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Beige Hair, Hot Taki Red & 23 Spring Hair Colors to Usher In the New Season

 

Time for a refresh

We don’t know about y’all, but we are counting down the days until spring. To help brighten up these last few weeks of winter, we’ve rounded up some fresh hair color inspiration ahead. From beige highlights to Hot Taki red, here are 25 popular hair color trends to consider trying in 2024.

We also spoke to a roster of hairstylists for their recommendations, as well as sprinkled in a few pointers on what to ask for at the salon and how to maintain your new color at home so it stays vibrant longer.

 

Meet the Experts

 

• Matt Rez is a Los Angeles-based colorist, who specializes in all techniques of coloring including his trademark 'Midlight' process. His celebrity clients include Florence Pugh, Adele, Hailey Bieber, Gal Gadot, Kate Hudson, Rita Ora, Camila Mendes, Sydney Sweeney, Kendall Jenner, Jared Leto, and Lili Reinhart. Rez’s work has been featured in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, ELLE, V, Marie Claire, GQ, Allure, and InStyle.
• Cherise Wilson is a celebrity colorist at Marie Robinson Salon in New York. Cherise started her career in Southern California, before relocating to Serge Normant at John Frieda in New York in 2015. She is known for color transformations and corrections, which include celebrities such as Candace Swanpool, Diane Kruger and Ansel Elgort.
• Guy Tang is a hair educator and creator of Mydentity, a haircare brand that offers styling products and color dyes to licensed professionals. He’s based in California and is best known for his YouTube channel ‘GuyTangHair’ where he posts fitness, beauty and lifestyle videos.
• Nikki Lee is a celebrity hairstylist and the co-owner of Nine Zero One Salon in West Hollywood, California. Lee began her career at Fred Segal Beauty, before moving onto the Ken Paves Salon for several years, and eventually opening Nine Zero One Salon alongside her business partner, Riawna Capri. Her clientele includes Hilary Duff, Charlize Theron and Selena Gomez.
• Aura Friedman is a trendsetting colorist who is known for her artistry and creativity. Aura’s work includes the creation of ombré for M.I.A. and pink hair for Lady Gaga. Her work has been featured in editorials for Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire, Vogue, Teen Vogue, Allure and more.
• Nicole Tabloff is a bespoke color specialist at Tabloff Salon in Chicago. She is also a R+COLOR global educator for R+Co EDU.
• Karissa Schaudt is a K-Tip extension, color specialist and owner of Scarlet & Co salon in Chicago. After 10 years behind the chair, Karissa was inspired to open her own salon.
• Lauren Mildice is a stylist at Maxine Salon in Chicago. Mildice specializes in double-process colors and cool tones, having studied with celebrity platinum specialist Nicolas Jequiers in Los Angeles. She's also completed in-house education programs at Maxine Salon, including those taught by L'Oréal professional artist Suzie Bond and Oribe and Kerastase’s training teams.

 

1. Beige Hair

After the reign of brighter reds we've been seeing for a few seasons now, perhaps you're craving something a bit more neutral for spring? Enter beige blonde, inspired by Farrah Fawcett’s iconic blonde. "While golden red undertones replaced cool platinums last year, this year is all about finding a true neutral undertone," says Wilson.

2. Rose Blonde

“A rosy blonde is one of my favorite ways to go lighter for spring, because the effect is soft and delicate,” says Tang. “If you’re already blonde, I recommend toning your hair first to create an even canvas. Then, you can create your own custom blend of pink by diluting the shade you apply at the roots and sheering out the color gradually as you get closer to the ends.”

3. Golden Caramel

“I love this almost pastel shade of caramel on Tiffany Haddish,” says Tabloff. “This color is perfectly suited for someone with a naturally darker base who wants to get a lighter, more sun-kissed effect.”

4. Chocolate Espresso

"This dimensional brunette color has a rich dark chocolate base to it with subtle espresso-toned highlights throughout," explains Rez. To keep your color shiny, he recommends using the Moroccanoil High Shine Gloss Color Depositing Mask in Clear at home and getting an in-salon gloss every six to eight weeks.

5. Cotton Candy Blue

“Hilary Duff is no stranger to fun hair color,” says her longtime stylist Lee. “This blend of blues just hits different on her though! In order to get her hair this vibrant shade, I had to first pre-lighten her hair and do a quick pre-tone to cancel out any unwanted yellow tones. This is an important step because blue mixed with yellow could come out green,” warns Lee.

6. Root Melt

“This look erases the line of demarcation at your roots, so the results are softer and the grow out is less obvious than when you have traditional highlights,” says Schaudt. “It’s a great option for someone who is looking for dimension with minimal maintenance. Depending on how much contrast you want between your roots and ends, the maintenance will be more minimal.”

