How To Go Blonde Without Destroying Your Hair

Remember when Selena Gomez arrived at the 2017 American Music Awards with a brand new platinum blonde bob? In a matter of hours, the superstar had traded in her signature, deep brunette colour for a shade of rooty, icy white that was eventually dubbed "Nirvana blonde." Twitter was clogged with tweets and your local salon's phone was blowing up because, suddenly, everyone wanted to bleach their hair — and expected to do so overnight. Turns out, going that blonde isn't as simple as it seems.

Still, we get the misconception. With stars like Gomez, Khloé Kardashian, Solange, Zoë Kravitz, Miley Cyrus, Hilary Duff, Lucy Liu, Leighton Meester, Karlie Kloss, and Lady Gaga hopping from dark to blonde quicker than you can blink an eye, it seems that the process is a lot easier than it looks. Of course, if you've ever followed in their footsteps, you know that it definitely is not. It requires hours in a salon chair, hundreds of dollars, bottles of purple shampoo, and getting used to seeing strands of broken hair coating your floors on a regular basis.

In reality, Gomez's new platinum bob took nine hours to complete. Celebrity hairstylists Riawna Capri and Nikki Lee from Nine Zero One salon revealed on Instagram that the singer's stellar new colour was the result of a painstakingly-long process — and, celebrity or not, you should expect the same when looking for similar results. Still, that shouldn't deter you. If you have the itch to go platinum (we’re talking Ansel-Elgort-courtside-at-a-Knicks-game platinum), then go for it. Sure, it's a lot of work, but there's a reason why so many people love the experience — if only for a few months.

We consulted Hollywood hair colour experts — Kristin Ess, Aura Friedman, and Rita Hazan — to find out everything the average person needs to know before going platinum. Their insider tips, ahead.