The Blueprint: Going Darker Edition
Your blonde client wants to go darker. Please don't lowlight the sh*t out of her.
Going darker isn't about putting dark pieces everywhere and hoping you've added enough dimension. It's knowing where to add depth, where to preserve brightness, and how much change your client actually needs.
The Going Darker Blueprint gives you visual, easy-to-follow placement maps for dimensional darker results — without overthinking every foil.
Find the result closest to your client's goal. Choose the placement. Follow the map.
$48 · Instant digital download · Visual placement maps
Going darker should be easier than going lighter… so why does it feel so terrifying? 😅
You've spent YEARS getting this client blonde. And now she casually says, "I kinda want to be brunette."
Meanwhile your brain: HOW brunette? Brunette-brunette? Or blonde-who-has-seen-a-lowlight brunette? 😂
There's a huge difference between adding some depth and completely erasing the blonde you spent three years creating. Without a plan, it's really easy to:
- Add too many lowlights
- Make everything too dark
- Lose brightness around the face
- Create stripes instead of dimension
- Make the ends feel muddy
- Turn "dimensional brunette" into "why am I suddenly a level 5?"
You don't need to be afraid of taking blondes darker. You need a placement plan before you start.
Going darker doesn't mean coloring every blonde hair dark.
The goal isn't blonde → DARK.
It's current hair → the exact amount of depth your client actually asked for.
Stop thinking "more lowlights." Start thinking "intentional depth." This guide teaches you how to make blonde hair LOOK darker without eliminating everything that makes the color beautiful.
Less guessing. Less over-darkening. More intentional dimension.
With the Going Darker Blueprint, you'll be able to:
Go darker without going TOO dark.
Not every "I want to go darker" means the same thing — a subtle seasonal shift, noticeable dimension, or a major transformation. Choose a placement that matches the impact she actually wants.
Know exactly where you're adding depth.
Stop randomly weaving lowlights throughout the head and hoping it makes sense. Follow a visual roadmap so every darker piece has a purpose. Strategic dimension > Random lowlights.
Preserve the blonde you DON'T want to lose.
That face-frame brightness. Those dimensional ends. The pieces that make the color feel expensive. Use placement to decide what gets darker — and what stays light.
Create different levels of impact.
A few strategically placed darker pieces, significantly more depth, or a full blonde-to-brunette transformation — instead of solving every request with "add lowlights."
Stop reinventing your placement every appointment.
Find the before-and-after closest to your client's goal. Pull up the placement. Follow the head sheet. Customize where needed. And do the damn hair.
You need the Going Darker Blueprint if…
- Your stomach drops a little when your blonde says "I want to go brunette."
- You add lowlights without a clear plan for where they're going.
- You've accidentally made someone darker than either of you intended.
- You struggle with how much blonde to leave out.
- You know how to formulate a lowlight but overthink where to put it.
- You're afraid of losing the brightness you worked so hard to create.
- You save brunette inspo all day but aren't sure how to translate it into a placement.
Or you simply want someone to hand you a f*cking headsheet so you can stop thinking about it. 😂
You don't need another complicated placement. You need one you can actually remember and use.
I don't want you behind the chair inventing a brand-new sectioning pattern because your blonde decided she wants to be brunette for fall.
I want you to look at her starting point. Look at her goal. Flip through your Blueprint. Find the result that's closest. And have a plan — where you're adding depth, where you're keeping brightness, how much impact you're creating, and exactly where those foils are going.
Placement doesn't need to be the part you overthink.
xoxox, Carly
The October Bundle
Want all three?
Get The Blueprint: Going Darker Edition, The Break Room Bible and The Pre-Game Playbook together for $120 (instead of $144).
She wants to go darker. You don't need to panic. You need a plan.
Choose the result. Find the placement. Follow the map. Add the depth.
Keep the damn brightness.