With all of the cool technicolor hair we’re spotting on celebrities, Pinterest and Instagram this year, brown and blonde almost seem like radical choices. But whether you’re ready to taste the rainbow or just want to enhance your natural color, there’s never been a better time to dive in and dye it. Let your true colors shine through, whether those colors are whimsical My Little Pony pastels, lustrous rose gold, sun-kissed highlights or rusty red.
With expert hair colorists constantly perfecting ever better techniques for giving you a color that’s so you, the possibilities are basically endless, but we’ve narrowed our favorites down to 35. These cool hair color ideas are guaranteed to give you a fresh look for 2015, including a few that we’re sure you’ve never seen before. (These aren’t just 35 different versions of ombre, we swear.) So, click through to find your next hair makeover inspiration.
Related:
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- How to Go Bronde, This Summer’s Hottest Hair Color
Cool Hair Color Ideas for 2015 (SEO)
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Split Hair
The hair hashtag of the summer may be #splithair with all the punky beauties of Instagram killing it with this wild look. Just like the name suggests, split-dyed or "half and half" hair lets you choose two gorgeous colors. Do you dare?
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Vacation Hair
Not just another ombre, "vacation hair" is more sun-kissed and subtle. Face-framing toffee highlights are designed to make everyone wonder, "Where did she just get back from?"
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Lilac
Now is the time to dive into pastels and nothing could be more au courant than lilac. For celeb inspo, look no further than Katy Perry's Grammys look or Jourdan Dunn's purple 'do at Coachella — we're obsessed with the model's silvery wash and violet roots.
Image: Michael Bezijan/Getty Images Entertainment
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Strawberry Blonde
Redheads are getting all the love right now, so if you're looking to switch up your blond or light brown hair, consider adding a bit of strawberry. Bring along a picture of Jessica Chastain or Bella Thorne to the salon and you can't lose.
Image: Pinterest via The Right Hairstyles for You
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Mahogany
How could a brunette not want hair this sumptuous looking? Mahogany is a polished dark brown with earthy red undertones just perfect for warming up your basic brown shade this summer.
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Ash Gray
Maybe only celebs and the ultra hip were braving gray hair before, but the granny trend is poised to go mainstream for 2015. So if you've been filling your hair inspiration board with silvery styles, there's never been a better time to go gray early. This ash gray color gives you an instant edge and lasting cool-girl cred.
Image: Bloglovin' via Frida Vega Salomonsson
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Lived-in Color
Hair colorist Johnny Ramirez is pioneering lived-in color for 2015, which stands to be one of the year's hugest trends. A softer, updated ombre effect, the color is supposed to match the inside of a banana — and ideally is so low maintenance that it should keep you out of the salon for six months.
Image: @johnnyramirez1
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Rose Gold
Romantic and luminous, rose gold is one of the most luxe hair colors for 2015. Somewhere between strawberry blonde and platinum with plenty of metallic shimmer, ask for a blend of yellows and pinks to achieve this look.
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Marsala
As Pantone's color for 2015, it's no surprise that Marsala hair is on everyone's wishlist. The spicy hue is right on the edge of natural with an earthy richness that grounds its look-at-me vibrancy.
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Ice White
Unleash your inner Scandinavian with an almost white 'do. More silvery than platinum, but a shade brighter than granny, ice white hair gives a whole new meaning to the term "icy blonde."
Image: Pinterest via Hannah Cooper
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Dark Blonde
Taylor Swift and Cara Delevingne are making it a good time to be a dark blonde. Mousy no more, this ashy color is laid-back and low maintenance.
Image: Pinterest via Beautylish
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Reverse Ombre
Over ombre? Check out reverse ombre, which is just like it sounds: The style flips the dark-to-light fade on its head with light roots and dip-dyed tips. While less natural looking than the gradation that's been everywhere in the last year, the look brings an undeniable punky vibe.
Image: Pinterest via Brandy Melville
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Blue Black
Fess up, you've wanted hair so black it's blue ever since you saw Pocahontas. For girls with naturally dark locks, a navy blue wash or subtle highlighting is a fun way to appear even more raven-haired without going goth.
Image: Pinterest via heyyyitsmorg
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Bronde
No, that's not a typo — bronde is the actual trade name for that "now it looks blond, now it looks brown" shade. Perfect for in-between brunettes who wanna go blonde without going brassy, this radiant style is the best of both worlds.
Image: Judy Eddy/WENN.com
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Metallic
Don't let Sisqó go down in history as being the only one to work full-metal hair. Miley Cyrus went metallic at the 2015 Met Gala and we're feeling her chrome 'do for short styles this summer.
