Blonde Hair Color Ideas and Care Tips
Do blondes have more fun? We believe it’s all about your attitude and feeling good about how you look. If you think going blonde will make you feel good, there’s no better time than now to try going blonde because there are more options for blonde hair colors than ever.
Classic shades like platinum and honey are trending, and hues such as champagne and sunny blonde are hot as well — giving every skin tone an opportunity to lighten up their locks.
We spoke with StyleSeat hair color experts Susan Williams and Brian Andrew about going for bright, bold shades, as well as lower maintenance, lived-in looks. Whatever your blonde ambition might be, we’ve got the best ideas about the most requested looks of the moment and tips on how to care for blonde hair.
Book a Hair Color Consultation
First, it’s important to have a pre-appointment consultation, where the client and stylist can talk through – either in-person or virtually — expectations for the final look.
Williams likes to evaluate an individual’s lifestyle via a new client form, saying “It has you describe what’s your regular lifestyle, and do you wear [your hair] up or down a lot? Do you always exercise and shower and style it? Do you just let [your hair] air-dry? Do you put it up in a messy bun all the time?”
Andrew agrees, saying, “It’s always best to do a consultation because working with clients’ hair. If you don’t know what they’ve previously done to their hair, you need to see the hair in person.”
Blonde Pixie
“I do a lot of short, platinum pixies because I must say this is the first time in a long time that, doing ethnic hair and doing that high level blonde, we have a product that really works for us. I’m using Blonde Solutions,” explains Andrew about this glamorous look he created.
Teasy Blonde Lights
Teasy lights involve teasing the hair prior to applying color and then foils are used. Williams says, “This is an example of gently touched up teasy lights over four months grown-out balayage. Very natural looking, but brighter and blended!”
Platinum Blonde Pixie
Bright white hair is “trending a lot now where I see a lot of the clients and a lot of the new clients that I have, they like pixies,” says Andrew.
Natural-Looking Blonde Hair
Williams “brightened a little more around the face to enhance her natural look and not feel as gray.” She says, “This is also what it could look like if you want to try a little color without committing,” To get this blonde hair color, Williams recommends applying six to 10 “little baby foils” around the hairline so that “it kind of drapes down behind the ear.”
Maintaining Blonde Hair Takes Commitment
Blonde hair requires consistent maintenance, according to Andrew. “What I usually tell my clients when they first visit the salon is that I would like to see you for two rapid visits right after. We shampoo, we treat the hair,” he says. “When they’re going to bed at night, always keep the hair covered. Always have moisture inside the hair.”
Keep Your Blonde Hair Moisturized
“Moisture is one of the best [maintenance methods] for blondes, because blonde is a dry color and you must always add moisture to the hair,” says Andrew. Seal in moisture with an oil like shea butter, castor oil, or avocado oil.
“I always tell everybody with natural hair, coloring hair is a commitment,” adds Andrew, “You cannot say you’re going to get this color today and do not moisturize the hair.”
Go Blonde With Babylights
Willams says Babylights are a good way to take a step towards going blonde. “Every time I’ve done six foils on someone in the front, I call them face-framing foils, they come back and are like, ‘Oh, I just want to try a little more. Or maybe it’s going into summer. Let’s just do a little more.’”
Bolder, Blonde Balayage
This look is “two-thirds blonde with bolder balayage pieces, and her goal is a three to four months easy growth and touch-up with face-framing foils at her next appointment to become one-third blonde (more brunette than blonde),” says Williams. A partial balayage might be the right choice for her, requiring fewer touch-ups.
Short Hair Goes Blonde Easier
While most stylists agree, especially for natural hair, you need to be patient, shorter cuts can go bright fast, notes Andrew. “If the person has a really low haircut and you really don’t have anything to cut off, you can go straight into the platinum blonde, just like that,” he says.
Blonder Babylights
This “shorter bob with a blonder focus” Williams created will grow out softly. She explains, “I used Babylights for a softer grow out line.”
Treat Your Blonde At Home With Care
For fine hair, you’re going to want to be careful about the shampoo and conditioner you use, says Williams. “Be sure if you use something that’s really clarifying, or the pH is really strong to open the cuticle, then you’re going to be taking out too much of that color,” she explains.
The hair color professional also believes professional brands and color-specific shampoos and conditioners are much more effective in maintaining blonde hair color.
Williams says, “Someone told me an analogy; ‘If you bought a pair of Seven [for all Mankind] jeans, would you wash them with a bar of soap?’” Based on all of the expert advice we’ve learned here, our best guess is “no!”