7. Silver Vixen

Is 2024 the year you've decided to let your grays shine through? To help you through that in-between stage of growth, you can ask your colorist to add brighter highlights or darker lowlights to blend your incoming grays in with the rest of your hair. (Tip: Use a purple toned shampoo once a week to minimize any yellowing.)

8. Hot Taki Red

This color gives off a different type of flare from the copper and bronze red tones that have been on the rise. Soft, yet powerful, Hot Taki Red is a vibrant hue that best suits those with an olive or deeper complexion. "The only thing about this color that you have to upkeep is the grow out line, which means you should be getting it touched up every four to six weeks," says Mildice.

9. Mahogany Brown

For a much subtler take, you can always go with a warm mahogany brown like our girl, Zendaya. These soft reddish-brown tones reflect light well on darker hair colors.

10. Smokey Brunette

Another option for any brunettes out there: an ashy brown. Schaudt recommends going with a neutral ash tone to create depth and contrast and keep it from picking up warm tones as the color fades. (Tip: This two-dimensional shade pairs especially well with textured hair.)

11. Soft Peach

Don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it. Peach is the rare color that works on many different skin tones. Tip: Try it with darker roots, which adds dimension at the base of your head, and grounds the pastel shade, so it looks—dare we say it—natural.

12. Strawberry Dreamsicle

“Strawberry red is great for spring because it’s the perfect transition from the darker coppers we tend to see in the cooler months, and the light ribbons of copper, gold and pink are so flattering,” says Tabloff. Just make sure to protect your color from fading too quickly by using a sulfate-free shampoo.

13. Monochrome Shine

It’s time to bring out the shine in dark chocolate and jet-black strands. “Ask your colorist for a demi permanent hair color and refresh it every six to eight weeks to keep it vibrant,” says Tabloff.

14. Post-Vacay Highlights

Right about now, many of us are likely dreaming about warm tropical vacations. “Think subtle, light reflecting highlights that are just one to two tones lighter than your base color,” explains Tabloff. “Ask your colorist for an express balayage, where they will strategically paint only a few balayage pieces to frame your face and a sprinkle in your part depending on your haircut,” she adds.

15. 2000s Highlights

Penelope Cruz's recent ribbon highlights are giving us major flashbacks. "Thankfully, it's a modernized, more blended version of the traditional hard, chunky streaks of the 2000’s," says Rez, adding that these are more defined highlights "with mid-lights, and lowlights running from the roots through the ends for a contrasted finish."

16. Buttercream Blonde

“Think warm and bright, channeling those 90s supermodel vibes,” says Lee. This particular shade of blonde is softer and more natural looking (especially when worn with loose beach waves like Emma Roberts here).

17. Honey Bronde

God bless the bronde—that is, this perfect meld of blonde and brown tones you see here. It’s also the rare shade that somehow looks better as it fades.

18. Lime Glow

“This dayglo green shade is inspired by the juniper tree of the same name and it’s a great option for bleach blondes looking for a bold change,” says Tabloff. “To get the look, ask your colorist for a bleach and tone, but opt for a semi-permanent dye in green instead of your usual toner. Keep the color vibrant at home with a tinted conditioner like Overtone Vibrant Green Daily Conditioner when you start to notice any fading.”

19. Icy Blonde

“A shade brighter than ash-blonde, celebrities and influencers are turning to whiter tones to stand out,” shares Friedman. “This icy tone is cool and reflective, and bleach is definitely needed to achieve this color, so I always recommend using K18 Biomimetic Hairscience to protect hair and keep it healthy and bright,” explains Aura.

20. Honey Blonde

Fact: Adding a few sunny streaks is a surefire way to brighten things up for the season (especially after a long winter). Take a cue from Ciara here and make sure to add bigger, brighter pieces around your face to really amp up the glow factor.

21. Golden Black

Gone are the days of dull, black hair. The latest iteration is super shiny and multi-dimensional. “I would recommend adding a gloss to black hair for pure shine, but to really add dimension, I would also weave in multiple brunette and blonde undertones,” says Friedman.

22. Pastel Melt

Though there are a lot of different colors going on here, the effect is surprisingly subtle. “It’s all about proper sectioning and color placement to best accent the face. This will also prevent the overall color from turning out too stripy,” says Tang.

23. Hazelnut

If you have naturally dark hair and you're looking to make a simple (and less damaging) enhancement, consider adding subtle highlights in a mix of cool and warm tones to create a rich hazelnut hue.

24. Peekaboo Highlights

Peekaboo highlights are a brilliant way to have some fun without making a full commitment. Because the colors are hidden beneath the rest of your hair, you just get a flash of the brighter slices peeking through whenever you move or a nice breeze hits.

25. Chantilly Blonde

Ending things with a bang, we've got Beyoncé showing off her Chantilly blonde locks. The sweet, milky white hue looks especially flattering on warmer skin tones because of the contrast. "Although this color works on all textures, lightening your hair can make your curls weaker and they may become slightly looser," cautions Petrut.