Just when we thought HBO couldn’t do anything else to keep us glued to our couch on the weekends, the cable network debuted Game of Thrones this past Sunday. The complex but totally engrossing interpretation of George R. R. Martin’s multi-volume fantasy tomes is a little bit Lord of the Rings, a little bit Medieval Times—yielding a premiere that was a total visual overload: think pelts, armor, castles, bloody battles, and plenty of heaving (and exposed) bosoms. But what really caught our eye was the stark, white blond tresses of actress Emilia Clarke, who plays the exiled royal, Daenerys Targaryen. Clark joins a crop of other snowy-haired lasses like Robyn, Michelle Williams, Abbey Lee Kershaw, and even Reese Witherspoon, who brightened up her blond for her role in Water for Elephants (which, it must be said, is pretty lackluster except for the costumes, that titular elephant, and said hair).


Should you be looking to adopt similarly silvery strands for the summer, a few words to the wise: “It’s easier for someone with fair skin to pull off this look because the color will clash with dark skin tones, and the natural warmth in dark hair will make it harder to maintain,” says colorist Erin Bogart of the Sally Hershberger salon. “I also wouldn’t recommend it for someone with already damaged hair because stripping the color will cause breakage.” As the bevy of last season’s Balenciaga blondes know only too well, this icy hue requires more maintenance than any other blond in the spectrum; besides touching up the roots every four to five weeks, Bogart suggests a toner every two weeks so your platinum doesn’t turn a shade of Mountain Dew. “If you don’t want to visit the salon for toner, I would recommend using a purple shampoo like Davines Alchemic once a week to cancel out the yellow,” she says. “Since [going white blond] requires you to strip color from the cuticle, use a shampoo and conditioner for weakened hair like the Shu Uemura Art of Hair Silk Bloom collection, which contains proteins to strengthen.” Another tip: Mix, don’t match, your brows to your hair. “Darker brows look best with this color because they help to frame your face and give you structure,” advises Bogart. “You will fade away with light brows.” If you were looking for an opportunity to channel True Blue-era Madonna, here you go.