

This Is Exactly How I Keep My Platinum Hair From Looking Like Straw

Read this if you're going—or already are—super blonde.

Robin Black/Katie Buckleitner

The two most-asked questions I get about my blonde hair are: A) How long have you been blonde? (The answer: three and a half years.), and B) How do you keep your hair looking so healthy? The latter requires a little more explaining.


For me, the key to actually keeping my platinum blonde hair looking (and feeling—this is important!) super healthy can be attributed to a few things. Allow me to dive right in:

1. Shampooing With the Right Sudser

Aside from relying on my trusty bottle of Suave Essentials Daily Clarifying Shampoo (one of Kylie Jenner's stylists, Cash Lawless, recommended it to me) when my hair color oxidizes and takes on a yellow tinge, I never use products formulated with sulfates. Why? They can strip your hair of its natural oils—something my strands are in desperate need of. So, I opt for sulfate-free shampoos that won't dry out my hair and leave it hydrated.

After I shampoo, I always run a leave-in cream or serum through my strands to keep frizz at a minimum. The one I turn to the most is Shu Uemura Ultimate Reset Duo Serum.

2. Replenish Lost Moisture

But while I do my best to dodge harsh ingredients in products, I can't keep my hair from the rigorous chemical (double) process that platinum blonde hair requires—unless I want to go back to being a brunette, which, If I'm being honest, I'm more of a blonde at heart, so that's not happening anytime soon. But this every-six-week routine I speak of calls for me to see my colorist Ryan Pearl (at Cutler Salon in Soho) for a root touch-up, which removes ALL of the dark brown pigment from my regrowth. That service alone robs my hair of a ton of moisture, so, as you can imagine, it's crucial that I replenish it ASAP that way it doesn't feel like actual straw.

To counterbalance any damage done in the salon, Pearl always puts a treatment in my hair —whether it's Olaplex or one from Redken, which I then wash out the next morning:

Hair Perfector No. 3
Olaplex sephora.com
pH Bonder Post-Service Perfector
Redken ulta.com

3. Cleanse With Conditioner

Otherwise, if I work out during the week, I'll use a cleansing conditioner, which doesn't contain sulfates yet keeps my scalp clean and my strands moisturized—or a lavender-tinted conditioner that subtly cleanses my scalp, brightens my strands, and hydrates my hair. Hello, trifecta!

My favorite is the dp Hue Cool Blonde Conditioner:

Cool Blonde Conditioner
dpHUE sephora.com

4. Rely on Dry Shampoo to Get You Through

If I don't work out, though, I buy time in between strand-cleansing sessions with dry shampoo. I'm sure you're obsessed too, but TBH, they save me on a regular basis. My go-to is the Oribe Gold Lust because I feel like it also brightens my blonde color in some magical way.

Gold Lust Dry Shampoo
Oribe dermstore.com

5. Give Your Strands Some Extra TLC With a Treatment

The last thing I do to keep my platinum hair looking and feeling its healthiest is apply a treatment mask once a week. Honestly, I'm always trying out new formulas because it's part of my job, but the latest one I've tried and fell in love with is one from Briogeo because it contains strand-strengthening biotin, avocado, argan, and sweet almond oils:

Don't Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Mask (8 oz.)
Briogeo dermstore.com

And that, my friends, is how it's done.

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