Here comes the sun, beauty acolytes! Summer brings to mind some pretty consistent images of tan skin, coconut sprays, and sun-kissed summer hair colors. Summer is the season of beach hair, strategically unkempt waves, and a relaxed silhouette.
While the summer is a favorable time for experimenting with a new hair color, you need to take some preliminary steps to ensure that your summer hair stays vibrant and luscious for the warmer months. Remember, the best summer hair color takes work – but looks effortless!
In this article:
- 53 Summer Hair Colors to Try
- Spring to Summer Hair Color Transition Tips
- Best Summer Hair Colors for Blondes
- Best Summer Hair Colors for Brunettes
- Best Summer Hair Colors for Redheads
53 Summer Hair Colors to Try
Whether you are a blonde Barbie, a brunette or a hot redhead, the summer hair colors we present below have got you covered, as there is a new chic style for every taste and personality!
1. Cool Angelic Blonde Summer Hair
Come back down to earth with a stunningly supple and cool blonde mane this summer. This shade is pretty desirable, and it’s not hard to see why: it has cool tones without any of the iciness that is often associated with this family of blondes. This is due to the incorporation of golden butter blonde babylights throughout.
Barely perceptible, the color-melted shades of blonde create a vivacious and luscious silhouette. A soft wave makes this a luxe bohemian hairstyle for the summer months.
The slightest medium brown root keeps the focus on the blonde. Pair with a light summer tan and shimmering body lotion for a truly mesmerizing summer evening style.
2. Sand Princess
Take some inspiration from the beach with downtempo shades of sand, golden blonde, and caramel brown. This summer hair color is effortlessness at its finest: the carefree frizz and waves create an appealingly down-to-earth vibe.
This is an approachable look for light to medium brunettes who want to add some ombre without all the glitz and polish. Medium brown plays nicely with golden blonde hues, and the two create an authentic and better-than-natural color blend.
This is the go-to summer hair color that will take you from lazy beach days to evening bonfires. Pair with some dangling feather earrings for a gypsy chic summer look.
3. Ashen Beach Rose Summer Hair
Pink is the queen of the crop when it comes to summer hair color shades. Rose pink is effortless and girlish, without being too precious or high-maintenance. We love the toned-down pigment of this rose. It is sandy, with a pared-down and ashy appearance.
This undone finish makes the perfect summer hair color because it feels easy and breezy and grows out like a pinch. The ruddy pink and the shadowed roots are bold and unapologetic.
Taking into account the sun, sand, and wind action that summer hair gets exposed to, it is wise to choose a toned-down shade such as this. We love that you can add some light curls and dark eye makeup to create a rocker beach look.
4. Golden Bombshell Brown Summer Hair Color
How immaculate and polished can you go this summer? This summer hair color is next level prismatic and next level sophisticated. And it’s surprisingly breezy to achieve.
The golden balayage/ ombre incorporates shades of caramel, butter brown, and tan and creates a warm feel when paired with a deeper brown base. Because root maintenance can be a pain in the summer, this look makes sense on a practical level. A few strategic golden tan highlights can be incorporated into the root area for a cohesive and harmonious look.
The beautiful color cascades into a buttery blonde sensation.The spiral curls allow the dimensions of this golden melt to achieve pure glittering glory. This summer hair color was basically made for a tan, so get glowing.
5. California Surfer Babe
Remember that movie Blue Crush? It totally reflected the stereotype of the cool and confident surfer girl but hey, if it works, it works! This lightly waved and sunny blonde is pure California beach babe. Look closer, though: this summer hair color is more complex than meets the eye.
Pure cool Barbie blonde frames the face and creates a glowing and refreshed complexion. The remaining hair is a gentle golden blonde with a warmer overlay. This strategy keeps the overall look relaxed and low-maintenance while providing you with the skin-tone-enhancing hit of sunshine blonde.
6. Lavender Lemonade Summer Hair Color
Feel like reinventing yourself in a major way this summer? This cool royal blue and violet melt is a crayon box pop of fun. An ashy lavender base is neutral and extremely flattering. It also wears well in the summer sun, as the integrity of the muted tones isn’t compromised.
Highlights of electric blue and deep violet give this summer hair color an injection of energy and radiance. The vibrant result is a rock and roll bohemian look that is perfect for vivacious gals looking for a colorful twist on summer.
7. Cappuccino Ombre Summer Hair
This is a sophisticated take on summer hair colors that incorporates a medium brown base and a cream buttery blonde ombre. The painted balayage highlights create a harmonious and richly multidimensional blend. This hair color incorporates warm shades across the spectrum from brown to blonde, and it looks vividly complex.
We love how the hair is textured, with a bit of messiness and body. This is the perfect approach to summer hair and takes into account the added body bestowed on locks by sun and wind. The spiral waves are polished but relaxed – the winning and elusive summer combo.
