Forget beach blonde; the likes of Jennifer Lawrence and Poppy Delevingne are tempting us towards a white winter
Gwen Stefani’s been maintaining hers for decades (kudos), and of late similarly brilliant women are following in her icy cool, flaxen footsteps. In a refreshing reversal of the usual warm and cosy tones for winter, many women in the public eye are lightening up as the mercury drops. Kim Kardashian may have kicked off something of a snowy hued hair flurry when she bleached hers back in February, but the fact that we’re seeing something of a white out on movie sets, red carpets, billboards and pavements as the weather caves in makes us think that one winter, or one woman, just wasn’t enough exposure for the ‘fair as can be’ hair trend.
As such salons are quickly catching on to the increasing prevalence of platinum blonde, with Charles Worthington London even developing a service specifically to help you get there. The White Heat colour service marries ‘smudgy roots with pearly white lengths, to light up your face and give a raw freshness going into winter’. Marc Trinder, Charles Worthington’s Art Director, reminds us that becoming a crisp, cool blonde by the bottle entails serious dedication to the cause:
“It’s not a simple process and a strand of hair is like a timeline of colour, requiring different technical application for an even finish. If you’re going for such a change, you should firstly think about the commitment, as you will need to go back to the salon every 4-6 weeks to blend in your roots and ensure a uniform tone throughout.”
Marc recommends doing a bit of ‘before and after’ prep to ensure that champagne blonde looks its best:
“Try on wigs to make sure you feel comfortable and confident as a blonde. Also invest in the right aftercare to both nourish and prolong the vibrancy of your new colour.”
According to a survey of 3000 UK blonde women aged 18-60 by OnePoll on behalf of L’Oréal Professionnel in July this year, the average blonde woman goes to the salon four times a year to have their hair coloured, with one in 20 visiting ten times or more per year. If you’re keen to go platinum à la Rita Ora, Lara Stone, Jennifer or Poppy (29% of women admitted to being influenced by celebrities when choosing their preferred blonde shade), you’re likely to fall into the second group. That being said, 85% of women surveyed reported that salon trips were worth the time and cost involved for the perfect looks they afforded, and ‘standing out in the crowd’ was listed as the second most popular reason for dying hair blonde in the first place. White hot hair will certainly help on that front. Incidentally, you may actually end up fitting in if you live in East Anglia, where 20% of women described platinum blonde as their favourite look.
If you’re tempted to turn up the heat so to speak, get a good assessment both of how it will suit your skintone, and whether or not the condition of your hair is up to it (if it’s dry and damaged in the first place, bleach could make it snap off the roots if you’re not careful). Go slow, go pro by enlisting the experts and consider combining your colour with an Olaplex treatment to preserve your hair’s health and lustre, and possibly allow you to go lighter than you otherwise may have been able to. A word of warning too: once you’ve gone full on Snow Queen, you may find that you have to mix up your makeup a bit, or even wear a touch more to make your features stand out against your new colour. That’s all part of the fun though.
White Heat, from £75 at Charles Worthington Salons , 0207 831 5303
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