Why it works: "Platinum is a very strong, glam color and not everyone can pull it off," says John. He thinks it works for these women because of their skin tone and/or fashion sense.
"I think it looks best on cooler skin tones (pink or peachy) -- not ashy or gold. If you are too tan it usually looks trashy," says John. Cunningham agrees that a buttery, pale skin tone can usually pull off this look best (however, it can occasionally work on someone with an olive skin tone like Gwen Stefani, but that might be due to her rocker persona). If you're fair, but have naturally dark hair, keep in mind that it will require a bit more work, time and money to go from dark to super blonde. Then you've got to maintain it -- the darker your natural hair color is, the more of a contrast your roots will be when your hair grows (unless, of course, you're going for a punk look).
How to get the best platinum/solid blonde hue:
To achieve this color, you pretty much always have to use bleach and toner, says John. "Your hair has to be strong enough to handle the chemicals and your pocket book has to be deep enough because you will need to have the process done pretty frequently." Before going solid blonde, Cunningham recommends putting on a platinum wig -- you might realize that you miss having some of your natural hair color shine through. And if you do decide to take the platinum plunge, she says it's best to bring in a photograph of what exactly you want and ask your stylist to condition your hair between every step of the color process to protect it.
Photo 4/15
Celebs with the best light blonde highlights:
Cameron Diaz
Reese Witherspoon
Ali Larter
Why it works:
"The beauty of their hair is that even though they are light blonde, their hair still looks healthy and shiny. Light blonde hair can tend to look over processed and has a damaged, dull, ashy tone to it if it isn't lightened carefully. On the other end, some hair, if too warm or gold, can clash with skin tones and look brassy," says John.
If your base color has golden, warmer tones to it and your natural hair color is no darker than dark blonde (i.e. when you were a child you were a blonde), says John, you can pull off this look.
How to get the best light blonde highlights:
The experts recommend that you get highlights done at the salon since they take more skill, and since most are done with bleach or high-lift color formulas, they can be damaging if they are over used or left on for too long. Ask your colorist to "use different tones and colors in the highlights and occasionally add lowlights to balance the color and to make the hair appear natural and healthy," says John. And the darker your natural hair color is, the finer the highlights should be, advises Cunningham.
Photo 6/15
Celebs with the best medium blonde highlights:
Drew Barrymore
Sheryl Crow
Jennifer Aniston
Why it works:
"Their natural color is a little darker and they don't try to stray too far away from that," says John. This blonde color works well for them because it pulls out the pink tones in their skin and makes it radiant and "their hair is a little longer, allowing the highlights to look natural and beautiful," says Cunningham.
Let's face it, we look to the stars (not the celestial objects) to find out what the "it" haircut is, what hairstyles are in vogue and what hair colors we must try. And though we may not have the funds or the resources celebs do, we can (and do) use them as our well of hair inspiration.
So say you covet Gwyneth Paltrow's blonde lob or Kate Beckinsale's brunette waves or Julianne Moore's red, straight hair, how can you translate their gorgeous color into a hue that looks great on your head? And how do you know if you can pull off their color? Lucky for you, celebrity hair colorists David John and Tracey Cunningham are here to tell us who they think are the best blondes, brunettes, redheads and raven-haired ladies in Hollywood, why it works on them, and if their shade would look right on your skin tone. Plus, they share advice on how to ask your colorist for the celeb hair color you covet, or how you can re-create it using an at-home formula.
If you decide to get your gorgeous color from a box, check out these key at-home hair coloring tips:
Tip 1: When choosing a color from a box, go for a hue one shade lighter than you think, but don't go more than two shades lighter or darker than your current tone. Tip 2: If you still need help finding the right shade, most hair color companies offer online guides. L'Oreal Paris has a tool that walks you through the decision-making process and Clairol has a "try it on" feature that allows you to see yourself in a variety of different hair colors. Tip 3: Semi-permanent hair color is a great option for color commitment-phobes, but just know that you can only go darker or blend grays -- you can't lift or go lighter with it.
Tip 4: To keep hair healthy, apply color to unwashed hair. The natural oils work to protect your hair from any damaging product. Tip 5: There is a specified time for leaving the dye on your hair for a reason. Obey it or you could end up with two-toned strands. Tips 6: Captain obvious here: use color-safe hair care products to protect your freshly-dyed hair color. Don't have one you like? Check out these top-rated color-protecting shampoos
and color-protecting conditioners.