8. Floral Coral Rose
An assertive and exuberant summer hair color that embraces the pretty pastels of the late spring landscape with the colorful vibe of a summer sunset! The deep and shadowed root creates a compelling contrast. The charcoal roots are easy to maintain and they capitalize on the messy, organic root that can often be an inevitable part of summer hair.
The rosy peach tones are color-melted in a vibrant way – creating a well-blended shade. We like how the ends descend into a burnt peach shade, creating a multi-tonal and pastel delight.
9. Flaxen Unicorn Summer Hair Color
This shade is everything: alluring, sweet, enigmatic, and ethereal. The dreamy blonde is cool without being icy or cold. It is monochromatic without being tired or run-of-the-mill. The result is a deeply mesmerizing canvas that appears to hold many secrets within its milieu.
A soft blow-out enhances the light-refracting and airy qualities of the shade and enhances the feminine allure of the style. This is a polished and delicate summer hair color look that will stand out against the crowds on the beach this summer. Pair with a crop top and jeans for a festival-ready look that is unique and envy-inducing.
10. Brunette Siren
This summer hair color is basically the hair look of any brunettes dreams. How can we achieve such luscious, polished, and sophisticated hair? Simple. Strategic balayage and soft, painted ombre. This is the ultimate summer hair color for medium to dark brunettes who want a reinvigorated summer look.
Color-melted highlights refract the light and add compelling depth to the hair. The result is fuller bodied locks that feel healthy and radiant. Buttery caramel blonde ombre complements the warm tones of the chestnut and chocolate roots and base. A face-grazing side part acts as a natural contour; playing up the cheekbones and framing your eyes.
11. Metallic Ice Siren Summer Hair
So cool you might bring winter back! This silver ice color proves that summer ain’t just for sunshine and sun-kissed locks. It is also the perfect time to pair your tan against a metallic head of cascading locks. Silver blonde feels original and of the moment.
You gotta be confident to rock this summer hair color, and it can take any girl from wallflower to starlet. A barely there shadowed charcoal root creates a sensual contrast and adds substance to the silver. A cascading wave is glamorous but just undone enough that it can pair daringly with a grungy summer outfit.
12. Cascading Caramel
This richly pigmented summer hair color brings to mind two words: dimensionality and warmth. The caramel shades are so warm and glowy that they will enhance your tan and brighten your complexion instantly. The radiant and dimensional caramel feels original and inviting.
Darker underlayers serve as a supple canvas on which to showcase the molten locks. Throw in some shades of medium brown and chocolate for good measure and you have a look that is brunette glory in all of its myriad dimensions.
13. White Blonde Unicorn
This summer hair color idea is serenity made manifest. The white blonde color is exquisitely color-melted with strands of medium brown and subtly shadowed roots. This striking color pops against a glamorous makeup style, complete with blushed cheeks and smokey eyes.
A choppy cut feels very current and modernistic. The shaggy wave adds a certain elusive cool vibe to the color, although a straightened style would absolutely play well with this effervescent shade. The best way to describe this summer hair look is sartorially urbane beach gal.
14. Sensual Surfer Summer Hair Color
That California beach babe that we all envy? You can be that girl. Get yourself a sun-kissed tan and take a trip to the salon to achieve this dream-worthy blonde mane. Medium brown roots descend into a warm golden blonde before melting into a soft white blonde.
This golden white blend feels original and enticing. The finishing touch on this hair color for summer is the beachy curls that you can achieve with sea salt spray. Make tight spiral curls and brush them out for relaxed texture and bounce. Grab a surfboard and go make some waves.
15. Iced Glazed Cappuccino Hair Color for Summer
Tired of all the warm brown looks? Want something cheeky, decisive, and bold? Get yourself a cold-as-ice glaze. The soft caramel color blends with the cool medium brown magically. An icy glaze transforms the brunette look and makes it the perfect choice for sophisticated and self-reliant beauties who carve their own path.
The glaze is intoxicatingly brazen. This will be the go-to style for downtown city gals and artistic creatives the world over this summer.
16. Dreamy Sand Brown
This summer hair color is so soft, so gentle, and so appealing, it’s hard to believe it is real. Yes, we wax lyrical but for good reason – this colormelt is so flattering and delicate that it will transform anyone into a living angel.
This style incorporates the whole family of medium browns and soft blondes and creates a warm and illuminated silhouette. The ombre and balayage techniques are subtly rendered, making this one of the most approachable summer hair colors we have seen for this season.
17. Evening Vixen Summer Hair
Looking for a style that will take you from day to night? This vivid, sumptuous, and luxurious summer hair color is fit for a Hollywood starlet. The black base is easy to maintain and provides an easy-to-work-with base for softer colors.
Sandy muted caramel dances across the black underlayers and creates a flattering silhouette. The painted highlights based around the face frame it and emphasize the natural contours of your cheeks. A glamorous blow-out enhances the depth and movement of your hair.
