How I Finally Got the Blond Highlights of My Dreams as an Afro-Latina

For the past three years or so, I've been on a quest to get the perfect honey highlights. I've been craving something lighter than a caramel but warmer than your typical blond hue, but the art of finding the right blond tone for my tan complexion hasn't been easy. For starters, almost everyone has tried to discourage me from going lighter — from colorists to friends and even family. "You don't need to color your hair. Your naturally dark hair perfectly complements your thick dark brows and long dark lashes," my mom would say. "Going blond will ruin your curls," hair experts insisted. But my favorite was whenever someone would tell me that my skin was "too dark" or "too tan" for blond hair. As an Afro-Latina, this feedback was strange to me, considering the number of Black women I've witnessed master the blond look, from Beyoncé to Ciara and, most recently, Zendaya.

After years of settling for bronze or caramel-brown highlights that looked amazing but were ultimately not what I wanted, I decided to find a colorist who was willing to get me the hair color of my dreams. And so far, I've had zero regrets. I had the opportunity to connect with Kys Clark, a hairstylist, colorist, and owner of INK'D Kyses Style Co., based in the Bronx, NY, who blocked a few hours out of her day to service me with a full head of highlights, a toning glaze, conditioning treatment, and a necessary curl cut.

Clark, who is half Black and half Puerto Rican with naturally curly hair herself, is known for specializing in blond coloring and all things curls. So, right off the bat, I went into our virtual consultation appointment feeling optimistic. Not only did I appreciate how attentive she was to my needs, requests, and concerns, but she was also really honest about what it would require to get me my dream color.

When it came to finding a highlight color that complemented my natural base color, Clark was very clear: the blond had to align with my warmer undertones, which is naturally a mix of yellow and red. But she was encouraging the entire time, letting me know that there were absolutely a few blond options that would go great with my skin tone and features. In fact, for her, the idea that brown-skinned girls can't go blonde is an outdated mindset.

"Getting a brown-skinned woman blond is not much of an issue for me," she says. "It's about getting the right color blond for their skin complexion, right? So, there are women who have an olive undertone or women who have a red undertone; it's just making sure that it complements them."

Clark likes to assess hair health, especially for her Black or curly-haired Latina clients, because damaged curls can become significantly more damaged after bleaching or lightening. "It can be very dry and very porous, and then that leaves the hair very susceptible to breakage because of how dry it is," she says. Not compromising the integrity of the hair is her number one priority when coloring.

For other brown-skinned girls who are curious about going lighter, here are a few things Clark did to get me the warm honey highlights of my dreams.

Regardless of what color you're going for, whether blond or brunette, it's crucial to find a colorist who not only values your hair health but also wants to get you as close to your goal as possible. Hair significantly impacts our confidence, self-esteem, and identity, which is why it was important for me to find an expert who understands that. As a curly-haired girl with my fair share of salon trauma, it was amazing to get reassurance that my hair is not only beautiful but would also look just as great with a lighter tone. Clark wants her clients to understand that her goal is to build a trusting relationship with them. "Understanding that your hairstylist wants the best for you and finding someone that you feel wants the best for you is super important," she says.

Anytime you decide to bleach your hair or go lighter, you have to consider the health of your hair. This is part of what Clark analyzes during the consultation aspect of the appointment. She cut my dead ends before beginning the color treatment, and then did my full curl cut afterward. "You had a lot of damaged, dried ends. If I were to color your hair with that, it wouldn't have been terrible, but you would have seen a lot more damage because they were already dry," she says. "So I just got them out of the way beforehand, helping me minimize wasting product, as well as minimizing damage. Removing the damaged areas allowed me to let bleach sit for longer without worrying about further compromising the hair." She also made sure to do a special treatment that restored my hair's bonds while also deeply hydrating it.

Before our virtual consultation, Clark asked me to send her a few examples of the color and the technique I wanted on other curly girls with a similar curl pattern and skin tone as mine. That way, she could better understand if what I wanted would actually flatter me.

"If you have inspirational pictures, make sure that the person in the picture looks like you," she says. "I get so many of my Latinas, my brown-skinned girls, my African American girls, who come in with a picture of a naturally blond woman and use their hair as an example, but for me, that is very difficult to use because their texture doesn't have the dimensions that yours might have."

For the technique, Clark kept my natural base and added what's referred to as baby lights — really thin and tiny highlights. But in some places, she did a balayage using a free hand-painted technique to add dimension to my hair and a thicker highlighted look toward my ends. For my root/crown area, she left my base more prominent and used a smudging technique to give it more of a naturally grown-out look.

The hardest part about going lighter is understanding that it will be a process. It's very rare that you'll get the exact shade you want at the first appointment. My current color is actually a teeny tiny bit darker than the color we were initially aiming for, because Clark emphasized that she didn't want to compromise the integrity of my hair or damage my curl pattern. As a result, she told me we were going to try to get as close as possible, keep the brass at bay with a follow-up toning appointment, and then, in the next color appointment, aim to get the blond color slightly ashier.

Clark emphasizes that what you do between appointments is just as important as what happens in the chair when it comes to maintaining your ideal tone and hair health. She recommended that I purchase a blue and purple shampoo to use interchangeably. The blue helps combat orange and brassy tones, while the purple prevents the highlights from getting too yellow. She also suggested doing a deep conditioning mask weekly to keep my hair healthy and hydrated as well.

Johanna Ferreira is the content director for PS Juntos. With more than 10 years of experience, Johanna focuses on how intersectional identities are a central part of Latine culture. Previously, she spent close to three years as the deputy editor at HipLatina, and she has freelanced for numerous outlets including Refinery29, Oprah magazine, Allure, InStyle, and Well+Good. She has also moderated and spoken on numerous panels on Latine identity.