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When Off Campus premiered in May, discourse surrounding blonde-boy propaganda was at an all-time high after Briar U heartthrob Dean DiLaurentis became a fan-favorite character, and his blonde was so believable that many people were shocked to find out that actor Stephen Kalyn's real hair color is not the buttery yellow he sports on the show. Kalyn's color on Off Campus is the masterwork of the show's hair department, led by Debra Wiebe.
Speaking at Prime Video's Obsessed Fest, Kalyn talked about transforming into Dean. "It takes like four and a half, five hours in the chair," he said, "and we do it every three weeks-ish, and we just touch it up here and there." He also shared his routine and "needing" to hydrate and condition his hair to make it look as natural as it does on the show.
"Some dryness is completely normal because lightening changes the structure of the hair. The key is making sure temporary dryness doesn't become long-term damage," Chris Appleton, Schwarzkopf Professional global color ambassador and colorist to the stars, tells Teen Vogue. “One of the biggest advances in blonde care is that we're no longer just treating the surface of the hair; we're helping repair the hair from the inside out.”
Appleton continues, "Once clients leave the salon, I always encourage them to stick with a routine that's specifically formulated for blonde hair. A nourishing shampoo and conditioner paired with a weekly repair mask can make a huge difference in keeping hair hydrated, strong, and shiny between appointments."
Actors undergoing drastic hair transformations for roles isn't a new thing. But, if you look back at the history of TV shows and film, especially young-adult and new adult titles, you'll find that transformations as dramatic as Kalyn's don't always go as smoothly. Famously, Ariana Grande wore her signature high pony with extensions because, as she posted on Facebook, her hair was "completely destroyed" during filming Victorious, when it was bleached and dyed every other week for the first four years of the show to achieve her character Cat's trademark fiery red.
Another famous faux redhead onscreen was KJ Apa, who played Archie on Riverdale, and bleached his hair for years for the part. “Mate, the amount of sh*t that has been put in my hair is unbelievable,” the actor told HuffPost in 2018. "I wouldn't be surprised if I go bald in a couple years. They used to do my eyebrows, but I told them no more dying my eyebrows."
For her role as a blonde vampire in Twilight, Nikki Reed also dramatically bleached her hair, a process that took a whopping 36 hours. "My hair fell out," she reportedly told MTV News.
Emilia Clarke told Harper's Bazaar that she chose to cut her hair shorter because of damage from dyeing it Daenerys Targaryen's blonde for just one season of Game of Thrones. The actor had worn wigs for most of the show, but decided to commit to the look for the final season.
One of the most memorable bleached 'dos etched in pop culture belongs to Tati Gabrielle, an actor who has long been associated with short blonde hair (and later a buzz cut), a style she began sporting for The 100’s fifth season, prompted by the series’ six-year time jump. Netflix’s The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina then catapulted her bleached ’do to wider popularity. Since then, Gabrielle has spoken about drawing boundaries when it comes to actors bleaching their hair.
While filming Uncharted alongside Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg, among others, Gabrielle turned down production’s request to bleach her hair for her role as Jo Braddock, opting instead for a wig and prioritizing the health of her natural hair. “I was in back-and-forth conversations with production about them wanting to dye my hair blonde,” she told People. “I was trying to explain to them, 'I have black hair. You can't bleach my head every other week—you will have no hair to film with by the end,’” she recalled saying.
And let us not forget what is perhaps one of the most dramatic stories of going blonde for the screen: James Marsters, who played Spike on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the quintessential teen show from 1997 until 2003. In 2021, on the Inside of You podcast, the actor explained that his hair was bleached for every episode to play the vampire, which meant every eight days, to ensure that no roots were visible. This frequency led to blisters on his scalp, he recalled, adding, "We were pouring bleach on top of the open wounds from the last bleaching. They would say, 'We don't know if you are going to have hair by the end of this.'"
That's why the new wave of actors sporting healthy, bleached hair onscreen feels so refreshing. A careful routine ensures healthier hair onscreen than in the past. "[Nowadays] most bleaching horror stories are avoidable. Hair color technology has evolved immensely with built-in bonding technology, which allows colorists to safely lift the hair," Kari Hill, celebrity colorist and Schwarzkopf Professional ambassador, who was behind's Sarah Pidgeon's viral transformation for Love Story, tells Teen Vogue.
“There are so many factors that colorists have to consider when creating blonde hair for a film, television, or red carpet moment because every single strand is picked up on camera,” Hill explains. “You have to think about how the light will hit the color, how the hair moves, and whether it looks believable from every angle. For Love Story, we recreated two distinct versions of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy's blonde to reflect her evolution throughout the ’90s. Her early ’90s look was a softer, golden blonde with a lot of contrast, dimension, and face-framing ribbons. By the late ’90s,” Hill continues, "her blonde was a much brighter, full-head foiled blonde. But toning was still incredibly important, as there was still natural contrast underneath when she wore her hair up or in a bun."
Hill actually developed her own technique, which she has coined “the foiled cashmere technique,” for Pidgeon's transformation; a look that was also achieved with Blondeme Premium Lightener 9+ and Igora vibrance for toning. "I wanted the color to feel as soft and luxurious as cashmere," Hill says, “so I wove incredibly fine foil sections, almost like the delicate threads of a cashmere sweater, to create brightness while maintaining seamless transitions between tones. That meticulous placement, paired with customized toning, created a blonde that felt dimensional, effortless, and incredibly authentic on camera."