18. Magenta Butterfly
Magenta is one of the most reliable neon hair colors for summer you can go for. It is vibrant, mesmerizing, enchanting, and fearless. It is the perfect injection of some summertime energy into your beauty routine.
The deep fuchsia base incorporates some babylights of blush and coral for an entrancing and dimensional look. Choppy ends keep the color down to earth and relaxed. This is going to be the go-to festival look for the bold and beautiful among us. Get some eyeliner and deep wine lipstick and go wild.
19. Butter Champagne Hair Color for Summer
This summer hair color is a hedonistic dream. It evokes images of sultry rooftop evening parties and glittering invite-only galas. The warm golden sunflower tones are inviting and vibrant. The shadowed charcoal root gives the color a down-to-earth energy. The prismatic and rich highlights of creamy blonde are entrancing and romantic.
This is a soft, fairy-inspired alternative to the cool surfer blonde hair colors we have seen in some of the other looks. This girl is too busy sipping her champagne and trying tapas to get into the waves. If you like the finer, more luxurious things in life, then get yourself some butter balayage waves!
20. Golden Cream Summer Hair Color
Like the summer hair look we just examined, this blonde is pure luxury and pure uptown girl chic. Fancy yourself a discerning fashionista? This supple and luminous warm golden color is sleek and polished and will take you from brunch to happy hour breezily.
The white blonde peeks in and allows the balayage tones to reach their full dimensionality. A soft wave and a shoulder-length haircut look glamorous and confident. Pair with a sleek suit jacket and pearl earrings for a starlet silhouette.
21. Downtown Brown Hair Color for Summer
Cool girls everywhere will be rocking this summer hair color come July. It is effortlessness and trendier-than-thou cool made manifest. A medium brown root descends into a creamy golden blonde balayage.
This look is proof that ombre is here to stay and for good reason. It is stylish and polished and allows you to play with the best of both worlds. The messy and textured look is achievable with a back-combing brush and a curling iron. If you have shorter hair, this look can be yours with some high-quality hair extensions.
22. Midnight Shadows
Summer nights have met their match. A charcoaled midnight black root is mysterious and evokes images of sultry and sensual nights after the sun goes down. An ash grey descends quickly into icy white silver blonde. The effect is an alluring and striking contrasted colormelt.
Soft spiral waves create dimension and enhance the luxury factor of this intriguing summer hair color. Pair with a minimalist wardrobe for an edgy and sleek summer style. While this look is more high-maintenance than some of the others, we have examined it is worth the effort.
23. Magenta Hearts Summer Hair
Romance knows no seasonal boundaries, and this summer hair color takes advantage of it. A dreamy palette of royal magenta and faded coral brings a fantasy under-the-sea look to life. Soft blush pink balayage highlights calm the bright colors down.
The resulting look is rock and roll with a heart. It is sweet but also provocative. Because of the dyed roots this is one of the more high-maintenance summer hair colors to achieve but it is worth the trouble because of the high originality payoff.
24. White Sapphire Hair Color for Summer
Glisten like a jewel this summer with an icy silver mane! Barely perceptible babylights of silver blue round the look out with lustrous depth and perspective. The darkened roots meet the ice blonde near the hollows of the cheek, flattering the face and enhancing your bone structure.
The ethereal and magical feel of the summer hair color pairs intriguingly with the futuristic sci-fi energy of the shade. A messy trim adds some street cred points and keeps the color aesthetically relevant.
25. White Blonde Princess
Galactic princesses need some hair inspiration, too. If we lived in a parallel universe, this would be the style that we would see the royalty of some distant planet rocking. Why not?
The cascading, voluminous waves softly enhance the white blonde color and the camel brown roots. The appearance of this summer hair color is soft, touchable, and supple. Not a single hair is out of place. This is the perfectly crafted look for a luxurious beauty obsessive who wants her hair to be her defining feature.
26. Chestnut Wonder Summer Hair Color
Pair opulent waves with glistening and radiant hair and you get this look. Resplendent as it may be, it is wearable and approachable to women everywhere. Tones of chestnut, chocolate, and espresso meld together to create a deep brunette harmony.
A cool glaze serves as an intriguing and assertive overlay to the dense summer hair colors. Windswept waves create a jet set, ‘just came from an exotic beach’ appeal. Pair with pearl earrings and sculpted brows for the ultimate in polished luxury.
27. Honey Blonde Prisms
Warmth is the name of this game. Glistening golden honey hues instantly warm up the face and create a radiant, sun-kissed appearance. Keep your roots as they are and treat your strands to a sunrise surprise of sandy tones and molten honey.
The flawless waves allow the various shades to meld into something incorporeal and elusive. We can picture this summer hair color pairing perfectly with a Southwest-inspired style aesthetic: turquoise, leather, and flowing crocheted dresses.
28. Smokey Lavender Star Child
A marriage of ash lavender and smokey quartz brown, this summer hair color incorporates pastel shades in the most delightfully understated way imaginable. We love how the different layers of hair are painted with different shades but that it never affects the harmony of the entire look.
