The 10 Biggest Summer Hair Color Trends of 2023

Riviera blonde! Toffee brunette! Cinnamon copper! There’s a new strategy happening with summer hair colors 2023, according to the pros: “Pop culture trends tend to really affect hair in the summer, so I’m expecting lots of big, bright transformations inspired by the Barbie movie,” says LA-based colorist Daniel Moon, whose client Ryan Gosling just donned a fresh set of ’90s supermodel highlights (pictured below). On top of being defined by the media we’re absorbing, summer “is all about embracing possibility and cutting loose,” Moon adds. 

There’s a grungy tilt to blondes right now, says Lena Ott. “One of my favorite inspirations is Kurt Cobain,” she says of taking Michelle Williams from spring’s “celestial platinum” to a moodier “shadow blonde” for the Tonys via a drop-in technique she describes as “what would happen if balayage highlights and double process had a baby; it’s refined rawness.” At Ott’s salon, Suite Caroline in Manhattan, colorists Saint Latimer and Mariah Joseph also notice a chilled-out sense of play. “High-maintenance color can be hard to keep up while hanging out with friends on the Lower East Side or on the beaches of Capri,” says Latimer, who notes that “lived-in” color matches the overall spirit of laid-back activities and languid social events. “We all know that lifted-soul feeling we get,” Joseph agrees of the intangible sense of summer. “We feel new, fresh, and like anything could happen.” 

And according to Nina Rubel, L’Oreal Professional artist and creative director at Williamsburg’s Rob Peetoom Salon, it’s a time to switch up routine. “There is this feeling of newness, beauty, and being free that gives us the confidence to try things we may have been hesitant to do,” she says of diving into uncharted territory. From cinnamony copper to sunset rose pastels, here are the biggest summer hair colors 2023.

Sunset Rose

While one of her favorite shades to play around with is copper, Rubel’s “been having requests from [her] blondes for pink and orange-based pastels.” She creates a “transformational yet low-commitment result” with this foamy, peachy shade she calls sunset rose. “When done with a demipermanent gloss, the result will last one to two weeks fading effortlessly back to blonde,” she explains. “It’s a great way for our blondes to dip their toes into the world of reds.”

’90s Supermodel Highlights 

“Nineties supermodel hair in the men’s and women’s world has been really exciting to see come alive,” says Moon of Gosling’s look—crafted in collaboration with hairstylist Shane Thomas—which captures big pops of blonde against contrasting colors and lowlights. “It’s interesting and out-of-the-box natural for me,” he adds.  

Toffee Brunette

Rubel notices a richness in dimensional shades that she calls “toffee brunette,” which falls between darker blonde and dimensional brown hair. “Soft golds and neutral beiges tend to complement many skin tones and complexions and can be achieved with a simple glossing service over previous lightness,” she adds, noting the easy shift that will also “fade beautifully in the summer sun.” 

Riviera Blonde

Ahead of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, stylist Elizabeth Sulcer dropped by Suite Caroline for a refresh. “The starting place was a glamorous, timeless blonde,” says Ott of “bottling the South of France experience into a shade.” In essence, riviera blonde “is meant to capture light as it hits the crown of the head and then melt it out into a dazzling diffusion; it’s soft and creamy rather than vivid and dimensional.” 

Strawberry Fields 

Picture yourself shopping at farmers markets, strolling through lush parks, and enjoying chic patio dinners. “The word to describe this shade is juicy,” says Latimer. Strawberry fields is the softer version of red and the more powerful version of strawberry blonde that works for anyone dreaming of a copper transformation. “I achieve this tone with a base bump, which uses your natural color as a jumping-off point for the red tones,” he explains. “It’s quick, noncommittal, and creates the most natural color for each client.”  

Platinum With Roots

“I love that this gives you platinum in a nonchalant way,” says Moon of the roots-on-purpose trend that gives bleached hair a breath of fresh air. “That not-so-fresh look can feel a little modern from the jump,” he adds. To achieve it in the salon, he bleaches while leaving the roots untouched.

Espresso Balayage 

“Expensive brunette isn’t going anywhere,” Rubel says regarding requests for warmer and richer shades and transitions into deep espressos. “Seamless highlights and balayage will be used to create soft dimension and movement for those wanting to still feel like a brunette while adding in lightness,” she notes. Using a light hand for an imperceptible glow, “the key is a seamless blend, and only lifting a few levels lighter.” 

Ginger Glow 

For Eartheater’s latest hair transformation ahead of her new album release, Joseph felt it was “the perfect time for a high-impact summer hair moment” and set about creating something that felt warm and sparkling with the ability to “shape-shift with even the smallest movement of the head.” She painted on panes of bright honey and copper lowlights to achieve a palette that “dances from sparkling ginger to baby blonde” and elevates the punkiness by “blending a seamless start at the root so that you can’t tell where things start and end.”

Shadow Blonde 

Ahead of the Tony Awards, Michelle Williams came to Ott for a transition from “heavenly platinum” to a “shadowed blonde that leans into the tactile spirit of NYC summer.” Inspired by Williams’s regrowth, Ott “tear-dropped a horizontal root blend, creating a shattered shadow—meanwhile, [they] popped out and lightened the hair tips for some loudness.” Ott adds that for shorter hairstyles, placement is paramount because every strand of hair matters. For anyone growing out their pixie or just cutting their lengths into a bob, consider plunging into a shadow blonde drop-in shade that works with everything from Chanel on the red carpet to denim at the deli.   

Cinnamon Copper 

“Copper has been having a major moment,” says Rubel of focusing on a “more muted, subtle cinnamon” variation of the shade for the summer, which also adds dimension and brightness to the trend. For a test drive, clients can always opt for a “copper-based gloss to spice things up while remaining low-commitment.”