so don't worry, the link is in the show notes. Until next time, keep learning, keep creating and keep loving what you do.

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