Blonde for the summer? Let’s show you how.
Possibly one of the most timeless, statement and stylish hair colours for men; a head of platinum blonde hair can instantly add a fashionable flair to any getup – when done correctly, that is.
From Justin Bieber to Lucky Blue Smith, it seems like every man and his mother has ditched the mousy brown in favour of whiter-than-white platinum blonde locks in the past couple of years. While these sartorial superstars are lucky enough to have a troop of talented hair stylists at their disposal for anything from a mane makeover to a root touch-up; the most of us don’t have quite the same luxury.
That being said, this shouldn’t mean we can’t strut our silver-haired self around with just as much gusto as the aforementioned style mavens of the world. With this in mind, check out the complete PAUSE guide on how to get silver hair, how to maintain it, and a few styles you should consider before taking the leap.
How to Get Platinum Blonde Hair
For most of you reading this, the likelihood is you’re only in the early stages of considering the transformation from your current colour to the ethereal land of white blonde hair. Taking this into consideration, you’re probably wondering how you should go about the seismic shift from your current hair colour to the infamously difficult to achieve platinum blonde hair.
While many would swear by D.I.Y home jobs, and I’m not disagreeing with them, for your initial jaunt from your current colour to whatever shade of blonde you desire – I’d seriously recommend taking the professional route.
When putting together this guide, the award-winning HOB Salons reached out to us to offer some guidance alongside an opportunity for myself to come in and experience the transformation from dark brown to white blonde myself. Now, while I’m sure most salons out there could complete the transformation for you, I’ve never felt so confident leaving my hair in the capable hands of HOB’s own hairdresser to the stars, Sean Nolan.
With countless accolades, awards, an impressive portfolio, and a star-studded client book to match, it’s safe to say – Sean know’s what he’s doing. We had a quick consultation in HOB’s Baker St. branch and discussed everything my current haircare routine to my desired level of maintenance. I then showed Sean a few pictures to give him an idea of what I was looking for, (hairdressers generally prefer this as it leaves no room for misinterpretation) and away we went.
Needless to say, the results were perfect and I couldn’t have been happier. On completion we discussed upkeep instructions – from maintenance, to how I can achieve the ‘salon style’ look he’d created, leaving me fully prepared to care for my new lightened locks.
Now I’m well aware that there’s a multitude of options out there for going blonde at home yourself, and they most definitely would work out a cheaper than a salon treatment; but if you want that piece of mind, knowing that you’re going to walk out of there with the image you had in your head walking in, nothing beats getting it done professionally.
How to Get Platinum Blonde Hair at Home
As you might have guessed, going blonde at home is risky business. While I wouldn’t completely disagree with someone topping up their roots every now and then with a D.I.Y kit, the idea of going from a dark colour to a platinum blonde at home is borderline madness.
While it can be done, most over-the-counter box dyes simply won’t cut it. If you really insist on doing it yourself, be sure to visit salon services and get a few professional products that’ll give you a better chance of the lift you’re looking for. Once again, I don’t advise doing this unless you’re really clued up… and prepared to possibly lose a chunk of your hair while you’re at it.
How to Maintain Platinum Blonde Hair
So, you’ve reached your desired level of blonde – now it’s time to clue yourself up on how to maintain it. Being that bleached hair has actually just been stripped of all its pigment, it has a tendency to absorb any, and all, colour thrown its way. This, among other complications and intricacies, can come as quite the surprise to newfound blondies. Here are a few tips to remember:
- You should cut down your washes to twice weekly, this allows your natural oils to keep hair healthy and strong.
- Continued bleaching will take it’s toll so be sure to keep those ends trimmed.
- Condition condition condition – the more conditioners the better. Particularly Deep conditioners, they should be your new best friend.
- Toning products are essential to keeping any yellow tinges away, check out some great options below.
- Dry shampoo/talcum powder is a great root disguise to tie you over for the few days before you can get to the salon.
- Before swimming in the pool, apply deep conditioner – otherwise, you risk the dreaded green tinge.
- As mentioned, platinum hair will absorb any colour thrown its way. Avoid your yellow, oily leave in treatments like Argan or Moroccan oil.
Platinum Blonde Hair Products
To keep your new head-turning silver blonde tresses looking their best, you’ll need a selection of decent products at your disposal. We’ve done the hard work of weeding out some of the best options available to you.
Best Silver Shampoo
When it comes keeping your blonde barnet looking lovely and lustrous, whether from a bottle or natural; silver shampoo is your number one weapon. One of the best options on the market right now is Original Minerals Conquer Blonde, it’s colour pigment is super intense while also being incredibly kind to skin, making it ideal for those with scalp sensitivity.
