By Louise Emma Clarke
Founding Editor of The-Beauty-Pages.com

Blonde hair is never going to go out of fashion – but for Autumn/Winter 2011, the look became softer and easier to maintain. We saw tones of caramel and cappuccino subtly woven into the blonde tresses at Balmain and Chloe. It’s a natural and pretty look that works equally well as we head into Spring/Summer 2012.

Blonde hair, however, isn’t the easiest to look after – so if you’ve lightened up (or are blessed with naturally light locks), you need a selection of products that will keep the colour looking fresh and glossy at home.

SHAMPOO
Most of us wash our hair daily or every other day – and with regular use, some shampoos will leave a build-up on hair, which leaves lighter hair looking dull. To keep the colour looking its best, it’s worth treating yourself to a shampoo that has been specifically created for lighter tresses.

Tool – Containing Egyptian camomile, Klorane Camomile Shampoo for Blonde Hair, £5.15 (3) gently cleanses locks and removes particles that leave hair looking dull. It’s rich in apigenine – a plant flavonoid with golden pigments that work to make blonde hair especially lustrous. And it’s fantastic value for money too!

TREATMENT
If your colourist bleached your hair to achieve that beautiful blonde hue, it might be feeling dry and coarse. When locks feel dry, the hair cuticle is likely to be rough, damaged, and dehydrated – which means the beautiful blonde tone will never be shown off to its best glossy ability. To get it back to its best, give hair an intensive conditioning treatment.

Tool – Whatever the tone of your blonde hair, Schwarzkopf Professional BlondMe Brilliance Intense Treatment, £9.30 (2) will impart brilliant shine and quench hair with moisture and improved elasticity.

CHLORINE GUARD

If you were blonde as a child, you may remember your hair taking on a greenish hue after swimming lessons – and the same can easily happen if you like exercising in the pool as an adult. Luckily hair products have come on leaps and bounds since we were kids, so you can easily protect blonde tresses with a little thought beforehand.

Tool – Apply Philip Kingsley Swimcap, £16.10 (4) generously to locks before diving in, which is one of the best products on the market for protecting hair from the effects of chlorine. As an added bonus, it also conditions hair, leaving it feeling soft and silky smooth!

UV PROTECTION

When the sun starts to shine (and I’m holding out hope that we won’t be waiting too long!), there’s one important rule to looking after blonde hair – never go out without UV protection. As lighter hair contains less melanin than darker tresses, there is less natural protection, so you need to give it a helping hand to stay in great condition.

Tool – Treat your bathroom shelf to a bottle ofSchwarzkopf Professional BC Bonacure Sun Protect Spray Conditioner, £7.55 (1) – a lightweight, beautifully scented spray that will protect locks from the effects of UV-rays.