Can You Get Away With Platinum Hair?

So you're thinking of going platinum (your hair, not your album). Before you attempt to bleach your hair, make sure you will actually look good with platinum hair. Here are some guidelines to follow.

Gallery: 17 Photos of Gorgeous Platinum Hair.

1. Try on a platinum colored wig first. A good way to try on hair colors is to test them first via a wig. If you look good in a platinum wig, you'll look even better with your own hair bleached.
2. Women with cool skin tones generally look better in platinum colors than women with warm skin tones. Cool skin tones tend to be ruddy, not golden. If you have a pink or peachy complexion with pink or blue skin undertones, and you tend to burn before you tan, you've got cool skin tone. Women with warm skin tones have a yellow or golden skin undertones and tend to tan more easily. There are some women with olive skin tones who look good in any color (think Linda Evangelista or Gwen Stefani), so if you do have warm skin, try on the wig and see for yourself if you can pull it off.
3. If you tan easily, think twice. "If you are too tan it usually looks trashy," says celebrity colorist David John to Totalbeauty.com. If you do have warm skin tones, stay out of the sun. Paler skin works better with this hair color.
4. Were you blonde as a kid? As we age, our hair tends to turn darker, but women who were blonde as children tend to make good blondes.
5. If you have naturally dark hair, keep in mind that platinum hair will be high maintenance for you. Your roots will grow in dark, which could look tacky next to your blonde hair, so make sure your committed to the hair color before you make the plunge.
6. Brittle, fragile hair will not be able to withstand the chemicals required to achieve that perfect platinum color. If your hair has been chemically straightened or colored recently, consult with your stylist about the condition of your hair. You can ask your stylist to condition your hair before each step in the process to protect your hair from the harmful chemicals.
7. Women with dark hair may have to endure a few visits to the salon before they're hair becomes true platinum. Because hair must endure bleach and toner, going platinum is a multi-step process that may take a couple visits to the salon.

   "If you go too light, too fast, your hair can get dry and damaged, which isn't pretty regardless of your hair color," says colorist Eric Muroski in Glamour Magazine. "You may need several visits to the salon to get the shade you're looking for. So be patient, heed your colorist's advice, and move at the pace they recommend."

8. Bring in a picture to the salon of the exact platinum color you love. Platinum hair color may mean something else to your stylist than it does to you, so bring in a picture to show him or her.

See a photo gallery of gorgeous platinum hair for inspiration.

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