Hair Color Ideas: The 101 Ideas for Women Who Want to Switch It Up

Are you looking to mix things up with some new hair color ideas? Now is a perfect time to experiment since shades and styles of all persuasions are coexisting and trending simultaneously. From sophisticated silvery blonde and balayage babe to ombré influencer, pink riot girl, to mermaid mademoiselle, you can create a whole new persona by changing the color of your coiffure. Whether you want a professional makeover at a hair salon or experiment with some hot hues at home, here’s the 101 of Hair Color Ideas, covering everything you were ever dying to know about hair hues.

We did not exclude classic hair coloring techniques such as all-over permanent color, but since there are so many new, trendy and edgy hair color approaches and looks, from baby highlights to strobing, balayage to mermaid hair, we’ll start with the newcomers and work our way to the classics. Call it hair color ideas 2.0.

Edgy Hair Color Ideas

Instagram and Pinterest are teeming with hair color ideas. It’s a huge trend! From vivid pink to a purple haze, pastel paints to voguish rainbow hues, with-it silvery white to magical mermaid locks, social media, and your own creativity are your friend and inspiration, and truly anything goes — if your job or school let you get away with it, go with something happening and edgy. It’s just hair!

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The color look is something you can easily try out at home, unlike many of the techniques we will outline farther down, such as balayage and baby highlights. The first time we were eyeing pink and purple as hair coloring options, we went to the neighborhood drugstore and grabbed a pink spray for just our tips. At first, it seemed a little costume-y, but after we combed it out a bit, it looked really cool. Try Jerome Russell B Wild Temp’Ry Color Spray, available at:

Wash-Out Hair Color

Next, we opted for a rinse that promised to last several washes. We were concerned that either it wouldn’t last at all or that it would last too well, and that our regular hair color wouldn’t return to “normal.” It did, and it did. Inset smiley face. Try Garnier Hair Color Color Styler Intense Wash-Out Color, available at:

Colored Hair Extension Clips

Finally, with these hair color ideas, we dabbled with clip-ons and colorful feathers. This really only works for longer hair, but it creates cool pops of color that aren’t permanent. These can appear a tad clown-ish if you get one that looks too fake. Rather than buying one online, we suggest going to a beauty supply store where stylists procure their products. There you can actually see the hair fibers and texture of the clip-on strands. They will probably not let you try them on for sanitary reasons, but it’s such an easy way to get some hair color going, we have never regretted buying some and letting them peek out from under our locks.

Pink and Purple Haze

Among our favorite options are permanent pink and purple color all over, whether done at home or at a salon with highlights. Somehow, these two hues are universally flattering for all skin types, from very pale to very dark, and for all hair lengths, from a pixie cut to a flowing mane. Try Punky Color Semi-Permanent Conditioning Hair Color by Jerome Russell in Purple, Flamingo Pink or Plum. We also like L’Oréal Paris Feria Pastels Hair Color in Pink.

Silvery Blonde

We also love almost grayish white aka silvery blonde combined with dark roots — it’s super hot. Kim Kardashian may or may not be a style icon for you, but when she rocked that icy blonde for New York Fashion Week in 2017, the world took note. It looked especially cool after a few weeks of roots had grown in Kim’s stylist, Chris Appleton, said he wanted to create “a whole new vibe, and the silver tone is such an iconic look — the modern version of platinum blond.”

For the most perfect silvery-white platinum shade, you need a lot of bleach and several sessions, because hair can easily turn orange, yellow or even green (depending on your current color application) or break off altogether. Yes, millions of women are bleaching their hair all the time, and we have done it ourselves, but just be aware of the “side effects” and think about the fact that going to a salon might be cheaper than having to have someone fix a DIY disaster. Again, whatever your time and budget allow, might dictate your choice.

Bold Blue

Dark blue, light lavender, aqua and even turquoise are super au courant. It’s super versatile and much easier to do than many other hair color ideas. It works on light and darker hair. Very dark hair, such as dark brown and black, can take on a gorgeous blue-ish black shimmer, but for true blue, you’ll need to lighten strands first. Blue, just like pink, looks great when done as an ombré style or as mermaid hair (Confused by these terms? It’s all explained here.) but is also wonderful as all-over color. Remember Katy Perry back in 2012 when she had cobalt and baby blue hair? Now that’s an early adopter. She also donned lilac blue to the Grammy’s in 2015.

