Hair Color Forum: Let's Talk About Going Blond

Kirsty-Hume
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Kirsty Hume photographed by Emily Weiss

sharmadean-blonde
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Photo courtesy of Sharmadean Reid

Kristina-ONeill-582x387-1
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Kristina O’Neill photographed by Emily Weiss

Emily Weiss
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Emily Weiss photographed by Mathea Millman

Kate Young
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Kate Young photographed by Emily Weiss

Angel-Haze-01
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Angel Haze photographed by Emily Weiss

Soo Joo Park
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Soo Joo Park photographed by Ezra Petronio

Elin Kling
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Elin Kling photographed by Emily Weiss

Olivia-kim
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Olivia Kim photographed by Emily Weiss

sarah-rutson
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Sarah Rutson photographed by Emily Weiss

Amanda-Lepore
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Amanda Lepore photographed by Emily Weiss

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Nathalie Love photographed by Emily Weiss

Kirsty-Hume

Kirsty Hume photographed by Emily Weiss

sharmadean-blonde

Photo courtesy of Sharmadean Reid

Kristina-ONeill-582x387-1

Kristina O’Neill photographed by Emily Weiss

Emily Weiss

Emily Weiss photographed by Mathea Millman

Kate Young

Kate Young photographed by Emily Weiss

Angel-Haze-01

Angel Haze photographed by Emily Weiss

Soo Joo Park

Soo Joo Park photographed by Ezra Petronio

Elin Kling

Elin Kling photographed by Emily Weiss

Olivia-kim

Olivia Kim photographed by Emily Weiss

sarah-rutson

Sarah Rutson photographed by Emily Weiss

Amanda-Lepore

Amanda Lepore photographed by Emily Weiss

Nathalie-Love-4

Nathalie Love photographed by Emily Weiss

Kirsty-Hume
sharmadean-blonde
Kristina-ONeill-582x387-1
Emily Weiss
Kate Young
Angel-Haze-01
Soo Joo Park
Elin Kling
Olivia-kim
sarah-rutson
Amanda-Lepore
Nathalie-Love-4

Blonde may be a state of mind, but let's be honest—it's mostly a hair color, one that usually requires stuff like bleach, foil, and strange purple shampoo. Have you been (or are you currently) on Team Flaxen? Do you wish you were? We want to hear about it.

Add your contribution in the comments—questions, photos, advice, whatever. We're all lifting and toning together, people.

To get this party started, we went ahead and assembled tips from a few of our favorite blondes:

Kirsty Hume: “I color my hair myself, out of a box. I use a very light blond color just at the roots, and let it grow out. For maintenance, I wash my hair with Philip B Shampoo and Wen Cleansing Conditioner.”

Sharmadean Reid: “I like being blonde... right now I feel like a cross between T-Boz, Nastassja Kinski from Paris, Texas, and a bit of a Japanese school girl.”

Kristina O’Neill: “Reyad at Frédéric Fekkai does my color—he keeps it beach-y looking. I always say, 'Just make it look like Gisele’s.''

Emily Weiss: “I was told not to wash my hair for several days before [the bleaching], as the natural oils would help protect my scalp. I wonder if I would have wussed out/fainted/had a full-blown panic attack had I not done that.”

Kate Young: “I get single process color every six weeks. They just put bleach on the roots, and I sit there for two hours.”

Angel Haze: “I just went blond. When I was getting it done at Salon Sims recently, I was like, ‘You know what? I want to bleach it grey.’ And they were like, ‘Nooo, you can’t. You’ll strip it, and it will be really ugly, and blah, blah, blah...’ So I just went for the lightest blond I could possibly get.”

Soo Joo Park: “My hair doesn’t really make me feel very different, but I know that I get perceived as a different person. People think I’m more more eccentric, open, or adventurous—but it’s really just the hair.”

Elin Kling: “ Mirjam Bayoumi on the Upper East Side does all of the Swedes. She does the Princess of Sweden’s hair. She said that 95% of her clients are blond Swedish girls. [Laughs] It’s not super fancy, she just knows how to do blondes.”

Olivia Kim: “Obviously I’m not a blonde, but I’ve been wanting to go blond since I was 18… And then last year I said, ‘I’m just going to do it.’ I asked Jimmy Paul and he said, 'You have to go to Maya at Bumble & Bumble, she’s an amazing Japanese colorist and she used to do her hair white.''

Sarah Rutson: “Another thing that I've found through getting older is that blonder hair is less harsh for me. My hair is naturally black, but I dyed it seven years ago to give me a softer look.”

Amanda Lepore: “My hair has been bleach blond since I was fourteen. I get it done every four or five weeks by Harlequin at Dramatics on 5th avenue. I use a lot of Shu Uemura Conditioner and Essence Absolue to keep it hydrated. Bleaching gives you high-maintenance hair.”

Nathalie Love: “I heard, for the color, that apple cider vinegar helps. You just pour it on your head and then smell bad for a few days.”