You might think you have shades of blonde hair all figured out, but the truth is the multidimensional color entails more than just a head full of golden locks. The shade comes in countless tones from icy platinums to warm, summer strawberry blondes, and borderline-brunette ombrés. Whether you’re looking to refresh your natural-blonde tones or you don’t know where to begin your first foray into the light side, we have all of the blonde hair ideas you need to get it right.
BLONDE HAIR
CHOOSING A SHADE: Cool toned blonde is a great option for people with fair skin, while golden shades look great with darker skin tones.
MAINTENANCE LEVEL: Most blonde hair has a high maintenance level, unless you opt for a natural ombré look.
GOES GREAT WITH: Blonde hair works great with all makeup looks, especially a bold red lip.
SIMILAR SHADES: Brunette ombré, strawberry red blonde
PRICE: You can expect to pay anywhere from $100 all the way up to $500 dollars, depending on your location and your stylist.
Ahead, 40 shades of blonde to consider for your next hair appointment, perfect for summer and beyond.
Natural Roots With Golden Ends
Ciara nails the dark-roots-golden-ends ombre, proving that natural brunettes can get in on the blonde action without having to keep up with bi-weekly salon visits.
Beachy Blonde
Karlie Kloss knows just how to nail that California-cool beachy blonde. With warm-toned ribbons of blonde painted throughout in varying shades, she effortlessly boasts that back-from-the-beach blonde.
Ash Blonde
If you’re trying to cover up gray strands, Taylor Swift’s ashy blonde look is the look you need. The cool undertones of this light shade, paired with the variety of highlights and lowlights camouflage all traces of unruly gray, and makes upkeep a breeze.
Blonde Extensions
If you’re still on the fence about trying taking the peroxide plunge, experiment with the look via some cornrows with blonde ends like Serayah McNeil.
High-Contrast Roots
Chae-Rin Lee (better known as CL from the iconic K-pop group 2NE1) is known for donning platinum blonde locks from time to time. We love how the dark roots contrast the super light-lengths of her long loncks
Dark-to-Light Curls
Curls boast tons of dimension on their own, but a perfectly executed dark-to-light ombré is as dynamic as it gets. Proof via this look worn by Jasmine Sanders.
Blonde Dip-Dye
For a fresh take on the artfully blended style, try a high-contrast (and even higher-drama) dip-dye ombré like Vanessa Hudgens’s.
Honey Blonde
This glossy honey-blonde ombre with dark roots complements the golden tones in tennis star Serina Williams’ skin like a dream.
White-Hot Platinum
Cara Delevingne’s pixie cut is by far the whitest we’ve ever seen natural hair bleached and it looks like a nymph dream. Full disclosure: This color is super high-maintenance, but we love the hint of black roots we see peeking through.
Multidimensional Blonde
Sofia Vergara is a pro at pulling off a believable blonde. Her secret is to weave in ribbons of golden caramel, strawberry blondes, and ashy strands for a look feels totally natural.
Brown Sugar Blonde
It’s no secret Laverne Cox is a fan of blonde locks, and for good reason. This brown sugar blonde flatters her skin tone and accentuates her naturally dark roots so well.
Strawberry Blonde
Rose Byrne’s blonde locks with reddish undertones make her the perfect candidate for strawberry-blonde inspiration at your next color appointment.
Blueish Blonde
The contrast between Jennifer Lawrence’s warm and super icy blonde tones create the illusion of pale blue highlights and the whole thing looks so cooler than cool.
Natural-ish Blonde
Even natural blondes can use the ombré technique to their advantage. Gradual, hand-painted highlights throughout your ends, like on Romee Strijd, will brighten up your look in a totally natural-looking way.
Platinum Blonde
Gwen Stefani is the queen of platinum blonde hair and we especially love how modern it looks in an updo. Just be sure if you try this look for yourself, to keep plenty of purple shampoo on deck to avoid turning yellow.
Summer Balayage
Chrissy Teigen has a way of always wearing a medley of blonde and caramel tones painted in unison that give summer vibes all year round.
Blonde Highlight Medley
Layering shades of blonde highlights ranging from cool to warm and neutral greys, with lighter ends like on Jennifer Lopez is the secret to the perfect foray into blonde for natural brunettes.
