Growing up in a traditional Asian-American family, Nicole wasn't allowed to experiment with her hair, meaning hair dye was definitely out of the question. But in this episode of Hair Me Out, 22-year-old Nicole finally takes her hair color into her own hands — or, rather, the trusted hands of Los Angeles-based colorist Kazumi, who takes Nicole's mid-length virgin brunette hair to the Gwen Stefani-inspired icy blonde she's always dreamed of.

"I've never been able to do anything fun with [my hair], because Asian moms are strict about hair color," Nicole says. "I'm really nervous about dyeing my hair because I definitely don't want to ruin it, and also, my mom's going to kill me. But I've had the same hair for 22 years — my entire life. It's time to change it up."

Leaving her apprehensions behind, Nicole heads into the trendy Kazumi Salon in Beverly Hills, where she meets with the salon's lead colorist and founder, Kazumi herself. Nicole explains that she wants her hair "as blonde as possible," but as anyone who's dyed their hair knows, it's no easy feat to bring borderline-black hair to bright white in a single appointment.

Kazumi is up for the task, and she starts by painting small sections of Nicole's hair with the peroxide solution, then wrapping them up in foil. After the color has processed, Kazumi removes the foils to release Nicole's now-blonde hair before hitting it with a second round of bleach right at the roots, and anywhere else that hadn't fully lightened.

Following the second round of foils, Nicole's hair is conditioned, toned, and rinsed for the final time before getting blown out and styled (yes, it's a process). In the end, she's beyond pumped. "I can't imagine it looking any better," Nicole says, running her fingers through her fresh blonde ends. "I am in absolute awe. It feels so good and still has so much body — I couldn't be happier." All that's left to do is for Nicole to get out there and test the theory: Do blondes really have more fun?