The Best Hair Color Trends Of 2021

One of the top trending hair colors in spring 2021 was bronde, with the name coming from combining blond and brown. L'oréal describes the in-between color by saying that the bronde hair color trend "means you are no longer forced to choose between the two ... Bronde is a color technique that fuses brown and blond to create a flattering, sun-kissed color result." It's a more natural look that requires less treatment than bleach or platinum blond, and it also adds some brightness to your look. In that way, bronde is truly the best of both worlds.

Because the color finds a nice middle ground, anyone getting it done can adjust the shades to work with their natural hair color and go best with their skin tone. Celebrity hairstylist Dom Seeley told Stylist, "This color will work on just about all hair colors and types. Warmer blonds reflect light and appear brighter, giving a radiant and healthy-looking glow to the skin." Celebrities like Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Olsen, and Sofía Vergara looked stunning in this combo color throughout 2021.

These chunky, face-framing blond pieces are a twist on the money piece highlighting. Like with the highlights, the front strands of your hair are dyed lighter. However, the blond pieces are added to an otherwise darker hair color instead of complementing the rest of your highlighted hair. The front strands that are dyed are also usually a lot chunkier. Unlike the highlighted money pieces, this look isn't supposed to appear natural. It's a much more drastic look that had some people obsessed and had others rolling their eyes.

The chunky blond streaks were popular in the '90s, and they started getting brought back in 2020, going strong into 2021. Allure suggested many names for these trendy front pieces including, "90s bangs," "Pepé Le Pew streak" (inspired by the somewhat skunk-like look), and "flaps." But, no matter what you call them, it was definitely interesting to see everyone experimenting with this look throughout the year. Colorist Cherin Choi told Allure, "It's is a bold way to [lighten] your hair with very little commitment. You don't have to dye your entire head. The lightness around your face will make it feel as though it's on your entire head, and it takes only a fraction of the time."

Another style of color blocking that we saw all over in 2021 was this split-dye look. It's a bold, contrasting look you can use with a variety of color combos. Some people bleached one-half of their hair while leaving the other natural. Another option is using a fashion color like pink, orange, green, or any other fun color along with your natural color or a bleached half. And some people even used two bright fashion colors with one on each side. With so many options, selecting two colors that go well together can be difficult. The Salon Success Academy offered some advice for picking two colors that go well together. They recommended combining light pastel colors and complementary colors or contrasting with blond and black.

The great thing about this style is that if you want to try a bold color but can't pick between two, you can just use them both. However, it's far from easy when if comes to upkeep. As Success Salon Academy said, "If you like easy, breezy color jobs, split color isn't for you. If you want to maintain the look, it does take time, money, and a stylist you trust! However, it can be a super fun trend, and if you love the look, you should rock it!"

Amidst the blond and brunette colors, we can't forget gorgeous red shades. If the cooler tones weren't your style, then you might have fallen in love with this warmer trend. When it came to ginger hair, copper tones were huge in 2021. The exact color could range from strawberry blond to deeper ginger. As celebrity colorist George Papanikolas told The Zoe Report, the spectrum of red colors makes it easy for anyone to select what works best with their skin tone. But what the colors have in common is a warm, coppery glow to the orange hair. Papanikolas also advised, "If you're unsure about a sudden change, the easiest way to dip your toe into copper is to do a copper gloss over your highlights or natural hair."

Anyone thinking about going ginger can find plenty of inspiration from the many celebrities who embraced the coppery look during 2021. Famously blond model Gigi Hadid surprised fans by debuting her long red hair at Versace's Milan Fashion Week show. And Carmen Lee Solomons was another fashion model rocking the warm red tones throughout 2021. 

With hair salons closing during lockdowns in 2020, many people started opting for more natural hair colors, and those low-maintenance styles continued into 2021. One of these styles was the natural blond look with roots. Instead of a light bleach blond that takes a lot of upkeep, people started embracing baby blond hair with natural warmth throughout, and the best part is you don't have to worry about your roots growing out!

That's right; this 2021 look embraced grown-out roots for an authentic and hassle-free style. Talking about 2021 styles, celebrity colorist Jeremy Tardo told Glamour, "This new year is ushering in effortless-looking blonds that can be worn all year long." When it comes to achieving this blond look, Tardo recommends that you keep your roots their natural color and "ask your colorist for a natural blond color melt." This trend makes the blond look so much easier and means you don't have to rush to make a salon appointment every time your roots start showing. It's especially convenient if your hair is naturally light, then you'll only have to get it touched up a couple of times a year. Hopefully, the low-maintenance style continues into 2022.

The summer is always a good time to experiment with more fun fashion colors, and the 2021 summer color was pastel pink. There were a few reasons pink took off. Firstly, it's an easy color to add to blond hair, and because the light pink fades fairly quickly, it was a great way to experiment without worrying about a big commitment. As Katy Kavrazonis, an extension specialist and educator at Covet and Mane, told The Zoe Report, "Pastels and vibrant colors are a great way to have fun with your hair, and you don't have to stay married to the color for too long."

Kravrazonis also theorized that the increase of people working from home could have led to more fashion colors. Although some returned to the office in 2021, many employees continued working remotely. And, with fewer people worrying about an office dress code, more felt free to experiment with pinks and other fun colors in their hair.

We also saw several celebrities trying out this look in 2021, like Chrissy Teigen, who went pink in April. And Lana Condor beat most of us to the trend by showing off her pink hair as early as February.

Despite what the name implies, the expensive brunette isn't necessarily a high-maintenance or pricey look. This was another trend that came out of the pandemic. While plenty went into 2020 as blonds, their hair grew out during the lockdown. But instead of rushing to the salon to get back their former look as soon as they opened, a lot of people found they liked the natural darker hair they'd grown out. The leftover blond created light honey highlights in naturally darker, healthier hair.

So, while it's called the expensive brunette, it's actually a natural look for a lot of people that takes little to no maintenance. Although since it's been popularized, many have recreated the look by dying their hair. Hairstylist Sarah Klein described the style, saying to InStyle, "It's shiny, it's warm, it sparkles in the light, and it's natural. What makes it look expensive is the richness of the tones and the shine." Hailey Bieber was one of the first to popularize the expensive brunette when her blond hair grew out. She told Refinery29 that she noticed a "big difference" in the health of her hair and avoids dying it now.