“Lavender complements Katy’s skin and her blue eyes,” celebrity hair colorist Rita Hazansaid on InStyle.com. It looked elegant and edgy. This year, in 2018, she went ultraviolet, one of the hottest hair color ideas of the moment and Pantone’s 2018 Color of the Year — a look she showed off on Instagram during the first show of her European tour. The lush color, called Blueberry Crush, was done by Rick Henry, senior stylist at Nine Zero One Salon in West Hollywood, CA. For the at-home blues, try Try Splat Hair Color in Pure Sapphire or Lusty Lavender, or L’Oreal Paris Colorista Semi-Permanent Hair Color, #Blue.

Mermaid Hair

A new trend in hair color ideas is Mermaid hair (also called rainbow hair sometimes) is super happening. It’s basically a color combination of multiple pastel and ocean-like colors all beautifully blended together. You could try it at home by first bleaching your hair and then doing your own coloring and balayage, but we think this job is best left to a stylist. Mermaid hair extensions are an option as well, but they are quite expensive — up to nearly $1,000 for a full head — and will set you back way more than the color job from your favorite pro. Just an option for you to consider. Celebs spotted with rainbow aka mermaid hair include Hilary Duff in both blue, then faded fuchsia; Britney Spears with watercolor tones; not to mention Rita Ora, Nicole Richie, Kesha, Georgia May Jagger, and Taraji P. Henson.

We are not such big fans of greenish hues, yellows or orange, as that can look less sophisticated and urban and a bit more like kids playing dress-up. This is just our humble opinion. Look around on for instafamous looks under the hashtags: #coloredhair #hairfashion #coolhair #haircolor #hairdye #mermaidhair #rainbowhair #pinkhair #edgyhair #ombre and …you get our drift.

Trending Hair Color Techniques

All of these techniques can be tried at home, especially nowadays, when we have help from a plethora of hair color ideas and step-by-step online tutorials. However, pros really will do a better job — if you can afford it. We’ve looked at some of the latest technique monikers because they can become a hairy matter. For instance, what is the difference between ombré and bombre, balayage and baby highlights? And what on earth is strobing? Isn’t that a makeup contouring technique? Read on, and you’ll become a pro at hair color jargon and might feel inspired to opt for one of these hair color ideas of the fab and fashionable set.

Ombre

Ombré is one of the absolutely biggest hair trends of recent years, and even though it’s no longer at the height of its popularity and the craze has faded in the past couple of years, it’s sort of here to stay now as an almost-timeless style. Ombré with an accent on the é (It’s not hombre, as some mistakenly think or spell it.) is a French word meaning “shade” or “shadow.” It refers to a two-toned hair color effect that is darker at the top and gets lighter toward the tips. It can be quite dramatic with strong contrast shades and even colorful ends. Picture brown hair moving to caramel or pink, or dark blonde progressing to light honey.

Sombre

Sombre is a softer take on ombré, with the tresses being darker at the top and gradually getting lighter toward the tips, but in a subtler manner than traditional ombré. Picture grown-out summer hair on blondes and brunettes with a subtle graduation from the scalp to the bottom of the strands. Think of it as ” ombré lite” or “ombré subtle.”

Balayage

Balayage are the new highlights! We’ve all heard of the term by now, but what exactly does it mean? Balayage is a hair painting technique. The color is literally painted on, or strands are highlighted via brush strokes rather than foil wrapping. The technique creates stunning, individualized effects, whether you go for traditional shades that occur in nature or opt for one of the above edgy color pops.

Highlights

Highlights on fleek? Cool, because there’s no need to commit to color all of when there are some many highlights hairstyles that can easily transform your entire look. Highlights can be strategically placed to hit the light and illuminate your whole face. The same is true when the stylist adds a few lighter shades around the side of the face or carefully weaves in some subtle honey highlights to lift a darker base.

It creates a brighter you! Highlights can also enhance layered hair or emphasize certain aspects of a new cut. Don’t consider highlights as just a treatment for light or blonde hair! Dark hair can be highlighted just as easily. Of course, the color takes a little longer to lift. And keep in mind that when it does come to blonde hair, highlights will always look more natural than all-over color. The latter works when you want to create a specific vintage look a la Marilyn Monroe or famous 1906s sirens such as Brigitte Bardot, Catherine Deneuve, Marianne Faithfull or Nico.

