In fact, we totally get it if you’ve spent the last few months since salons have been back open just trying to get your existing colour back on track. Blonde hairin particular is likely to have taken a serious hit from salon closures.
After many moons of having to forgo appointments with our go-to colourists, it will come as no surprise that a whole bunch of us are ready to embrace a bolder hair colour for the season ahead. And no, that doesn’t have mean going for a clashing colours or rainbow hue.
Because the truth is, ice-cool blonde takes time to achieve. And we’re not talking a whole day in the salon, we’re talking months, if not years, of regular colour appointments and toning. “As a result of our post-Covid world, we’re seeing a surge in demand of salon customers requesting easier to manage colour – soft, tonal blonde such as champagne blondes, mushroom blondes and pastel rose golds,” says Tracy Hayes, Fudge Professional Global Brand Ambassador.
But now, as we head into autumn, it’s likely that the blonde-haired amongst us will been gearing up to book the second (or maybe even third) post-lockdown colour appointment. And now that we’re feeling a little more settled into our routine (and have a little more faith in the fact salons won’t just have to shut their doors for three months overnight), it’s time to go a little bolder.
Enter, Marilyn Blonde. Sitting somewhere between ‘Old Hollywood Blonde’ and ‘Atomic Blonde’, Marilyn Blonde is platinum, bright but a little bit ashy – just like Marilyn Monroe’s iconic colour – and it’s making one hell of a comeback.
It’s bold, sure, but it’s one of the most iconic hair colours of all time – a true bleach that flatters just about every style. Whether you want to go all out Hollywood glam with a bouncy blow-out or embrace something a little edgier by juxtaposing the colour with a 70s shag, there’s virtually no style it doesn’t suit.
And celebs are already embracing the trend. Poppy Delevinge recently underwent a platinum hair transformation that shrugs off the warm tones we all opted for post-lockdown and replaces them with an ashy, Hollywood blonde from root to tip.
Giving Marilyn Blonde a modern update, Brie Larson’s multi-tonal blonde (complete with a low-maintenance root stretch ideal for lazy girls), mixed thick ribbons of icy Marilyn Blonde with slightly warmer strands.
If you want to take things one step further and get the tone even icier, take inspo from Megan Thee Stallion who opts for a super-cool tone, proving that the classic Marilyn Blonde base really is the most versatile of colours.
So, assuming your bleach is now back on track and all of those unwanted warm tones are slowly getting cooler with each appointment, we say now is the time to strike if you want to make a cool statement with Marilyn Blonde. “We’re seeing a rise in clients asking for statement colour, brighter and bolder pieces that are striking in appearance,” reveals Harriet Muldoon, colourist at Larry King.
To keep things bright and cool, be sure to use a purple toning shampoo once or twice a week. This will help eradicate warm tones and maintain punchiness.
And as with any strongly bleached style, it’s important to keep strands as strong and healthy as possible. “For aftercare, I recommend the new at-home Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate range. The whole range has a new technology that helps to protect any potential weak bonds and improve the hairs strength and resilience after a bleach service,” advises Harriet.
All the blonde hair inspo you need for a post-lockdown colour refresh (including Billie Eilish’s fresh new ‘do)
