Tyra Collette was the ultimate blonde bombshell on Friday Night Lights. So when Adrianne Palicki, the actress who played her, visited the Allure office last week, we were surprised to see her with long, auburn locks—and even more surprised that we weren’t jonesing for her to go back to blonde. The girl couldn’t go wrong even if she had blue hair; after all, she is stunning. But the auburn looks great with her skin and just feels fresh. (You can check out Palicki with the look when her new show, Lone Star, starts on Fox on September 20.)

If you want to make a drastic color change yourself, keep these tips in mind:

The key is to do it in stages. You’ll end up with a better color result and hair that’s less fried. Colorists advise not going more than two shades lighter in base color and four or five in highlights at one time. If you’re a brunette who wants to be a blonde, it usually takes anywhere from four to six sessions. (Trust me—I tried to do it in a day and ended up strawberry-blonde.)

Red hair dye fades faster than blonde or brown—so you have to be extra-vigilant in protecting it from sun and water damage. Use a spray that contains UV filters when you’re at the beach (try Redken Color Extend Sun Solar Screen SPF 12), and in the shower, try to keep your head away from the water spout when you’re not shampooing or conditioning.

Stock up on a good hair mask. A big color change will leave your hair a little drier and frizzier, but a weekly treatment that contains keratin or shea butter will help restore its softness. (Try Alberto VO5 Hot Oil Weekly Intense Conditioning Treatment or Fekkai Shea Butter Hair Mask.)

From Allure