Christina Fuser — Refinery29's Senior Product Manager — loves her hair. She'd go as far as to say that her naturally bouncy, brunette curls are her single-favorite feature, but now, she's feeling ready for a lighter, brighter change.

"I'm going through a phase of transformation," she tells R29. "I'm meeting new friends, learning a new language, trying new things. I'm trying to be open to things I previously wouldn't consider, so if there was ever a time to try a hair transformation — from brunette to very bright blonde — it would be now."

For this episode of Hair Me Out, Fuser headed to NYC's trendy Spoke & Weal salon in SoHo, where colorist Haley Parker lightened her long brown hair with a blonde balayage treatment. The inspiration for the color was actress Emma Roberts, who recently colored her hair a rooted 'boho blonde' color. The look is very light through the shafts and ends, but maintains some of the natural darkness at the roots for dimension.

Parker re-created the color using a two-step process. First, she painted the hair with a blonde bleach, then she let it set under aluminum foil. After rinsing and toning, Fuser was given a boho braid by Spoke & Weal hairstylist D'Angelo Alston to really play up the new blonde color.

The end result is more than what Fuser was expecting. "It looks like I've been living on a beach for six years and never cut my hair," she says, running her fingers through her loose, long waves. "I love that it's a very natural highlight — not fake-looking at all. It feels different, in the best way, and it's exactly the kind of change I was looking for."

Press play to see Fuser's complete transformation.