From grey ombre balayage to pearlescent silver, we love a new hair colour trend. And if you're looking to update your blonde this summer, we've got just the thing for you. Enter 'Gourmand Blonde', the creamy update your blonde hair craves.
What is 'Gourmand Blonde'?
Think delicious shades of crème brûlée and creamy milkshake, to golden butterscotch tones and vibrant frosé tints— Gourmand Blonde encapsulates all the delicious dessert inspired shades of blonde going. Coined by founder of STIL Notting Hill and expert colourist, Christel Barron-Hough rounds up her favourite, most sought after shades, plus how to care for them below…
Crème Patissière Blonde
This bespoke blonde is blended with a mixture of crème patisserie hues, each brimming with shine and inspired by old school Hollywood glamour. The look is created by layering rich cream, soft gold and milky blonde hues to create a seamless dimension.
“We love using a ‘double weave painting technique’ as it allows us to create a super blonde effect by leaving very little natural hair in-between the foils”, says Christel.
Crème Brûlée Blonde
Crème Brûlée blonde is one of STIL’s all-time favourite colour creations for hand painted strands.
“This super sweet blonde is created by hand painting the length and ends with delicate strands of pale honey and golden honeycomb tones”, Christel reveals. To achieve a natural contrast, a soft root shadow is created with a darker blonde base, to enhance depth around the root area and provide contrast to the warmer blonde strands.
Frosé Blonde
It was apparently lockdown that inspired this fun-in-the-sun shade. Taking inspiration from clients who coloured their hair at home whilst salon doors were closed; this trending DIY technique is all about imperfection and working with the natural movement in the hair with hand painted blonde strands finished off and toned with a joyful rosé toner.
“Hand painting longer and shorter strands of the hair with a lighter blonde will create movement and irregular shape - but less is very much more with this look’, Christel advises.
Milkshake Blonde
This fresh, baby blonde vision combines light milkshake blonde tones with a super fine strand weave technique. The result – heavily influenced by the ‘90s - is proving a sought-after service at STIL this summer.
Christel explains; “we love this technique because as it creates an all-over, seamless blonde created with super fine highlighting weaves, which leaves very little natural hair colour in-between.”
Butterscotch Blonde
If you’re looking for a lighter switch up, butterscotch blonde is another tempting tone that looks great on darker, textured hair.
Christel says, “This freehand technique is all about creating delicate blends between light and dark, layering similar hues and depths from more depth on the root area to lighter hues through the ends. It’s perfect for wavy to curly hair as the soft, warmer hues will add shine and richness to the length”.
How to care for your blonde this summer and beyond…
Once you have achieved your gourmand hair goals, look to Christel’s expert tips and tricks for keeping your blonde colour cared for and looking fresh all year round:
Keep in the shade…
“Be careful with sun exposure as the sun will burn the hair and make it feel dry and dehydrated”, says Christel. “Wella’s System Professional Solar Sealing Cream, £22.90 is a daily protecting treatment that shields the hair from the sun and UV rays. It’s a leave-in treatment that is perfect to use before a day in the sun or on the beach.”
Protect and soothe...
“Don’t forget to protect your scalp from the sun as it will burn easily. Throw a hat on for ultimate protection but soothing sore sun burnt scalps with aloe vera is great,” she recommends.
Up your moisture…
“Hydrating your hair is so important as it will make blonde hair shiny, healthy and easy to comb through. weDo/ Professional’s Moisture & Shine Conditioner, £19.95 instantly detangles dehydrated blonde hair and treats it with activated rooibos extract, making it super soft, shiny and silky.”
Wash less…
"A simple, age-old tip; but it really works for when you want to keep the moisture in the hair naturally,” Christel insists. “Try to wash hair every other day or less to keep essential natural oils packed in.”
Oil up overnight…
“Coconut oil is rich in vitamin E which will repair the cuticle and make blonde hair super smooth. Any organic coconut oil is great – just smooth onto dry hair through the lengths and ends, leave on overnight and gently wash the hair in the morning to remove excess oil.”
How to care for your blonde
1 of 3Wella System Professional Solar Sealing Cream, £22.90
2 of 3weDo/ Professional’s Moisture & Shine Conditioner, £19.95
3 of 3Kopari Beauty Organic Coconut Melt, £12
UP NEXT: The 13 Best Hair Dryers As Recommended By A Hairdresser