The super light, pale, icy shades—think platinum blonde hair—are cool. Golden, strawberry blonde, or honey blonde hair is warm, while neutral shades fall somewhere in the middle, think those wheat-y or buttery blondes, says Celene.
Platinum Blonde
Platinum is a hard one to pull off, but when you do get it right it can look amazing. This type of blonde works particularly well on a wide range of skin tones. The cool, icy and almost white tones tend to complement, rather than overpower or dull down your skin.
Cool blonde hair colors like ash, sandy and platinum will compliment cool skin undertones by cutting down brassiness, while warm blonde hair colors like golden, strawberry and honey naturally suit warm skin undertones by adding warmth to your look.
Typically achieved with bleach and a toner, "white shades of platinum can be warm or cool to suit any skin tone," says celebrity colorist Rona O'Connor, who favors violet undertones for creating iridescent ivories and sunlit beiges to yield shades of champagne.
This shade is on the cooler end of the hair color spectrum, with minimal golden tones involved. If you look closely, you can see her natural dark roots peeking through. "If you're a brunette wanting to transform to platinum be ready to spend hours at the salon," says Vargas.
Generally, these colours will make anyone appear older: black, cool dark brown, fiery red, yellow blonde, mousy blonde and dark grey. There's a common opinion that platinum blonde and silver hair dye age you, but we don't believe so.
Women with cool skin tones generally look better in platinum colors than women with warm skin tones. Cool skin tones tend to be ruddy, not golden. If you have a pink or peachy complexion with pink or blue skin undertones, and you tend to burn before you tan, you've got cool skin tone.
Platinum blonde is often the go-to choice for celebrities, as it's elegant, stylish, and sophisticated. Generally, platinum blonde is considered the best choice for anyone who has light skin with a cool undertone.
Fair skin with cool undertones looks great in all-over platinum hues. The recommendation: Go platinum! Yes, you read that right. If you have a fair complexion, pink undertones, and light hair you can pull off some of the more daring bleached hair looks because you won't have to go through a long process to lighten up.
Silver-blonde hair is just a very pale blonde that reflects a silvery/ashy tone. It differs from platinum in that platinum keeps to a pure white tone, while silver-blonde will have a cool tone to it, appearing slightly darker, Tressa Yunchuk at Kharma Salons tells us.
White blonde and platinum hair are often described interchangeably. But as colorist Jaz España explains, there is a subtle difference. “The difference is that platinum blonde typically shows hues of warmth,” says España. “While white blonde has far fewer signs of warmth, reflecting cooler tones and icy hues.”
Here are some reasons: Platinum blonde is a very versatile color. It can be styled in a variety of ways, and it works well with both light and dark skin tones.
Platinum blonde hair color is a pale blonde shade that's so light it's almost white. But unlike icy blonde, platinum blonde hair has a silvery, metallic appearance. It also has a warm undertone, making it a flattering hair color for morenas.
If you're afraid that platinum blonde hair will wash out your fair skin, you shouldn't be. Stylists say fair skin tones paired with icy platinum blonde is such a vibe this season. It's especially striking if you have hazel eyes. Keep your brows darker for a cool, ultra-modern look.
We'll say it once more: bleached hair will eventually turn yellow. However, that doesn't mean you have to let your hair turn yellow. With regular hair salon visits, you'll never see a strand of yellow in your hair. We recommend visiting every 6-8 weeks for optimal maintenance results.
Several individuals can't differentiate between platinum blonde and ash ones. The biggest difference we can notice is that platinum blonde hair reflects light. When you get ash blonde hair, it will absorb the light. Moreover, the roots are darker in ash blonde hair, and your hair will appear natural.
The short answer is with lots of upkeep. Platinum hair requires moisture (so look into deep conditioning options), as well as four- to six-week touch-ups.
Gray hair can be colored many different shades, such as platinum blonde, medium brown, or pure black (for this color, we recommend Simply Color Jet Black 1.0).
It must first be pre-lightened with a bleach, then toned to achieve that pure platinum reflect. Speak to your colourist and see whether your hair is in a good enough state to be bleached. Remember it is a big process and it means you must take your hair care routine very seriously.
There's going to be damage.
How much damage depends on its current condition and how well you take care of your hair post-dye job. Hydrating and repairing masks, oil treatments, and deep conditioners will be your new BFFs, but you might also have to chop your hair. Intense coloring can leave your ends seriously fried.
A side-by-side comparison
As you can see, Dirty Blonde is a natural blonde shade while Bleach Blonde is more of a bright, salon blond color. Ash Blonde, on the other hand, has a balance of ash and golden undertones, while Platinum Blonde is cool and icy.
While platinum is pale and also cool in tone, it often still has hints of warm beige to keep it grounded in the blonde family. On the contrary, ice blonde hair and highlights go as white as possible, sometimes with a touch of silver, perfecting a snowy balance of iciness and softness.
Platinum hair can work with all lengths and skin tones
So, you see, anyone can rock a platinum hair colour like the best of them – it's just a matter of finding the right shade for your skin tone. And with so many stars leading the way and making bleached tresses their trademark, you'll be in the best company.
Platinum jewellery is made out of 95% platinum and 5% cobalt. White gold has a slightly warmer hue, and then is usually plated in rhodium to give it a silver finish. Platinum has a naturally-occurring silver grey hue when shined and polished.
The lowlights should complement your skin tone and current hue, as well. For instance, if you're beginning with light platinum or ash blonde hair, opt for ash brown lowlights to enhance the depth of your cool-toned hue.