Getting the most sought-after “90s looks” has never been more achievable thanks to Schwarzkopf Professional’s signature technique that consumers can now seamlessly request from their hairdressers.
Schwarzkopf Professional®, a global leader in haircare and color innovation for over 125 years, is proud to unveil “Bessette Blonde” as the hair color trend of 2026 and the Foiled Cashmere™ technique that allows consumers to achieve it. The Foiled Cashmere technique, inspired by iconic blonde Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy & coined by Schwarzkopf Ambassador Kari Hill, is a modern update on ’90s blonding, built on precision foiling for maximum brightness and bespoke gradient toning for seamless dimension, and a soft, rich finish. The technique, whose foiling method mimics the tight weave associated with a luxurious cashmere sweater, creates polished, touchable, unmistakably current hair. Kari coined her signature Foiled Cashmere technique while on the set of Love Story, where she transformed Sarah Pidgeon from dark brown hair into Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s iconic shades of blonde.
The Trend
Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s buttery blonde has forever been a cultural touchpoint, but 2026 marks a renewed resurgence in the look as ’90s and early-2000s hair trends are searched and saved across TikTok, Instagram, and Pinterest. Consumers are seeking clean, expensive-looking blonde shades – a shift driven by nostalgia and a revival of archival beauty references. The Foiled Cashmere technique gives stylists both a name and a technical recipe for the look that consumers are consistently requesting in the salon. The versatile technique’s controlled warmth and refined dimension make it equally transformative on brunette and red hair colors.
Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy was known for two defining looks:
- Warm blonde on top with deeper dimension below in the early to mid 90s
- A brighter, blonder, more polished look in the later 90s
Both relied on classic hair foiling techniques, not the “lived-in” hair aesthetic, which has dominated our modern culture. Now salon clients can get both from hairdressers certified in the Foiled Cashmere technique.
The Products
Achieving the Foiled Cashmere look is far more attainable in 2026 than it was in the ’90s and early 2000s thanks to significant advancements in professional hair color technology. Earlier bleaches often lifted inconsistently, lacked bonding support, and left hair too compromised to hold tone, which is why warm blondes were the norm, not a choice.And even today, not all bleach is created equal. Today’s beauty consumer knows every ingredient their dermatologist uses and asks their stylist which shampoo and styling products to buy, yet most have no idea what professional color is actually applied to their hair. As full‑head foiling returns, this matters more than ever. The precision and tonal control required for Foiled Cashmere demand a high‑performance system with reliable lift, integrated bonding, and anti‑metal technology – a combination Schwarzkopf Professional developed specifically to protect and preserve hair integrity through an intensive full‑head foiling service.
The Schwarzkopf Professional Foiled Cashmere trend is expertly achieved via the following hero products:
- Schwarzkopf Professional BLONDME® 9+ Premium Lightener: Schwarzkopf Professional’s hero lightening product features up to nine levels of lift and Integrated Anti-Metal Bond Protection Technology that helps protect hair during the lift process without needing a separate bonding additive. This reduces steps needed during a full-head foiling service and helps keep hair strength and elasticity for minimized breakage. Thanks to its fine powder texture, the bleach is easy to mix and apply, allowing for tidy precision foils, which are applied in a 4×4 pattern: horizontal, vertical, diagonal back, and diagonal front. The product is so popular that one tub is sold every 30 seconds in the U.S.*
- Schwarzkopf Professional IGORA VIBRANCE®: Our hero toning product for creating Foiled Cashmere’s signature dimension. Its alkaline demi-permanent formulation delivers long-lasting, vibrant color with beautiful grey blending. IGORA VIBRANCE is ideal for achieving the multi-layered toning essential to this trend. Made with Vitamins B3 and B5, the formula helps shield the hair’s surface during the coloring process, leaving hair looking healthy and feeling smoother.** One bottle of IGORA Vibrance color is sold every 7 seconds in the U.S.*
- Schwarzkopf Professional BLONDME Care: Prolong in-salon color results for long-lasting shine with BLONDME BondRepair Nourishing Shampoo, BLONDME BondRepair Nourishing Conditioner, and BLONDME Bondfinity Deep Repair Mask. 3D Bond Creation Technology in all BLONDME home care products maintains and strengthens hair bonds at home between salon visits. BLONDME Care is available on Amazon.
The Education
Schwarzkopf Professional is the only hair color brand offering an official course and certification on the Foiled Cashmere technique that licensed professionals can receive online via the brand’s free E-Academy program, broken into three 30-minute modules: 1) Precision Foiling with Kari Hill, 2) Custom Toning with Kari Hill, and 3) ’90s Blowout with Tracey Cunningham. The course standardizes results across stylists and salon teams allowing consumers to easily request the Foiled Cashmere look at their salon of choice.