"2016-06-16T00:00:00"^^ . . "5"^^ . . "4"^^ . "1"^^ . . "0"^^ . "As a natural brunette with vey dark hair, I have wanted to be blond most of my life. Whenever I approached a hair professional with that request, though, one of two things happened: Either I went home with brassy or \"fried\" hair, or I went home with a mild highlight job that barely changed the color of my hair. (In the latter case, I was told that I would need 3-4 visits to truly achieve a blond shade.)\n\nSo anyway, this time around I did some research and found Raul in an online search. He told me he could give me what I wanted -- just that it would take all day and be a bit pricey. True to his word, he blocked out his entire day for me, and then spent 8 hours painstakingly doing foil highlights small enough to result in a gorgeous, natural-looking blond. \n\nThere is no brassiness or matte look to Raul's work. Because of his foil process throughout my hair, there are different shades of blond, plus a bit of my original brown to add a realistic touch. And best of all, my hair is still healthy and soft! His knowledge of the bleaching process allows him to keep the hair from becoming stripped.\n\nIf you have naturally dark hair and want to go blond, I highly recommend Raul. I was -- and still am -- very happy with his work!"^^ .