21 Best Pastel Hair Colors Right Now |Amanda's Fashion Outfits

A pastel hair color is a soft and muted shade of any fashion hue. One of the trending hair colors these past few years, pastels in its universe of shades are making the scenes out on the streets and even on the red carpet!

Taking over the charts are Behati Prinsloo-Levine, Ruby Rose, and Halsey with their sweet candy-colored strands! Unconventional hair colorist Liz Cook bravely uses her creative wits to mix at least three different pastel tones, creating enchanting IG-famous hairstyles!

Whether you’re leaning toward a solid pastel shade or a multi-tonal hair, every hue of the rainbow is available for you to try! All you need is an expert colorist who can guide you through the process.

Going pastel is a real investment because, to make the colors pop, lightening your strands is a must – and we all know that bleaching could seriously damage the hair if left untreated. This is where your stylist-recommended at-home care products save the day!

Mint Pastel

Instagram @courtgannhair

Vivid and calming, live like a pixie in the forest rocking a soft-hued green.

Green Pastel

Instagram @elissawolfe

Not until recently, green has been a trending color to wear on your crown. To keep this cloudy lime color, use products that protect hair and wash hair with cold water.

Pastel Lilac

Instagram @courtgannhair

Embrace vanilla lavender hair made lavish with purple roots. Just remember to use purple shampoo and have regular visits to your salon for touch-ups.

Pastel Pink Ombre

Q&A with style creator, Marisabel Romo
Designer Hairstylist @ Ulta Salon in Chandler, AZ

How would you describe this look?

This look is a fun creative way to rock some bubble gum pink! My favorite thing about this hair color is the shine and contrast between her beautiful natural color and the way it transitions to pastel pink. I styled her with a 1-inch wand from BedHead, ran my fingers through to give the curls a softer look.

Any advice for someone considering it?

In order to get this gorgeous look, you have to be at a level 10 blonde (inside of a banana peel). It was easy to reach this on her because her natural level is a 7 dark blonde. It is a long process when the hair is level 3 dark brown.

To maintain it I would definitely recommend taking home leave in conditioner, shine spray/serum, and color safe shampoo and conditioner. These colors can fade really fast depending on how often you wash your hair. Be mindful you may have to return in about 2 weeks to refresh the color. But it’s all worth it to a woman with a fun/spunky attitude!

Short Pastel Hair

Q&A with style creator, Shannon Diamond
Creative Director @ KAM Hair and Body Spa in Lossiemouth, Scotland

How would you describe this look?

This is an uplifting, fun, and playful color where all the pastel colors come together to create a youthful look. Personally, my favorite thing about this color is how it seamlessly blends with the cut and how the colors complement each other perfectly.

Any advice for someone considering it?

The advice I would give to a client looking at fashion colors like these is to think about its maintenance and wearability. This image was captured four weeks after application and all tones used have beautifully morphed into lighter versions of what they originally were.

Products like Matrix Biolage R.A.W. Color Care Shampoo and Conditioner or Matrix Total Results Keep Me Vivid Shampoo and Conditioner are key to keep this look long lasting. It’s as simple as be good to your hair and your hair will be a good back. You have to be willing to commit to regular salon visits and willing to put the time into you and your hair “the crown you can’t take off”.

Pastel Blue

Q&A with style creator, Carol Geiger
Hairstylist & Makeup Artist in Schaffhausen, Switzerland

How would you describe this look?

It’s a really modern look. These colors are very in right now in Switzerland. I love this color because it really accentuates blue eye color.

It also washes out very beautiful. After 2 weeks it got more green and after 1 month it’s now a light pastel mint color.

Any advice for someone considering it?

What you have to consider is that these pastel colors don’t last very long. They wash out more quickly than the natural colors like blond or brown tones, so you probably have to go to the hair salon more often. You also have to bleach the hair until white-blond before you can do a color like that, so your hair should be as healthy as possible.

What’s also important: You have to be a person who takes her time for the hair treatment, because after the bleaching your hair needs more frequently treatments like masks, a good color-saving conditioner, and moisturizing leave-in & styling products.

Pastel Teal

Q&A with style creator, Jessica Jones
Hairstylist @ Hair by Jessica Jones in Brantford, ON

How would you describe this look?

My client came up with the name Cruella DeMermaid which I think suits this color perfectly!

I love the versatility of this color. I sectioned out the two halves in a zigzag pattern so that depending on how she feels like parting her hair it could look completely different. The soft waves and the dreamy colour gives me serious summer beach vibes.

