The reason behind Kim Kardashian's platinum blonde hair

Confession: we’ve spent far too much time and brain energy trying to figure out Kim Kardashian‘s freshly minted Snow Queen hair.

Rumours have run amok that the reality star’s entire look was largely created by a wig, then last week it seemed she’d already gone back to black after just a few weeks as a platinum blonde.

We tried to come up with some ideas as to why she so quickly returned to her roots, but to no avail. Boredom? Short attention span? Immediate regret? Nobody knew. All we had was a throwaway comment from Kim about a picture of platinum blonde Madonna in her references folder.

Until now. It’s like Kim’s been reading all these headlines (surely she has a Google Alert for her name) and knows we’ve all been speculating about her reasons for going platinum, because she made a sort-of effort to explain why she went there in the first place.

“I dyed my hair for [Paris] fashion week and loved that I captured this blonde moment,” she captioned a close-up of her face on Instagram on Saturday. (Post continues after gallery.)

Farewell, Kim Kardashian as a blonde...

So there you go. She basically just admitted the whole thing was to make headlines (and, um, maybe steal the limelight back from her baby sister-turned-legit runway model Kendall). Just think — she went to all that effort and all that peroxide for just one event…

Regardless of why she did it, Kim’s blonde move has certainly had many fellow dark brunettes wondering if they could pull off the same transformation. Evidently, some have already taken the plunge; according to reports, Fudge Professional has seen a 312 per cent increase in sales of their Clean Blonde Violet Toning shampoo and conditioner — a must-have for any bottle blonde — in the weeks since Kim’s hair went flaxen. Woah.

All this effort for Fashion Week...

For anyone else still waiting uncertainly on the shore, you probably have a few questions you want answered before you go anywhere near a bottle of peroxide; namely, can it be done without making my hair fall out? Here's what you need to know:

Can any brunette go ice blonde?

"It depends on whether they have virgin dark hair or whether there’s pre-existing dark coloured dye in it, and then whether it’s a semi-permanent or permanent dye. And if hair is really coarse, like Asian hair, it can go quite yellow – it’s hard to push it to platinum," hairdresser Nikki Porter from Rubi Hair told The Glow. If you do have lingering dark dye in your hair, Porter recommends having it removed before you begin the process.

How long does the process take?

Despite how quick and easy Kim made it look, going from very dark to very light can involve several appointments and a gradual approach; sometimes it takes up to nine months. The time required is usually determined by your hair length. If multiple steps are required, it's common for the hair to be lightened every four to six weeks.

How should I prepare my hair?

“I’d recommend a really good cleansing shampoo to remove build up, and a really hydrating mask treatment to start getting those moisture levels up. Schwarzkopf have Deep Cleanse for this, then use a hydrating mask afterwards,” Porter said.

How do I look after my hair when it's been lightened?

"Once the lightening process starts you need something full of protein, such as Kerastase’s Masque Force Architecte and Fibre Force, or Schwarzkopf’s Rescue Repair from their Resistance Range. But if hair gets too much protein it can also snap and break, so alternate your protein and moisture treatments," Porter says.

Have you ever gone platinum blonde? Do you have any tips to share?

Best products for maintaining blonde hair

Bumble and Bumble

Nature's Organic

John Frieda

Aveda

L'Oreal

Wella