Changing your hair colour is always exciting but with so many blonde and colour options out there picking a new look for yourself isn’t always easy! To help you choose your upgrade shade with confidence, we asked Bleach stylist and colour extraordinaire Erik for some pointers. So whether you’re contemplating Butter Blonde, Mermaid Green or something in-between, this is your starting point for shiny new hair colour!

All of our Super Cool Colours need to be applied to bleached blonde and toned hair – if you're not quite there in your hair journey yet, head over to our bleaching at home expert guide for more information.

1. Research

Spend some time gathering references of hair colour you like. The more you look, the more you’ll see what you’re drawn to and what other people with hair like yours have been able to achieve.

Instagram and Pinterest are great for finding funki colours and the best blondes – check out Bleach's channels for some stylist and community inspiration!

2. Experiment

How do you know what’s going to suit you unless you try? This option may not be available to everyone, but if you have the means it’s worth playing around with different colours. All of our Super Cool Colours are semi permanent and wash out after a while, so even if you end up with a shade that’s not for you, at least you’ll know for sure. Otherwise, you could spend weeks wondering whether a colour will suit you, which is just more time without dream hair! You may not find the perfect tone the first time you dye, and that’s okay! Don’t put too much pressure on it being perfect, there’s a whole rainbow of dyes to try.

3. Do you actually want that colour? 

It’s easy to look at pictures of someone else with an awesome hair colour and think, ‘Wow, they look amazing’, but it’s important to reflect! Ask yourself whether you want that colour, or whether you’re just appreciating how much it suits them? Personally, I love blue hair. I love it when I see it on Instagram, love it when I do it in the salon. On myself? Absolutely not! I know I don’t like how I look with ashy tones. But even now, if I see a fresh blue barnet, I have a moment of ‘I want that!’ But I don’t, really. I just like looking at blue hair.

5. You know you better than anyone else!

There’s a lot of information out there about matching hair colours to your skin tone, your eye colour, your clothes. And if that feels true to you, then go ahead! But don’t limit yourself to rules or concrete ideas of what works and what doesn’t, because we’re all so different. You might love how warm hair looks with your warm skin tone, while someone else may prefer something more ashy – even if they have the same complexion. This could also be said with clothes, do I pick a colour that matches what I wear so it doesn’t feel as extreme? Or do I pick something that contrasts with what I wear so it stands out more? It’s totally up to you.

6. Do a strand test

If you’re unsure and need a bit more reassurance before you fully commit to a hair colour, do a strand test! Just apply a dot of colour to a small section of your hair – we recommend an area that you can pull close to your face so you can see how it looks. If you have long hair, grab a section from underneath. This’ll give you a better idea if you like the colour on yourself. If you're not sure about how to do a strand test, or you have any other colour queries, speak to a Bleach stylist who'll be able to help!

And remember, if you change your mind about a shade, you can dye, rinse and repeat as often as you like with most of our colours!