Dirty Blonde Is The Lazy Girls' Hair Colour Of Summer
If you prefer to keep your beauty regime low-key then we've got some good news for you. Going blonde this summer doesn’t need to involve bi-weekly bleach touch-ups and non-stop toning, because this year's shade du jour is just about as low-maintenance as it gets. Plus, with salons nationwide shut for the foreseeable future, a low-maintenance hair colour is what it's all about. So wave goodbye to the platinum strands of yesteryear that required a small army to maintain and welcome the all-new dirty blonde style that the A-list are obsessed with.
On the hair colour spectrum, dirty blonde sits smack bang between brunette and blonde. Harnessing different shades from honey to caramel, it can be achieved by keeping a dark base and/or root and integrating lighter shades throughout the rest of the hair.
The best bit? It requires basically zero effort. As a result of the mix of different shades, it means roots tend to blend out a lot more naturally as your hair grows. And if that isn’t enough, because dirty blonde harnesses a more natural trend, you can sit back when it comes to styling too. For days when you can’t be bothered, a spritz of texturizing spray is all you need for effortlessly chic locks. We ask top hair stylists Luke Hersheson (whose clients include Victoria Beckham and Lara Stone) and Brit King (leading colourist at Larry King Salon) how to nail it.
Plus, because of the imperfect natural of the dirty blonde look, it's never been so easy to master it yourself at-home if you already have light hair. Simply select a few shades of blonde at-home hair dyes, and apply to sections of hair - the messier the better. If you have dark hair, however, and for best results for all, you're going to want to wait for some professional help.
Here's everything you need to know about dirty blonde hair, as well as how to make the most of your salon appointment once the lockdown lifts...
What should we be asking our colourist for?
Rather than featuring one shade over all, dirty blonde is more tonal and blended. Think slightly darker roots with both highlights and lowlights blended through. “It should feel quite lived in,” says Hersheson. “It’s not a bright, white, clean blonde. It’s a darker blonde with a bit of a root. It's a bit more rock 'n' roll.” Speaking of, “natural hair will always get slightly lighter towards the ends,” Hersheson explains. “The sun lifts it. That’s why the ends will always be lighter than the crown. If you’re trying to mimic this through colour, that’s what you should to be replicating.”
How would you make it look natural and beautiful rather than stripy and harsh?
Blending lighter and darker shades takes a bit of finesse. “You want to smudge the root area a little bit and avoid making the highlights or balayage [the lighter bits] too uniform,” says Hersheson. “I think the best colourists are the ones who work more free hand. Old-school colourists will pack out the foils back to back throughout the hair which gives you get this very even colour. But I don’t ever think that looks believable. The best colourists will add a little bit here, a little bit there and it’s not necessarily a whole head of colour.”
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