As anyone who’s dabbled with bleach will know, not all shades of blonde are created equal – especially if you’re dyeing brown hair. To avoid looking like Justin Timberlake circa 1998, or recreating your teenage Frazzle highlights, we’ve put together the ultimate inspiration guide for you. Whether you’re looking for natural golden shades, a full Draco Malfoy platinum look, or a sun kissed strawberry hue, Bleach has got you coloured!

We’ve asked our expert – senior Bleach stylist Freddie – to share some hairy advice for each of these blondes and the products you'll need to recreate them at home. That way, you know exactly what you’re in for, you can keep your hair healthy and you’re more likely to end up with a shade that suits your skin tone.

All of these blondes need a bleached blonde base as the first step. Take our Hair Quiz to choose the right bleaching kit and amount of product for your hair. Use our guide to getting the best bleach at home, which will help you achieve the perfect buttery biscuit base!

It’s important to remember that your journey to the fairer side is a process which might not happen overnight – especially if you have dark hair. That doesn’t mean your transformation journey has come to an end, it just means that your goal might be a creamier, slightly warmer hue or you might need to book a free video consultation with one our stylists who'll be able to help. With all that in mind, here’s our edit of the all-time best blonde shades.

Cool silver and grey tones have been a massive trend in recent years, but this creamy, Neutral Blonde is becoming ever-more-popular – you might've seen the likes of Billie Eilish and FKA Twigs sporting this glossy, Old Hollywood shade. Thanks to its warm undertones, it's super wearable and easy to achieve at home because you don't need your bleach base to be too light. So, even if you have naturally dark hair you can give this blonde a go!

As Freddie explains, this look is best achieved over a warm-toned, yellowy bleach base. “It’s great because you don’t need a super light bleached base to apply your blonde toner to,” she says. “Plus, it looks natural without any brassiness!” Darker skin tones take note because this is a colour that will look great on you and won’t be as heavy on your hair as Sisqo silver. If silver is your goal, keep scrolling!

Get this buttermilk blonde easily at home! Lighten your hair with one of our Bleach Kits, then apply Champagne Super Toner all over to banish unwanted yellows and create an even blonde base. Smoosh White Heat Super Cool Colour through for a creamy, natural finish.

A bright, milky blonde that feels super youthful and looks just as expensive as a bottle of Dom Pérignon. This champagne gold colour looks good all year round, but particularly in summer as it mimics the natural lightening that happens to children's hair from being out in the sun.

To get this blonde, Freddie recommends a very pale bleach base and a gentle, warm toner, which won’t add too much ashy colour. “Lots of ash will make your hair too white and you really need to leave some yellow behind for this shade,” she advises. So, quit that purple shampoo addiction if you’re going champagne blonde!

To get this bubbly blonde, use bleach to lighten your hair to a very pale yellow – like the inside of a banana skin. Use our bleaching guides to make sure you're doing it safely. Then coat every strand with Champagne Super Toner to eradicate brassy hues and create a light, golden blonde.

This honeyed blonde’s full of warmth and makes your hair look like you’ve just stepped off the beach at Malibu. It's a shade that does it all – great for making bleached hair look healthy and flattering on all skin tones. It’s also good for hiding or blending root regrowth, so if you’re a salon shirker, this is a good blonde for you.

If you’re naturally darker, this is the best place to start your journey to the light side, Freddie says. If you want to ease in gradually, try some warm, face-framing highlights or Bleach Bits.

To create this look, lighten your hair to a warm yellowy colour using bleach then tone to a golden blonde with Champagne Super Toner, which neutralises yellows without adding lots of cool ash colour. Slather on Just Like Honey Super Cool Colour for a glossy golden blonde finish. Keep colour fresh with a top up of Just Like Honey in the shower whenever your blonde needs a pick me up!

Meet Silver Blonde’s biggest competition! This Pearl Blonde, which has an ashy-violet hue with pink undertones. It's a brighter version of oh-so-popular silver, and almost as much of a bleach to maintain!

Be prepared to lighten your hair to a very pale yellow, says Freddie, and follow with a good dose of pearly pink toner to create a cool base. All worth it when you catch sight of your new pearly blonde locks in bright sunlight. Plus, it makes a great base for a transition to pastel-hued hair.

It's never too early to go pearly! Lighten your hair with bleach, then follow with Pearlescent Toner to get rid of yellows and create an even, icy blonde base with a hint of pearl. Then lather in Pearlescent Shampoo and Conditioner for a glowy, iridescent shimmer.

According to Freddie, this icy white blonde is Bleach’s most requested colour and you can see why. Think of an iconic blonde transformation and this is the platinum shade that comes to mind. It requires lifting your hair incredibly light, so for all you dark-haired beauties we recommend speaking to a stylist who’ll be able to help guide you to the light.

If you’ve got the bottle, this is a colour that matches the big chop you’ve been thinking about for the past six months. And remember, fortune favours the bleach.

For your ice only! Use bleach to lighten your hair to a very light blonde, then coat it in a double dose of White Toner followed by White Heat Super Cool Colour for bright, light blonde.

The unicorn of blondes. “You don’t see it a lot, but it’s beautiful and special when you do,” says Freddie. Pearl Blonde might have jumped in popularity recently, but Silver Blonde will forever remain on our hairspo list because of how striking it is. This white-toned blonde with a strong ashy hue is one that dark-haired Bleachers might have to sit out or speak to a stylist for, because hair needs to be lifted very, very light.

For those who do jump on the silver train, make sure your bathroom’s well-stocked with ashy toning shampoo and conditioner. “Hair will always want to go back to being yellow,” Freddie explains. “So regular Silver Shampoo is essential to keeping your blonde fresh and brassy tones at bay!” Silver’s guaranteed to turn heads, so if you’re into positive reinforcement, this is the one.

For this rare blonde, lighten your hair to a very pale yellow using bleach, then follow with either Lavender Grey Toner or Fade To Grey Toner, depending on whether you want a more silvery grey or more lilac tinge. Follow with superstar Silver Shampoo and Conditioner, which deposit strong ashy colour onto your blonde.

If golden hour were a hair colour, this would be it. A glossy, peachy-pinky tone that'll suit pretty much everyone and really speaks to this year’s ginger trend. Much like golden tones, Strawberry Blonde is a good starting point to see if blondes really do have more fun and you can try it on either warm or cool bleach blonde bases. This gingery blonde shade is created using red-toned dyes. These wash out easily, so transitioning away from your strawberry shortcake look won’t take too much effort!

“It’s very low commitment,” says Freddie. “And if you like it, you can maintain it easily at home with Awkward Peach Shampoo and Rosé Conditioner.” While reddish tones do fade quickly, they also leave some warmth in your hair, so moving into warmer colours will be easy, but don’t expect to change up to platinum blonde straight away.

If you're starting from a warm, yellowy bleach base, lather in Rosé Shampoo followed by Rose Gold Super Cool Colour. For cool bleach bases, use Awkward Peach Shampoo, followed by Just Like Honey Super Cool Colour and Awkward Peach Conditioner.

Words by Laura Capon