The cohesive blending of colors is perfected with a hazy finish. It is a barely-there color at its best. A precious star clip and gentle waves create a playfully girlish appeal without being aggressive or over the top.
29. Confetti Unicorn Summer Hair Color
Party girls will go crazy for this pearl hair color. It is glistening, artistic, and vivid. Like a disco ball of confetti. Who can resist? Pretty pastel ribbons of rose pink, blush orange, and electric blue peek out through the silver blonde hair.
A sculptural top knot is a playful way to finish the look off. It is confident, brazen, and hotter-than-thou. A gentle wave brings the look to life and adds intriguing texture and bounce to the finished product. Pair with a cute rock and roll shirt for a festival-ready style.
30. Chestnut Dream
The warmth and radiance of this brown hair color for summer can not be overstated. Chestnut brown is so appealing because it can brighten up any complexion, from pale to tan. We love the choppy bob hairstyle, as well. It is flirty and confident. The deep side part creates a sensual and mysterious appeal. The short bob haircut helps to cultivate volume and bounce. Pair with a choker and an off-the-shoulder dress for a downtown chic summer style.
31. Blush Lavender Dreams
Looking for something mythical, ethereal, and perfect for Sunday morning lounge sessions? This summer hair color is it. The lavender and blush tones are muted and understated, making the style hip and contemplative. Tan brown is the perfect base for the quiet colors, and the result is an ashy, thoughtful synthesis.
The shaggy bob is relaxed and gives off an appealing ‘not trying’ mood, which is perfect for casual brunch dates and evening dancing sessions. Evoke seductive beauty without trying too hard. Perfect deal, no?
32. Goddess Blonde Hair Color for Summer
This summer hair color can do no wrong. It is flawless perfection at its pinnacle. The endless locks are enchanting and storybook beautiful. Extensions are your friends, short-haired gals.
The warm golden color is summer in a nutshell. It is breezy, luxe, and meticulously crafted. Loose waves add to the sunny disposition of the look and enable you to flit from beach to party to afterparty with ease. Though this hair look does take care and frequent salon visits, it is so magnetic and tempting that we say ‘why not?’
33. Champagne Diamond Summer Hair
Glitter and shimmer like the precious stone you are! This opulent and rich champagne bronde (brunette and blonde – it’s a thing) is luxury you can wear. We envision this girl going from upscale bar to upscale bar, designer bag in hand.
The ash roots create a compelling canvas from which the champagne white blonde radiates. Finger waves add to the elusive and effortless majesty that is this summer hair color. Pair with a silky dress or shirt and sleek denim for some uptown style cred.
34. Magenta Volcano
What is better than reddish magenta? Reddish magenta and burnt orange! This melt of delightful summer hair colors has a volcanic explosion appeal. It is as though the colors exploded onto the canvas of your hair – and to beautiful effect.
The charcoal roots give the look a grounded edge and allow the colors to reach their pigmented heights. Pair with bold eye makeup for a wild and carefree summer evening look.
35. Eighties Disco Princess Summer Hair
This hair color for summer is absolute perfection in all its Eighties glory. Keep your roots nice and dark and your locks cool and blonde. A glittering pink scrunchie tops the look off and adds a playful sassiness to the aesthetic. Dark eyelashes and gold hoop earrings finish the look off.
We love the brazen Eighties roller girl energy. It is fearless and confidently flirty. The pixie bob is flattering and It-girl envy inducing. Get your best glitter, sequins, and leggings out for a full on retro revival this summer.
36. Molten Blonde Hair Color for Summer
The contrasts and shadows of this summer hairstyle are of epic proportions. A deep raven black shadowed root is dense, opaque, and enigmatic. And before you know it, it quickly descends into a spiralling mass of luscious and luxurious golden honey blonde waves.
The color-melted honey gold blonde is compellingly enchanting. You can’t look away. Tight waves add bouncy volume and this gives the look a vibrant starlet feel. Pair with some fancy earrings and mauve lipstick for an enticing and alluring appearance.
37. Barbie Girl
If Barbie was real, she would rock this summer hairstyle. The absolutely stellar and mesmerizing white blonde color is monochromatic color done right. This ‘one pigment to rule them all’ mood leaves no room for dark roots. Touchable and lavish waves create a dreamy and alluring princess aesthetic.
While the summer hair color is high-maintenance, it is sunny and vibrant and the perfect approach to summer locks. Get your bleach and your extensions out because this look will capture your heart.
38. Surfer Girl in the City
The look that proves you can love the beach and love the city and that you never have to choose between the two! A tan brown root incorporates some bronde balayage as it descends toward the roots before finally culminating in ice white piles of waves.
The icy white blonde hair is crisp, striking, and unapologetic. It brings a veneer of urban street style to the look and transforms the beachy waves into something sleek. Pair with a choker and a loose shirt for a relaxed and effortless brunch aesthetic.
