You’ve probably already noticed this season’s biggest hair trend. From Cara Delevingne and Kristen Stewart’s rebellious buzz-cuts to Zoe Kravitz's crop or Karlie Kloss’s shoulder-skimming waves, a whole host of style icons are lightening up and embracing the peroxide bottle.
Ok, so it’s a trend that never really went away – an icy-white hair colour has always been popular. But the breakage and damage associated with such heavy bleaching has been enough to put a lot of us off, until now. Thankfully, today’s most innovative salons are offering a host of new treatments and techniques to help you achieve icy platinum blonde, minus the frazzled ends.
Sam Burnett, Owner and Creative Director at Hare and Bone, recommends Goldwell Bond Pro Plus. “It’s a new colour product for lightening hair that actually strengthens the hair fibre and prevents breakage; it’s really pushing the boundaries of bleaching and toning services. It’s applied to the hair in the colour application process” he explains.
Over at Neville Hair and Beauty, L’Oreal Professionnel Smartbond is the treatment to ask for. Again used as an additive in colour, this formula allows for the hair to lift to a lighter, cleaner shade without compromising on hair health. What’s more, the salon’s forthcoming Power Bar – set for an October launch – is based on the salon’s ethos that prevention is better than cure, offering a customisable three-step treatment to keep coloured hair in optimum condition.
Another great hair-saver can be found at blow-dry hotspot DryBy. Combining natural ingredients with facial-inspired technology, the Onira Organics Me Time treatment is ideal as a precursor to colouring. A steamer is used to deeply infuse a custom cocktail of serum and mask into the hair fibres which allows previously suffocated hair strands - with a chemical shield around them - to become more penetrable and therefore more susceptible to take on colour and bleach.
Redken’s newest hair innovation claims to be able to erase up to a year of surface damage from unsaintly hair abuse. Available in all Redken salons, Heatcure involves soaking the hair in a vitamin-rich solution before ironing it with a specially developed straightener, allowing the formula to penetrate right to the core. The results last up to 10 washes, and there’s also a self-heating at-home mask for extra conditioning.
So now that ice-white hue is within your sights, here are the secrets you need to know to keep it shining and, you know, attached to your head…
Watch the washing
The more you wash your hair, the quicker the tone will wash out. However, as bleached hair has a more porous texture, it shouldn’t become greasy as quickly, meaning you can get away with stretching each wash for another day or two. And as for those tricky in-between days, there’s always dry shampoo. Philip Kingsley’s One More Day, £16, available at Look Fantastic contains Zinc PCA and Allantoin to dissolve dirt and oil without upsetting the balance of the scalp.
Hold the sulphates
“Sulphates are one of the biggest culprits when it comes to colour fade because they strip colour. To combat this, look for sulphate-free products to keep the colour looking fresh in-between salon visits” says Burnett. His collection of choice is KMS Colour Vitality Blonde, £28.50, available at Look Fantastic which uses a gentle AHA complex to renew and refresh. “If your colour starts to become brassy, use purple or silver products to maintain an icy blonde” he suggests. Try Maria Nila’s Sheer Silver collection for a richly nourishing – and Leaping Bunny-certified - option, using the Colour Refresh mask to neutralise unwanted tones in-between salon visits. And for a shot of reflective shine, apply Rita Hazan’s Ultimate Shine Gloss in Breaking Brass, £21, available at Selfridges after shampoo and before conditioner.
Keep it cool
“At-home care is just as important as your in-salon service. Every step of your haircare routine affects the health of your hair. It begins at the prepping stage right through to your styling tools and products” explains Burnett. “Minimise damage from heat and styling tools by lowering the temperature - the optimum is 185 degrees. Try and blow-dry your hair on the medium setting where possible as this is much kinder on the hair, and always direct the air flow down the hair shaft so as to not disturb the hair follicle.”
The T3 Featherweight Luxe 2i Dryer, £195, available at Space NK is perfect for anyone who needs to blow-dry their hair frequently. It uses patented tourmaline technology to speed up the drying process without drawing moisture out from the hair. And if you simply can’t tear yourself away from the straighteners, look for a pair with an adjustable heat setting – Cloud Nine’s Original Iron, £139, has six heat variations.
Re-think your conditioner
The best new conditioners don’t just gloss over hair damage caused by bleaching, but actively work to restore and repair from within the fibre. Look for deeply hydrating ingredients such as avocado and coconut oil – found in Rossano Ferretti’s luxurious Vita mask, £62, available at Selfridges – as well as jojoba and monoi oils, which are key in Windle & Moodie’s new Ultra conditioner, £25, available at Space NK.
Protein-based formulas are also ideal for repairing damaged hair fibres. The hair fibre is held together by disulphide bonds, which can become broken by repeated bleaching. My Hair Doctor ’s Keraplex Instant Repair treatment (launching later this month) uses a specially formulated Keramimic, which matches the hair’s natural proteins to reform the broken bonds, while Olaplex’s game-changing Hair Perfector No.3, £32, available at Look Fantastic uses a Bond Multiplying System to rebuild and strengthen the core follicle.
Repair while you sleep
Making simple changes to your night-time routine can have a significant effect on the condition of your hair. Silke London’s Hair Wrap, £45, available at Cult Beauty has become an instant classic – it’s essentially a pure silk turban that keeps your style intact and stops abrasion from your pillowcase when you’re tossing and turning. It’s also brilliant for keeping your hair out of the sun on holiday. For the already converted, try the brand’s new scrunchie-style hair ties, £21, available at Cult Beauty which prevent kinks and snags from traditional ties.
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