Apart from a brief affair with copper and some dark chocolate hues, we can’t recall a time when Beyoncé didn’t rock some form of blonde strands.
Sure, sometimes it has been sunwashed (the Renaissance Tour Crème Brûlée Blonde), spotlight braided (the early aughts), or bleached (on that yacht in Cari, honey), but there’s almost always some essence of golden somewhere in her crown.
Recently, though – thanks to celebrity hairstylist and renowned colorist Rita Hazan – Queen Bee introduced us to one of the coolest and yummiest fall hair shades yet. Enter: Chantilly Blonde.
She debuted it at the Los Angeles premiere of Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour” movie, and the internet hasn’t stopped chatting about it yet.
We did a bit of digging, and here’s everything you need to know about the icon’s latest hair change and how you, too, can achieve it.
What Is Chantilly Blonde?
Chantilly blonde – which is named after a French version of whipped cream – was born from Beyonce’s need for a new hair chapter.
The Renaissance Tour was over, and she needed a more neutral, warmer color, especially for the fall.
The shade is a slightly darker blonde compared to ice white, but it’s got some baby-fine highlights and low lights that give it that creamy, buttercream-like overall look. The tones are overall neutral, with a touch of soft gold, which keeps your hair from looking flat.
Also, chantilly blonde, unlike other variations of blonde, can be tweaked to go slightly lighter or darker, depending on your preference. You can infuse it on your whole head or use it to add some dimension to your natural hair color.
No matter what version you choose, the thing you need to remember is to keep the tone vanilla gold to give your hair that Beyoncé-approved extra softness.
How To Achieve The Look
For this look, you need to hit up your colorist. You could DIY it, but for that post-Renaissance Tour glow, you need a colorist who knows what they’re doing. Oh, and make sure to pop into the salon with Beyonce’s picture ready on your phone.
After they’ve studied it, you should let them know that you’re going for buttery blonde highlights with contrast and dimension – meaning that if your hair is very light and solid, they need to add lowlights one to two shades darker or warmer than what you have now.
They shouldn’t overdo it because you don’t want it stripey, just for contrast. That’s the secret to a Beyonce-approved chantilly blonde look.
Also, make sure to be at your colorist’s desk every six to eight weeks to keep your hair looking fresh and vibrant – you know, cuffing-season ready.
What Are The Best Hair Dyes For Chantilly Blonde?
Now, some can’t turn down a good DIY challenge.
If you belong to that camp and want to mirror Beyonce’s chantilly blonde, experts recommend mixing up Clairol’s Blonde It Up ($8), the Platinum Bronde ($10), and the Clairol Blonde It Up Crystal Glow Toner Luminous Pearl ($12) to achieve that Rita Hazan, spot-on chantilly soft vanilla blonde shade.
To prevent any brassiness, which is the biggest challenge with going blonde, you should consider adjusting the mixture by adding an ash or cool blonde shade like the Clairol Nice ‘n Easy 9A Light Ash Blonde($24) – perfect for dark skin tones – if you’re within two shades of your natural hair color.
How To Take Care Of It
Since chantilly blonde is darker than most shades of blonde, you don’t have to keep reapplying highlights or lowlights often – just about every three to six months. Also, make sure to swap your regular shampoo for color-safe products such as the Amika Bust Your Brass Purple Shampoo & Conditioner Set ($28).
Next, you need to use a color treatment like the Amika Flash-Instant Shine Hair Gloss Mask ($28) when in the shower. It not only adds a hint of tint and helps your color stay intact, but it also gives brilliant shine, softens, and hydrates your tresses in just 60 seconds.
Finally, lightly spray your hair with the Color Wow Pop + Lock Frizz Control + Glossing Serum ($20), which helps smooth frizz and flyaways, seals split ends, and adds dimension and sparkling shine to both wet and dry hair.
And just like that, you’ll be ready for your own world tour!