Possibly the most covetable hair colour there is, blonde hair is considered to be young, sexy and fun. But going blonde can be tricky – green hair anyone? So to avoid a hair disaster, we asked the experts what’s the best way to go blonde.
How do I know if blonde hair will suit me?
Ellie Talbort, Technical Colour Director of John Carne hairdressing in London, says, “You need to think about your skin tone before you decide on your shade of blonde. Not everyone can pull off bright, bleached blonde hair hair, especially if you have dark or olive skin and dark eye brows. As a general rule, if you go more than six shades lighter you could end up with damaged hair and it will need a lot of maintenance.” Being prepared to maintain blonde hair hair is something that many hairdressers stress, “It’s important to consider what you can afford to commit to long-term before you hit the blonde bottle. Being a fabulous platinum blonde is fantastic, but not if you have a dark base colour and haven’t got the time to have your roots re-touched once a fortnight,” says Nicola Clarke, Creative Colour Director for John Frieda.
Once I’ve made the decision, how do I actually go blonde?
“Start with highlights,” says Ellie. “Even if you’re already blonde but you want to go lighter, adding a few highlights will look more natural and help you to decide what sort of blonde hair shade you want to aim for.”
What if my hair is already coloured?
“It’s still possible to go blonde, but you need to tell your colourist exactly what you’ve done previously to your hair,” says Ellie. “Ideally, if you’re seeing your colourist regularly then she’ll know what you’ve had done to your hair previously, but if you’re going to see someone new, then they won’t know. Sometimes with a new client I’ll ask them if they’ve coloured their hair and they’ll say, no, but then I ask them if they’ve used henna and they’ll say, yes, because it’s easy to forget that henna is still hair colour and will affect how a colourist treats your hair.”
If I’m really dark can I go blonde?
Yes, but as mentioned above, you need to think about your skin tone, your natural colouring and how prepared you are to maintain your blonde hair. And you need to think about what you’re going to do when/if you want to go back to dark hair, as this has to be done by your colourist as you could end up with murky, khaki coloured hair if you try it yourself at home.
What’s the worst that can happen?
“Most of the hair disasters that people ask me for help with are when they’ve tried to go blonde themselves at home,” says Ellie. “I often have to correct people who have gone a funny shade of orange, or their hair has gone patchy, or they’ve tried to go back to their original, brunette shade after having blonde hair. But the good news is that it is always correctable; there’s always something I can do to restore their hair to its former glory.”
How do I find a good colourist?
“Personal recommendation is always good, so if a friend has hair you envy, ask her where she gets it done and who by,” says Ellie. “Another trick is to look at the hairstylists in your local salon, they tend to do each other’s hair, so whoever has really great hair ask her which of her colleagues did it, then you’ll know which colourist is good and which one to avoid.”
How should you look after blonde hair?
Karine Jackson, organic hair colour specialist says, “blonde hair needs to be cared for properly or it’ll go brassy. Wash your hair at least once a week with a shampoo for blondes, and look out for blue or purple tinted shampoos and treatments, they’re great for counteracting any brassiness or yellowing.”
What are the best products for blonde hair?
Here’s what we love our locks with when we’re blonde:
Best celebrity blondes
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