Kaia Gerber and Emily Ratajkowski just went white blonde. Here's why it's suddenly trending.

2020 is proving to be a big year for celebrity hair transformations. First everyone was dying their hair pastel in isolation, then the ‘cinnamon’ trend took over, and in the past few days alone, two iconic brunettes have gone white blonde.

Kaia Gerber, 18, debuted her fresh blunt blonde bob earlier this week on an outing in Malibu (you can see the pic here), while fellow model Emily Ratajkowski staged an Instagram reveal of her hair overhaul, showing how she’d taken her chestnut-brown locks to a natural looking rooted blonde, with the caption ‘Day 1 as a blondie.’

 

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Day 1 as a blondie

A post shared by Emily Ratajkowski (@emrata) on Jun 23, 2020 at 6:31pm PDT

 

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BLONDE. Thank you @kerastase_official ???? #kerastase

A post shared by Emily Ratajkowski (@emrata) on Jun 23, 2020 at 10:32am PDT

If you’re thinking of a hair change, we’ve detailed some of 2020’s most in-demand colours below – including what’s trending for blondes – and how to achieve them.

From ‘mushroom blonde’ and ‘amber brown’, to chunky foils and blue hair (yes, blue), we asked the experts to tell us exactly what we should be requesting from our hairdresser at our next visit.

Keep scrolling for nine very excellent hair colour trends to consider. Just don’t do them all at once, yeah?

1. Warm white.

 

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Natural Golden Iridescent ????. #redken #shadeseq #redkenblonde #redken #redkenready #redkenshadeseq #redkentoner #platinum #warmplatinumblonde #platinumhair #deminsionalbalayage #balayage #oliviagarden #oliviagardenshears #wetbrush #wetbrushpro #chitools #chihairtools #hottoolspro #hottoolsprofessional #statebeautysupply

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Adam Hadley Darrie, Director of Archie & Co and evo staino Product Development Team, says the warm white trend, which Kaia has gone for, is about achieving a more natural-looking platinum blonde.

“Think less ice blonde and more natural Scandinavian blonde. To achieve this look, ask for a scalp lightener with a neutral toner. My favourite for this is Wella 9/0 or Wella 10/0,” he told Mamamia.

“To help maintain the hair health, shine and hydration when hair is bleached like this, I recommend evo’s the therapist shampoo and conditioner and the great hydrator treatment.”

Heavily lightened colours like this one really only look great on hair in good nick. You can do this by regularly using a ‘Plex’ product like Olaplex or protein-based hair treatments that work by getting inside the bonds in your hair strands to strengthen and repair any broken down structures.

2. Mushroom blonde.

 

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Mushroom blonde is… exactly what it sounds like. A darker, ashier brown-blonde that can even have a mushroomy mauve undertone.

Hadley Darrie said, “This is a great way to take a break from blonde highlights or balayage with the option to go lighter again later on.”

“Mushroom blonde is an umbrella term that encompasses a wide range of shades, so your stylist can easily find a shade that suits your skin-tone. You want to ask your stylist for a dark ash brown blonde or dirty blonde toner.”

If you’re blonde and want to try this colour without the commitment, ask your stylist to tone your hair with evo fab pro, a conditioner-based custom colour that completely washes out over time. No dramas.

3. Foils.

 

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According to Marc Armstrong of RAW ANTHONY NADER SALON, we shouldn’t forget about the humble foil.

“There are two ways you can go with foils in 2020,” he told Mamamia.

“Baby lights are the most delicate way of foiling and can produce some stunning results. We predict colours will be bolder, but by adding more finer foils to the hair and closer together, it can give the illusion of a block colour with a soft finish.”

“The second forecast for foiling is to create flashes of colour and texture. Foils will be striking and, dare I say it, “chunky”. Bold foiling can be integrated with baby lights around the hairline and parting. Stay away from foils near your part line, tiger stripes belong in the last decade.”

4. Amber brown.

 

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the other day at @longchamp what a beautiful show! #longchamp_ambassador

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A post shared by Cassondra Kaeding (@ckaedingcolor) on Feb 10, 2020 at 12:40pm PST

Now, to New York, where glossy amber brown heads of hair are sitting front row at NY Fashion Week.

Kendall Jenner’s colourist Cassondra Kaeding achieves this warm-toned brown by painting balayage highlights with Redken’s Blonde Idol High Lift before adding high shine with a gloss treatment.

Kaeding also gave Natalie Portman, Olivia Munn and Catt Sadler this trend for the 2020 Oscars.

5. Terracotta.

 

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Earlier in the year, ‘cinnamon’ and ‘apple cider vinegar’ strawberry blonde were trending. Now, it’s time to go full red.

This could be a natural-looking auburn, a rich red-brown, a deep reflective red or a punchy burnt orange. Going red and staying red takes effort, so always do it with a stylist’s professional help.

6. Dimensional hair.

 

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Dimensional hair is a move away from the lighter ends of balayage and an equally great way to move on from old or grown out balayage.

“The hair is highlighted heavily around the face, and then slightly chunky highlights are spaced out through the rest of the hair leaving a contrast between natural hair and blonde to show more texture,” Hadley Darrie said.

“This colour can vary from light browns, light blondes and light reds. It’s more about the texture and placement of the highlights. You want to ask for lighter face framing highlights with scattered highlights through the rest of the hair. It will be up to the stylist to choose a toner for your desired result. This trend would be great paired with mushroom blonde.”

Going for a dimensional approach to highlights and lowlights is also a great way to grow out grey hair for anyone ready to give up the fortnightly regrowth salon appointments.

7. Supercharged balayage.

 

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Balayage (a free hand technique used to achieve a graduated light-to-dark look) is what makes Em Rata’s new blonde ‘do look so natural.

Armstrong said the new take on this technique is “more contrast in the colour change, so the roots will be shaded darker, the mid lengths will pop and the ends will be even lighter.”

Dua Lipa’s hectic dark regrowth part is one way to take balayage to the extreme. The result is a graphic style that saves you time and money between salon appointments. That said, heavily lightened ends require home maintenance and toning to prevent the colour from fading.

8. Bold colour.

 

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Both Hadley Darrie and Armstrong agreed while pastels and soft greys, rose golds and pinks have been around for a few years, 2020 is the year of… blue hair. Oh, and green hair.

“Pastels have become so mainstream that your more adventurous clients will now be moving to bolder colours, like blue,” Hadley Darrie said.

Armstrong added, “Green tones will be light and smokey, whilst blues will take on a soft metallic feel. And it’s an all over colour, so the hair is all one tone.”

Colour is hard work, though. This means specific colour-safe and colour-conditioning shampoos, the right toner and regular salon visits. Blue and green are also the hardest colours to fade, so this trend is for the ballsy among us.

9. Mallen streak.

 

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Finally, perhaps the most hectic 2020 hair colour trend of all is the mallen streak.

“A mallen streak is a streak of colour at the front of the hair. Traditionally, it’s a natural grey streak, but it can also be a more subtle blonder streak at the front of light hair or a bright colour. This is a great way for clients to keep some of their own natural grey hair and colour the rest,” Hadley Darrie said.

You can also try this technique as a low-maintenance way of stretching out regrowth appointments to cover up greys.

Now all that’s left to do is book a hair appointment (or find a willing friend, a box of supermarket dye and a prayer).

Feature image: @charlesworthingtonsalons and @dvcolour.

Would you try any of these 2020 hair trends? tell us your thoughts in the comments below!