How to Go From Blonde to Bronde Without Getting Cold Feet
By guest author Zoe Cripps, Head of Beauty for OK! Magazine
If you were to tell me a year ago that I’d grown tired of my bright blonde highlights, I wouldn’t have believed you. But that did indeed happen; I got blonde fatigue. Don’t get me wrong, I still love getting my hair coloured (of course, at Haug London Haus, where I’ve never once left feeling anything other than on hair cloud nine), but as I’ve got older and time has become more precious, I realised I couldn’t keep up with the maintenance a full head of blonde demands.
There was also the small issue of my naturally warm, light brunette base, which meant I was constantly working against my own hair. Still, the idea of going darker made me nervous. If you’ve been blonde for a long time, you’ll know exactly what I mean. There’s a fear that the minute you rinse off the bleach, you’ll feel dull, flat, or just… not quite yourself.
So when I decided early in 2025 to make a change, it wasn’t about going dark, it was about going darker blonde. Inspired by Hailey Bieber and Margot Robbie, both of whom prove that darker blonde can look glossy and multi-dimensional rather than grown out, I sat down with Siobhan for my first appointment. After running her fingers through my hair (and very kindly not commenting on the months-old root line and over-bleached ends), she reassured me that this wasn’t a one-appointment leap. Instead, it was about easing off the bleach blonde and going for a more skin tone-flattering and less high-maintenance ‘Ecru Bronde’ shade.
The shade that makes going darker feel less scary
An Ecru Bronde is a hue that sits neatly between blonde and brunette and, crucially, still reads as blonde. “It offers more depth without feeling heavy,” Siobhan explains. “It’s built through colour layering, rather than one flat tone, so you still feel light around the face.”
Why going darker doesn’t mean losing all the blonde
One of the reasons people panic when they go darker is that it’s often done too bluntly. Years of bleach, grown-out roots and banding don’t respond well to being taken dark in one go. “If you have grown-out roots and some banding, we’d start with a process called naturalising,” says Siobhan. “This is where we use a lightener with foils first to lift before slicing in between the foils and painting lowlights to break up big areas of brightness. We then finish with a basin toner and a root melt, so everything blends seamlessly.”
In other words, you’re not erasing blonde, you’re breaking it up, softening it and making it work harder for you.
The unexpected bonus of going dark blonde
What I didn’t expect was how much better my hair would look afterwards. Shinier, healthier and fuller. Darker blonde tones reflect light differently, which makes hair look glossier, even if it isn’t in the very best condition. And because the contrast at the root is softer, regrowth immediately stopped feeling like something I needed to apologise for.
For the first time in years, I wasn’t counting down the weeks until my next appointment, which, if you’re a serial blonde, says everything.
Zoe’s golden blonde hair before on the left. And afterwards, her bronde transformation on the right.
What to ask for if you’re tempted to go darker
If you’re thinking about going darker blonde yourself, knowing how to explain it in the chair makes all the difference, says Siobhan. “If your base is naturally brunette, ask for a brunette base enhanced with air-touched baby lights for a soft, honey lift,” she says. “If you’re very blonde, be clear that you want a seamless transition between blonde and brunette tones, rather than obvious highlights and lowlights.” The goal is to blend, not create stripes (the 90s may have made a comeback through denim trends, but certainly not highlights).
And if you’re not sure how to sum it up? Just say you want to feel blonde, just darker. It’s the easiest way to make sure you walk out loving your hair, rather than missing your old colour. Believe me, if I can look in the mirror and love a colour that isn’t a bright blonde, so can you. And if you treat yourself to anything in the new year, make it an appointment with Siobhan. She’s the closest thing I’ve found to a fairy godmother.
Written By Zoe Cripps, Beauty, Fashion & Shopping Lead
OK!, New!, Notebook Magazine, S Magazine, The Mirror and Express newspapers, OK.co.uk, Mirror.co.uk