Low-Maintenance Hair Colors Are Defining Summer 2026—5 Trending Shades to Show Your Stylist

Ahh, summer. The season of sun-lightened strands, vintage Pucci dresses, al fresco aperol spritzes, and, if you’re lucky, a European getaway with your best girlfriends. Summer’s hotly anticipated return inspires entire seasonal makeovers from top to bottom, but if you haven’t already booked your summer hair appointment, don’t fret—there are tons of hairstyles, cuts, and colors still emerging as warm weather slips into our weekly forecasts. But the report I’m most excited to dish on is hair color trends, because according to celebrity-loved pro stylists, summer’s hottest shades are less of trends and more of natural hue enhancements.

“I think we’re moving away from hair that looks overly done and towards hair that feels more effortless and personal,” says celebrity hairstylist Marc Ballance. As the style set slowly rejects heavy aesthetic trends from years past, fashion and beauty people are looking inward to find the shades that fit not only their lifestyles, but their true senses of style—not just what TikTok populated on their latest doomscroll. “The common theme is low-maintenance luxury,” Ballance adds. “Clients want beautiful color that grows out gracefully and complements their natural hair rather than fighting it.”

To get more granular, we’ve broken down the five hues trending upwards as the temperature spikes—from milky blonde hues to melted chocolate tones and sun-soaked strawberry tints. Keep scrolling for the full debrief.

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Lived-In Blonde

Summer calendars book up quickly, leaving not much time for salon touch-ups between plans with friends and loved ones. If you dye your hair blonde throughout the year or like to go lighter in the summertime, the pros suggest opting for a lived-in blonde with natural depth at the roots. “Clients still want brightness around the face, but they don’t necessarily want to be in the salon every six weeks,” Ballance explains. Take, for example, Bella Hadid’s effortless melted blonde from her glamorous excursions during the 2026 Cannes Film Festival. “The goal is color that grows out beautifully and still feels polished months later,” says celebrity colorist Jess Gonzalez.

Maintaining Lived-In Blonde

Melted Chocolate Brown

Brunettes, this summer is all about shiny hair and soft dimension. Take Nina Dobrev’s espresso locks and scattered fringe from a sunny jaunt in Miami. “Think glossy chocolate, caramel ribbons, and soft lightness through the ends rather than dramatic contrast,” says Ballance. “Healthy-looking hair is becoming the statement.” The key to pulling off a “melted” brunette tone is to keep things almost the exact shade all-around, but to thread scattered highlights that are just a few hairs (pun intended) lighter than the natural hue.

Gonzalez describes these brunette tones as ones that “stay within the same color family,” creating the appearance of depth and eye-catching shine. “It’s less about high contrast and more about creating a seamless, softer color,” she states. “It feels polished, sophisticated, and low maintenance.” However, there is one step you should take to ensure your hair looks its healthiest in these dark hues, and that’s with gloss. “Treatments and glosses are becoming just as important as the color service itself because healthy-looking hair is the ultimate luxury,” she explains.

Maintaining Melted Chocolate Brown

Milk Tea Blonde

While most of summer’s trending hues celebrate the natural tone of your hair, this particular blonde whispers, “I just got my hair done.” As seen on models and tastemakers like Alex Consani and Ciara, milk tea blonde straddles the line between warm and cool. Gonzalez describes this shade as a “soft, neutral beige-blonde with creamy taupe undertones,” creating a “muted, velvety finish” that sits just below icy or platinum blonde. “It gives blondes a softer, more expensive-looking feel with less contrast,” she explains. “It’s perfect for anyone who wants to lighten up for summer without committing to an ultra-bright blonde.”

Maintaining Milk Tea Blonde

Sun-Washed Soft-Lights

Dusted with subtle highlights as if your strands have been kissed by the sun, this color trend tells a story of long days exploring beach towns and sun-soaked escapades with friends and lovers. Ballance calls sunwashed highlights (or what I’m calling soft-lights) the biggest summer of them all. Case in point: Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson’s (aka, H.E.R.’s) sunlit, softly highlighted curls. “Regardless of whether someone is blonde, brunette, or red, people want a color that looks like they’ve spent a summer outdoors rather than sitting in a salon chair all day,” he muses. “Soft face-framing pieces, delicate highlights, and natural-looking brightness create movement without looking over-processed.”

Maintaining Sun-Washed Soft-Lights

Soft Strawberry Blonde

Emma Stone is hairpso year-round, but her summery strawberry blonde—a recently lightened hue that she debuted at the Louis Vuitton 2027 Cruise show—is enough to make me trade my dark brown locks for soft red. Gonzalez sees this summer’s iteration being “less bold copper and more peachy-apricot blonde… with warm golden reflections that add brightness without reading overly red.” In a way, it mimics sunlight. “It’s a lighter, fresher take on red tones that feels soft and glowy, [and] gives blondes warmth and shine without looking too vibrant or too bold.”

Maintaining Soft Strawberry Blonde

Summer Hair Color Maintenance

Before you jet off on your summer plans, Ballance has a few words of wisdom when it comes to hair color care and maintenance.

• Use a Leave-In: “One of the easiest things people can do is use a leave-in conditioner before heading outdoors, to the beach or into a pool,” he states. “Think of it as a protective barrier around the hair shaft that helps reduce moisture loss and minimizes damage from environmental exposure.”
• Grab Your Hat: “Wear a hat whenever possible, especially during prolonged sun exposure,” he advises. “We protect our skin from UV rays, but often forget that the sun can fade color and dry out hair too.”
• Don’t Wait to Shower: “Rinse hair immediately after swimming to remove chlorine, salt and minerals before they sit on the hair for hours.”
• Use a Mask (Sparingly!): “Incorporate a weekly hydrating mask to replace moisture lost from heat and sun exposure,” he instructs. Just be sure to not over-use them, as this can exacerbate oiliness and drag the hair down.
• Ditch the Hot Tools: “Reduce heat styling where possible,” he recommends. “Summer is the perfect time to embrace natural movement and texture.”
• Get a Gloss: “Schedule regular glosses or toners if you color your hair. They can help refresh [the] shine and maintain tone between major color appointments.”

Meet Our Experts

• Jess Gonzalez is a celebrity hair colorist at Flore in Los Angeles and a Pravana expert.
• Marc Ballance is a Dublin-raised, New York-based celebrity hairstylist with past clients that include Nick Jonas and Bad Bunny.

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