TikTok Star Alix Earle’s Warm, Golden Bronde
By Julia Empey
If your client is on TikTok, odds are—they know about Alix Earle. The cult-favorite beauty and lifestyle influencer known for her ‘get ready with me’ videos is 2023’s It Girl. That means, we’re absolutely sure that you’ll find Alix on your clients’ moodboards this year.
Before your next client shows you an inspo pic of Alix’s soft bronde, read everything you need to know from her colorist Julia Empey (@julianneparis) at the Miami IGK Salon, plus get her color formulas and how-to steps.
The Details
Like a lot of our routine blonde clients this winter, Alix recently opted for a darker look—and like ALL of our blonde clients, shortly after, missed that POP of brightness around the hairline. So, we’re walking you through BOTH appointments from start to finish and sharing every detail.
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Who is the ideal client for this look?
“The ideal client for Alix Earle’s [warm] bronde would be someone who’s been highlighting their hair to a light blonde or platinum blonde for a while, and is looking to transition to a softer, more natural shade of blonde, without committing to going brunette,” said Julia.
What did the initial process look like?
“For her first bronde transformation, I did a full lowlight in foils, a heavy root shadow, and an all-over gloss to warm up her tone,” Julia shared.
What happened next?
“When I first transitioned Alix to bronde, it was definitely and understandably a shock for her, she’d been a bright blonde all her life,” said Julia. “So she recently came back in to see me to add a few highlights around her hairline.”
During the second consultation, Julia asked if Alix still wanted to maintain the rootier look—this is KEY. She said yes, but she’d like a few brighter pops of blonde throughout her hair and around her face. The next step? A round of highlights and a gloss.
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How do you maintain this look in the salon?
“Going forward, this look is very low maintenance,” explained Julia. “Alix’s natural root color is perfect for the natural, lived-in [bronde] look. I would recommend a client to come in every 6 to 8 weeks to help maintain the golden bronde tone, and if needed, [you] can always pop a few highlights in to brighten up around their face. The great thing about this color is it gives [their] hair a break from the bleach, and it’s a very low-maintenance look.”
@alixearle I need to get away from the hair salon (went to Julia at IGK) #hairtransition #umiami #hairstyle #igk ♬ low sped up sza – xxtristanxo
Who Did It
Products Used
COLOR FORMULAS 
FORMULA STEPS
Session #1: Bronde Transformation
Before
1. Section out the hair with a Mohawk section on top. Next, section the sides by parting the hair right behind her ear. Clip away the rest of the hair in the back (this will be rooted down almost completely.)
2. Babylight the lowlights with Formula A going horizontal through the Mohawk section, leaving 2 inches out around her hairline to weave in very small lowlights. This creates a soft and natural money piece without having to highlight. Process for 20 minutes.
3. Next, shampoo with IGK PayDay Shampoo before root shadowing.
“It’s very important to avoid using conditioner after this shampoo, to ensure the root shade and glosses absorb into the hair as much as possible,” says Julia.
4. For the rooting process, take the same exact section as the lowlighting process. Start in the back section (behind the ears) with Formula B.
5. Comb the color starting at the scalp and into the hair shaft every 2 to 3 sections, leaving out about 2 inches of hair at the ends. To ensure she still has some blonde on her ends, allow the shadow to process for about 10 minutes on its own, before beginning the top and side sections.
6. Once the color has processed for 10 minutes, section out 2 inches around the hairline. “[This is] where I will not be adding any color until the last 2 minutes of her processing time,” says Julia.
7. Next, for the Mohawk and sides: Start in the back of the Mohawk section and take diagonal back sections and apply Formula B. Comb through the hair every 2 to 3 sections.
8. Repeat this on the sides, and process for 7 minutes, then tap the hairline slightly with the Formula B for the last 2 minutes.
9. Finally, go through all of the sections one more time to ensure a blended root. To do this: Take diagonal back sections and comb down a little further. Once you reach the front hairline, softly comb the hair back using a “flicking” motion.
In total, the root shade processes for a total of 20 minutes before being washed out.
10. Wash with PayDay Shampoo and towel-dry. Then, apply Formula C to the roots first and work it through to the ends to evenly saturate. Process for 10 minutes, then shampoo again and treat the hair with IGK Offline 3 Minute Mask.
Session #2: Face-Framing Highlights & Gloss
Formula A (highlights): Redken Flash Lift Lightener + 15-volume developer + Uberliss Blonde Regenerator
Formula B (all-over gloss): Redken Shades EQ 1oz Clear + ½ oz 9GI + ¼ oz 9NB + and 1 cap of 9AA + equal parts Processing Solution
1. Using Formula A in the face-frame/money piece, take 3 back-to-back slices right off the hairline, then tip out the ends between the foils using a backcombing technique.
2. Throughout the rest of the head, freehand tip-out some of the ends to create a brighter pop of blonde. “In this process it’s less about the structured sections, and more about where you visualize where the brighter pieces should be,” says Julia.
3. Next, repeat the same rooting techniques in Session #1 with Formula B, but completely leave out the face-frame to make sure it stays as bright as possible.
Styling & Finishing Steps by @sallyannhair:
- Prep the hair with K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Mask to help repair dryness from lightening.
- Apply IGK Good Behavior 4-in-1 Spray to add heat protection.
- Blow-dry, wave into tight beach waves using ghd 1 1/4 “ curling iron.
- Finish with IGK Anti Social Dry Mask for some extra shine and condition, then spray IGK Beach Club Dry Texture Spray to give it the effortless beachy texture look.
