Going icy-white blonde isn’t for the faint hearted or cash-strapped. Gerry Cupido seeks professional advice from hair stylist and colourist Tracey Serfontein on what you need to know about going all-white.
Selena Gomez's dramatic transformation. (Pic: Instagram)
Selena Gomez stunned fans when she debuted her dramatic transformation from brunette to platinum blonde. But the pop singer isn’t the only celeb who’s now rocking the white-blonde look. Reality TV star and business woman, Kim Kardashian West, model Cara Delevingne and singer Solange are all having a blonde moment.
Singer Solange is currently having a blonde moment. (Pic: Instagram)
Speaking to US Weekly about the transformation, Gomez’s hair stylist Riawi Capri said: “It took nine hours, about 300 foils, and eight bowls of bleach, all with two stylists working together simultaneously.”
Kim Kardashian West is just one of the celebs rocking the white-blonde look. (Pic: Instagram)
I spoke to Cape Town-based hair stylist and colourist and owner of Star Style hair salon, Tracey Serfontein, who says “going platinum is no joke”. Serfontein offers the following advice on what you need to know about the process and how to maintain your white-blonde hair.
Cape Town-based hair stylist and colourist and owner of Star Style hair salon, Tracey Serfontein. (Pic: Tracey Adams)
What do you need to know before you decide to go white?
Before you can go ice blonde you must have virgin hair. Which means no box dye or henna on your hair, or any black colour, even semi-permanent colour. If you coloured your hair black a year ago, it will still be in your hair.
You cannot be on medication or have had a recent operation.
Not recommended if you’re pregnant.
You must be able to afford the maintenance, treatments and products to protect your hair afterwards.
What does the procedure involve and how long does it take?
The procedure won’t take you one day if your natural base is dark brown. It can take up to three weeks of weekly appointments depending on how easily your hair lifts.
Clients can sit up to 10 hours in one day.
If you do too much on one day, the hair strand gets tired and will break; breaking up the treatments is better.
Be prepared to walk around with yellow or orange hair on your first day.
How do you maintain the colour?
- You will need to do keratin/protein treatments monthly and moisture treatments weekly. Even using coconut oil helps. You will need to touch up your roots every four to six weeks (which is costly). You will need professional purple shampoo to keep your hair from turning yellow.
- You cannot wash your hair daily because you have to retain your natural oils to moisturise your hair.