39. Blonde Fairy
Long Rapunzel locks are the foundation of this summer hair color. Healthy, radiant strands ensure that you glow wherever you go. Medium brown roots keep the color grounded and authentic. Cascading blonde hair incorporates tones of honey blonde and cool blonde. The melt of these shades feels down to earth yet elusive. This is an elegant bohemian style that is enchantingly wearable.
40. Blonde Ballerina Summer Hair
Soft and feminine as can be, this romantic and ethereal blonde hair color for summer incorporates warm and cool tones to create a compellingly complex color. The blend plays against a medium brown root and feels bohemian and relaxed with a messy wave.
Choppy ends give the hair a vibe of carefree confidence. The key to this style is a delicately color-melted balayage. It entrances the eyes with the luscious contours of its shimmering facets. Pair with a pink sundress for a relaxed and crush-worthy style.
41. Smoked Ice Ombre
Smokey, ashen blonde hair has been having a long moment. It is easy to see why: the color is mesmerizing, confident, and rebellious. This is the hair of a girl that rides a motorcycle and loves adventure, all while keeping her mane sleek and her stilettos high.
The icy ombre is striking in its bleached intensity and it creates an alluring contrast with the ash grey-brown roots. The result is a minimalist and urbane summer hairstyle that will captivate the sartorially charged among us. Pair with minimalist clothes and a neutral palette to capitalize on the Helmut Lang vibes of the style.
42. Rose Wine Summer Hair Color
What could be more summer than a chilled glass of shimmering rosé? This dreamy wine color is reflective and thoughtful and is a sophisticated way of transforming your locks for the summer. The deep burgundy shade is flattering on brunettes and plays delicately against pale and tan skin alike. A romantic wave gives the hair texture and appealing movement. Pair with a feminine crocheted dress or black turtleneck for a bohemian day look and a rock vixen evening look.
43. Bubble Braid Unicorn Summer Hair
This is the most delightfully futuristic fairytale look we have seen this season. It is gypsy fantasy princess meets urbane It-girl. A cornucopia of pastel shades including juice box orange, electric blue, and soft lavender adds magic and whimsy to the summer hair color.
The bubble braid is trendy and unexpected. It is abstract and sculptural and adds an artistic veneer to this luminous summer style. Straightened locks allow the bubble braids to steal the show and create a sleek and shimmering aesthetic.
Pair with an off-the-shoulder dress or knitted sweater for a relaxed and romantic bohemian city girl style.
44. Rose Gold Sailor Moon
Cute, playful, and comic book inspired? We’ll take it! This girlish and fearless summer hair color is sure to stand out on crowded beaches or at packed cabana bars. This is rose brown at its most light hearted and fantasy book inspired.
The shadowed brown roots keep the look down to earth and low-maintenance. A messy wave and shaggy sock bun add texture, dimension, and variety to an otherwise low-key hair look.
Bonus? The rose brown shade fades well as it grows out – turning into a dusty desert rose color as the weeks go by.
45. Through the Looking Glass Pastel
This airy, ethereal, and dreamy summer hair color is the ultimate in bohemian luxury. The melted shades of grey, silver, icy fire, and lavender are so subtle and so elusive that they capture the imagination with the enigmatic force of their harmonious blend.
A shimmery overlay of gloss takes the color to the next level. It is mythical and unexpected. The strength of this look is the cascading mane – if you don’t have long hair, get some extensions to do this look justice!
Pair with silver jewelry and luminous minimalist summer clothing for a moonbeam gypsy aesthetic.
46. Pastel Confetti Ribbons
This confetti cupcake-inspired summer hair color is too cute to pass up. It is literally the most playful and girlish look we’ve seen recently and it is the perfect experimental look for sunny summer girls who look on the bright side of life.
Ribbons of painted sunflower yellow, lavender, volcanic orange, and blush pink add a fanciful and delightful warmth to a dirty blonde mane. Warm golden brown sections of hair serve as a glowing and shimmery canvas for the captivating summer hair colors. Cascading curls emphasize the fun-loving colors and create an effortless feel.
47. Lavender Ice Queen Summer Hair
Luscious lavender unicorn will be your new calling card with this enigmatic hair color for summer. An ashy silver-grey is a match made in hair heaven with a compelling lavender shade. The balayage-ombre hybrid is delicate and feels ethereal.
We can see this full-bodied and bombshell mane pairing beautifully with gypsy jewelry and a magical flower crown. This is the perfect festival look for late summer nights and lazy concert afternoons.
48. Majestic Pink Babylights
This summer hair color is just pure fun. Creamy shades of electric strawberry and coral are vibrant and energetic. The colors are warm, life-affirming, and optimistic. They will instantly enhance and brighten your summer aesthetic.
A sandy medium brown base keeps the style mellow and down to earth. Painted highlights and babylights of coral and pink allow the brown to peek through and provide a breezy contrast.
