With summer in full swing, many stylists think it’s the perfect time to try a light, warm and refreshing new hair color! From recent BeautyTok videos to photos of our favorite celebs like Nicole Kidman, it’s no secret that strawberry blonde hair is a stunning and trendy hue for this season.
We checked in with professional hair stylists to learn more about its popularity and how flattering it can look on women over 40. Read on for tips, suggestions and insight from Jill Turbill, professional hair stylist and founder of Jill Turbill Beauty, and Ghanima Abdullah, hair expert and cosmetologist at The Right Hairstyles.
Achieving Gorgeous, Celeb-Fave Strawberry Blonde Hair
First Off, What Makes Strawberry Blonde So Flattering?
Why is strawberry blonde having its summer moment? Turnbill says to "picture a carefree summer afternoon, the sunlight glinting off a field of ripe strawberries." Strawberry blonde hair, she adds, captures this enchantment. It's a hue that "sings of warmth," Turnbill continues, and there's nothing more synonymous with summer than that. "This alluring shade brings a dash of summer radiance to the wearer's visage," she points out.
Abdullah agrees, and says that strawberry blonde is a hair color that is a "blend of blonde and pink," as seen above on Nicole Kidman. "It is often described as having a warm, golden glow." She explains that strawberry blonde as a hair color can "range in shade from light blonde with hints of pink to dark blonde with a coppery tint."
Abdullah says that this is a "popular hair color for summer 2023 because it is flattering on a variety of skin tones." Its two main shades, pink and yellow, are often "used to achieve this color" on Viola Davis above, and they "bring out the natural tones in faces of all different tones and make them look alive."
Strawberry blonde is a great "transitioning color when you want to move from blonde to something more exciting," Abdullah goes on. "Maybe you're not sure if pink or orange are for you, so this is a great way to dip your toe into the exciting world of fashion hair colors," she says.
If you've decided that you want to go strawberry blonde this summer, Turnbill suggests asking your stylist to "help weave the perfect balance between red and blonde to highlight your unique skin tone and eye color."
Tips For Hitting The Salon
Turnbill adds that for creating depth and dimension in your hair over 40 like Leslie Mann above, a "touch of cleverly placed highlights can create an illusion of volume, dialing up the glam quotient while maintaining an effortless charm."
Regular maintenance, she says, is your ticket to "keeping your strawberry-blonde locks lusciously radiant." She suggests "amping up your haircare regimen with some hydrating conditioning treatments" to keep the color vibrant and your tresses healthy. "Remember, a high quality color-safe shampoo is your new best friend," she advises.
When it comes to haircuts to pair with this color, Abdullah's favorite is a "short, pixie cut." For anyone with thinning hair especially, she concludes that strawberry blonde can be the "perfect color to highlight your face." It's not as wild as other fashion colors, Abdullah notes, but it will "still give your appearance a lift away from the classic brown and blonde colors."
Overall, Abdullah concludes that if you're over 40, strawberry blonde might be "just the color to pick up the golden and pink tones in your face and make you look fresh and youthful." If you want to keep your hair longer, she says this is also lovely for "showing off this summery hue."
