Photographed by Amelia Alpaugh.How To Make Platinum Work For You
The best candidate for platinum tresses is someone who has naturally light hair — since you have fewer shades to strip to get there — with a smooth texture and medium thickness. Those types of strands are fine enough that color will lift easily, yet they're sturdy enough to not be damage- and frizz-prone. Light eyes and fair skin generally look the most natural with brighter shades of blonde, but you never want your skin to be the same color as your hair — unfortunately, this means anyone with a super-pale complexion probably isn't a great fit for platinum hair. Sorry, ladies.
Photographed by Amelia Alpaugh.If you're a natural towhead — like the type of girl who can put lemon juice in her tresses and get blonde streaks in the sun — then you can try doing this process at home with a high-lift blonde like
L'Oréal Paris Excellence Blonde Supreme Creme Haircolor in Extra Light Ash Blonde. Gals with other hair colors, however, should leave it to the pros and head to a salon.
How To Make Ombré Highlights Work For You
The key to getting this look right is to have a smooth transition from darkness at the roots to lightness at the ends of the hair. The highlights at the roots should be woven very finely and spaced farther apart to ensure the hair closest to the scalp maintains its depth. Then, the ends should be painted with thicker bursts of the lighter shade. This look works on any hair color, but be sure never to go more than two shades lighter than your natural base color for the root shade; the lightness of the ends can be determined by how many levels are required to travel the length of your hair. Remember: Where you choose to begin the lightest parts of your ombré highlights will accentuate that area, so you can draw attention to your eyes by beginning at eye level, or your cheekbones, jawline, etc. There's also nothing worse than lopsided ombré, so ensure that the sections of lightness begin symmetrically on the left and right sides of your head.