How To Nail The 'Monochrome Blonde' Color Trend Replacing Balayage

Dirty, ash, strawberry, platinum — have you guessed which super popular hair color we're referring to yet? That's right, it's blonde, the shade that virtually everyone has tried dying their hair at least once in their life. Seriously — its hashtag has amassed over 22 billion views on TikTok alone. This bright, attention-grabbing color is well-loved and incredibly popular, thanks in part to stars like Marilyn Monroe, Reese Witherspoon, and Beyoncé.

If you're a natural blonde or have gone blonde recently, you've probably considered employing some highlights or shades of brown to add some depth to your hair. It feels like we've always been taught that the more hues you have in your hair, the more interesting it becomes. But the latest monochrome blonde trend has swiftly laid that to rest. 

This standout hair color trend that suits everyone proves that you don't need a lot of bells and whistles for your locks to look their best. Sometimes, one eye-catching shade is all you need to shine. 

As the famous saying goes, blondes have more fun. Thus, we'd like to believe that those with monochrome blonde hair are having even more of a blast for one very simple reason: This hair dye trick sticks to the basics and brings attention to the color that made it famous. The monochrome blonde hair color trend is when you dye your tresses all one shade of blonde, hence its catchy nickname. 

While you can 100% still classify yourself as a blonde while having lowlights and highlights in your hair, being a monochrome blonde means you've done away with any superfluous colors. No other shades or highlights can be mixed into the monochrome hue. That means balayage hair, for instance, is out if you want to try this color for yourself and you'll have to really commit to it. 

You can easily accomplish this trendy hair color with bleach. You need to get your hair into the best condition possible before committing to a bleaching session, as the process can be quite taxing on your tresses. And, although you can do it at home, you're better off going to a salon to ensure you don't cause further damage in the process. 

So you've decided to go monochrome blonde, but maybe you feel slightly unsure of which shade of blonde to go with. It's a valid concern. Not only do you have a crazy amount of shades to choose from but there's also the fact that you don't have highlights and lowlights to fall back on. Let's face it: Balayage and other highlighting techniques kind of make it so you don't have to fully commit to blonde hair because you get to tone down the color. 

But don't panic because bleaching your hair monochrome blonde works in a surprisingly similar way. "Glosses [or toner] for shading can be used to achieve the desired shade," hairstylist Vanja Naserzare confirmed to Glamour UK. "For example, they can push things in a cooler, icy direction." To achieve this, start off slow during your coloring, and see how it looks as you go through the lightening process. 

If you're not sold on the shade you have, use toner to get the exact all-over color you want. Once you've nailed your shade, you'll have the highly-coveted monochrome blonde hair color. As a final tip, Naserzare suggests using a color-protecting shampoo and conditioner so your shade lasts longer and it recovers quickly from any processing damage.