Remember that one time I used to have white/blonde hair? If you don't let me remind you. I'm a natural blonde - more on the dirty blonde side but all through college I'd dye my hair to be as platinum as it could get! Two years ago, I was ready for all sorts of life changes one of which included changing my hair color. I visited my amazing hair dresser and stylist Saige Jacobs and she helped transform me into a chocolate brunette over the course of a few hours. Don't believe me? See for yourself.

So far, I've been loving being a brunette the last two years! It's so much healthier on my hair (bye, bye, bleach blonde) and it makes my blue eyes pop. I've also found I can wear a whole variety of colors I once shied away from due to my lighter blonde hair color.

Despite being a brunette, my hair lightens SO MUCH in the summer! It soaks up the sunshine and really sucks the color out. So in the summer time I aim to try something new that will make my fading hair color look well, less faded.

I have visited Saige Jacobs of Jacobs Design 1 (@jacobsdesign1 on Instagram) for the last two years and I trust no one else when it comes to my hair. She recently relocated her services to Seattle from the east side (woop woop!) so you can find her at Collage on First hair studio in Belltown. You can easily book online or call to make an appointment based on your availability and Saige's - she has a wide range of times available and has some weekend availability too upon request. She offers a variety of hair services including styling, cut and color! She also is a huge advocate of consultations so you can become more educated on your type of hair, what you hope to achieve and how to achieve your hair goals. Saige is passionate about helping you achieve your hair goals through education and the use of products and a personalized hair routine that will keep your hair healthy and protected. She is excellent at recommending regimens (daily, weekly and monthly) for those like me, who need advice when it comes to hair care.

I recently visited Saige in hopes of achieving a new summer hair style and color that would trend well in the summer months and prevent my hair from fading as quickly or as noticeably. After showing her some Pinterest inspiration photos and chatting through my hair goals, we decided on a summer balayage but one with more definition and a shorter hair chop to give my hair more volume and thickness - I have extremely fine and thin hair so anything I can do to make my hair appear thicker, the better!

B E F O R E

As you can see, in my starting out photos my hair was extremely faded from the sunshine (I blame my recent trip to Nashville) and the ends were feeling frazzled and broken. I was missing my darker roots, healthy ends and overall definition my hair once had.

FIRST...

The first thing Saige did was re-established my base by shadowing at my roots and toning my ends all the way down from what the sun lifted out on its own.

NEXT...

Saige went through and balayaged to brighten and break up my base which promotes color movement and brought in brighter pieces that pop to help brighten up the areas that fall near my face.

LASTLY...

Saige finished out my service with an express Keritan treatment that smooths down frizz and reconstructs the hair. This service is especially good for hair that has been treated with chemicals, gets sun exposure and has devices used on it on a regular basis.

THE RESULTS...

A summer lob with defined layers, highlights, no broken ends, more texture and dimension! My overall hair color is darker at the roots but has strands of blonde intermixed which gives it the dimension I was lacking before! I've received so many compliments on my summer lob whether it's styled up or down. I can truthfully say I wouldn't have been able to achieve or maintain this summer cut and color without the help of Saige!

BEFORE vs. AFTER: