‘Monochrome blonde’ is the uniform shade the cool-girls are loving

We’re fickle creatures. One minute we want multi-dimension, the next, simplicity. And our mood is playing out in the ‘monochrome blonde’ hair colour that’s currently swaying the fashion pack.

“We’re now colouring an extremely large amount of hair in complete blonde,” explains stylist Vanja Naserzare, at Aveda salon Don’t Call it a Gambeck. “Monochrome blonde seems to be replacing highlights and balayage as a trend at the moment,” she confirms.

Unfamiliar? We asked Vanja to talk us through everything there is to know about the new hair colour trend…

What is monochrome blonde?

“In this process, the hair is dyed completely blonde,” explains Vanja, adding “highlights and shading of any kind are dispensed with.” We started to see the simplistic colour trend gain traction among the fashion pack and street style influencers last autumn, but it’s about to go mainstream.

How do you colour monochrome blonde?

“It depends on how light you want it and what your starting hair colour is,” says Vanja. “You either choose a colour lightener like a Painting Powder or a bleach. Lightener can lift by up to five shades, while bleaching can go up to seven.” For the monochrome look, no special colouring technique like balayage is then used: “The colour is applied from the roots into the entire hair,” Vanja says.

What do you have to keep in mind when colouring?

“It is important to adapt the exposure time to your hair so that it doesn’t cause stress,” explains Vanja, “especially on fine hair which tends to become damaged more easily.” Therefore, even if it is “only” monochrome colouring, you should still go to the hands of a professional when bleaching.

How do I make sure monochrome blonde suits me?

“Glossing [or toning] is used for this,” says Vanja. “Glosses for shading can be used to achieve the desired shade, for example they can push things in a cooler, icy direction.”