Summer 2025’s Hair Color Trends Are Sun-Drenched, Low-Maintenance, and Easy to Grow Out
I'm turning crème brûlée blonde as we speak.
There's something positively tantalizing about being on the cusp of summer. We're blocking off our calendars for summer Fridays, packing every bag, purse, and tote with extra SPF, and favoring effortless air-dried hair over our go-to heat styling routines. It's also the time when low-maintenance, subtle, lived-in hair color makes a resurgence—and summer 2025's top hair color trends are majorly leaning into the laidback aesthetic.
"With the sun naturally brightening our skin and hair, those golden, peachy, rosy undertones are enhanced, especially in our cheeks and lips," says celebrity hairstylist and creative director of Virtue Labs, Adir Abergel. "Warmer hair colors really complement that sun-kissed glow, playing up those radiant tones and making everything feel plumper, brighter, and more vibrant for a total summer vibe."
It's no surprise that many clients are looking to lighten up their hair color for summer, as hair color tends to naturally fade in the sun, but many are leaning towards a more natural and subtle look instead of big pops of color or drastic changes, explains hair colorist and stylist Temur Hamilton. "They want their hair to reflect the season, while still feeling sophisticated and elegant," he adds.
One thing is for sure—it's a golden girl summer, and if you're not sure where to start, we tapped some of the top hair experts in the business to walk us through summer's prettiest hair color trends.
Crème Brûlée Blonde
We're all rushing to make color appointments after watching everyone’s favorite it-girl, Bella Hadid, debut a stunning new shade of blonde at this year's Cannes Film Festival. Called crème brûlée blonde, it's the hair color of the season that blends expertly placed highlights, lowlights, and carefully blended and diffused roots for a high-gloss, supermodel effect that looks so natural and chic.
Surfer Blonde
This shade of blonde has a sexy "sun-bleached" effect to it, says celebrity colorist Jenna Perry. "It has the perfect mix of ash hues with a splash of gold tones throughout to add warmth and dimension." Pair it with a salt spray or texturizing mist to enhance the sexiness with lived-in texture and oomph.
Honey-Dipped Brunette
Warmer, bronzier, and more golden, this shade of brunette is all about adding warmer highlights, says Temur. "I use one or two shades lighter than the client’s base color, to brighten up their hair for the season, while maintaining that beautiful brunette look overall," he says. "I also love adding a warm-toned glaze to really bring the color to life and make the overall effect richer."
Mocha Mousse
As Pantone's official color of the year, mocha mousse is set to take over summer. Earthly and diffused, the mid-tone brunette shade is blended with soft chocolate undertones, leaving a glossy and luxurious look that's incredibly natural. "People are adopting the mocha mousse trend and making it their own," says Temur. "By starting with their natural hair color, they're requesting bits of warmth and softness to find a customized version of this medium brown shade."
Butter Blonde
Butter blonde isn't going anywhere, says Abergel. "Whether it’s mixed with dimensional, light brown highlights or one cohesive, all over shade, it melts together perfectly and looks so smooth and flattering on pretty much anyone." The creamy, rich shade strikes the perfect balance between not too cool and not too warm as well as not too bright and not too muted.
Swirled Strawberry Blonde
Bold, punchy reds—think coastal copper and cowboy copper—have been popular the past few seasons, but a lighter, sun-kissed red is taking over for summer. “It’s a spin on your traditional strawberry blonde," says Perry. "This version is a bit softer and natural with a focus on lots of gold highlights and lowlights, adding some glossy dimension."
Cotton Candy Pink
Powdery, soft, and candy-colored, pastel hues are sticking around long after spring has come and gone. Instead of last season's whimsical dresses and blouses, pastels are here for our hair this season. "It's a bit of an unexpected trend I've been seeing this summer," says Perry, who notes that pink is the shade at the top of everyone's lists. "But I love how fun and cool it feels." It is worth noting that these shades are a bit more high-maintenance—they require bleaching hair until it's platinum before getting to the pastel part, so you'll need to double down on your masks and bond repair.
Golden Apricot
Following into the strawberry color family, this shade is a bit more citrusy—think tangerine and apricot hues. "These light expressions of copper make for the most beautiful summer shade of red," says Abergel. "It catches the light beautifully in the sun and has the right amount of warmth to complement so many summer skin tones." If you're not a natural redhead, red does tend to fade pretty quickly so you'll need to keep up with regular touch-ups and glosses to keep the golden tones intact.
Honeycomb Bronde
The marriage of blonde and brown has been around for a while but it's back and more elevated than before. Instead of just growing out your natural roots, this shade favors concealing, blending, and fusing the multi-tonal shades with balayage, lowlights, highlights, or microlights for a super individualized hue that's perfect for your specific skin tone. Temur recommends looking for "warm, honey, golden, and butterscotch shades" and then asking your colorist to mix and match them with blonde tones that are "just a shade or two lighter" for the ultimate bronde.
Toasted Coconut Cream
Your hair doesn't have to be a tint of red in order to be warm. This shade of brunette adds finely woven highlights or balayage in warm brown, creamy caramel, honey, or golden-blonde shades throughout your base. "I love a lived-in hair color placement that focuses on movement and where the sun naturally hits like face-framing pieces," says Abergel. "And then I like something like a unique, darker piece peeking out from the nape."
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Brianna Peters is an Austin and New York-based beauty writer and consultant with over a decade of experience in the industry, writing for outlets like goop, Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, InStyle, Marie Claire, Brides, and more. For this story, she spoke with three hair experts to determine this list of 2025's best summer hair color trends.
Meet the Experts
Adir Abergel is a Los Angeles-based celebrity hairstylist and creative director of haircare brand Virtue Labs. He is the creative force behind some of the most legendary red carpet hair moments and, throughout his career, he has worked with an esteemed roster of clients including Nicole Kidman, Rooney Mara, Kristen Stewart, Anne Hathaway, Jennifer Garner, and more.
With a passion for hairstyling, Temur, is the head stylist and owner of chic, Upper East Side hair salon, TEMUR Salon. He's devoted the last 14 years to perfecting his craft, working closely with legendary stylist Sally Hershberger, refining his skills under her expert guidance and has collaborated with some of New York’s leading hair colorists to expand his expertise and artistry.
Jenna Perry is a New York City-based celebrity hair colorist and salon owner known for her expertise in balayage and color. Her work with A-list clients like Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner, Camilla Morrone, Kaia Gerber, and more has earned her technique the term "hot girl hair." She is the founder and owner of Jenna Perry Hair, a popular hair cut and color salon, and she recently re-opened her East Village location—now named JENNA's—as a destination for all types of hair treatments focused on hair health, wellness, detox, and maintenance.