Baby Highlights

 

What the heck are baby highlights? Yes, they’re a thing, and not for toddlers! A few years ago, baby highlights hit influencers hard, creating a perfect hair hurricane, with everyone clamoring for “babylights,” as they are also called. Baby highlights, as the name implies, are very fine and delicate highlights that mimic the natural, dimensional hair color of young kids. It’s basically a technique that recreates the hair color of your childhood!

The stylist uses just a few strands hairs in each foil and creates tiny separations between the foils. Baby highlights work for any color and skin tone, but they work especially well for women looking for that perfect sunny childhood blonde, as well as on redheads and brunettes. The process is very time-consuming, as such few hairs are wrapped in foil, but the result is super low maintenance, and you can go up to 2-3 months between appointments.

Strobing

 

What the heck are baby highlights? Yes, they’re a thing, and not for toddlers! A few years ago, baby highlights hit influencers hard, creating a perfect hair hurricane, with everyone clamoring for “babylights,” as they are also called. Baby highlights, as the name implies, are very fine and delicate highlights that mimic the natural, dimensional hair color of young kids. It’s basically a technique that recreates the hair color of your childhood!

The stylist uses just a few strands hairs in each foil and creates tiny separations between the foils. Baby highlights work for any color and skin tone, but they work especially well for women looking for that perfect sunny childhood blonde, as well as on redheads and brunettes. The process is very time-consuming, as such few hairs are wrapped in foil, but the result is super low maintenance, and you can go up to 2-3 months between appointments.

Classing Hair Color Ideas

Embrace a Beautiful Brunette

A deep coffee or rich dark chocolate looks sophisticated and polished, adding sleek shine to your hair. You can opt for all-over drugstore box color or get your hair professionally tinted at a salon to ensure your hair looks evenly toned to create that elegant look. Women that come to mind are Emily Ratajkowski, Natalie Portman, and Anne Hathaway.

Have Fun with Blonde

Whether blondes have more fun has been up for debate since, well, maybe since Marilyn Monroe started the sexy platinum craze? There are so many blonde styles to choose from, from Park Avenue blonde to dishwasher blonde, sunny beach hair blonde to ashy blonde to caramel hues and, of course, nearly white, the way Kim Kardashian rocked it a couple of years ago — or think Emilia Clarke as the mother of dragons in “Game of Thrones.” Blonde hues we love range from Charlize Theron, Claire Danes and Jennifer Aniston to Rosie Rosie Alice Huntington-Whiteley and Kate Moss.

Ravishing in Red

Ginger, auburn, copper, oxblood, wine…red is red hot, since this shade doesn’t occur as frequently naturally as some other shades such as brown or red. You can go for a seductive vintage Jessica Rabbit hue that’s a bit pinup or a more natural look such as seen on Amy Adams, Nicole Kidman, Isla Fisher, Julianne Moore, and Rose Leslie.

Black Beauty Bombshell

So many black beauty styles, so little time! Black hair is awesome. It can look and sleek and sophisticated, or edgy and cool, from dreads to kinky hair to goth-y and punk styles, Consider something sweetly rertoretro like Dita von Teese, stylishly timeless such as Meghan Fox, Jessica Szohr, Vanessa Hudgens, and Michelle Obama, or groovy and boho-chic like Zoë Kravitz.  Yiu can go ’80s New Wave and ’90s Grunge. It may seem like black is the easiest color to do at home, since it truly covers all shades, but just as with any other hue, apply carefully and do a strand test if you use a drugstore box.

Glamor Gray

Gray is trending, both natural gray and hipster and glamorista gray achieved with a little help. The most famous gray angel is former supermodel and octogenarian Carmen Dell’Orefice, but young hipsters from silver Lake, CA to Williamsburg, NY are rocking silvery gray shades that were perhaps first seen on Kelly Osbourne in 2012 — proving that early adopters can launch trends that last across the decades!

Conclusion

We hope that our little 101 of hair coloring has given you some inspiration to find our own hair color ideas. We ourselves have experimented a lot, from platinum blonde to pink, auburn to black. Sometimes we regretted our choices, but we always rocked them in utter confidence. Changing up your hair color is an easy cure for when you are feeling blah and boring or, alternately, excited and wanting to do something new, edgy and “crazy.” Celebs are changing things up all the time, so why shouldn’t we? It’s just hair, after all, but it has the power to make us feel like a superstar or trendsetter!