This Citrus Hair Color Trend Is Made for Summer
By Rachel Nussbaum. Photos: Courtesy of Instagram.
Remember back when everyone would douse their hair in lemon juice for DIY highlights? It was the ideal teenage summer activity—subtle, cool-at-the-time streaks from lying in the sun (although, believe us, the first thing we'd do with a time machine would be to go back and coat ourselves with sunscreen on the hour). Well, even as tanning oil is leaving drugstores for good, the other half of that equation is back with a vengeance. Citrus hair color is popping up all over Instagram—and thankfully, it's nothing like our tween interpretations.
Taking inspiration from limes, lemons, oranges, and even grapefruit, the citrus hair look is a mood-lifting response to recent Instagram trends. Charcoal hair may have been the antidote to unicorn fatigue, and while we can always get behind a dark moment, citrus hair is basically vitamin C for your head. You can't help but smile while staring at it, which we'd claim makes us stronger (emotionally). The science is absolutely not there, but rest assured the hair inspo is.
This version, by California-based colorist Liz Cordis, is seriously gorgeous. Strawberry blond meets neon yellow, with hints of red and baby pink? It's a melee of color.
This "sour citrus" rendition by Norfolk Manic Panic ambassador Jaymz Marsters is an angular, orange-yellow take.
Grapefruit red, orange yellow, and hints of lime green are beyond cool on layered curls. For the color above, California-based hair stylist Jamie Cramer says the process took about four hours. An idea for pops of green met the sunset trend from a few months ago, and the combo came up citrus. To avoid everything clashing, Cramer chose a light lime and peachy orange; the magenta-purple tone tied everything together and brought it back to the client's black base color.
To find your own best citrus, Pravana product development manager Lissette Cruz recommends choosing tones already in your hair's color family for the easiest experience. Dark hair will play well with neon yellows, oranges, and limes, Cruz says—the underlying pigments will support and enhance them.
On the other hand, paler, pastel-leaning greens and pinks are most achievable for people with a natural blond or light brown base. Everyone else will have to bleach first, and add color from there. Cruz says above all, don't rush the process—going too fast could leave you with major breakage. So be prepared to wear an "in-between" color while you lighten up for the main event.
A lemon color basically made for Bey enthusiasts (also: this looks weirdly like Kylie, right?).
Cruz also gave us this gem of a tip: Bring your conditioner bottle to your color appointment, and ask your stylist to throw in a few dabs of the colors they use. The custom-mixed conditioner will keep your color vibrant, and work better than a one-size-fits-all color-preserving product (how did we not think of this?!). Just ask ahead of your appointment or during your consultation if your salon will allow it.
Such beautiful, different interpretations (if you want more, the #tangerinehair hashtag is also popping). We love that the trend makes the most of typical hair color annoyances—brassiness will only add to the orange's life, while chlorine will enhance any lemon-lime streaks. Instagram hair creations aren't always the most accessible, but if you're searching for a fun, life-friendly spin for summer, this could be a good one.
This story originally appeared on Glamour.
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