From Cara Delevigne and Jennifer Lawrence to Taylor Swift and the always iconic Gwen Stefani, icy, white locks are everywhere - even fictional characters, like Game of Thrones’ Daenerys Targaryen, have fuelled our love for platinum hair. But what does it actually take to achieve the perfect platinum?

The answer is, it depends on your starting point, but for most people it involves a lot of time and patience. It’s a process that often needs to be completed in stages.

If you’re already naturally fair-haired, and you’ve never had any previous chemical services then you’re in luck – you can probably achieve this look in one visit to the salon, but expect to be there for a few hours. First, your stylist will need to apply lightener mixed with an appropriate developer to your mids and ends and let them process, then go back through and apply lightener to the roots. Once your hair has been rinsed, the stylist will tone your hair to achieve the perfect shade and to close down the cuticle of the hair. You’ll also most likely need a trim to take off any damaged ends.

If you have medium to dark hair, or you have previously coloured your hair, your journey to blonde will take longer, depending on how dark you are and how much colour build up is in the hair shaft. Each client is different, but typically your transformation to blonde will start with a Malibu CPR treatment to try and remove some of the artificial colour in the hair. The outcome of the CPR will influence what your stylist does next, but your stylist will most likely do a full head of back to back slices or foils (where no hair is left out in between). After your foils have been rinsed, your stylist will tone your hair to minimise any unwanted tones, but during the first few sessions expect your hair to be warm-toned – we recommend embracing the process and having fun with the red or copper stages! Again, you will probably need a haircut to remove the ends.

As your hair lightens, underlying pigments in the hair shaft become exposed – going from red, through to orange, then yellow/gold, and finally, white. It is not usually safe (and often not possible) to push the hair through all of these stages in one sitting if the hair has been previously coloured, so it is important to realise that it may take 3 or 4 appointments to achieve your final result.

Chemical services such as lightening cause damage to the hairshaft by breaking the structural bonds that give the hair its integrity. At H&B, we believe healthy hair is beautiful hair, so for all platinum work, it is essential to add Protection Cheveux Complexe into the lightener – a bond-builder or ‘plex’ that prevents and repairs chemical damage, leaving the hair 5x stronger than other available plexes.

Once you’ve reached your hair goal and achieved the perfect platinum, you will need to have your roots retouched every 4 – 6 weeks. Any longer, and you may end up with heat banding and an uneven blonde. You’ll also need to maintain it with the correct products at home, which your stylist will recommend to you during your appointment.

The first step on the road to beautiful blonde is to book a consultation with one of our stylists. These are compulsory for all major colour work, take approximately 10 minutes, and are free of charge. They give our stylists a chance to assess your hair, discuss your desired result, take test strands, and map out a plan for your transformation. They will also be able to provide you with an estimate on price, as well as discuss payment options such as Oxipay, and book you an appointment.