BEAUTY

Calling All Blondes: This Is The Haircare Step You Need To Know About

How to make your colour last longer

Ask anyone you like: from Kim Kardashian to Karlie Kloss, Jesinta Franklin to Emma Stone, ice-white blonde is having a major moment. Even Selena Gomez flirted with creamy platinum for a hot second.

But maintaining your blonde is no easy task – at least, it didn’t use to be. Whether you’re dabbling in the platinum trend, have creamy highlights or even caramel balayage brightening your natural brunette, these are the haircare tricks you need to keep your colour looking radiant for as long as possible. 

The one (make that two) products you need

Every bottle blonde should have purple (sometimes called violet) shampoo and conditioner in their shower, no excuses. Just like your hairdresser’s toner refreshes your hair between dye jobs, purple shampoo keeps your colour looking salon-fresh, bright and clean for longer. “If you use a purple-toned shampoo once a week your colour should look like you’ve just stepped out of the colourist’s chair,” says marie claire acting beauty director Sally Hunwick. 

How purple shampoo works

Somewhat bizarrely, the violet pigments work to counteract the yellow tones blonde hair can tend towards. Take the new TONI&GUY Purple Shampoo and Conditioner For Blonde Hair, which is enriched with violet dye to neutralise any brassiness in your strands.  This is particularly essential if you’re a platinum blonde, as the purple pigments fight warm tones to cool your colour and brighten bleached hair.

Why you’ll love it

Hands up who wants to look blonder for longer? Purple shampoo and conditioner make it possible, extending the life of your colour between appointments and helping to reduce colour fade, all without having to add a single extra step to your hair routine. Even brunettes can benefit from a bit of purple – use it to revitalise your highlights and dial down any unwanted warmth. 

What else you need

It’s the hard truth: blondes have to spend more time on hair maintenance (perhaps it’s payback for having more fun). “The bleach used to lighten blonde hair, whether that’s through balayage, highlights or all-over lightening, can strip your strands, leaving them porous and prone to breakage,” explains Sally. Invest in weekly hydrating masks to keep hair soft and silky, and consider combing through a hair oil before blow-drying to nourish and protect. It should go without saying, but always spritz on heat protector spray before using any hot tools – shiny hair is notoriously difficult to maintain as a blonde, and nothing equals dullness like heat damage.

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