Every day there’s another celeb who makes the leap from the dark side to the light side, drastically changing their color and going platinum blond. We’ve seen Kylie Jenner, Taylor Swift and Jennifer Lawrence do it—and they all look fabulous with this lighter shade of pale.
You May Also Like: A New “Blonde Wand” Is Coming That Highlights Hair in Seconds
But going that blond isn’t exactly an easy process, nor is it gentle on your hair in the least bit. “Going platinum requires hair to be exposed to bleach for long periods of time, which is very damaging. Damage from bleach causes dry, brittle, inelastic hair that is prone to breakage and split ends,” says Kuen Rameson of GLOSS Moderne, a luxury hair care line.
But it’s not just bleach that’s involved in the process. The hair needs to be toned, too, in order to get it to that just right shade. All of that stress on the hair can cause breakage.
Before you go light, celebrity colorist Aura Friedman of the Sally Hershberger | Tim Rogers Salon, says to prep your hair by using bond-building products like B3 Brazilian Bond Builder, which allow your hair to maintain its integrity and stay strong throughout the coloring.
At home, you want to make sure you use plenty of conditioning treatments, masks and good shampoos. “You want to treat your hair very gently. I always tell clients to sleep on a silk pillow case, use cleansing creams like Hair Story New Wash ($40), coconut oil treatments, and oils like Jonathan Gale’s Replenish Hair Oil ($58).” As for clients who say their hair breaks after going platinum, which can be from the bleach itself or a barrage of heat and the sun, among other things, Rameson says the worst thing you can do is not use a daily protectant to protect against heat styling and environmental factors.
To keep your color looking fresh, Friedman says to try and have your color touched up every four to six weeks. You can also try and leave a little bit of your natural root color, which is very in right now, to skirt any breakage at the root.
