Winter was cold, hard and seemingly endless. It’s time to let the warm weather and sunshine go to your head, with the perfect shade of blond and the cut to show it off!

Photography by Guy Aroch

IF BLOND is the ultimate fantasy color, summer is the ultimate time to try it. And this year, there’s a new blond to covet. Unlike the dramatic, single color platinum shade popular last winter on celebrities such as Lady Gaga and Gwen Stefani, the ideal blond now is rich, deep and golden. “Harsh, white blond is hard to pull off,” says Regis Artistic Director Renee Herskovitz, who created the rich shade on these pages. It’s natural and warm, with subtle, butter-colored highlights and deeper lowlights to give it depth and shine. Says Herskovitz: “It looks good on just about everybody.”

IF YOU’RE READY to become a blond, there are some things you should know. For the healthiest, most believable results, “you really shouldn’t go more than two to three levels lighter than your natural color,” Herskovitz says. That means the shade shown will work best if your hair is already light brown to dark blond; on darker hair, roots will be very obvious after only a week or two. (Try a honey or caramel color instead.) To keep your blond at its best, you’ll want to return to the salon for touch-ups like clockwork every six weeks.

SHOULDER-LENGTH & VERSATILE, this layered cut lets the sun shine through golden hair. Keeping the concept of “lighten up” in mind, Regis International Creative Director Gordon Nelson cut in slightly choppy ends to allow lots of natural movement. Best of all, it can be worn all three ways pictured here, making it an easy-care cut that’s perfect for summer.