When Kim Kardashin West debuted her waist-length silvery blonde locks at the Tom Ford spring/summer fashion show earlier this week, one question was at the forefront of everyone’s minds: Was it real?

As the mommy of two revealed on her app, her new look was, in fact, legit. “I’ve been talking about going blonde again for a long time, and I’m so happy I did!,” she wrote. “I know a lot of people initially thought I was wearing a wig, but it’s my real hair. My amazing stylist, Chris Appleton, dyed my hair and got it to the most perfect, platinum, silvery-white color.”

Appleton (who just so happens to be the same man behind Katy Perry’s platinum transformation), gave some further insight on the hue, saying, “We did the whole long, dark hair for a while, and it’s been a huge trend, but we wanted a whole new vibe — and a drastic change. Platinum is such an iconic look, but we wanted to make sure it wasn’t your average platinum blonde, so we made it silver white to give it more of a modern platinum feel with a cool, unexpected edge.”

But Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was the business woman’s new hue: It took at least a week of what she said was “yellow” hair to get the shade just right — and avoid damage. As the stylist concurred in a press release, “It’s a big transformation, and can do extreme damage to your hair if not done properly.”

Now, he’s giving step-by-step instructions on how brunette babes can achieve a similar look with minimal fallout.

To prep your hair for such a structural shock, the reality mogul’s trusted hair guru says you should begin by going heavy on a conditioner like ColorWow Security Conditioner ($23). Like, once a day heavy. “I wanted to maintain the SHINE with Kim, which is why it was important for us to take our time and treat the hair properly.”

Since bleach is pretty taxing on your hair to begin with, Appleton also suggests not doing anything to aid in damage, including using rubber hair elastics and sleeping on silk pillowcase, both before and after your makeover.

What’s more, it’s important to be realistic with your expectations. The fact is, not everyone will look as fierce as Kim KW with uber-blonde hair. “If you are dark, cooler tones look stronger,” he explained. “If you are really fair, warmer tones look nice. It’s very individual.” If you’re in between, or aren’t sure, he recommends trying before you buy with a temporary fix, like a wig.

If you like what you see, or are simply ready to take the plunge, have at it: But note, your color journey won’t end at the salon. Platinum takes WORK. For starters, you’ll likely need to use a special shampoo, like Color Wow’s Security Shampoo ($23) post-dye. “The Color Wow shampoo and conditioner are especially great for blondes as they remove residue from the hair and help maintain a really healthy scalp, so your blonde is really shiny,” he quipped.

From there, you can use the brand’s Coconut Cocktail Bionic Treatment ($24) as a daily leave-in treatment to combat dehydration and rough, raised cuticles and its Dream Coat spray ($28) prior to styling to fight frizz and maintain moisture.

If you must use heat to tame unruly locks, Appleton says it’s best to use a toning spray, like BedHead’s Toning Blonde Spray ($16), as well as Davines’ Nourishing Hair Building Pak ($36) once a week to keep it soft and shiny.

And there you have it! Shiny silver blonde, just like KKW. Excuse us while we book our next salon appointment…

 What do you think of Kim K.’s new ‘do? Let us know over @BritandCo.

 Brit + Co may at times use affiliate links to promote products sold by others, but always offers genuine editorial recommendations.

 (Photo via Bryan Bedder/Getty)