How to go blonde for every skin tone

If you’ve been thinking of going blonde, but aren’t sure where to start, you’ve come to the right place.

Recently, Schwarzkopf Professional International Colour Ambassador and Creative Director at The Assembly, took comedian Celeste Barber (who you may recognise from her hilarious celebrity parodies on Instagram) from a classic brunette to ‘born with it’ blonde. 

Source: @celestebarber

Here, he shares his tips on how any skin tone can undergo a similar transformation, without any regret. 

It’s all part of Schwarzkopf Professional’s very first National BLONDME Week – question is, are you game enough?

Can every skin tone really go blonde?

If you’ve never been blonde before, the idea can be quite daunting. But if your concern is that your skin tone won’t suit lighter highlights, Matt thinks it’s a non-issue.  “Every skin tone can go blonde. What matters more is how much blonde is used and the condition of the hair.”

Matt also thinks your haircut plays a big role in how light you should go. “Blunt cuts with texture and regrowth look great with really light, bleached hair.” On the other hand, he says if you like to wear your hair long and beachy, softer hues like honey blonde and caramel blonde look best.

How to go blonde without ruining your hair

To maintain your hair’s integrity, Matt stresses that you must consult a professional – never try dying your hair blonde at home. “Book in with a professional and bring photos of what you like.” 

Once you’re booked in with a colourist you trust, Matt suggests using a hair strengthening treatment in the weeks leading up to your colouring. This will prep your hair and help keep it healthy throughout the taxing dye process. 

How to protect your new blonde colour

Once you’ve achieved the blonde bombshell ‘do you’ve always dreamed of, there are a few things you should be doing at home on a regular basis to keep the colour bright and prevent damage and breakage.

 “Use blonde specific products twice a week,” says Matt, who recommends the Schwarzkopf BLONDME Bond Services home care range. (bh also loves:Fudge Clean Blonde Shampoo and muk Haircare Toning Shampoo to keep brassiness at bay).

He also suggests limiting heat on your hair, whether that’s heat-styling less frequently or turning down the heat on your tools. And for on-going treatment, Matt says the BLONDME Keratin Restore Bonding Mask is a saviour for bottle-blondes and should be used weekly. You can find more of our favourite overnight hair treatments here. /hair/hair-treatments-masks/best-overnight-hair-mask-treatment/redken 

Find the right shade of blonde for you:

Now that you’ve got all the tips you need for going blonde, here’s Matt’s quick guide for choosing the right shade of blonde for your skin tone.

Fair: Warm your complexion up with sandy tones and rich creamy hues.

Light: Go for a multi-dimensional dye-job using caramel and honey tones that are softer on the skin.

Tan: Choose a nude-coloured base and add accents of both warm and light tones throughout.

Medium: Haircut is more important for medium and dark skin tones. The contrast between deeper skin tones and blonde is striking enough that most shades of blonde are flattering.

Dark: As with medium skin tones, dark skin tones suit all different shades of blonde. Matt emphasises that regrowth looks particularly chic and edgy with this contrast.

Have you ever been blonde/would you consider going blonde?