A quick Insta-search of the cool-girl hair colour trends this season? ‘Sci-fi blonde’ and ‘vanilla ice’ will most certainly come out on top. Platinum blonde has enjoyed a major high for SS17, with everyone from J.Law to Kristen Stewart trading in their natural hues for a white-hot revamp Veronica Lake-style. But for those who are not quite ready to experiment with bleached buzz cuts and OTT peroxide play, do not fear. There’s a slew of hot blonde hair trends to try this summer.
Senior Creative Colourist, Francesca Dixon from Hari’s Hairdressers gives us the low-down on the new blanched squad...
Halo Balayage
What is it? "Face framing and flattering, this trend really brightens up the front sections of your hair, and like the name creates the illusion of a “Halo”.
How to achieve the look? “Place bright baby lights around the hairline to frame your face and give it a brighter, overall effect. The trend is really easy to maintain as there is no upkeep, simply book in for a top up of baby lights when you feel that you need a refresh - usually this will be every other salon visit, but depends on how fast your hair grows out.
Who would this suit? "This trend is perfect for those who love Balayage and want to lighten and lift the hair which surrounds their faces but don’t want to commit to the upkeep of highlights!"
Hair pin-ups... J.Lo, Jessica Alba, Mary-Kate Olsen and Gisele Bündchen.
Golden Girl
What is it? “If the bright white blonde isn’t for you then Sun Kissed Golden Blonde will be. This Summer we’re seeing the majority of our clients wanting to go brighter, but it’s either Bright White or Sun Kissed - no in-between.”
How to achieve the look? “Full head of highlights? Or a natural sun kissed balayage? Whatever golden hue you opt for, ensure that it's 100% clarified with your hairdresser before any colour or treatment is applied. This essential tip ensures that you won’t walk out with orange hair - as your version of gold and someone else’s version of gold could be completely different.”
Who would this suit? “People with a pink undertone in their skin as the golden and pink hues perfectly balance each other out, allowing the golden tones to lift your natural complexion and leave you glowing! It is also the most low maintenance blonde trend and doesn’t need much TLC.”
Top tip? “If you're heading on holiday, remember to use sun protection in your hair whilst sunbathing as otherwise you may go blonder than you originally wanted - taking you from Golden to White. If this does happen, don’t despair simply pop in for a 5 minute toner refresh!"
Hair pin-ups... Gigi Hadid, Blake Lively and Rosie Huntington Whitely.
Crystal Maze Blonde
What is it? “Clean, crisp white blonde is the colour of summer, and with this trend it's all about the hair journey, as depending on what your base colour is it can take up two to three sessions to achieve the perfect hue. If the hair base is natural / virgin hair it should lift and lighten in one session, and may just need a little toner to eliminate any naturally exposed yellow tones.”
How to achieve it? “If hair is already coloured blonde but the colour is dull and not as vivid as it should be (for example, if you've been on holiday the colour can appear muddy from the chlorine) then we will add a gentle cleansing shampoo to lift off any unnecessary tones before refreshing and brightening the colour with bright, clean and white highlights.”
How to maintain the look? “ I recommend using a silver shampoo once every two weeks to keep the colour from going yellow or brassy. You can also pop in for a quick toner treatment in-between treatment bookings - simple book in 15 minutes ahead of a blow-dry and we’ll apply the toner during your backwash once shampooed.”
Hair pin-ups... Poppy Delevingne, Jennifer Lawrence, Rita Ora, Margot Robbie.
Root Smudges
What is it? "Root Smudges is a tint colour, applied to the roots on wet hair! It can take one – five minutes depending on what colour has been chosen and the hair base colour. A root smudge lifts the natural hair either a quarter of a shade or half a shade depending on what look you’re wanting to achieve.”
How to achieve the look? “It’s more of a blending technique, so it is great on people with a dark base who have bright highlights as it blends the hair rather than it looking two toned and stripy.”
Who would it suit? “It’s great for a quick fix to tie you over in-between appointments as it helps break the base colour up, making roots less noticeable. Root Smudges are very natural so you shouldn’t even be able to tell whether the tint is too dark or the natural shade as it is designed to lift colour quarter - half a shade lighter.”
Hair pin-ups... Chrissy Tiegen, Suki Waterhouse and Karlie Kloss.
Hi-Lo Hair
What is it? “Chunky highlights are without a doubt making a comeback! Not those thick, zebra stripe highlights but elegant, stylish and right on trend. Think the Balayage technique painted chunkier, then lightly blended into an Ombre.”
How to achieve the look? “This is great technique which can be used to blend out colours from a bad chunky highlight or visible roots, as the balayage gives it an overall elusion that you have removed the “stripes” as you can’t see any lines. It also gives the ability to break up the base and give an overall lighter effect, without looking stripy or over coloured.”
Who would it suit? “This trend is great on all hair lengths, but better for people with thicker hair rather than fine strands."
Hair pin-ups... Khloe Kardashian, Jessica Hart and Michelle Williams.
Most importantly, in the words of Elle Woods ‘the rules of hair care are simple and finite’, you need to nourish your new blonde…
“I always recommend the L’Oréal Professionnel Smartbond treatment to be added into any colour,” Francesca says. “It helps smooth the cuticle and rebuilds the bond from the inside out and can be added into your colour treatment." Francesca recommends Pureology's Perfect Platinum range: “They have a great leave in conditioner which is great to help to maintain colour over the summer.” For those who want to correct any brassy, yellow tones, silver shampoo is always a good shout, like Kérastase’s Reflection Touche Chromatique Cool Blond & Fondant Chromatique.
READ MORE: The Hottest Hair Colour Trends For Spring / Summer '17