Beauty

"Chantilly" Hair Is The Soft Vanilla Blonde Inspired By Beyoncé

Your guide to the soft and sweet shade.

If you’re considering going blonde, you have a whole platter of chic hues to choose from. On the warmer end of the spectrum, there’s “teddy bear” blonde, caramel, and honey. Alternatively, you can go full ice queen with a cool platinum or Daenerys Targaryen-bright shade. Or you can channel Beyoncé with the latest trending hair color: “chantilly” blonde.

This shade is inspired by the swirly vanilla dessert topping of the same name, says Carin Freidag, the senior manager of global retail hair education at Clairol. Just imagine the fluffy topping on confections and cakes in a bakery and you’ll know exactly what it looks like.

With so many people going lighter this season, a softer, sweeter shade could be a fun way to make it your own. “Most recently, we saw Beyoncé sporting this look post-Renaissance Tour,” Freidag says.

Chantilly is just a touch darker than your average bleached blonde, making it the perfect transition color from light to dark or dark to light. And, since it has a soft vanilla-gold tone to it, “this color will look flattering on everyone while still giving a lightness to the hair,” Freidag says.

What Is Chantilly Blonde?

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The goal with chantilly blonde isn’t to look like you have a swirl of white whipped cream atop your head, but to pull inspo from the creamy vanilla undertones and shiny, sugary white sparkles as a way to create an ultra-dimensional blonde that stands out.

This shade is considered a level of slightly darker blonde when compared to ice white, but it has baby-fine highlights and lowlights that give it a “creamy” overall look, says Freidag. “The tones are overall neutral with a hint of soft gold, which keeps it from looking flat.”

Chantilly can also be tweaked to go slightly lighter or darker, depending on your preferences. You can infuse your whole head with the blonde shade or use it as an added dimension onto a base color. No matter which version you choose, the key is to keep the tone or highlights a vanilla gold, which looks extra soft.

How To Get The Look

When you pop into the salon to get a chantilly blonde, “your best bet is to have Beyoncé’s picture at the ready on your phone,” says Freidag. “Then let the colorist know you want the dimension of the close highs and lows to the base color, but it’s got to be very subtle.”

This color is also achievable at home using box dye. According to Freidag, you can mix up Clairol's Blonde It Up, Platinum Bronde with the Blonde It Up Crystal Glow Toner Luminous Pearl to get a spot-on chantilly.

To prevent brassiness, which is always an issue when going blonde, it’s as easy as adjusting the formula at home by adding an ash or cool blonde shade, such as Nice ‘n Easy 9A Light Ash Blonde if you’re within two shades of your natural color.

Taking Care Of Your Chantilly Blonde

Chantilly is darker than you might think when you imagine going blonde or even adding highlights, Freidag notes, but that’s a good thing as it makes it easier to maintain. There’s no need to reapply highlights or lowlights all that often — just about every six months. “In the meantime, touch up your roots with a permanent color every four to six weeks,” she says.

A touch of clear gloss could also come in clutch. “It’s always a good idea to give your lengths a little refresher when getting your roots done, so a quick gloss will keep your hair looking shiny and healthy.”

Toner is another must when it comes to keeping your color looking soft and natural, says Freidag, just like a delish swirl of chantilly. Color-safe shampoos and conditioners help keep your dyed hair, well, dyed, so ask your colorist what they recommend in terms of preserving your creamy new blonde for as long as possible.

Source:

Carin Freidag, the senior manager of global retail hair education at Clairol