Image: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
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Tortoiseshell
Tortoiseshell, or ecaille if you're classy, is a technique where a rich blend of chestnut, chocolate brown and gold are painted onto the hair. The result is multidimensional and expensive looking and it's being called the trend to pay attention to this summer.
Image: Pinterest via Refinery29
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Barely-There Pink
When January Jones debuted her "is it or isn't it?" pink hair this spring, we fell in love. Blondes can ask for just a touch of petal pink lowlights to get this rosy glow.
Image: FayesVision/WENN.com
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Dark Sea Green
While everyone else is lightening up, go your own way with a dark sea green 'do. The jewel tone is a sophisticated take on the pastel hair trend.
Image: Pinterest via PopSugar Beauty
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Aubergine
This deep violet-red has been trending as a vampy lip color, so it was only a matter of time before the shade took over the hair game. According to Organic Colour Systems’ Technical Director Rebecca Gregory, “Aubergine is the perfect complementary color for cool or neutral brunettes living at levels 4 and below.”
Image: Pinterest via Organic Colour Systems
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Babylights
If you're not yet in the know, babylights are the most current way to highlight using the balayage technique, where a lighter color is hand-painted to achieve highlights that appear healthy and God-given. Think your own hair color, only illuminated.
Image: Donato Sardella/Getty Images
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Short Ombre
You don't have to have long, cascading locks to rock an ombre 'do — gradation is just as doable with a messy pixie or blunt bobs. Plus, the quick grow-out time for shorter hairstyles means you'll have more opportunity to experiment with combinations of shades.
Image: Pinterest via PoPular Haircuts
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Faded Denim
With just the right amount of grunge, this washed-out denim shade is airy and versatile. Great for transitioning between brights and pairs well with your favorite cutoffs.
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Truffle
Call it the Kate Middleton effect, but we're seeing a return to not-so-basic brunette this summer. This chocolatey truffle shade is truly scrumptious.
Image: Pinterest via The Right Hairstyles for You
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Cruella De Vil
A striking way to try out the granny trend is with a streak or two of white blonde framing the face. As Soo Joo Park models, the look is particularly suited to updos.
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Caramel Blonde
Warmer and more natural looking than platinum — but just as fun — caramel blonde is the ultimate in California surfer style. Poppy Delevingne owns this summery color.
Image: David M. Bennett/Getty Images
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Green Buzz
Ready to go green? We mean really green — this vivid buzz takes guts, but is sure to make everyone else green with envy.
Image: Pinterest via Ecstasy Models
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One-Tone Brunette
Despite the name, there's nothing boring about a one-tone brunette hue. Look to Kendall Jenner's highlight-free hair for inspo and keep your monochrome brunette color looking fresh with gloss treatments.
Image: WENN.com
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Rusty Red
We all remember Rihanna's killer mermaid-red hair, but her latest iteration is a little earthier. She proves that Ginger Spice-inspired rust tones look even more rad for 2015.
Image: Will Alexander/WENN.com
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Rainbow Roots
We're obsessed with the rainbow roots from the Maxime Simoëns Spring 2015 runway. Blue, pink, yellow — whatever hue you choose, this is an awesome, unexpected way to cover roots and play with color.
Image: Imaxtree
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Copper Accents
Light up dark hair with copper-colored accents. Dip-dyed or highlighted throughout, these warm, metallic tones can be a baby step toward going full ginger.
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Bicolor Pony
Alexander Wang introduced the two-tone pony concept for summer a few seasons ago, but Beyoncé made us move this one to the top of our to-do list when she wore the look to this year's Met Gala. Achieve the bicolor look with an extreme ombre or if you're not so ready to commit, a lighter colored extension wrapped around your ponytail works just as well.
Image: Andres Otero/WENN.com
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Multi
Who says you gotta stop at one or two colors? Taste the rainbow with multicolored strands woven through your ends, as seen on model Irene Kim during NYFW Spring 2015.
Image: Pinterest via Korean Model
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Matte Wine
How cool does this wine color look with a dusty matte finish? And we know you want to match your lipstick to your dye job.
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Pewter
Dark-haired beauties can get in on the gray trend, too with this burnished pewter shade. Super luminous with a touch of black and blue giving the silver more depth, this one proves there really are 50 shades of gray.
Image: Pinterest via jeangreige
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Platinum with Dark Roots
When your platinum starts to grow out, think twice before rushing back to the salon for a touch-up. If Julianne Hough can make contrasting dark roots look this good, you can, too.
Image: Brian To/WENN.com
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Cool Hair Color Ideas for 2015 (SEO) #36
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50 Crazy Cool Hair Color Ideas to Try (If You Dare)