Any advice for someone considering it?

If a client is considering going pastel there are a few things to keep in mind. You must have your hair lightened to a very pale shade of blonde for the true tone to show. This takes patience and can be costly. Secondly, pastel shades do tend to fade faster than richer/jewel-toned colors.

Be prepared to wash your hair less often, and always use a color safe shampoo and conditioner and very cold water to keep that color looking fresh.

Luckily, vivid and pastel colors are not so taboo anymore, so having funky hair is a great way to show the world who you are on the inside.

Pastel Peach

Q&A with style creator, Britney Powell
Hairstylist @ Noir Salon and Boutique in Vernon, BC

How would you describe this look?

This reminds me of sipping pink lemonade on a sunny day on the patio. I love the texture on this one length bob, giving the hair volume even though she doesn’t have a lot of hair. I also love the slightly gown out rooted look.

Any advice for someone considering it?

This is the type of client who is always keen to try new things doesn’t mind the maintenance and upkeep of the pastel life. She’s fun and outgoing and armed with a creative mind. She likes to use her daily dose of blow dry lotions thickening products and hair sprays to make the textures really show.

Pastel Unicorn Hair

Q&A with style creator, Megan Campbell
Colorist / Extension Specialist in Las Vegas, NV

How would you describe this look?

I call this look unicorn tears, but they are happy tears.

I love using this diagonal parting technique on my color clients because it makes the color look different no matter where the client chooses to part it. If parted down the center, it makes a ribbon effect. If they choose to part their hair on the side, then it will actually take on a more dramatic peekaboo effect.

I love Mydentity hair color and it’s bonding sidekick, Olaplex! While this is achievable using other brands, they were the foundation of this look.

Any advice for someone considering it?

For all the unicorn lovers out there! This look can be for anyone who is a unicorn at heart.

My advice to potential clients wanting to achieve this look: be patient, insist on Olaplex, and expect to pay for a look like this. It requires a lifting process that could take multiple appointments to achieve the desired level of blonde needed. It can also require toners, treatments, and glazes or full colors, all before the fun shades are even applied. Dark hair starting levels will take longer and require more steps to achieve pastels than naturally lighter hair will.

More importantly, know that pastels are a fragile color in any color line. They all tend to fade fast. So, if this is the pastel unicorn hair of your dreams, just know it is considered a high maintenance color and will require regular maintenance to maintain the shades.

I always recommend to my pastel and direct dye clients that they wash their hair separately with cold water, make a dry shampoo their BFF, because washing it too often will make it fade quicker, and only use sulfate-free professional salon quality shampoo and conditioner. Mydentity and Olaplex both have great shampoo and conditioner options for this need.

Also, low heat is required for styling. For the same reason as washing with cold water, heat can open the hair cuticle and cause the hair to slip right out or even burn it out. So, cold equals longevity.

This particular model had to start level 3 hair. This was her third visit with me. We did 2 visits of lightening safely using Mydentity lighteners mixed with Olaplex, treatments, toners, glazes, and a platinum color on the 2nd visit to achieve an icy white blonde. On the 3rd visit, we did a platinum root touch up and a platinum glaze using the same products to rid of any leftover gold hues. Next came the Olaplex treatment, and then used all Mydentity pastel direct dyes to achieve this pastel color. Each visit took between 5-7 hours to create our unicorn tears magic.

Platinum White Pastel

Q&A with style creator, Jaimie Brown
Hairstylist @ L Salon in Marietta, OH

How would you describe this look?

This look is one of my regular bleach and tone clients who we usually make a platinum blonde. This time we decided to overtone her to a slight pastel lilac root. I used a medium size wand to curl her hair and loosely combed through it with my fingers and an oil. Her cut is a simple long layer. I love all kinds of blonde services but I love the all over bleach and tone looks the best.

Any advice for someone considering it?

If someone is considering this look, they really should have a natural level 7 hair or above. Also, maintenance is something to consider. I suggest a touch up every 5 weeks. I send my guests home with my favorite purple shampoo (Pulp Riot Barcelona) for at-home maintenance. I also recommend using an at-home conditioning treatment once a week and oil with a heat protectant.

Rainbow Pastel

Instagram @peacock_hair_designs

Sometimes, less is more. In this case, hints of cotton candy rainbow hues are mix just right for that punchy, cool look that doesn’t scream for much attention.