Barbie blonde is said to be the biggest hair trend this summer, and if the pink carpet looks from the world premiere are anything to go by, that prediction is absolutely correct. Since the Barbie rollout, blonde hair has staged a remarkable comeback, overtaking the ginger trend.
Explore pages without creators sharing their style and makeup inspiration with blonde hair? You’ll have a hard time finding one! Nicki Minaj’s “Barbie World” theme song has our favourite influencers in a chokehold. Every morning, I wake up with “And I’m bad like Barbie, I’m a doll, but I still wanna party (party)” playing in my head!
The freeing spirit of going blonde
Blonde hair has always fascinated me, and though I’ve only tried it twice, I’m eager to experiment with it again. Hearing from other women who have gone blonde with their natural hair or copped a blonde wig makes it feel freeing. Having the perfect hair can genuinely uplift your mood, and the thought of trying something new like this sounds fascinating!
Wendy Lawal Simpson, popularly known as Shoshanna on Africa Magic’s longest-running series Tinsel, rocked a stunning short blonde wig at the AMVCAs. She agrees that Blondes have more fun because “it takes a certain level of boldness to rock blonde hair”. She got a blonde wig because it amplifies one’s look and compliments the skin tone when you get the right shade.
Marie Claire Nigeria’s business development executive, Ibidun, decided to go blonde as an experiment and fell in love with it. “I found it empowering and enlightening that the right shade for your skin tone enhances your beauty as a darker-skinned woman.” Going blonde gave her more confidence and also worked as a great conversation starter. Now, Ibidun happily advises on the best way to go blonde without ruining the health of their hair.
The Barbie Blonde Effect
In Nigeria, the girlies are having fun with their Barbie blonde wigs. The Belle Store, a top Nigerian human hair store with a sale of over 100k units of luxurious wigs, saw a 30% increase in sales of blonde units since the Barbie marketing began. CEO & hair professional Chika Amaechina says, “We had a best seller called Icy Blonde that trended Q4 (4th quarter) last year. We noticed a comeback in July and were surprised. Some customers also purchased golden blonde wigs.”
Blonde hairs require a colouring process to get the right shades. Curious about the right ones for black skin, I asked Chika, whose store has existed for 10 years. In Chika’s expert opinion, dark skin people do well with toned blonde shades. “Ultimately, your skin’s undertone determines what sort of blonde will suit you”.
The first step is knowing the various shades of blonde colours. Chika explained that blonde is mostly any colour that falls between levels 7-10 on the hair colour system. Getting the perfect colour for natural hair and weaves is a simple process requiring expert hands and knowledge.
The dye process for Barbie Blonde
- You lift the hair to a higher level from natural black using a bleach & developer mixture until you are satisfied with the colour outcome.
- Follow up with toners and bond builders for a uniform finish and healthy hair.
3 Tips to Maintain Your Barbie Blonde Hair
Maintenance is essential because blonde hairs are processed. Here are the top three tips from Chika to keep your Barbie Blonde hair in top shape this summer.
- Blonde hairs are prone to breakage because of the dyeing process. An expert tip to avoid this breakage is to keep the hair moisturized. A moisturizing conditioner after shampooing gently will keep your hair breakage free moisturized.
- Dyed hairs can quickly get colour damaged if not appropriately preserved. To avoid your blonde hair getting colour damage, protect it from heat when styling. Products like heat protectants on the wig before styling with hot tools will help keep the colour.
- Apply an oil-free serum while styling for lustrous and frizz-free Barbie blonde hair.
