Alright friends, I have a confession to make {one that I usually try to avoid talking about during normal conversations…}. The truth is, I’m not actually a natural blonde {okay, so it’s not so shocking, but still – I’ve been a wannabe for awhile now!}. Although I had magically blonde hair back when I was a teeny tiny little girl, over the years {as it happens with most blondes}, my luscious locks started to fade into this sort of sad light brown that was not quite as cute as my pervious blonde strands. I tried lightening it the old fashion way {does anyone still do that whole lemon juice on the beach thing?}, but I eventually caved in high school and started highlighting my hair to make my blonde natural resurface every few months.

While I used to spend an afternoon at the hair salon every few months, I couldn’t quite swing the $70 for highlights all the time. So after my mom launched a personal campaign to replace my hairstylist with a $15 box of highlights, I finally gave in and told her she could try it out…once. And 15 years later, my secret to blonde hair is that my mom is still my personal colorist {as well as chief confidant, bff, and all those other good motherly things}.Needless to say, Sal-gal {as I lovingly call her} did quite a good job in the hair highlighting department, and the price was definitely right when it came to highlights…aka free + the cost of my favorite Clairol Nice’n Easy Frost and Tip blonde highlights kit! And although it’s funny to say, it’s actually become one of my favorite traditions since it gives us an hour of uninterrupted time to catch up while improving my “natural” blondeness. And I do have to hand it to her, Sally does quite an amazing job. Every time I go to get my hair cut, stylists always compliment my highlights – and are pretty shocked when I tell them that my mom does them with Clairol Nice’n Easy Frost and Tip kit 😉 And if you need further proof on why at home highlights are basically the best ever, take a little peek at my dramatic before and after! My blonde locks were pretty dull {and kinda yellow-ish, ick!}, and the after looks pretty darn good if I do say so myself. Momma, you’re quite the hair stylist!

Before: 

After!Alright, so have I successfully convinced you to give hair color at home a try? I know we don’t all  have a Sal-gal in our life, but I’m pretty sure if we can do it, you definitely can too! Not only does Clairol Nice’n Easy come in the Frost and Tip blonde highlights kit, but you can also pick a variety of colors {45 shades!} to give yourself a hair makeover just in time for fall. I also love that Nice’n Easy looks so natural – even in revealing sunlight your hair color looks 100% natural, and even covers up grey hairs!

If you’re new to the at home haircare game, here are a few tips to keep in mind. I should know since I’ve been using Nice’n Easy for over 15 years!

• If you’re new to at home hair color, make sure to take an allergy test first to make sure you’re not allergic to any of the ingredients! It’s always better to be safe than sorry

• Follow the instructions like your hair depends on it {I know you might want to get creative, but believe me – the instructions are there for a reason.}

• Always make sure to use up the miracle CC Color Seal Cream found in every box of Nice’n Easy. It’s the easiest way to make your color natural, and adds some serious shine, softness and brilliance.

• If you’re about to start highlighting your hair on the regular, invest in a highlighting needle set! Usually the ones that are in boxes are pretty good, but E-Z pull versions make pulling out strands from the highlighting cap even easier.

• Also, you don’t have to pull every hole in the cap – in fact, I think it looks better if you don’t! I usually stick to just the top, and the sides since I don’t mind if under my hair is a little darker – plus it saves a lot of time for an area most people won’t see 😉 Okay, end rant…but seriously, Clairol Nice’n Easy has made my hair color routine SO much easier, I can’t say enough good things! And even better, Nice’n Easy is celebrating coloring confidently with a giveaway of Ticketmaster gift cards and more! Enter below, and good luck!

Nice’n Easy #ColorConfidently Giveaway

*  I-C will randomly select winners from all program entries and will handle fulfillment of the winning prizes (5 winners).

This post was sponsored by Nice’n Easy, but as always all opinions are my own {and I really have been using this brand for 15 years!}. Thanks for supporting the brands that make Charmingly Styled possible.