Ask The Experts: Blonde...Bombshell or Bomb? September 11, 2026 20:30
Not that long ago, the blonde conversation seemed to revolve around one thing: how light can we go? Blonde has changed.
Now, thankfully, it’s a lot more interesting than that.
Creamy blonde, butter blonde, beige, champagne, lived-in blonde, bright Scandinavian blonde, softly sun-kissed, bronde, expensive blonde — there are probably more ways to describe blonde than there are actual shades of it.
And according to Morgan & Morgan Master Colourist Erin Walters, that's actually a good thing.
Because the best blonde isn't necessarily the blondest blonde.
It's the one that looks right on you.
First things first: blonde doesn't have to be cool
For years, one of the most common requests we've heard in the salon has been:
"I don't want any gold."
Erin thinks it's time we relaxed about that a little.
“There’s a big difference between beautiful warmth and unwanted brassiness. Gold, honey, biscuit and creamy tones can make blonde look incredibly expensive. It’s about choosing the right warmth and putting it in the right places.”
And she's right.
Some of the most beautiful blondes we're seeing now are moving away from that ultra-toned, almost-grey blonde that dominated for a while. There’s more softness. More beige. More cream. More golden light.
That doesn't mean cool blonde has disappeared. Far from it.
A clean icy blonde can be incredible. So can pearl, champagne or a beautiful neutral beige. The point is that we shouldn't be choosing a blonde because it's trending on Instagram.
We should be choosing it because it works with your skin, your eyes, your natural hair colour, your haircut — and your life.
Your natural hair colour matters
This is where a good consultation becomes important.
If your natural hair is quite dark, taking it to a very pale blonde is a completely different proposition from working with someone who is naturally dark blonde.
Can it be done? Sometimes.
Should it always be done? No.
Erin looks at what the hair is naturally giving us before deciding how far to push it.
“I want the finished colour to look intentional, but I also want the hair to still feel like hair. There’s no point creating an amazing blonde if we've compromised the condition getting there.”
Sometimes keeping a little depth at the root, leaving some of your natural colour through the interior, or creating lighter pieces strategically around the face gives a much better result than trying to make every single strand blonde.
And often it looks more modern too.
It's not how much blonde. It's where we put it.
This is one piece of advice from our original blonde story that still stands.
Placement changes everything.
A few beautifully placed lighter pieces around the face can make the entire colour appear brighter. Leaving natural depth underneath can create contrast and movement. A softer root can completely change how a blonde grows out.
Modern blonding is less about covering the head in identical foils and more about looking at the whole picture.
Where does the haircut move?
Where does the light naturally hit?
Where will the blonde have the most impact?
What happens when you tie your hair back?
And, importantly, what is this going to look like eight or twelve weeks from now?
That last question matters.
How much maintenance do you actually want?
We love an inspiration photo. Bring us ten if you like.
But there is one thing the photo usually doesn't tell us: how often that person sits in a salon chair.
Some blondes are high maintenance. There's simply no way around it.
A bright, clean blonde taken close to the scalp will need more regular attention than a dimensional blonde with a softer root. Platinum requires commitment. A lived-in balayage or dimensional blonde can give you considerably more breathing room between major colour appointments.
Neither is better.
They're just different relationships with your hairdresser.
Erin's advice is to be realistic from the beginning.
“If somebody tells me they only want to come in every three or four months, that's part of the colour decision. I want to create something that's still going to look good when I see them again — not something that looked amazing for the first four weeks.”
Sometimes that means changing the placement rather than changing the colour.
Sometimes it means embracing a little more of your natural depth.
And sometimes you decide you love being really blonde enough that you're perfectly happy to see us more often.
Fair enough.
What about the big blonde transformations?
This is where patience can be your hair's best friend.
Going significantly lighter — particularly from previously coloured or darker hair — may take more than one appointment.
We know. Nobody loves hearing that when they've arrived armed with a photo of their dream blonde.
But hair has limits.
Modern professional lighteners and bond-building technology allow us to do far more while protecting the integrity of the hair, but technology doesn't make hair indestructible.
Erin would rather create your blonde progressively than chase a colour at the expense of condition.
Because blonde hair that is glossy, strong and slightly darker will almost always look better than hair that's technically reached the perfect level but has lost its shine and movement.
The blonde appointment doesn't finish when you leave the salon
This is probably the least glamorous part of being blonde, but possibly the most important.
What you do at home matters.
Lightened hair generally needs more care. It needs moisture, protection from heat and products chosen for what your particular hair needs — rather than whatever happens to be trending on TikTok that week.
And then there's purple shampoo.
Useful? Yes.
Something every blonde should use every time they wash their hair? No.
Over-toning a blonde can leave it looking flat, dull or muddy. If we've deliberately created a beautiful creamy or golden blonde, aggressively trying to remove every hint of warmth rather defeats the purpose.
Your colourist should tell you what your blonde needs.
Listen to them.
We promise they're not trying to ruin your fun.
So, what blonde is right for you?
This is the bit we can't answer in a blog.
And that's rather the point.
Your perfect blonde might be icy and bright.
It might be buttery and warm.
It could be beige, champagne, honey or somewhere in that lovely territory between blonde and brunette.
It might mean being lighter around your face and leaving more of your natural colour elsewhere.
Or it might be a full commitment, high-maintenance, unapologetically blonde blonde.
The trend we're happiest to see in 2026 isn't actually a particular shade.
It's personalised blonde.
Colour that takes into account your skin, your natural depth, your hair condition, your haircut, how often you want to visit the salon and — rather importantly — what you actually like.
As Erin puts it:
“The best blonde is the one where people notice how good you look before they notice your hair colour.”
And we think that's a pretty good place to start.