8 Summer Hair Color Trends to DIY for Your Next Hair Makeover

Summer beauty is all about the effortless, less-is-more and low-maintenance approach. We tend to wear less makeup and spend less time on our hair, which means this is not the time to adopt a new 12-step skin care routine or a high-maintenance hair color that needs constant upkeep. 

There’s an unwritten beauty rule about going darker with your hair in the winter and lighter with your hair in the summer. Summer is no doubt a great time to switch up your color, but you also want to keep things easy, right? Ahead, discover eight low-maintenance summer hair color trends (that are DIY friendly) from expensive brunette to strawberry blonde to soft ombré highlights. 

8 Summer Hair Color Trends to Try Now

If you’re craving a little hair makeover, here are eight hair color trends that we love for the summer months.

Lived-In Brunette

When you think of lived-in brunette color, think of dark roots and grown-out highlights that contribute to a soft, casual and lowkey appearance. Lived-in hair colors definitely evoke a low-maintenance vibe, which many appreciate for summer.

To give your brown strands a lived-in look, use the L’Oréal Paris Superior Preference Balayage At-Home Highlighting Kit in Medium Brown to Dark Brown. Instead of placing the balayage highlights near the roots, drop them a few inches down and use the pro-toning mask to blur the harsh lines for a natural-looking blend.  

Strawberry Blonde

Strawberry blonde is a mix of red, orange and golden blonde colors. It’s not surprising to see its popularity this summer when red hair has been a major trend for the past few seasons. Strawberry blonde is the lighter (and brighter) take on auburn or copper color and it’s perfect for those who wanna go blonder in the summer. 

Head to the drugstore (or make an online order) to get your hands on the L’Oréal Paris Excellence Crème Permanent Triple Care Hair Color in Medium Reddish Blonde. Follow the instructions on the box for a seamless, at-home hair color session. Color-treated red hair fades quickly, so keep your color vibrant with the L’Oréal Paris Le Color Gloss One Step In-Shower Toning Gloss.

Dirty Blonde

Dirty blonde is a darker blonde shade with notes of brown that deepen the hue. It’s not golden or ashy, but it’s right in the middle, which means it looks good on almost all skin tones and is quite simple to maintain. If you have dark brown hair, you can achieve a dirty blonde hue with some highlights. If you have blonde hair and want a darker, dirtier shade, add some brown lowlights. For an all-over dirty blonde color, try the L’Oréal Paris Superior Preference Fade-Defying Shine Permanent Hair Color in Dark Blonde.

Soft Peach

Soft peach is a mix of pink and orange color with a dreamy pastel glow. It’s a great statement to make for a festival weekend, or as a simple hair color switch to add more color to your life. 

To rock soft peach strands for a weekend, use the L’Oréal Paris Colorista Semi-Permanent Hair Color in Soft Pink. This ammonia-free hair color works best on blonde or highlighted hair and fades in four to eight washes. For a single day of peach color, use the L’Oréal Paris Hair Makeup Temporary 1-Day Hair Color Spray in Rose Gold — it lasts until your next shampoo. 

Expensive Brunette

Expensive hair color is a social media trend that we see season after season in different variations. This season, expensive brunette is an ashy brown hue with vibrance that rivals a salon glossing treatment — it boasts shine, gloss and vibrancy. 

To DIY this hue, enlist the help of the L’Oréal Paris Superior Preference Fade-Defying Shine Permanent Hair Color in Cool Light Brown. To maintain the glossy vibrance, use an in-shower glossing treatment, like the L’Oréal Paris Le Color Gloss One Step In-Shower Toning Gloss in Cool Brunette, once a week. 

Platinum

Platinum is bright and light for summer, but if you don’t have naturally light hair it does require steady upkeep. That said, summer is a great time to go platinum so you can DIY this bright blonde shade with the L’Oréal Paris Féria Hyper Platinum Advanced Lightening System Bleach in Hyper Platinum. In an effort to cut down on routine maintenance, once your roots begin to show, use the L’Oréal Paris Magic Roots Concealer Spray, Blondes with Dark Roots to quickly cover them until your next shampoo. 

Mushroom Bronde

Mushroom bronde is an ashy hue with blonde, beige, brown and gray tones that resemble the marbling of colors that make up the flavorful fungi. The mix of blonde and brown makes the color less prone to fading, so it’s not a shade that requires constant upkeep, which is always welcomed, especially for summer. 

Grab the L’Oréal Paris Excellence Crème Permanent Triple Care Hair Color in Light Ash Brown or the L’Oréal Paris Féria Multi-Faceted Shimmering Permanent Hair Color in Downtown Brown to DIY this ashy bronde shade. 

Sombré Highlights

Ombré hair color is lauded for its low maintenance upkeep à la dark roots that make it a lived-in hair color that doesn’t need monthly root touch-ups. Sombrè has all of those qualities with a lighter gradient to give it an overall subtler look. Use the L’Oréal Paris Superior Preference Balayage At-Home Highlighting Kit to DIY the sombrè ribbons of color. This at-home balayage kit includes a pro toning mask to blur color near the roots for a seamless, natural-looking blend. 

Next: 6 Ways to Sport a Delicious Milk Tea Hair Color

Photographer: Chaunte Vaughn, Associate Creative Director: Melissa San Vicente-Landestoy, Art Direction: Hannah Packer, Associate Creative Producer: Becca Solovay