While many of the more precise yellow hair inspirations should be done with a professional colorist, that doesn’t mean that you can’t try your hand at DIY hair dyes. If you’re feeling confident and are ready to tackle this bold color at home, these are some of the best semi-permanent yellow hair color options that can help you achieve a bold and sunny ‘do. Also, learn how to find the right yellow hair color for your skin tone and personality in our buying guide below.
In this article:
- Our Picks for the Best Yellow Hair Dyes
- How to Choose the Best Yellow Hair Color for Your Skin Tone?
Our Picks for the Best Yellow Hair Dyes
From bright canary yellow to neons, these are the best yellow hair colors to use to get yellow hair at home.
1. Manic Panic Semi-Permanent Hair Color in Electric Banana
If you prefer a gentle color deposit, then Manic Panic is one of the best options. In addition to being vegan-friendly, this yellow dye is actually a semi-permanent deposit rather than a dye. Depending on your hair’s current color, you can achieve a vibrant yellow hue or something more subdued. For first-timers who’ve never dyed hair before, Manic Panic is always a great starting point. Buy it on Amazon!
2. Crazy Color Semi-Permanent Hair Color Cream in Canary Yellow
Crazy Color is another great semi-permanent yellow dye that lasts up to nine weeks. For maximum effect, you’ll need to lift your hair color. But this four-pack set is a great economical option if you’re looking to go yellow for a long period of time. Shop for it at Amazon!
3. La Riche Directions Hair Color in Bright Daffodil
If you haven’t guessed the consistent trend with yellow hair dye, you need to use it on bleached or naturally light blonde hair to get the maximum effect. But you’ll like that Directions Hair Color is suitable for all hair types, meaning that this is a great option for kinky curly tresses that want to go bold. Buy it on Amazon!
4. Punky Semi-Permanent Conditioning Hair Color in Bright Yellow
While semi-permanent hair colors tend to be gentler and better for your hair since they’re only depositing color that eventually washes out, if you’re vegan, it can be hard to find bold color payoff that squares with your moral code. Punky’s bright yellow hue fits the bill and is also paraben-free. You’ll also appreciate that this yellow hair color lasts up to 25 washes. Buy it on Amazon!
5. Arctic Fox Semi-Permanent Hair Color in Cosmic Sunshine
If you scrolled through our inspo section, you noted that “yellow hair” isn’t limited to one hue. We like that Arctic Fox is one of the few semi-permanent hair color brands that actually show you what results you can expect to achieve, depending on your base color. Plus, this is another vegan-friendly and cruelty-free yellow hair dye option. Buy it on Amazon!
6. Clairol Color Crave Semi-Permanent Hair Color in Daffodil
If you prefer a yellow hair dye that you can easily find in your local drugstore, then Clairol is the way to go. This bold box color is a no-mix solution that comes with a tinting brush for easier applications. But you’ll like that this is one of the best choices for someone who isn’t ready to fully commit to a long-term relationship with yellow hair. Clairol’s Color Crave collection is designed to last for roughly two weeks or 15 washes. Buy on Amazon!
7. Lime Crime Unicorn Hair Semi-Permanent Hair Color Tint in Tweet
If you’re familiar with Lime Crime’s bold vegan-friendly makeup, then you’ll love their semi-permanent hair color tint. This bright sunny yellow hair dye is gentle but, of course, will show up the brightest on lighter hair colors. Buy it at Ulta!
8. Wella Color Fresh Create Semi-Permanent Shades Hair Color in Future Yellow
If you’re more experienced with at-home coloring projects, then Wella is a good step up. This professional-level hair color is gentle on hair and fades true to tone as well. Seasoned home colorists will like that you can adjust the processing time to adjust the shade outcomes from pastel to vibrant. You’ll like that this yellow hair dye kit also comes with a tinting brush. This hair color is also designed to cover grays completely. Buy it on Amazon!
How to Choose the Best Yellow Hair Color for Your Skin Tone?
Finding the right hair color hue for your skin tone is exactly like finding the right foundation. You can’t just slap any yellow hair color on and hope for the best. So, let’s discuss how to find the right yellow for your skin tone.
First, start by thinking about your skin tone. The three main categories are pale, olive, and dark.
- Paler fashionistas should be careful, as bolder neon yellows can be less forgiving against your fair skin. Instead, go softer with a nice pastel version of yellow.
- Olive skin will probably do best if they opt for one of the multi-color options we highlighted in our inspo section. An all-over yellow hue (whether bold or pastel) can leave you looking muted.
- If you have darker skin, the hair color world is your oyster. There aren’t too many colors or intensity levels that won’t work with your rich skin tone.
But Focus on Your Undertones
Using just your skin tone will give you a general guide, but you should really focus on your undertones. Just like when you shade-match makeup such as foundation or concealer, your undertone will dictate the best shade as opposed to just relying on your general tone. Using undertones to determine your right color will give you far better accuracy and ensure that you’re truly picking the right yellow shade that will be complimentary.
If you’re not sure about your undertone, do the vein test. Look at the veins on the inside of your wrists under natural light (i.e. the sun).
- If your veins look green or green-blue, then you have warm undertones.
- If your veins look purplish or blue, then you have cool undertones.
- If you can’t tell what color your veins are, then your undertone is neutral.
But this is where it can get tricky because technically speaking, yellow is considered a warm shade. As you saw from our inspo above, even within yellow, there are warmer options that have an orange depth to them, as well as cooler options that are more muted or bluish.
- So, if you have warm undertones, you’ll want to stick with yellow shades that appear warmer and more vibrant – specifically hues that have hints of orange or red.
- If you have cooler undertones, opt for a pastel shade instead.
- But if you have neutral undertones, you’ve got the best of both worlds and can play with any hue within the yellow family.
If You Want Multiple Colors…
As you saw in our inspo hairstyle pictures, many of the cool looks actually offered more than just yellow hair. Popular options included orange, green, purple, and blue. This is because purple is a complementary color that sits directly across from yellow on the color wheel.
Meanwhile, green and orange are analogous colors that sit on either side of yellow. And blue is triadic because it sits equidistantly from yellow and red (the other two primary colors).
So, if you want to create an ombre or gradient effect with other fantasy colors – or just want to create visual interest – you should get familiar with a color wheel before you make your selections.
Photos via @mirandamariex, Amazon