Ariana Grande Goes Back to Brunette After Years as a Blonde

ariana grande on the red carpet with blonde hair — (Image credit: Getty Images)

I forgot Ariana Grande is normally a brunette. Really. Truly. For years! Call it the Wicked effect or chalk it up to the fact that the singer-actress-beauty-brand-founder just looks really damn good platinum, but I’ve mentally begun to associate the multi-hyphenate as the living incarnation of Glinda the Good Witch—and as such, a towhead blonde. But leave it to one single Instagram post to shake my brain up a bit.

“It’s good to see me, isn’t it?” Grande captioned her latest Instagram post, which effectively debuted a fresh, new teddy bear brown hair color. The excellent dye job is the handiwork of London-based colorist Francesco De Chiara, as is the styling (peep that deep side part and bouncy blowout). De Chiara went on to say that the new hue signals “a new chapter has begun,” and frankly, I can’t wait to see what said chapter holds. New music, perhaps?

This certainly isn’t the first time Grande has had rich brown hair. Sure, she’s played around with the occasional pink hue, caramel, and even a red (Victorious fans, rise). But it is the first time her hair has been this dark in three years. And there couldn’t be a better time to be brunette. “Soft, rich, multidimensional medium brown is one of the biggest fall hair color trends,” hairstylist Temur Hamilton previously told Marie Claire. “It looks great on almost everyone, and your colorist should be able to create a version of this style that best complements your skin tone and features.”

If you’re considering taking your hair into darker territory like Grande, you’ll need a few supplies on hand to ensure your freshly-colored hair stays shiny and hydrated. Shop my must-have products below.

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Nutritive Hydrating Split Ends Serum for Dry Hair

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Samantha Holender is the Senior Beauty Editor at Marie Claire, where she reports on the best new launches, dives into the science behind skincare, and shares the breakdown on the latest and greatest trends in the beauty space. She's studied up on every ingredient you'll find on INCI list and is constantly in search of the world's glowiest makeup products. She's constantly tracking the biggest nail and hair trends to pop up in the beauty space, going backstage during fashion weeks, tracking celebrity looks, and constantly talking to celebrity hair stylists, nail artists, and makeup artists. Prior to joining the team, she worked as Us Weekly’s Beauty and Style Editor, where she stayed on the pulse of pop culture and broke down celebrity beauty routines, hair transformations, and red carpet looks. Her words have also appeared on Popsugar, Makeup.com, Skincare.com, Delish.com, and Philadelphia Wedding. Samantha also serves as a board member for the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME). She first joined the organization in 2018, when she worked as an editorial intern at Food Network Magazine and Pioneer Woman Magazine. Samantha has a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from The George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs. While at GWU, she was a founding member of the school’s HerCampus chapter and served as its President for four years. When she’s not deep in the beauty closet or swatching eyeshadows, you can find her obsessing over Real Housewives and all things Bravo. Keep up with her on Instagram @samholender.