How do you know when blonde works for you?
If it worked on brunettes like Beyoncé, Rihanna, Jessica Biel and Sofia Vergara, then it should work on you, right?
Uh, not necessarily.
I learned this the hard way. At a visit to the salon to get my “summer lewk,” as the kids say, I told the stylist I was open to going lighter. (Side note: Stylists are like therapists. Until you find the perfect one, they are more likely to leave you feeling more confused and mentally unstable after an appointment.)
This stylist encouraged my summer transition and proceeded to lighten my base then painstakingly painted on highlights. When she was finished, I glanced at my reflection in dismay.
I was blonde. And not in a good way. I looked washed out and also slightly cheesy. Like I had attempted to make over myself after a failed marriage and only ended up appearing more pathetic.
The minute I exited the salon, I ran into my friend Janina Dizon-Hoschka who exclaimed, “Are you trying to look like a Kardashian?” I almost fell into her arms, weeping, “No, never!”
It’s about skin tone
So the first lesson: Technically everyone can go blonde. But it depends on your coloring.
“Yellow skin must go for warmer blondes like gold or honey ash blondes,” Alex Carbonell of Studio Fix says. “Dark bronze skin looks good with extralight ash blonde. And pale skin can definitely wear any type of blonde shade.”
“Another technical issue is you must determine the natural remaining pigment in your hair to achieve your desired result,” adds Carbonell. “For example, silver gray hair must be pre-lightened up to palest yellow. You cannot achieve a cool tone on a warm base.”
Balayage still popular
“The Balayage highlighting technique is still trending,” says Jing Monis.
Balayage is the French technique of painting on lighter streaks to achieve a softer, more natural look—akin to children’s hair after a summer at the beach. The term Balayage, meaning “to sweep,” is less fuss-free, requiring minimal maintenance and has no awkward regrowth phase.
Many confuse the technique with ombre, which is a color-blocking style, while Balayage refers to the technique or style of application.
Gold
Lourd Ramos swears by a new style called “Goldas,” a coloring technique with gradations of color. “It’s hot and cool colors together,” Ramos says. “Imagine honeycomb and ash combined.”
Goldas creates more depth and volume, as opposed to traditional styles which require you to choose among warm, neutral or cool. “And, even better,” he adds, “it lasts at least three months.”
Tortoise
Unlike ombre which is a choppy, distinct delineation between light and dark, this technique is called ecaille or tortoiseshell color. “It’s where we cascade blonde tones from dark roots to medium light shaft to very light blonde ends for a very dimensional effect,” says Carbonell. The style can register as dramatic or somber depending on the degree of blondness.
Before you go blonde
“Never shampoo hair before a salon visit if you will prelighten hair. Natural oils will protect your scalp,” says Carbonell. “Never prelighten if hair has been sensitized with rebonding or straightening chemicals.”
Treatments are essential to maintaining the integrity of the hair. “If the hair is porous, we recommend treatments like Olaplex which strengthens and brings back the elasticity of the hair. Once the hair texture is ready, we can do the procedure to achieve the blonde hair peg,” says Monis.
Work with experts
Since that first attempt to go blond, I’ve fine-tuned my attempts and tried other stylists, including Ramos and Carbonell, who were able to tone down the bright shade and bring it to a more naturalistic ashy hue.
Finding the perfect fit, like the perfect bra, takes some trial and error, but working with experts in the field lessens the room for error.
“My personal rule,” says Carbonell, “is ‘Don’t go blonde if it will make you look sick.’”