Copper Blonde
When you get the color just right, a copper shade of blonde dye job can act as a highlighter and bring out the natural glow in your skin tone. Rihanna’s curls painted in this orange undertone complements her skin to a T.
Blonde With Natural Roots
The next time you second guess embracing your dark roots, think back to the time Selena Gomez went blonde and left her roots totally untouched. No second-guessing needed here.
Warm Platinum
While most platinum iterations err on the side of cool, this warm-toned platinum on Solange Knowles is just as modern.
Golden Honey Blonde Ombré
Rapper Latto showcases her natural honey blonde hair gets the ombré treatment in the best way possible. The lighter pieces really highlight her golden undertones perfectly.
Pastel-Pink Blonde
If you already have blonde hair, you’re just a simple DIY away from wearing the pastel pink trend. A color-depositing toning product like this hair mask gives your hair a wash of pink, like Hailey Bieber’s, while curing your dry ends.
Pale Blonde
If there’s anything we’ve learned about Ariana Grande it’s the longer your hair, the more room to play with gradients. A set of pale blonde extensions will give you an envy-worthy pony in seconds.
Sunny Highlights
We don’t know if it’s lemon-in-the-sun highlights (Remember that trick?) or the feathered waves, but Suki Waterhouse is giving us all the ‘70s vibes in this look.
Ashy Golden Blonde
Lisa from Blackpink is known for her awesome hair colors — and this ashy blonde hue is another banger from the singer.
Golden Ribbons
One of the best ways to add blonde to your look is to add the hue to box braids, just like Leona Lewis. And the best part? It’s not permanent so you can live the blonde fantasy for the summer without damaging your hair.
Berry Blonde
Emma Stone is almost always spotted in her signature red, so it’s no surprise when she went with a blonde, she stuck with her natural undertones.
Cool Blonde
Rita Ora does this thing with her hair that looks cool (literally and figuratively), without coming off as too icy. It’s edgy, without going over the top and makes even the most simple ponytail look sophisticated.
Silver Blonde
Russian model Sasha Luss does bright blonde with silver undertones like no other. A high-maintenance look, this hair color is the work of some really good bleach and tons of toner.
Golden Updo
Janelle Monae’s golden sculptural updo is major vibes — and a major bleach job that you definitely want to leave to the professionals. If you want to try the look for yourself, opt for a giant top bun instead.
Poolside Blonde
Miley Cyrus has that summer shade of blonde that looks like she’s been hanging poolside for months. It’s an ombré with a casual, lived-in quality to it that looks so natural.
Caramel Blonde
One rule of thumb for making your dark strands pass as a believable, natural blonde (if that’s what you want) is to have a few highlights extend all the way up to the roots like our queen Beyoncé.
Rose Gold
Blonde hair is often associated with strands of gold, but there’s another metal out there that’s just as beautiful. We’re of course talking about rose gold—a pinkish, golden hue as seen on Kate Bosworth.
Mushroom Blonde
Mushroom blonde is just that—a hue that mimics the natural color gradations found on the undersides of mushrooms. It’s a gorgeous ashy shade with cool, dark gray tones woven throughout and underneath á la Gigi Hadid.
Golden Locs
Leave it to Halle Bailey to create a show stopping look for her signature locs. This time, she’s opted to go for a golden ombré look that really complements her skin tone.
Glossy Golden Blone
Jasmine Sanders has naturally golden blonde hair, but she also loves to go a little bit lighter for some dimension. This shade gives golden Barbie in the best way possible.
Rich Honey Blonde
Devon Aoki’s rich, honey blonde hair is instantly iconic. We also love the touch of dark roots that give this hue a lived in look.
Champagne Blonde Streaks
Halle Berry really knows how to rock one of the coolest, edgiest blonde hues — champagne blonde. We especially love the juxtaposition between the blonde and the dark brown hair.
Buttery Blonde
While people might associate butter with yellow, when it comes to hair, it’s more of a golden creamy shade. Iggy Azalea pulls off this stunning color perfectly.
Dirty Blonde Bob
Khloe Kardashian is known for her signature blonde hair and her dirty blonde hue at the 2022 Met Gala is another banger for the reality TV star.