Hill adds, "We were very lucky on the set of Love Story because the production team gave us the time to lift the hair low and slow. Sarah's hair was a deep brown, level-three shade that required over 24 hours of gradual lifting to create the base for her iconic ‘Bessette Blonde.’ Those products allowed me to recreate Carolyn's signature blonde while keeping Sarah's hair healthy throughout months of filming."
Hill says she tells her clients, including Pidgeon, that "caring for blonde hair is just like wearing SPF for your skin." She also notes: “It's not optional if you want to protect your investment. Every time you wash, heat style, or spend time in the sun, you're affecting both the health and longevity of your color. That's why I recommend the Blondme Care range. The nourishing shampoo and conditioner help maintain the hair's bonds while keeping it soft, strong, and hydrated between appointments, and the sealing balm smooths the ends while providing heat protection. Healthy hair will always hold color better, look shinier, and keep your blonde looking fresh long after you leave the salon.”
Appleton tells Teen Vogue he thinks it's "exciting" that “audiences expect authenticity now" when it comes to treated, bleached hair, especially a shade as common as blonde. "Blonde no longer has to look flat or obviously processed. Today's best onscreen blondes have movement, dimension, shine, and they feel believable," he says. "A character like Dean DiLaurentis is a great example; his blonde looks effortless, but there's actually a lot of precision behind it. The goal isn't for viewers to notice the color—it's for them to believe that's naturally who the character is. That's where modern color techniques and healthier hair really make all the difference."
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Speaking to Elite Daily, Off Campus's hair department lead Debra Wiebe said Dean's blonde was "lighter and more pastel" when compared to the warm highlights on Allie's viral haircut, adding that the hair color was actually a great way to make Dean stand out. "There were so many men with darker hair. So we wanted some variety. When you see a group shot of the guys, Dean's hair balances out the room," Wiebe told the publication. "And his eyes really pop with the lighter hair. He had nice eyes before, but with that blonde frame they're like, 'Wow!'"
Speaking to The Set Set, Wiebe shared that the team purposely left some roots to “avoid a ‘Ken doll’ effect.”
Colleen Dominique, who has been Kalyn's personal go-to groomer since the show wrapped its first season, says the biggest factor in ensuring bleached hair looks good on camera is "preserving the integrity of the hair."
“Healthy hair with shine, movement, and dimension will always photograph better than hair that appears dry or overworked,” she points out. “For red carpets, press, and editorial work, I focus on styling that enhances the hair's natural texture while keeping the overall look polished. I can't specifically speak to Stephen's personal hair-care routine outside of the time we're working together, as that's typically managed independently or by the production hair department while filming. More generally, color-treated hair benefits from consistent hydration, leave-in conditioning, heat protection, and minimizing unnecessary heat styling. My goal is always to make the hair look healthy, touchable, and camera-ready.”
Adds Dominique, "Some favorite products I use are Church California coastal cream, R+Co heat-protection products and leave-in conditioners, and Rōz styling oil and serum in controlled amounts.”
"Healthy-looking blonde hair doesn't come from one great product; it's the result of maintaining the hair over time," Dominique continues. "A believable blonde isn't just about the color itself; it's about making sure the hair still has movement, softness, shine, and dimension. With all of that in mind, the overall result feels much more natural."
Appleton agrees: "Dimension is everything. Natural blonde isn't one solid shade, so I always build multiple tones into the hair to create movement and depth. That's what gives blonde that expensive, camera-ready finish. The biggest compliment is when someone asks, ‘Is that their natural color?’" (And, hey, both Pidgeon and Kalyn are getting that reaction from fans and castmates alike.)
It's not just Kalyn and Pidgeon leading the way, either. "I also love how Tracey Cunningham transformed Michelle Monaghan from brunette to a natural-looking blonde for the third season of The White Lotus," Appleton says. "She also gave Leslie Bibb the perfect platinum blonde. All looks were achieved using Schwarzkopf Professional color. Hair color became an unexpected storytelling device that season. While the central trio was intentionally introduced as the archetypal 'three blondes,' each woman's shade, tone, and overall look subtly reinforced that they were distinct, layered characters rather than a single stereotype."
Dominique says the key to making color-treated hair look natural is to make sure the “looks felt authentic to the character or person rather than the hair becoming the focal point," adding that the most memorable makeovers “are the ones that enhance the overall story and feel effortless on camera.”
“One thing I've really enjoyed seeing over the years is the evolution of men's grooming,” she continues. "Hair has become another form of storytelling, and there's much more freedom for actors and creative teams to experiment with different looks. No matter the color, I think the strongest looks are always the ones that feel authentic to the person and character and prioritize the overall health of the hair."
We might only see them for a few hours on our screen, but it takes a village to bring some of these hair transformations to life, from entire hair teams mapping out how each strand will translate onscreen to the cast members themselves ensuring their looks stay as healthy as possible throughout filming. So, next time you’re rewatching your favorite shows and you spot a bleached makeover on an actor, you will probably also think about the many hours spent in the salon chair. Here's to more great onscreen dyed hair in the future!