Not quite as extravagant, but no less capable is OSMO’s Silvering Shampoo which comes in at a fraction of the price of O&M’s making it ideal for those who are unsure if their new blonde do’ will be a permanent change or not. For the days in-between, where your colour is spot on but you need to wash, KMS Colour Vitality Shampoo has no purple pigment, but will keep the tone of your hair safe and sound while adding vibrancy and UV protection – win!
Best Silver Conditioner
The 100% vegan, Swedish Maria Nila Sheer Silver Conditioner is, once again, perfect for those who are a little sensitive to stronger products but still want to maintain exceptionally radiant platinum hair, added bonus – it smells absolutely incredible. A more wallet-friendly option again would be OSMO’s Silverising Conditioner which will tone, strengthen and smooth hair without breaking the bank.
As with the shampoo’s, KMS Colour Vitality Conditioner is perfect for when you need to wash your newly white blonde hair and don’t want to add anymore pigment. If you’re one to wash hair more than twice weekly (which you shouldn’t be!), at least it’ll keep your colour safe without adding the pigment each and every time.
Best Silver Hair Toner
Another absolute life saver that’s essential for any blonde’s arsenal of products is a silver toner. Perfect for touching up in between salon visits, or if your lovely grey blonde hair is beginning to look a little yellow, Scott Cornwall’s Colour Restore is one of the handiest products I’ve used in a long time. Coming in an inconspicuous little tube, you can leave this wonder in for anything from 2 – 20mins deepening on what results you’re looking for, and boom – no more yellow.
Other alternatives such as OSMO Silverising Violet Mask or KMS Colour Vitality Blonde Treatment will banish the dreaded yellowish tones while also conditioning, strengthening and adding further protection to hair. Not quite as strong, pigment-wise, as the Scott Cornwall, but ideal for a once weekly mask treatment.
Other Useful Products
For those looking to really extend the time between salon visits (which can be expensive!), every single product that touches your hair should be either catered to blondes or specifically created to enhance and protect colour treated hair. Even your hairspray? Of course! Arbonne’s Pure Vibrance ColorLast Hairspray is a non-aerosol, colour protection hairspray that adds long-lasting hold and texture, while simultaneously protecting and strengthening your hair.
Now we come to the real wonder products; Pimps & Pinups Blow Tone Colour Refresh Spray is one of those magical must-have’s that, once you’ve discovered – you won’t ever be without. When applied to damp or wet hair, it’ll both tone and heat protection while your blow-drying. This has become one of my essential hair prep products since going blonde and I’d highly recommend to anyone who’s either going or gone, blonde – what a gem.
This might seem like a bit of an unusual one, but not only will work wonders for those in-between wash days, the white pigmentation (which is a nightmare for brunettes) will temporarily banish and yellow tones leaving you with fresh, voluminous and whiter-than-white hair!
Best Platinum Blonde Styling Products
Obviously how you style your blonde is completely up to you, however, product-wise; HOB Salon’s Sean Nolan informed me if a nifty little product combination that’ll leave your hair looking, texturally, quite natural. By mixing an oil based product with a clay, you’ll be left with frizz-free hair that’ll have both movement and holding power.
He advised using Alterna Bamboo Style Form Ultra-Hold Sculpting Clay, mixed with Alterna Bamboo Smooth Kendi Oil Dry Oil Mist which has been working wonders on my hair. The oil also adds a little nourishment to the hair preventing breakage and frizz while the clay adds further depth, texture and hold. I’ve also used LSB’s Disorder Matte Clay which works just as well for a little less.
TIP: Don’t overdo it on the oil, as mentioned previously it can add a yellow tone to hair if used excessively.
Men’s Blonde Hairstyles
Ok, so you know where you should be heading for your blonde transformation, what you should be picking up to keep you going afterwords but you’re not quite set on the style.
It’s important to consider how much maintenance you’re willing to put in, how much time you’ve got in the mornings and, of course, the type of hair you have before considering a style you’d like. Blonde men can look both edgy and cool, or chic and smart depending on the style, so your job should be taken into consideration when choosing also. Need a little inspiration? Check out some of our blonde men’s haircut ideas below.
Blonde Male Celebrities
A part of the reason we’re seeing so many guys go blonde in recent times is down to the massive influx of celebrities ditching their original shade for statement platinum blonde. With so many male celebrities opting for the fairer hair colours, the average guy will follow suit. Check out some of the cooler do’s we’ve seen from blonde male celebrities in recent years.
Conclusion
And there we have it! Your complete guide on how to go blonde, maintaining your blonde, the perfect products for your newfound hair and a few styling ideas. Any questions? Pop them in the comments below or on social media and we’ll do our best to get them answered!
If you’re still on the fence about whether it’s the right change for you, we’d advise you to go for it! If you don’t try, you’ll never know. And let’s not forget… blonde’s really do have more fun!
