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The Spring Hair Color Trends of 2024 Are Jolting Us Out of Hibernation

 

As we make our way into brighter, warmer days, we're looking for ways to refresh our spring hair color for 2024 — bronde feels tired and copper has been done. Hollywood blonde is so one month ago. And antiqued blues and greens are just too sleepy for spring.

The spring hair colors of 2024 are all about flipping the switch on tired trends and going all-in on fresher hues and more vibrant color. Liven up your blondes and brondes with icier, lemon-tinged platinum. Turn the vibrancy up on muted coppers by going all-in on flashy apricot red. Ditch the dusty mushroom brunette for sexy, glossy espresso. Don't just go black – go blue black. And if color color is the name of your game, venture out of your primary palette and think acidic neon.

Below, we rounded up the top spring hair color trends colorists expect to be livening up the season. Time to wake up and smell the coffee!

Meet the experts:

Kirsten Stuke, Mauricio Bermudez, and Mariah Joseph are colorists at Suite Caroline Salon in New York City.

Devin Toth is a hairstylist at Salon SCK in New York City.

Lauren Mildice is a colorist at Maxine Salon in Chicago.

Chuck Bass is a hairstylist based in New York City and Boston.

 

Chantilly blonde

Imagine the lightest, fluffiest swirl of whipped cream. Now imagine adding just a pinch of lemon zest on top. That's exactly what this platinum chantilly blonde reminds us of — bright, fresh, and very cool. Chicago-based colorist Lauren Mildice recommends this lighter-than-air color on warmer skin tones to help the bright blonde pop. But it's a double-process color, so those with texture should proceed with caution. "Lightening your hair like this can make your curls weaker or looser," she says. And for that clean, whipped cream color — you'll need to commit to touch-ups every four weeks.

Apricot

Where Natasha Lyonne takes her red hair, we shall follow. Her strands have gone from rose gold and tangerine to, in early 2024, saturated apricot red. "It's a rich red spritzed with peachy and orange-y tones like terracotta," says New York City-based colorist Kirsten Stuke. "It works well with most skin tones because the level of warmth can be adjusted."

But as with most reds, the color will fade quickly, so you'll need a standing monthly catch-up with your colorist if you want to maintain it. "While this shade could never be naturally occurring, the goal is to make it look like you somehow happened to be the sole person in the universe blessed enough by a divine power to have this be your own natural color," says New York City-based colorist Mauricio Bermudez.

Rich espresso

If quiet luxury were a hair color it would be a rich and chocolatey brunette with juuust a dash of hazelnut. It's a sophisticated trend that New York City-based colorist Mariah Joseph calls a "delicate dance between single-processes and partial highlights or lowlights." The base should be a true espresso brown, but the dimension (that rich hazelnut finish) can be anything from milk chocolate highlights, like Simona Tabasco has here, or reddish chestnut lowlights, like Quinta Brunson.

"Shiny and healthy is also key for this look," says New York City-based stylist Devin Toth. Ask for a conditioning treatment at the salon if your hair is dry and tired, and a gloss to finish the color to lock in that expensive sheen. “Get the whole package,” Toth insists. "It's called expensive for a reason."

Soft ginger

Apricot is a bold statement, so if you love the sexiness of red hair but aren't ready for something so vibrant, a soft ginger is a great toe to dip into the red-headed pool. This muted copper color "exudes confidence and charisma," says New York City and Boston-based stylist Chuck Bass. You can ease into the color with all-over coppery dimensional highlights, like Sarah Rafferty, or fully commit like Ice Spice — the copper spectrum is wide. But like apricot, you'll need routine touch-ups to keep this copper polished.

Lived-in blonde

In 2024, blonde hair can be like a leather jacket. It's impressive when it's still stiff and brand new, but there's something effortlessly cool and comfortable about it after a few years of wear and tear. Luckily, lived-in blonde won't take a few years — just a couple months of skipping salon visits (which puts this color in the low maintenance hall of fame).

"It's a natural blonde look that's more melted, low-key, and diffused," says Toth. If you want to skip the wait for the rooty, down-to-earth color (or if you don't have naturally dark hair under the blonde) you can ask your colorist for dark blonde roots brushed seamlessly into the blonde lower parts of your hair.

Caramel dimension

Drizzling caramel all over our hair? Too messy. But drizzling caramel color all over our hair? We can get behind that. "So many clients want to go blonder without going full blonde, and I think a dimensional caramel is a great way to test the waters," says Toth. "You can try caramel tones in either modest highlighting ribbons or in money pieces framing the face."

Mildice especially likes this 3D color for darker skin tones and curlier hair types, but notes that curls will need heavier dimension. "Small strands of caramel will blend too much, so you need strong stripes of golden color," she explains. Ask your colorist not to be shy if you have curls like Winnie Harlow or Tina Knowles. Adding money pieces, like Knowles has, is a great way to ensure you're getting the full effect of creamy golden color.

Cherry cola

This stylish take on red hair is every bit as playful as a refreshing cherry cola (served in a glass bottle with a straw, preferably at the rollerskating rink). And much like cherry cola, it's the perfect unique twist on a classic flavor — not red, but deep brunette with a mahogany-purple tinge. Mildice expects to see this a lot more this spring, while we're still high on reds but looking for something outside of the orange and copper spectrum.

Mildice recommends asking your colorist for a dusty, faded volcanic red, or what she aptly describes as "hot Taki red" (so you may need to stop by the bodega on your way to the salon). "The only downside to this color is that you have to keep up with the grow-out line," Mildice says. "You should be getting your color touched up every four to six weeks."

Strawberry blonde

Fresh strawberry blonde is making a comeback in spring 2024, after several seasons of bronde and honey. "This blend of blonde and pink hues creates a soft, romantic look," says Bass — like a classic princess fairytale in a hair color. Go for just a tinge of pink if you want to skew blonder, as Claire Danes has here, or ask for a punch of rose gold if you want a slightly more vibrant Sarah Snook-esque hue.

Acid green

Not everyone came here for 10 different shades of blonde and brunette. That's fair. For you, may we present acid green — a street style favorite this year, and a punkier side of the 90s grunge trend. "It’s time to liven up the cool, soft mints and antiqued blues we saw in fall and winter and go full-fledged, battery-powered instead," says Bermudez.

All-over day-glo green looks sharp, but you can also try an ombre blonde with just the tips of your hair dipped in the glowstick color. Bermudez also particularly likes this shade on a short, buzzed cut, like J Balvin has here. The color will look grungier over time (which might not be a bad thing if that's what you like about it). You'll need a monthly refresh if you want to keep the vibrant, extraterrestrial vibe.

Blue black

A healthy, shiny black with cool blue undertones is a great way to experiment with color without delving into a crayon box. It's like a shimmery blue veil over darker hair tones, says Toth — a blink-and-you'll-miss it flash of navy or denim-blue. (Where the Cherry Cola trend is brown, but purple, this shade is black, but blue.)

Toth recommends trips back to the salon every six weeks to keep the subtle hue fresh, but once the blues fade, you'll be left with a classic raven black, which gives this trend some longevity on the back end if you're hoping to keep your color low maintenance.