Gentle spirals keep the beach hair feel alive. This summer hairstyle is the ultimate evidence that bright pastel colors can be wearable.
49. Caramel Macchiato Summer Hair Color
Get a head start on fall hair colors with an intriguing chocolate brown this summer. The deep mocha shades are universally flattering and look most appealing when paired with a silky and luminous base. Remember your hair treatments, girls!
Painted highlights of tan caramel and gentle medium brown create a pearlescent and sophisticated silhouette. Strategic face-framing highlights create an alluring and flattering aesthetic. A soft wave provides the color with movement and vitality.
50. Floral Apricot Creamsicle
This serendipitous summer hairstyle is carefree and exuberant. It is joyful and radiates positivity and warmth. The soft melt of apricot, pink, and deep blush create an inviting and welcoming canvas. The messy back-combed hair creates texture and adds a playful bent to the color. It is the perfect way to incorporate vivid summer hair color into a low-key and relaxed silhouette. Juicy waves complete the bohemian aura.
51. Purple Mother-of-Pearl Hair Color for Summer
Just when we thought we’d seen every hair look under the sun, this appears. It is original, yes, but also sophisticated, wearable, and luminous. You don’t need to be fearless to rock pastel or neon shades, and this summer hair color is the best evidence of that.
The tan medium brown roots are downtempo and easy to maintain. The locks descend into a lavish ombre of prismatic and lustrous lavender. A soft wave adds bombshell body to the hair and emphasizes the luminous nature of the colormelt.
The key to this look is radiance, so ensure that you are treating your hair to weekly hair masks and oil treatments.
52. Disco Sorbet Pink Summer Hair
Rock and roll summer girls unite. This rich, vibrant, and animated summer hair color is absolutely tempting for women wanting an injection of the wild side into their summer style. A shadowed root keeps the look urbane and laid-back.
The baby-pink-meets-magenta color feels original and is a luminous way of playing the neon trend. A spiral wave adds texture and volume and allows the shades of pink to refract the light. Pair with a hot black bikini or a little white dress for a biker babe evening look.
53. Peach Cream Dream
This luscious pastel hair color for summer is sweet, whimsical, and playful. It is also dreamy, creating a bohemian summer silhouette. The color-melted shades of baby pink, sunny peach, and blush create a delicate and magical canvas. We love how wearable and approachable this summer hair color is. It is the perfect way to incorporate crayola shades into an existing redhead look, or as an unexpected twist on blonde.
The choppy cut lends the style a carefree and defiant energy. Perfect for days longboarding and drinking lemonade on the promenade, no?
Spring to Summer Hair Color Transition Tips
As breezy and born-like-this as the best summer hair colors can be, you need to take extra steps that account for the unique external factors that arise during the warmer months. Humidity, heat, and days at the beach can wreak havoc and dim the sparkle of your color without thoughtful preparation.
Prep Your Hair
The golden rule of hair color care holds true regardless of the season. Before you consider any dye, we implore you to take stock of the condition of your hair. Is it dry? Brittle? Starved for moisture?
Dye is not a fix-all, or cover-up for unhealthy hair. In most events it makes unhealthy hair worse. Patience is fundamental.
If hair is dry or brittle, expose it to a few weeks of intense moisturizing treatments and hot oil treatments. A trim can do wonders, as well.
For highly damaged hair, we suggest visiting a salon for a full throttle hydration treatment. An experienced salon tech can make suggestions or prescribe a hair care plan that will deliver tangible results. Once your hair is radiant and vibrant in its natural state, it is in the perfect position to host a dye.
Once dyed, salon insiders recommend a deeply nourishing Olaplex hair treatment. Available at salons, Olaplex applications are recommended on a weekly basis to maintain the integrity of the summer hair color and to promote full body shine.
For a cheaper, user-friendly option, try drenching your hair in coconut oil before shampooing and conditioning. Coconut oil is rich in fat and enzymes that strengthen the hair cuticle and increase radiance. Avocado oil and argan oil are good alternatives, as well! Brush through strands and let sit for an hour to soak in the natural benefits.
Focus on Methods
When dyeing your hair, it is important to be cognizant of the methods used. Foil highlighting is a fast technique that imparts dye using lower peroxide quantities.
Balayaged hair can often be more dye intensive. Single-process techniques are less damaging in general, particularly when vegetable dyes are incorporated. A mousse formula is also preferable for women with thicker hair, as it deeply penetrates the hair strands.
For women who are bleaching their hair, hair specialists recommend giving your scalp a salt treatment before your appointment. The salt neutralizes the pH imbalance caused by the bleach and soothes your scalp throughout the process.
Salt treatments are super easy – just mix some salt and water and rub it onto your scalp. Give it 3-5 minutes and wash the mixture off.
An important and easy-to-remember rule of thumb is that if you want to dye your hair three or more shades lighter or darker than your natural color, then you should seek out a professional. Dyeing your hair at home is a perfect option for less drastic color changes or for tidying up your roots.
If you are looking for a highlighted or ombre look and don’t need picture-perfect results, then an at-home job can certainly provide you with the look you’re after. However, DIY jobs all to often end with a trip to the salon in order to fix the damage done. Our perspective is that if you want to commit to a bold and dramatic new look, it is better to put your DIY aspirations aside and book in at the salon.
Invest in Color-Treated Products
Once you’ve taken the exciting step of dyeing your hair for summer, it pays to protect the longevity of your new color. We always advocate using products designed specifically for color-treated hair. This includes shampoo, conditioner, and styling products.
The best color-treated products are free of the parabens and sulphates that deteriorate hair color. Color-specific products are a great choice, as they have been formulated to target the unique problems that each color is privy to.
Because your hair is already under attack from sun and sea exposure, avoid clarifying shampoos. Clarifying products are best kept for natural hair and will work to undermine the dye.
Avoid Over-Washing
Another important point is to avoid over-shampooing. After the beach give your hair a wash, and use some conditioner, but avoid shampoo. Limit your shampooing sessions to every other day if you can, as this will promote the longevity of your dyed summer hair color.
End your shower on a refreshing note with a hit of cool water. Just as cool water closes pores, it also seals the cuticle of the hair, promoting the maintenance and longevity of dyed hair.
Be Wary of Chlorine
For many of us, summer means days spent at the pool, where chlorine can do an absolute number on dyed hair. Using a comprehensive range of protective products is a must for women who like to dive into the deep end.
Chlorine is a notorious culprit of fried hair, dimmed colors, and frayed ends. Its chemical makeup doesn’t play nicely with dye and can transform the integrity of your summer hair color with frequent exposure. This is particularly troublesome for bleached blondes, whose hair takes on a tell-tale seaweed tint with too-frequent exposure.
The best line of defense against chlorine damage is coconut oil. It coats the hair and repels water on a molecular level. There are also specialized products designed to repel chlorine from your freshly dyed strands. These products are available at specialized beauty stores and salons. After your swim, rinse your hair as soon as possible to ensure that there is no sneaky chlorine lingering on your hair.
Some beauty renegades also suggest mixing vodka with water and running it through damp hair. Apparently the alcohol in the vodka washes out the chlorine like nothing else!
We have also heard that ketchup is good at mitigating the green tint that chlorine imparts on hair. Rake it through wet or dry hair and let sit for 10-15 minutes to bring your summer hair color back to form.
Another hidden menace to dyed hair everywhere is the minerals and compounds found in everyday water. Shower purifiers and filters do wonders to mitigate the build-up that occurs from basic activities like showering. The minerals in water typically have the effect of darkening bleach and creating a green or brassy overtone.
Upgrade Your Arsenal of Beauty Products
In addition to your upgraded summer hair color care routine, it pays to invest in other specialized products that help dyes last. We love glazes because they impart hair with a desirable shimmer and create an intensely radiant and supple set of locks. Glazes give hair a glossy fullness that takes on a prismatic appearance in the summer sun.
A cheap and simple alternative to a hair glaze is an apple cider vinegar rinse. Mix a cap of the stuff with three cups of water and pour it over freshly shampooed hair to seal in color and promote reflective shine. Rinse and follow up with conditioner.
Last but not least, ensure that your daily hair care products incorporate UV protection. The best hair sprays, volumizing cremes, and texturizing sprays come equipped with UV protection to keep hair moisturized and strong.
UV rays undermine not only hair dye, but also the structural foundation of your hair. Excessive sun exposure will alter the base of your summer hair color and will lead to brittle and broken strands.
Avoid Heat Products
Another tip that many of us are resistant to is probably one of the most important. Avoid applying too much heat to your hair! That means less curling, less straightening, and less blow-drying, and lots of heat protectant sprays.
I can see your reaction – I’m addicted to my curling wand, as well. But excessive heat products not only promote dry and dull strands, they also strip your summer hair color away fast. Why have hair color that lasts two months when you can have hair color that lasts four months?
On the bright side, the heat from the sun will dry your hair quickly, right? Not quite – avoid drying your hair directly in the sun’s rays – this too has a drying effect.
Blow-drying your hair on a cold setting is both refreshing and effective. If you have packed away the blow dryer for good, let your hair dry naturally from the heat, but avoid direct sunlight, as mentioned above.
Tried all of our tips but still got too much sun on your scalp? Try a soothing chamomile tea rinse. Mix in some lavender oil and three tablespoons of honey in a pot and stir it while it cools. Once lukewarm, apply to freshly shampooed hair before conditioning. The gentle ingredients soothe and relax the scalp while promoting golden shimmer and shine.
Best Summer Hair Colors for Blondes
Blonde feels like the perennial go-to summer hair color. It is warm, breezy, carefree, and optimistic. Whether that is truly the case or not, who knows – and who cares? Blonde in summer looks right and it feels right, and we won’t argue with that.
Rose Gold & Lavender Gold
This cross-tone summer hair color hybrid is huge. Think about rose gold hair, lavender gold, or violet gold. These stunning harmonies of color are prismatic, sumptuous, and filled with personality and dimension.
This summer, the tried and true rose gold look is still trendy, and it is a soft and approachable way of integrating color into your hair. Perhaps eclipsing rose gold in terms of popularity was lavender. The shade is everywhere.
Lavender hair color is understated and complements both warm and cool tones of blonde. We saw full-on ombre looks as well as some subtle babylight versions. Take your pick based on your preference for pastel!
Ice Blonde
We love the ice queen hair color for summer because it is so assertive, decisive, and provocative. Ice blonde is slightly futuristic and minimalist. It is powerful, compelling, and daring. Sartorially, it pairs epically with both a grungy rock and roll aesthetic and a sultry beach goddess style.
Ice white blonde is a huge look for summer. It upgrades the conventional sun-kissed look and gives it a downtown feel. White blonde Barbie hair is everywhere on Instagram and in the looks that follow you’ll see why. The flowing white blonde locks are luxurious and fearlessly feminine.
Two-Tone Creamy Blonde
Blonde has always existed on a spectrum between cool and warm. That duality has been ruptured this summer, and with stunning results.
The most sophisticated and radiant way to do blonde these days is to create a melody of warm, cool, and neutral tones and blend them all together. This results in a complexity of delicate shades and tones and is often hardly perceptible. The result is a deep, supple, and dynamic summer hair color landscape.
This multi-tonal blonde also serves as a compelling canvas for the natural lightening of the hair from sun exposure. The warm-cool blend is all over Instagram this summer and is a delicately original way of gently upgrading your spring hair color.
Best Summer Hair Colors for Brunettes
Brunettes occupy a blessed place in the summer hair color spectrum. They can lighten up and embrace highlights, balayage, and babylights without making a dramatic change. They can darken up for an alluring temptress style, as well. They can achieve both of these looks without too much effort – a win-win!
Fun Tip: Brunettes can increase the shelf life of their hair dye by making an organic and delish cocoa hair mask! Just mix some cocoa powder, yogurt, honey, and apple cider vinegar and apply to hair for twenty minutes before giving it a thorough rinse! Tasty and beautiful!
Another Fun (Wacky) Tip: Purple kool aid. We know it’s a super corny blast from the past but the powder consists of blue tones that neutralize brassiness and orange tones that brunettes are susceptible to.
Balayage Highlights and Ombre
One of the best summer hair colors for brunettes is something entrancing yet subtle. Remember the late Nineties when streaky blonde highlights were so hot? Those days have passed, and the look has gone the way of tacky Juicy Couture tracksuits.
The best highlights for the modern gal are one to three shades lighter or darker than the base color. This promotes multidimensional, prismatic, and radiant hair without being obvious or try-hard.
A polished balayage or ombre that incorporates different shades is popular this summer. It is easy to maintain and creates a radiant and healthy hair canvas.
Golden Brown Harmonies
Shades of caramel, honey, and gold are huge this summer. These luxe lighter brown shades are shimmery and vibrant and they soften up a dark brunette base.
These summer hair colors for brunettes are compatible with both cool and warm shades of brown, making them the perfect color family to incorporate into an existing brown base. The soft and molten shades have the effect of making hair look sun-kissed and animated.
You can incorporate the golden shades into your hair with babylights or go full bombshell with a lively ombre.
Ice Brown
An unexpected and totally intoxicating brunette summer hair color trend! We saw cool, icy glazed brown hair all over Instagram and have highlighted some of the best looks below.
An icy glaze cools a brunette base down and creates a prismatic and crystalline effect. The vivacious and self-assured energy of the glaze imparts the wearer with a cool It-girl aura.
The best part about the ice brown glaze is that it can transform traditionally warmer shades. The strikingly cool tone of the hair contrasts elegantly against the warm summer landscape.
Best Summer Hair Colors for Redheads
One of the most original and summer-ready redhead looks we found this summer was a pink-orange blend. Incorporating shades of magenta, blush, and baby pink into a red or auburn base creates a kaleidoscopic and dimensional effect.
Pink and orange have always been good playmates, and summer is the perfect time to introduce them. Blush and peach hair colors are perfect for an effortless and understated effect, while magenta is our top pick for a revamped summer hair color look.
Another great summer hair color trend for redheads (as well as brunettes) is the rose brown hair color that has taken over Instagram lately. It’s both dramatic and versatile, but also an original way to update your look!
Fun Tip: Want to keep your redhead vibes going the natural way? Carrots and raspberries are your friends. Mix the two with some yogurt and honey in a blender for a delicious DIY mask. Leave on for 15 minutes. You can also eat the leftovers for a truly beautiful morning routine!
Photos via Instagram
